What Model Do I Have?

The VIN is certainly right about my transmission: it's a 5 speed, not an
automatic. The trim level of 'M' (presumably medium), may translate to
different model numbers in different countries; it may be an EX-L in Canada
and an EX-something else in the US??

I was going to say your guess is as good as mine but I'd be wrong. You
obviously know much more about Hondas than I do

 

"M" means "manual", as in "manual transmission".


"5M" means 5-speed manual.
"4A" means 4-speed automatic.




BTW, please add a space character after the double-hyphen in your sig. I
keep having to strip your sig manually when I reply.

incorrect: "--"
correct: "-- "

 

As noted in another reply above, I'm a little skeptical that the insurance
company would know more about what model a given Honda is than Honda itself.
But I will speak to them about the whole issue just to be sure I explain why
I'm not 1000% sure what model I have. I expect they'll just tell me that EX
alone is enough for their purposes; I just can't see the premium be
dramatically different just because of leather seats or seat warmers or
whatever. The engine and transmission might be relevant but I just can't see
lesser items making that much difference. But I am prepared to hear
differently from the insurance company ;-)

Maybe someone has done a study that shows people with leather seats are
worse drivers or something....

Thank you for that link! The very first one I found did a decent job of
decoding my VIN, better than any of the subsequent ones I looked at. None of
them indicated "EX-L" or "EX-LT" though. I suppose that is more a marketing
thing within Canada than anything else. Honda Canada decides what model it
is within Canada and they could call it something else in the US, Japan, or
whatever.

Thanks for all your help with this!

 

You never asked the manufacturer. You asked the DEALER.

The dealer is NOT "Honda", despite that big sign they hang on the outside
of the building.

The dealer is an independent company that leases a franchise from Honda
Canada, or whatever regional subidiary of Honda Motor Company is
responsible for your country.

Yes, the info HONDA gives them, not any particular dealer.

They get stuff from Honda that you and I can only dream of, such as the
car's build-sheets.

Of course, you can also phone Honda Canada directly (1-800-387-5399). They
will be very happy to tell you what exact model you have.

 

You have never spoken to anybody from Honda. See my other reply.

 

More information:

Franchise laws prohibit automakers in Canada and the US from selling cars
directly to the public (i.e.: retail; end-user).

Franchise laws force automakers to sell lease-agreements to individuals or
corporations. These lease-holders are the /only/ entities permitted to
retail new vehicles and OEM parts. Franchisees are known as "dealers".

The legal sales sequence is as follows:
- Honda Motor Manufacturing (Japan, Canada, US, etc.) assembles the car.
- The vehicle is sold to to the regional sales subsidiary (Honda Canada,
American Honda, Honda UK, etc.)
- Sales sells the car to the various franchisees within the subsidiary's
territory (Majestic Honda, Bill Kay Honda, etc.).
- The franchisees sell the car to the end-user (you).

Once Sales sells the vehicle to a franchisee, Honda loses control over the
car almost completely. Their only weapons against rogue dealers are denial
of warranty-reimbursement funds and other privileges, and refusal to renew
the franchise.

The law defines a "new" vehicle as "new" until its ownership is transferred
to an end-user (retail buyer). At that point, it becomes a "used" car.
Prior to that point, it can be driven 200,000 miles, be owned by a dozen
dealerships, and still be considered "new". In a sense, this is not a bad
thing: the new-car warranty does not begin until final sale, so buying a
year-old demo with 20K miles on it means its 5-year powertrain warranty
won't run out until the car is 6-years-old...

Pretty complicated, no?

 

Okay, I just traded off a 2001 Accord and my daughter had(until a
drunk hit it while it was parked) a 2002.

The badge indicating LX or EX was located on the bumper cover below
the right taillight. There never was any EX-L designation. My
daughter's 2002 was the last year of that model and was called a
'Special Edition' or similar. That badge was also in the same place.
While her Accord had the leather interior and sunroof, the only other
differences that we could ever tell between her 'special' edition' and
the regular EX was the trim on the dash/console area and different
styled wheels.

Over the years, I've seen a number of that vintage Accord without the
model badge on the bumper. Maybe you dealer repainted the bumper to
make things look better (get rid of nicks, etc.) and didn't bother to
replace the badge. Since he wasn't a Honda dealer, he might have
figured that it really didn't matter...he sold the car anyhow.

 

The 5M may mean 5 speed manual gear box. Is yours a 5 speed manual?
Honda vins are not very informative, so don't expect to get the model
code. As to the Canada plant - I agree it is in Alliston as I have
visited it a few years ago.

 

Somebody's not reading my replies.


I quote below, from yesterday:
--------------------
CG554 = LX 5M
CG564 = LX 4A
CG555 = EX 5M
CG556 = EX 5M
CG565 = EX 4A
CG566 = EX 4A
CG567 = LX Special Ed. 4A

- "CG5" refers to the '99-'02 4-door Accord sedan
- the fourth digit refers to the transmission (5=manual, 6=auto)
- the last digit is the trim level (4, 5, or 6; low, med, high).