honda accord questions

hello all, I currently own a 2001 maxima SE 5 speed and am looking to get
rid of it in favor of better gas mileage (get 23 average and the most I've
gotten is about 25 or so on a highway trip) and not having to use premium.
one of the 3 cars I'm looking at is the accord (still want a 5 speed so not
the accord hybrid cause it only comes in an auto) looking at either a 2005
or 2006 accord EX with leather and a navigation system with the 4 cyl.
engine. just wondering if there are any main differences between the 05 and
06 models. if anyone has these cars and any known problems with them. I'm
looking to buy new or lease. wondering what people have been paying for
these. any other info you coudl give would be greatly appreciated. the cars
I'm comparing it to are the mazda 3 and the Jetta TDI (yes I know they are
not all the same "class" but they all seem to have what I want around the
same price range) the jetta TDI was my first choice (2005.5 or 2006) but
they are in low supply and theres a high demand that dealers arn't really
doing anything with the prices, basically ya pay sticker or ya don't get one
(sticker for what I want is 24,000 for package 1 or about 26,000 for package
2) looking at teh mazda 3 I can get all teh stuff I want (leather, 5 speed,
moonroof and navigation system for a lot less than the jetta) sorry to make
this so long just figure I'd gie some background info. also in my search I
saw 2 honda groups so I posted this in both of them cause I'm not sure which
one this type of question would belong in (alt.auto.honda or
rec.autos.makers.honda) thanks a lot for your responses in advance.

-Nick

 

youre never going to make the money back that youll be losing on the 4
year old maxima. as for the "premium" issue? only if nissan calls for
it, and even then some people run a midgrade (89) without problems.

if you want a new car, fine... but spending over $23k to save a couple
hundred a year on gas is kinda nutty. and at least in california,
registration is based on car value and goes down yearly. insurance, too
for the most part. so any "savings" from the gas are likely to get wiped
out.

 

youre never going to make the money back that youll be losing on the 4

well nissan does call for premium. can you use less? sure, but the knock
sensor retards the timing which means less gas mileage and less horse power.
as far as doing this to save money, I'm not doing it for the short term but
rather the long haul. right now if I keep driving my car value will keep
going down, if I sell it now I can get about 13k for it. and not really
alter my montly payments. insurance isn't based solely on the value of the
car (example, my brother drive a 2005 infinity FX35 and pays LESS in
insurance than my 2001 maxima yet his car is easily worth 3 times the
amount, we are twins with the SAME clean driving record). plan on getting
this car and keeping for at LEAST 4-5 years. also, with my maxima there is
no warranty on it so anythign that goes wrong will be my problem (one thing
that comes to mind are the MAF's tend to go bad as well as the ignition
coils, total cost for both of those are over 1,000) my insurance will go
down 80 bucks every 6 months, a total of 160 a year. plus the peace of mind
that anythign goes wrong with the car, it's covered are the main reasons I'm
doing this. I can also lease a accord, sell my car and invest the remaining
money (stocks,bonds, ING high yield bank account (3.3%) ext.) plus using
less gas and less expensive gas. thsi was my MAIN reason for looking at the
jetta TDI orignally (40 MPG) but the cost of the car they are asking
(26,000) isn't worth it. those are just my thoughs.

 

Uh-huh.

What will happen to your new purchase?

 

it's obviously going to go up right? ;-) I know ANY car goes down in value
the second you buy it. but like I said having a warranty, plus getting
better gas mileage plus not needing premium plus lower insurance are all
thigns I'm looking at (when I keep this car for the long haul). I'd rather
make a steady payment and knwo I'm covered than have an unexpected repair
thats a few hundred here or hey with a car mabye even 1,000 here or there.
ya cna enver tell. thats my thinking. thanks for answering (or rather, not
really answering) my questions.

 

You're probably saving about $60/month in fuel & insurance cost by switching
to a new Accord. In 8 years an 05 Accord would be worth about 7K while the
2001 Maxima would be ready for the garbage heap. Assuming an additional
$2000 of maintenance cost for keeping an older Maxima on the road. In 8
years, it'll probably cost an extra $7000 to own an 05 Accord vs keeping
your old Maxima.

However, if you don't have the $$$ to make the initial investment or you
prefer the capability of your existing car, then I would stay put.. (I'm
assuming a new Accord EX is about 22K and cost of owning would go up if
you're financing)

Pars

 

well thanks for the info, that is probably the first actual answer Iv'
gotten on here, haha. main thing is with gas prices right now begin as they
are it's costing me 15 cents a mile to drive my car. (just for gas) not
counting unexpected repairs. being able to get rid of this car for around
13k (private sale) will cut the accord down to about 9-10k. making my
payments pretty easy to swallow. also can invest some of my money from the
maxima (sort of cash out it's equity if you will) and get into somethign
newer with a warranty. plus that wonderful new car smell ;-)

 

You got new-car-itis and are trying to justify it with the higher price
of gas.

