Camry vs/ Accord?

My 13-year old Camry needs $1000+ of work on it. I have decided to get rid
of it and get a new car.
I am torn between the a 2005 Accord LX and 2006 Camry LE w/side airbags. I
can get a slightly better deal on the Camry ~ 17288.
My wife also drives a '97 Camry. We have not liked the experience w/that
one as much as the 92 Camry. I had more problems occur earlier in the 97
Camry - struts, power steering leaking at 80K, etc. Maybe it was built on a
Friday... The Accord has a solid reputation also. The Camry is a bit
larger, and much larger trunk. So, is it worth paying a premium for the
Accord?

Thanks
Leor

 

The two cars are VERY equivalent. I'm surprised you're getting a better
deal on an 06 Camry vs. an 05 Accord.

Between the two, in any given deal, I'd take the one that (a) has the
features I need, and (b) is cheaper than the other one that's similarly
equipped.

Actually, I'd look for what $17K buys you in a Lexus ES300...

 

My '05 Accord LX comes with side airbags standard. They are both considered
solid cars but drive a little differently. The Toyotas has a softer ride
and the Hondas have a little more road feel. Drive them both and see which
one puts a bigger smile on your face. I have driven Toyotas and Hondas and
tend to favor the Hondas.

-Dave

 

My son has an '04 Camry SE 2.4 auto . I have a '04 Accord EXL 2.4 auto. The
Camry has as more cushy ride. The Accord handles better. Power about the
same. His camry has a 4 speed auto, but I think in '05 they went to 5
speed auto. Hiway mpg on my Accord is 35 with a/c on ( we live in Phoenix)
the Camry gets 32 but that should be better with the 5 speed auto. Both
cars are 2 years old and both have about 25000 miles and both have been
entirely trouble free. You just have to drive them both and pick ypour
preference. Scott

 

I wouldn't say the Accord handles *better*; it just gives more road
feel. At the end of the day, the Toyota product has nothing to be
ashamed of with respect to its handling. It just feels
different--cushier.

 

It used to be that the Camry was more heavily built than the Accord, and
thus was a little higher on gas consumption. I don't know if this is
still the case.

My next car, price aside, will likely be a Camry. I always buy new and
drive the car for 8 - 10 years, so I'm at least 4 years away from my
next new car and my choice will likely change. I may go Lexus, Accura
or Volvo.

I've had 3 Accords with no major and very few minor problems. 2000
Civic (ex-wife) is still doing great (an accident aside).

Cheers,
Alan

 

Alan,
Great post. I subscribe to "Car and Driver" magazine. Over the past 10 or
more years, they compare various cars (including the Accord and Cambry). I
wish that I could say that the Accord came out as the number 1 car in
EVERY comparison test. The fact is that the Accord came out as number 1 in
some of those comparison tests amd the Cambry came out as number 1 in
various other carparison tests. In other words, the Accord and Cambry are
equal. Both are excellent cars. The Lexus and Accura cars are even better
but cost so much that most middle class people can't afford them. Many of
the people (not all) that buy Lexus cars and cars that even more expensive
than the Lexus buy those types of cars to impress people. It works. I
can't help but look at those types of cars when I see them in a parking
lot. I hardly even notice Accords and Cambrys since there are so many of
them.
Jason