2001 Honda Accord LX review from North America

Front and Rear Brakes.

I told myself I would never buy a Japanese car as I am a fan of GM and Ford cars; which explains why I took the Honda badge off the back and slapped a Ford badge in it's place. However, I was driving along one day and saw this car sitting in a dealer lot by the side of the road and decided that it wouldn't hurt anything to pull in and take a look-see. So here I am, 7 months and 18,000 miles later and I couldn't be happier.

The car is the LX V-6 model, dark red exterior and tan cloth interior with the ghastly wheel covers the denotes the LX model. Had the windows tinted and that's all I've done to the car.

Replaced the front brake pads, front rotors and the rear brake pads a couple days ago as they were quite thin and needed replacing. Was looking at the front and rear pads and looks like they are the original pads; genuine Honda pads. Tried another brand of aftermarket pads and they made so much noise that I took them off and put Honda pads in them; no more noise! Total cost? About $165. Do most of my car work on my own so no dealer experience to speak of other than with the parts department for the brake pads.

Great power from the silky smooth engine. Could use a more intelligent tranny though. It likes to start the car in 3rd gear when I roll around a corner and then shifts to 2nd or even 1st if need be. Excellent fuel economy too for the size of the car and decent power it makes. About 65% of my driving is on the highway and I get about 24-25 mpg overall. Recently went on a trip and at speeds of 85mph I averaged 32-34 mpg! Not bad...

Exterior design is nice if not quite conservative in appearance. I have noticed a couple rock chips in the extremely thin paint on the front of the hood. The bumper seems to be holding up quite well though. The car had the dealer optional fog lights installed on it which are very effective. Most cars I've driven with fog lights don't do anything, they're just there for show. Excellent headlight coverage though too even without them.

Just snowed today about 4-5 inches. I haven't had a chance to put snow tires on the car as I've waited to see how it handles in snow. Overall impression? Pretty darn good with summer slicks on it. I've kind of wondered in the dry why the traction control is so sensitive, but now I appreciate it. Kind of silly though how it only works up to 18 mph. Traction control and ABS are very effective. Make the best of whatever traction the tires provide.

Interior comfort gets high remarks from me. I'm about 6 feet tall and only wish the front seat would move back further than what it does. All controls are well placed and are within good reach. The stereo is excellent for a stock factory unit. The car does have quite a few storage nooks and crannies.

This is my first car and am hoping it will last me at least through the next 3 1/2 years when I'll be done with school. I wanted something that had a reputation of bulletproof quality which is something the domestic manufacturers aren't well known for I'm afraid. Sure they have their good models with solid reliability ratings if you like Buicks, but I just don't see myself driving one of those. Until then, I'll play it safe hopefully and drive a Japanese car!!

Overall impression? Very nice, reliable, solidly built first car. I like it...