I moved from a '96 I30t that I bought new, to an '04 Accord EX V6 not
long ago. You probably know that this I30t is similar to a '96 Maxima
SE with the 3.0 liter. In the I30t, I got 23 mpg on premium, 21 on
regular (after the knock sensor died premium gas was of no importance).
The 3.0 liter automatic Accord gets 24-25 on regular in the same
driving conditions. The 2.4 I-4 might get about 27 mpg with an
automatic. I understand you want a manual, so add a couple more mpg.

Your Maxima is about ready for noise from the starter (grease dries
up), and maybe a broken driver's door latch and dead knock sensor too
if you have over 80K miles. Chances of a major malfunction are remote,
however, assuming you've cared for it.

The Accord does not have anywhere near the handling prowess you're used
to. The ride is jiggly compared to a Maxima, and the trunk is somewhat
smaller. The Accord is faster, gets better mileage, is equally
reliable, has a fairly roomy cabin almost on a par with Maximas (which
themselves are quite large for a mid-sized car). The leather (gasp,
I'll be flamed for this) in the Accord is not as durable from what I've
seen of friends' and will maybe fall apart after 5 years if you don't
put treatment on it.

The Accord is significantly safer if you get into a major collision.
The Accord 60 to 0 stops are even longer than a Maxima, which is also
pretty poor. So it is a little more likely you'll need that extra
crash protection.

The paint is crappy on Maximas but looks great for a few years. In
most colors, the Accord doesn't have the Maxima's great wet-gloss look,
but Accord paint generally will age better than a Maxima's.

Financially there is no question that you'd be better served by saving
up some money for repairs instead of trading in. If you simpy keep
your payments equal, you are financially committing suicide like most
people do, paying excessive depreciation year after year. End of
lecture.

 

The 5spd, 4cyl, 05 Accord is good for 30.5 mpg (combined) and is about
17% more efficieniet them the 2001 V6 Maixma.

The 4cyl Accord, with lighter front end, should handle better then nose
heavy V6 version.

The ride is jiggly compared to a Maxima, and the trunk is somewhat

 

well I appreciate all your comments. my plan isn't to be getting a new car
every few years. basically with gas and needing premium and also some of the
stupid problem with the max, I want to get rid of it before those problems
arise and I have to put money to fix it. the next car I get I'm keeping for
a min of 5 years. (which is why the jetta TDI is my first choice if i can
find one) thanks again

 

VW's may be fun to drive, but they are very, very expensive to maintain once
the warranty expires. You're likely to have a lot more problems with a VW
than with a Nissan. Therefore, don't even think about getting a Jetta.

You might also want to consider a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. Both Sonata engines
have more power and, according to EPA, improved fuel economy in the new
model (power and gas mileage are comparable to Accord). And Sonatas have
proven to be very reliable over the long term.

 

You might also want to consider a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. Both Sonata engines

A Sonata probably is a much better car than a VW, but... major, major
depreciation. You'd have to drive this car into the ground to get your
money's worth. Between the two, financially speaking, an Accord is a
much better choice.

 

Given the expensive suspension setup, solid chassis, moditertly efficient V6
engine, I doubt the new Sonata will depreciate as quickly as the earlier
versions.

IF EPA is a big motivator, the Accord 4 cyl would be the preferred engine
choice and that engine will consume significantly less then a V6 (unless
it's one of those V6 that also pack an electric motor). Also, the Accord 4
cyl engine is good enough to go up against a V6 engine in power and
refinement which can not be said for any of the other manufactures. So, when
comparing fuel efficiency results, it would be acceptable to match the
efficiency a 4cyl Accord vs the efficiency of a V6 Nissan (or Sonata). And
if that's case, the Accord will totally blow the other cars away in fuel
consumption.

If I was to gamble on the diesel engine, I'd wait for Mercedes' A2 to
arrive. That 1.9T just seems a little too unstable (too many clanky oil
burners among the smooth running gems).

Pars

 

if you think the problems with your maxima are bad, wait til you get the
VW. crappy build quality, halfassed electronics, rude dealers. ive had a
VW, and im never going back.

 

thanks a lot guys for the help. I've decided not to go with the Jetta. I'm
ordering an 06 Accord ex with leater and navi, 5 speed manual. shoudl be
good on gas. also got the price tag down to 23,300 for an order. that sounds
like a good tag to you guys? thanks again