2003 Honda Accord EX Sedan 4 cyl. 1,000 mile report

Well, I have now owned and operated my 2003 Honda Accord 4cyl. EX for a week
and a half and 1,000 miles (a lot of miles for under 2 weeks, I know...lol).

Here are my impressions so far. I would love to hear what other '03 Accord
4cyl owners have to say as well.

PRO's:

- I love the drive, handling and overall feel of this car.
- I have filled up my gas tank twice with a MPG rating of 32.5 and 29
respectively. I used the AC quite a bit more after the second fill-up due
to the Oklahoma heat.
- This is minor, but I love the fact that they keyless entry is built into
the key itself. I HATE adding more things to my keychain. 1 car key and 1
house key along with a tiny keychain holder is all I want...thanks Honda!
- The 4cyl. is a great engine with more than enough power for most normal
driving needs.
- The dash controls, in my opinion, are positioned perfectly. This is a BIG
improvement over my old '92 LX accord where whenever I needed to adjust
anything I had to physically lean forward, not comfortable at all for long
trips.
- (As noted below), I have only found 3 CON's with this car so far.
- About a thousand other minor things that add up to make a truly amazing
vehicle.

CON's:

- I wish the steering wheel controls would light up. Even though I now
memorize where they all are, I have to feel them all on that one side to
make sure that my thumb is on the correct one. Maybe I will get more used
to hitting them right on as I drive the car more.
- This is minor: I wish the doors locked themselves after taking the car
out of park or something.
- The front center cupholders are awkward to use. Thank goodness I don't
drink much in the car. The front center cup holder (as opposed to the rear
one) is OK to access, but that rear one requires me (with my seat positioned
the way I like it) to fold my arm around awkwardly to get the drink out.
When using the front center REARmost cupholder while driving, I find it more
comfortable to use my left arm to get the drink out.

GENERAL:

Is it just me, or does there seem to be a "Love / Hate" thing going on with
the look of the new Accords. Some people tell me they love it, some people
tell me they hate it and think it's ugly. I - of course - love the look of
the sedan as I purchased it.

 

Well, I have now owned and operated my 2003 Honda Accord 4cyl. EX for a week

I have the V6, but love the car, too. I agree about not getting locked
in. My old car did that, and I got spoiled. Sure, it's not hard to lock
the doors, but it almost feels like being tucked in when the car does it
for you. Not a big deal, but I wish it did that. And I agree about the
steering wheel controls not lighting, too. A friend has a new VW - that
thing has so many lights, you expect an air traffic controller to come
with the car.

As for some liking the Honda styling, some hating it - I think if you
get two people together, you end up with three opinions, no matter what
they are discussing.

Enjoy your car - I'm envious of the gas mileage, but with 400 miles on
mine, I got 26 mpg with mostly city driving, and the AC on the whole
time. That isn't too bad, I think.

 

***
Hey, congrats on your purchase of your 03 Accord!

I purchased my 03 Accord EX 4-cyl sedan in mid-February. Now have about
7,000 miles on the car and still smiling all the way!

***
I agree with you totally! I love the steering feel -- it's just right
for me. While driving on a straight 4-lane highway with no traffic in
either direction (very early in the morning on a weekend), I take both
hands off the wheel and the Accord still shoots straight ahead like an
arrow focusing on the bulls-eye! The steering keeps the car fully
centered in its lane for about a distance of one mile before I need to
adjust the positioning slightly. Impressive, but perhaps this tells me
that the tires and alignment are perfectly set, and nothing more.

The power assist is just the right amount too.

***
My car care software shows that I have filled up 23 times during the
course of 7 months of ownership, adding an average of 12 to 13 gallons
to the tank each time. My MPG has stayed constant around 30, with a
low value of about 20 when I was carrying two tires and wheels in my
trunk (added weight). I drive the car virtually every day though.

***
I agree wholeheartedly. This is actually my first car with keyless
entry, never had it before! I love the idea of pushing a button and
remotely unlocking the door, which is something I can appreciate after
years of using the actual key-in-the-lock process. Sort of reminds me,
if my memory serves me correctly, of the space-age features described
on the Buick Questor prototype featured in the September 1, 1982 television
episode of Motorweek.

***
Agreed. I did not want the V6 because I feel that using less gasoline
would help me contribute to a cleaner environment for the future.

***
I also love the just-right position of the automatic shifter, since my
right palm naturally comes to rest on the shifter itself. I love the
idea of the 5-speed automatic -- providing more power and better fuel
economy too.

How about admiring that gorgeous dash with the wood trim, and the
ideal audio and climate controls? It's certainly one of the most handsome
dashboards I've seen, day or night, and love the LEDs on the instrument
cluster in front of the driver.

