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Long time Honda fan. I drive an 05 Civic and love it, I have owned at least 4 honda's and an acura and loved them too. I have a few posts here describing our long-term car search.
So I found an 09 Accord EXL with a manual Tranny (requirement for us) and only 6200 miles. Private seller and I can get it for under $20k. I've driven the car and it's fine, although (as with any "brand new" used car from a private seller) I always have that nagging concern that there is a reason they are selling it. The reason he gave is that they got a Manual with intent to teach wife to drive it, and it never happened....
Anyway, I digress: I was just about to pull the trigger, and then I read that people are really not pleased with the 09 accords. Two main issues are that the brakes pads are wearing in less than 20k miles, and that the seats are not comfy on long trips. The first issue has prompted a class action law-suit against Honda, and the second is a long-known complaint against Honda seats.... If I continue reading the forums, people are basically saying that Honda quality of yester-year is gone, and they are riding on the coat-tails of their reputation. (sounds like Toyota).
If this is true, it makes me sad, but more importantly than my emotional state, is that it makes buying this car a bad idea. We are buying something that we intend to put over 200k miles on, and want something practical, inexpensive to own, and mostly, something that we can take a comfortable family trip (3 of us) in.
On the surface it has all of these things, but reading the reviews and forums, I'm a bit worried.
(Not to get off topic, or to introduce too many variables, but our initial requirement was a 6 cylinder. The Accord seems OK-enough on power. When you filter out what else is available with low miles, it would be a 2007 Accord v6 with a 6 speed, a BMW 328i, a G35, or maybe an Altima 6/6m. The accord and altima have not been made for a few years, so finding something with low miles is becoming a challenge. The 09 EXL with a 4cyl is a bit of a comprimise to begin with. Spend a couple thousand more and we could get a certified 328i with sub-35k miles for around $24k and a 100k BMW warrantee....)
Sorry for the long post, we have a lot of things going through our minds, and can't seem to find the right path:
Q: Is the 09 accord still a good car, does it live up to Honda's reputation for quality?
Mechanically I think it is still a very reliable car. The 2.4 liter 4-cyl has proven to be pretty stable. The V-6 I would make the same assumption for, but I am mpre partial to Honda's 4 cylinders. Honda automatics have never been knon for reliability, and the early 6-speed manuals did have a 3rd gear popout issue. But my experience with Honda 5MTs are that they are of the smoothest I've driven, including the Civic with it's longer throws.
Not sure what problems to look for with this generation of Accords. But I will say that I have a 2005 Accord that bought at 53k almost 2 years ago. Now has 99k on it and haven't had a problem yet. Just routine maintenance. Are there things I'm not happy with? Sure. But so far I'm pleased with how reliable its been.
Seat comfort was never a Honda strong point. Are they riding on the coat-tails of their reputation from the 80's and 90's? Could be, but I still think they make a solid car and one of the best brands for the money.
Yeah it is a reliable car. The brake pad issue is true, but I minor issue. If it were me I'd learn how to change the pads myself--easy and cheap to do, buy yeah Honda messed this up.
My 08 Civic needed new pads at 15k. Big deal. No other problems and this car seems to be holding up well. No rattles and still feels tight and new at almost 40k. Driven from Indiana to California and back and the seats were not bad, not a lincoln or caddy in the comfort dept, but still fine.
So, with the Accord being even larger, and more comfortable, I would say it would be a fine buy.
Honda quality has NOT degraded in the same way Toyota has. I've had several Honda's and they all take my abuse. I say go for it.
The funny thing about the pad problem is that the pads on other Hondas last a VERY long time. The pads on our 2006 Pilot lasted to 80K miles. I am on the orginal pads of my 2006 Ridgeline at 75K miles.
I have not driven the current gen Accord, but I have sat in several. I thought the interior was comparable to others. Current Civics are excellent in almost every way. I think Honda manual transmissions are all around excellent - smooth linkages and clutch engagement.
Thanks for the replies, I hope you are all correct, as I made an offer and it is accepted. We transfer the title tomorrow....
Regarding the pads, I had the same thought. It's time for me to learn how to change them myself, then it's an (almost) non-issue. I do my own oil changes, and on other cars have done some small jobs too, so I think this is reasonable.
As mentioned, I have put over 60k on my current Civic (05 EX/SE) in 26 months, and I could not love that car more. My first car was a 77 civic, I've had a 93 and 98 accord and a 93-ish integra.
But mostly posting to thank for the replies. It is pretty much what I thought, but I needed to hear it from a few others. I went and checked reviews and forums for other cars, and they had complaints too. I guess the bottom line is that when folks drop a lot of money on a car and something goes wrong, some of them will be vocal. Less people are inclined to go online and tell the world that everything is as expected. So if a few hundred thousand accords get sold each year, and the most people have to complain about is the brake pads, that's not too bad. I'd rather that than have my wife get locked in her bimmer because the electronics failed and the door would not unlock (as descrived in their forums and reviews...).
Bmateo - changing brake pads IS very straightforward. It might take 2-3 hours the first time you do it. But it is not difficult at all and you can do it with standard tools plus a C-clamp to push the caliper piston it.
Either get the service manual for your car or visit a Honda forum and chances are good someone has step by step instructions.
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