Anyone in the market for a midsize car? I was.

[RollingsFarms]

I've been looking at cars recently as well, the Accord keeps rising to the top of the list. I have 2 Honda dealerships close by. 1 gets rave reviews from people I know who've dealt with them, the other not so much. The highly rated one moves a lot of cars, and is a Honda only dealer. The other is part of a multiple make dealership (Honda, Hyundai, Ford, Lincoln, Mazda, and Chrysler/Dodge/Ram).

Our local Honda dealership is also a VW dealership. I know for a fact I could have driven 40 mins to a Honda only dealership and got a great deal. I think it would have helped that my girlfriends mother knows the owner of the dealership and are very good friends. I would have headed that way if it had been my car, but I knew my mother wouldn't want to have to drive that far for warranty work or service (I figured if I was treated as badly before I bought by my local dealership, what would after the sale service be like??). Despite all that, I still drove the new Accord and it's a winner for sure.

I did leave out one car that is worth a look in my opinion. Nissan Altima. Seriously considered this car, but again, the closest dealer to us is not good. They always seem to have one foot in the grave and be one day away from closing. Very little inventory when it comes to "new" but tons and tons of used cars. Never seen anything like it.

I walked over and looked at the Mazda 6 as the dealership is right next to the Toyota, but didn't test drive it. Just peeked inside. Nice styling!

 

[MESSMAKER]

Our local Honda dealership is also a VW dealership. I know for a fact I could have driven 40 mins to a Honda only dealership and got a great deal. I think it would have helped that my girlfriends mother knows the owner of the dealership and are very good friends. I would have headed that way if it had been my car, but I knew my mother wouldn't want to have to drive that far for warranty work or service (I figured if I was treated as badly before I bought by my local dealership, what would after the sale service be like??). Despite all that, I still drove the new Accord and it's a winner for sure.

I did leave out one car that is worth a look in my opinion. Nissan Altima. Seriously considered this car, but again, the closest dealer to us is not good. They always seem to have one foot in the grave and be one day away from closing. Very little inventory when it comes to "new" but tons and tons of used cars. Never seen anything like it.

I walked over and looked at the Mazda 6 as the dealership is right next to the Toyota, but didn't test drive it. Just peeked inside. Nice styling!

We just got rid of a Honda Accord. It was a solid car and did everything asked, but it had no soul. I never enjoyed driving it.

 

[3v0]

No way Jose! Those were the 3 worst cars I've ever seen in my life. Nothing but absolute junk and all three had problems, but they were all different problems. Ford also treated her like crap on her third one and refused to buy it back even though it had been in the shop 13 times in the first year. They lost my business that day and I haven't messed with them or their crappy dealers since. ...

It has to make you wonder what the bleep is going on with them. Maybe too many bean counters.

 

[mjncad]

People aren't even getting excited about the all-new Impala.

Wall Street Journal Marketing Decoder | Chevrolet Impala emblem

New Logo for Chevrolet Impala - WSJ.com

Be sure to read the third paragraph as the marketing mangler said it took almost a year to freshen up the logo. A year?! WTF?! Other than some additional sculpting, the logo looks essentially the same as it did in 1994. The logo's designer went into the dairy business at GM milking that assignment.

The Corolla does not strike me as being a small car but I suppose it is compared to a lot of them.

The Corolla's and Civic's of today seem to be the same size as the Camry's and Accord's of the mid 90's. They definitely have up-sized over the years.

My wife would only buy a Camry until the last one and got an Avalon which is essentially a Camry.

I call the Avalon a stretch Camry. The Avalon is a nice ride; but it seems to be an odd duck in the Toyota/Lexus model lineup. Since the Avalon is Toyota's flagship sedan, its price is pushing into Lexus territory. If one is going for snob appeal, why buy a Toyota when one can get a Lexus? Yet they sell enough of them to keep the model alive all these years.

