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Location: Butler County Ohio and Winters in Florida
929 posts, read 2,723,462 times
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#1 Fix your current car, cheaper than a newer car, and that is low miles, you may find yourself in love again after you spend a few bucks on the old girl
#2 Buy another Honda, the Certified Pre Owned is a great program
#3 IMO stay away from KIA and Hyundai, I dont think they will last like a Honda or Toyota
The 2008 Accord my wife had was the absolute worst built car I have owned since some rather chintzy early 90's products. Anywhere from the poorly engineered EBT system, to the grossly undersized rear brakes, to the rear door seals that did not even properly fit the openings. Not to mention the underpowered 4 banger which made up for it with gearing (and lackluster fuel mileage due to the rev's the gearing needed).
It may last forever, but I would never have wanted to own it that long. Glad it's gone.
My 2008 did have a bit lackluster fuel mileage, but it's a full size car. Literally. The brakes were excellent. I tested them out one day in August 2012 and couldn't believe how fast they stopped the car. It always had plenty of power. The rear door seals were fine.
I think the power issue was with the LX model, the EX and higher had a 190 hp four cylinder. The LX is 177. The V6 gets you 271, and it might as well be a sports car with four doors.
You may have got a lemon. Personally, I've had my 2008 and 2011 for a combined year and 7 months, and they've been great cars. Not to mention the 41 other 2008 and newer Accords I've ridden in since August 31, 2011.
I would recommend an EX or higher due to the power issue. The V6 is a wise bet as well.
I was born in the early 90's by the way December 25, 1992!
#1 Fix your current car, cheaper than a newer car, and that is low miles, you may find yourself in love again after you spend a few bucks on the old girl
#2 Buy another Honda, the Certified Pre Owned is a great program
#3 IMO stay away from KIA and Hyundai, I dont think they will last like a Honda or Toyota
I don't think you guys understand the big issue here - I simply cannot come up with that kind of cash (for repairs) at once! Around here, and since I don't know how to do it myself, I'm looking at $1500+ for the clutch... and that's just one of its problems, on top of a broken window, mysterious engine problem, giant dent, and more. If I fixed everything that needed to be fixed, it would cost me the entire value of the car.
So unless someone has $3000 to lend me, my only options are to drive it until it dies and sell it for scrap, or trade it and take on monthly payments. I can make room in my monthly budget for an extra $200, but thousands of dollars would be impossible right now. Add to that the fact that I just don't like the car, and never have.
Anyway, I'm sitting in a used dealership as we speak, waiting for them to change the battery in a Mazda3 I'm looking to drive... it's literally the only 5-speed available within 200 miles, so I'm willing to wait a bit! The suggestion of a new Mazda3 is also a consideration, so I might head to the Mazda dealership next to see what they can do.
Anyway, I'm sitting in a used dealership as we speak, waiting for them to change the battery in a Mazda3 I'm looking to drive... it's literally the only 5-speed available within 200 miles, so I'm willing to wait a bit! The suggestion of a new Mazda3 is also a consideration, so I might head to the Mazda dealership next to see what they can do.
#1 Fix your current car, cheaper than a newer car, and that is low miles, you may find yourself in love again after you spend a few bucks on the old girl
#2 Buy another Honda, the Certified Pre Owned is a great program
#3 IMO stay away from KIA and Hyundai, I dont think they will last like a Honda or Toyota
#1 - No go. Generally I'd agree with this mentality, but OP specifically said she's never been fond of the car & can't afford the upcoming repairs. This doesn't fiit with the OP's needs/wants.
#2 - Can't comment on their Certified Pre Owned program cuz I don't have enough experience with it. Then again, I doubt most of us do. I will say Hondas tend to NOT be good used car values specifically because they have a good reputation & resale stays excessively high. They're generally good cars but generally not good used car VALUES.
#3 - For the opposite of the reason above, I'd actually suggest considering Kia & Hyundai. They somewhat remind me of when Honda/Toyota/Nissan were first making inroads into the US. Ten years ago I wouldn't have recommended either, but both have come a long way & build quality & reliability are ahead of what most people expect. Therefore, both depreciate quickly (although not as much as in the past) & actually represent a good used car VALUE as they are better cars than the general public perception. You may find a sweet deal on a 2008-2012 Hyundai Sonata or Kia Optima with careful research; expect to pay a premium for similar vintage Camry/Accord/etc.
Beyond all of the above, agreed that the Mazda3 may be a good fit for OP's needs & OP also seems to have some history & knowledge with the vehicle. Perhaps also consider the Camry Hybrid, as the LE model new is not much different than the Prius in cost & seems to much better fit OP's needs. I'm looking at 2013 closeout models with $1500 incentive and/or 0.0% financing where I could get a new 2013 Camry Hybrid for about $24K. That may be more involved than the OP wants, but it would be a solid vehicle for many years with about the right performance & excellent fuel economy.
No, unfortunately the first one is too expensive, or I'd be running to San Bruno to see it! And I can't go private sale, since I'm going to finance. I was looking at this one, a 2010 5-speed with ~70K miles: http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-s...61118765&Log=0
I actually LOVED it, but hesitating because of the mileage and sketchy lot. So I did go to the Mazda dealership too, and they had nothing in a manual... the salesman is going to see what he can find, since they're going to an auction this week, and will call me if he gets one. I also drove a VW GTI which was nice but a little rough (plus I'm not sure if German cars are good for me), a 2009 Subaru Outback automatic, and a ridiculously zippy little Mazda Speed. Still thinking the Mazda3 is my favorite, so I'll see if that new dealership can find me one with lower mileage than that white car. Quite a process!
- The photos don't show the interior in detail, but it was a black LEATHER (soooo nice) with sunroof, Bose speakers, and all the trimmings.
- It made a weird sound on the freeway, almost like a "whoosh" from the left tire... I mentioned it, and they said they'll have the mechanic take a look tomorrow morning. Also said I could bring in my own mechanic, or take it to someone I trust for inspection.
- It has been on the lot for 40 days, and many dealers have said manual drivers are rare out here. So if this car has been collecting dust for over a month, they'll be VERY willing to negotiate; just within our brief conversation, I got him to offer $4000 for my Honda and a lower APR.
- While reading reviews on this model & year last night, it seems their clutches sometimes go after 20-40K miles. Anyone know if that's true?
- On a funny side note, we got about one block on the test drive when he exclaimed "wow, you really can drive a stick!" I was like, were you expecting otherwise? Apparently even those who claim to drive one often can't, so he was shocked to find someone who knows what they're doing (a woman, no less). Got a similar comment from the dealer last night, so clearly I'm not just the type who THINKS they're a good driver.
Last edited by gizmo980; 12-09-2013 at 10:03 PM..
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December 25, 1992!
