Accord versus Taurus Economics

Hi,
Just simple fact. Even if Taurus were reliable, think about
trade-in(resale) value on either car. Honda wins hands down.
Tony

 

Very true, but I tend to keep my cars a long time. In five years or maybe
even much longer than that, the difference in trade-in won't come close to
making up even half of the $8,000.00.

 

On the Toronto autotrader (Canadian currency prices) a 98-99 Taurus
sells for $13-4k while a 98-99 Accord sells for $19-7.5k, both depending
on model and condition. So even after 6 years the difference in value
between the two cars is still $6-4k.

Add to that the fact that the Taurus is far from being a reliable car.
Most likely the money you would save right now if buying a Taurus will
be spent on repairs.

Cosmin

 

Hi,
Actually I always keep my cars for 10 years unless it's a proven lemon.
(lucky never had one)
I do most work on routine maintenance. I never buy car on loan either.
In 10 years I can save enough to pay cash. My '98 Honda CR-V so far has
nothing gone wrong. Just regular oil/filter change, all fluid changed
once, new set of tires. Replacing timing belt and water pump, belt
tensioner before winter. Logged ~170K Km and still on original brake
pads/linings.(about 75% worn now)
Now time to replace wife's '92 Mitsu Expo LRV, AWD. Nothing wrong with
it. Rust started and before it looks too ugly, getting another CR-V.
Tony

 

$8,000 in repairs? I don't know about that. You would have to have a
true lemon and no common sense to spend $8,000 in repairs. Besides, if he
does some of the work himself, he can still save some of that initial
savings.

Not recommending Ford over Honda...just saying $8,000 is a nice chunk of
cash. For me, at least.

-AGS

 

Hi,
Konw how much it costs for a replacement tranny on Taurus?
Tony

 

You cut out the part where I was showing that in Toronto, a 6 year old
Accord is still worth between $4-6kCAD ($3-5k US) more than a 6 year old
Taurus. That would mean that the OP would only save about US$4k by
buying a Taurus, not US$8k like it would seem at first.

And $4k in repairs for a Taurus is not as much as it would seem. If the
transmission breaks, it would pretty much cover the price difference.

Cosmin

 

It depends on what you plan to do with the car. I have owned both.

If you are just going to keep it for a couple of years, then you should just
go by the economics.

If you want to keep it until you wear it out, then buy the Honda. At 100K
miles, the Honda is somewhat better. At 200K miles, the Honda is much
better. The Ford is not likely to last that long without a major rebuild of
both the engine and transmission. At 300K, the Honda, if taken care of, is
still running. I have had two Honda pass 300K and have one at 280+ right
now.

norm

 

I've read different prices. Some considerably less than $1000. How good
they were, don't know. But with all the rebuilt transmissions out there,
i'm sure someone could find a good deal.

-AGS

 

Point taken...but lets give a 2003 Taurus more credit. We don't exactly
know how reliable this year is or is going to be. I may come out that it
has higher resale value than we thought. I would hope so because after
years and years of unreliable Taurus's, you think Ford would pick it up a
notch. But seeing how they discontinued it...hmmm...

I just posted on the Transmission price deal...if you look around, you can
find a good deal. I've seen the different prices from Taurus owners via
TCCA's website. "Why buy new when slightly used will do"? Sorry...got
that off a commericial.

-AGS

 

I've always had and liked firm riding cars. The accord is beyond stiff.
Its a bouncy, jarring type of stiff. Almost like it amplifies the bumps.
A mazda miata is stiff but rides nice.

 

I never drove a Miata, but I love my 01 Prelude's stifness, and the firm
grip it has on the road. By comparison my dad's 02 Accord is too soft
and its handling is quite lacking on the stock rubber.

However comparing a sports car to a family sedan does not really work.
The Miata and the Prelude are much lighter than the Accord (especially
the Miata), and that allows the suspension to work well. They also have
better suspensions to begin with. The Accord is a family sedan that is
trying to be more spirited, but it's still just a sedan.

If your greatest need is comfort, the Accord is not the car to buy. As
the previous poster said, get a Camry or even a Taurus instead. I think
the Accord is a good combination between a comfort and performance in
its class.

Cosmin