 

[Turbys_1700]

My current ride is an old 01 Buick Lesabre with 178K miles on it...
That car has been excellent but the interior components are of questionable quality...
The darn thing gets 23.5 mpg driving back and forth to work and a solid 30 on the interstate...
I will be buying in 3 years and will get a used 400 series Lexus...
I bought my son a 94 SC400 and it was built like a tank...
He was involved in an accident where he fell asleep at the wheel and hit a bridge railing made out of concrete...
Car was totaled and ended upside down...
He hit is at 45 mph...
The air bags deployed and he and his fiancee walked away...
I was very impressed with the build quality of that vehicle...
It was very reliable...

 

[TripleR]

I call the Avalon a stretch Camry. The Avalon is a nice ride; but it seems to be an odd duck in the Toyota/Lexus model lineup. Since the Avalon is Toyota's flagship sedan, its price is pushing into Lexus territory. If one is going for snob appeal, why buy a Toyota when one can get a Lexus? Yet they sell enough of them to keep the model alive all these years.

The older Avalons were bigger than the Camry, but we can't tell any difference in the physical size between my wife's Avalon and my daughter's. My wife isn't impressed with labels and when I start talking about Acura, Lexus, BMW, etc., her eyes just glaze over.:laughing:

 

[TheGoose]

I'm not impressed with my '07 Accord. It has just over 100,000 miles. I hear you on the "no soul" deal. I hate to take it on any long trips as the road noise and ride are terrible. My wife says it rides like "being on a roller skate". The inside shows quite a bit more wear than what I would like, even for a 100K mile car. It started to show age pretty early in it's life.

The thing eats tires, even after keeping up with the pressure and rotating frequently. I had an issue with the breaks before 30K miles and my dealer wanted me to pay to have them fixed until I threw a fit. Never had any major mechanical problems, but my wife was advised on getting the timing belt changed, by our dealer, at about 70K miles (she was in for a recall of some sort). Job was going to cost $1200. I said not until 100K, and then I checked an independent shop, only to be told that it has a timing CHAIN, not belt, and I was good to go. I will never do business with this dealer again BTW.

I have noticed from several other Accord owners that I am not the only one who says the road noise is terrible, and this goes across several generations of car. Next time I think I will look around, see what else is out there. The Hyundai is supposed to be getting very good and has better options for a cheaper price.

We just got rid of a Honda Accord. It was a solid car and did everything asked, but it had no soul. I never enjoyed driving it.

 

[DieselnHooters]

I like used low-mileage domestic cars, they depreciate like crazy the first few years and can be bought for a song. I got a 2006 Fusion in 2009 and it still rides like new,still original everything 'cept for the front brakes. I have it rust-proofed yearly and away we go lol

 

[KennyG]

It's too bad you don't have a good Ford dealer. We're very impressed with our new 2013 Fusion hybrid. Very comfortable and often gets over 40 mpg in the real world. I buy US if I can get the car I want because of years of good experience with Ford and Chrysler products. A few years ago I did try a Chevy and I don't think I'll ever go that route again.

 

[Peacock]

I'm not impressed with my '07 Accord. It has just over 100,000 miles. I hear you on the "no soul" deal. I hate to take it on any long trips as the road noise and ride are terrible. My wife says it rides like "being on a roller skate". The inside shows quite a bit more wear than what I would like, even for a 100K mile car. It started to show age pretty early in it's life.

The thing eats tires, even after keeping up with the pressure and rotating frequently. I had an issue with the breaks before 30K miles and my dealer wanted me to pay to have them fixed until I threw a fit. Never had any major mechanical problems, but my wife was advised on getting the timing belt changed, by our dealer, at about 70K miles (she was in for a recall of some sort). Job was going to cost $1200. I said not until 100K, and then I checked an independent shop, only to be told that it has a timing CHAIN, not belt, and I was good to go. I will never do business with this dealer again BTW.

I have noticed from several other Accord owners that I am not the only one who says the road noise is terrible, and this goes across several generations of car. Next time I think I will look around, see what else is out there. The Hyundai is supposed to be getting very good and has better options for a cheaper price.

This is not typical Accord reliability. Get a good alignment and good Michelin tires to kill the tire noise. They are far from soulless. They generally handle better and maneuver better than any other comparable car.

I can just about guarantee you that with good maintenance that it would outlast any other midsize on the market.

The 4 cyl engines are chain, 6 cyl are belt.

I see these things day in and day out with 200k plus and minimal mechanical problems.