The 2003 Accord dash makes the Camry's one look like it was designed
by a third grader in the 1960s.

***
I can see your point. My wish, if they would remain unlit, is for
at least the Cruise On-off switch to be an "elevated" button with respect
to the steering wheel, so it can be operated by feel. Many times, I have
tried to find this on-off switch at night, but am frustrated because the
switch is flush with the steering wheel -- it's not "raised"!

***
At least the car greets you with a simple chime every time you unlock
and open the driver's door! Sort of the Accord saying hello to you.

***
I have a very strict rule in my car: no eating, no drinking, no smoking.
Leftovers being taken home from nearby restaurants must be placed in the
trunk cargo tray. My light-colored (tan cloth) interior mandates this!
I do wish that the cupholder area had a birds-eye wood cover to mask
the cupholders from view. Anyone know if the JDM Accord has this cover?

What about the relatively poor visibility to the rear? Anyone encounter
this problem? The side mirrors are definitely helpful, larger than those
in the 2003 Camry.

***
I love the styling. Looks like I am piloting a NASA space shuttle!

Hint: my car is white!! My first Honda too.

Paul

 

(Paul Stuart) decided to join the conversation on 10
Sep 2003 with message

... what car care software do you use? where can i find it?

i wrote an excel spreadsheet that estimates my current mileage (based on
what i enter as annual mileage, "current" mileage, and the "as of" date on
that "current" mileage) and i can put in things that need to be done at
certain mileages .. like oil change, air filter, etc.. and it tells me how
many miles and an estimate on how many days that mileage will take me to
get to.

--
-Chris

http://www.ChrisGarcia.com <- My Homepage
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/cars/ <- *NEW* My cars
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/dogs/ <- *Sort-of NEW* My dogs
http://starwars.chrisgarcia.com/ <- Centerpoint Station, the "ghost-town"
of the Star Wars Universe!

 

Glad to hear you are happy with your Accord as well!!

I have only taken bottled water into the car so far (hopefully it stays that
way too!). As for the cupholders, the center ones in the front make a great
spot for a cell phone!

Do you mean poor visibility out of the rear window, or poor visibility (IE
blind spots) out of the side mirrors? Overall, I find that rear visibility
is great, but maybe this is because most of my driving experience was in a
'92 Accord with worse visibility - in my opinion. On both Accords ('92,
'03), backing up takes some getting used to (especially in parking spots)
because you cannot tell where the car ends out of the rear window (you can't
even see any portion of the vehicle out of the rear window). This was the
same case in my '92 and it took me quite a well to back up confidently. I
have heard many people complain about blind spots with smaller side mirrors
but I don't have any. I angle my side mirrors WELL out to get rid of this
(IE, I can't see any portion of the vehicle in my side mirrors). This is
actually a STRICT test that any car I purchase must pass: I must be able to
angle my side mirrors out enough to eliminate blind spots. Some new cars
have the side mirrors designed so that the mirror is inside the plastic
casing about an inch or so. This setup does not allow me to angle my
mirrors properly.

Wonderful!

Great to hear that you are a first time Honda owner. Welcome aboard!

 

***
I can see your point about the bottled water, Duran. When it spills,
there is virtually no stain at all, but as for me, I can bring bottled
water into the car but no drinking it for me. At least that is the
way I feel about piloting this space shuttle, since I want to devote
full attention to driving and not be distracted, as I so easily am
with drinking or talking on a cell phone.

I agree that the non-used cup holders in the 2003 Accord are perfect
for a cell phone. But hopefully you hide the phone within the covered
console tray (behind the cupholders) when you park and leave the car
during the day, so no one looks inside and sees an advantage to steal
a cell phone left in plain view.

***
I was referring to the poor visibility out of the rear window itself.
As you mentioned, there is no portion of the car visible out of the rear
window, so it takes some practice learning to mentally note where the
rear bumper is when parking, especially when parking tail-first into
a spot.

I have purchased the Honda day/night mirror and I find it genuinely
useful at night. The mirror turns either greenish or bluish (it dims)
when the sensors detect excessive light from headlights behind you!
There is no need to adjust the mirror at all -- I simply think that
it was the most useful Honda accessory I've had installed in the car.

I totally agree with you about angling the side mirrors so that no part
of the car is visible through them.

Thank you, Duran! Looks like I am a new member of the Honda family!

Paul

 

Hello, Chris!

You may want to visit http://www.carcaresoftware.com/

That is where I purchased my software from. Keeps track of fuel fill-ups,
mileage (like your Excel spreadsheet), graphs of fuel economy, payments on
the car (gasoline, insurance, maintenance), and others for one or more cars.
Has a place where you can enter information about the car itself, including
financing and insurance info.

The site even has a 30-day free trial download, which I have used to test
the software before making the good decision to purchase it!

Hope this is helpful to you!

Paul

 

I purchased my 03 Accord last September and after dealing with a few
problems I am very happy with the car. I drive it almost every day to work,
about 125 miles round trip, and have over 21K miles with an average fuel
mileage of 29.0. I just recently installed an Eibach Pro kit and a front
strut tower support from Neuspeed. These two items improved the handling
considerably. The ride is a little stiffer, but it is a ride I prefer. I
plan on installing front and rear sway bars and a set of wheels and
performance tires soon. The addition of these items should make my ride to
and from work a little more enjoyable. This is my 6th Honda and I think it
is the best one yet.

 

Yea I know what you mean... Bit of a bummer if you accidentally spill your
Budweiser light all over your drivers seat leather... what a nightmare that
would be getting that stain out!!!

.... But I heard that Meguiars does an amazing job in fixing that!

 

(Paul Stuart) decided to join the conversation on
11 Sep 2003 with message

Wow, looks nice... Very complex and detailed... Thanks

--
-Chris

http://www.ChrisGarcia.com <- My Homepage
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/cars/ <- *NEW* My cars
http://www.chrisgarcia.com/dogs/ <- *Sort-of NEW* My dogs
http://starwars.chrisgarcia.com/ <- Centerpoint Station, the "ghost-
town" of the Star Wars Universe!

 

Hi,

I too am a new Honda owner. Bought a 2003 Accord LX approx. two weeks
back...700 miles on it so far, and absolutely loving it.

I have to agree with the others about the lighting on the steering controls.
The cruise controls are sort of hard to find at night...but maybe I'll get
used to it. My car has a 5-spd manual, and as suggested by the manual, I
have been trying hard not to accelarate too quickly or stress the engine so
that it has a chance to break in. I guess I'm waiting for the 1k mile mark
to really start using the engine's accelaration.

I love the console controls, and actually like the sliding armrest as well.
I find I can rest my arm perfectly on it. Others have complained about it
sliding back and forth, but I really haven't faced that problem.

My previous car was a 94 Mazda with everything manual...so all the power
features in the Honda are very nice for me.

Filled gas twice, and got an average of 30mpg (mostly highway), and 26mpg
(mostly city).

My car is black with the ivory (or tan) interior. Any suggestions on how to
clean the cloth interior (for my future reference). Also, how often would
you'll recommend washing / waxing the car? Its my first NEW car...and I'm
glad I picked Honda.

-Hiren

 

Eww. I hate that. If I want the doors locked I'll lock them myself,
thank you.

 

Most cars that do that can be programmed either way. My Passat locks
the doors at about 10 mph, but it can be programmed otherwise.

 

If you're like me, you'll quickly adjust to knowing where those
buttons are located. I thought I'd want the lights too, but I've found
it pretty easy. When you think about it, the point of the steering
wheel controls is that you don't have to look away or take your hands
off the wheel. At least so it seems to me.

 

I just posted, but now I reread LX rather than EX. I thought the
steering wheel controls were only on the EX.

 

But the LX comes standard with cruise control - at least according to my
2003 Accord sedan brochure that I just double checked. I haven't actually
seen it though but I would figure it would make sense to place the cruise
controls in the same place on both the LX and EX since they both come with
it standard. Maybe the LX only has controls on the right side of the
steering wheel? (I don't think the LX has volume controls, etc on the
wheel).

 

I was referring to the poor visibility out of the rear window itself.

Yes, I'm still not used to backing up my 03 Accord. I was somewhat shocked
that I couldn't see the hood out of the front window either, but this was
much easier to get used to. I was actually considering a rear wing on my
sedan to help with backing up but figured it was a way over-priced backing
up aid. I personally don't like the way the accord sedan looks with a rear
wing, it takes away from the "smoothness" of the cars design.

I was looking for comments on this accessory. I was considering purchasing
it myself. Since I just got my windows tinted I don't think I will need it
anymore but I was seriously considering it beforehand. The only accessory I
have purchased so far from Honda is the $99 trunk tray. I think this one
will be money well spent over time. I have also purchased aftermarket
all-season thick rubber floor mats.

hmmm, interesting. Everyone else that notices my side mirrors "sticking out
too much" thinks I'm crazy - but the fact is I consider it much safer.

 

I sold my '00 Accord two months ago when I bought an '02 F-150
SuperCrew, which has the automatic locking doors. It took me a few days
to get used to it, but I really like it now. I like the security with
my little man in the back seat.

If I ever change my mind, it's defeatable.

 

No surprise here. Hondas just drive nicely. I feel the same about my
Prelude.

 

The only thing I have found that I don't like about my dx sedan is that the
drivers door will not open from the inside if it is locked..