Learn me: '03-07 Accord Coupe

These:

My Fit has been a great car and the loan improved my credit enough to get a great mortgage, but my commute is becoming increasingly freeway-oriented and the Fit is poor in that realm. I'm also considering getting out from under my car payment, and I've been mulling over what I could pick up used as a daily driver. TSX was initially at the front of my list, but they take premium and are shockingly poor on gas. I like mid-size coupes and remembered that these Accords were a thing. Lo and behold, they seem to be at that perfect intersection of depreciation and age where you can still find nice ones but they are all $5k or less.

I'm specifically looking at the 2.4/5-speed for my purposes (I know, the V6/6-speed is a honey of a drivetrain, but I like my Honda fours and minimal running costs are important). Is there any reason I wouldn't want to pick one of these up for $3-5k?

I'm trying to convince SWMBO to get a 7.5 gen ex-l. The TL rear sway bar bolts on but you will need to bend an exhaust hanger for clearance. The 1st gen TSX intake manifold is a popular bolt-on if you're into that.

7th gens are great. My parents have had one for 150k trouble free miles. The k24 with stick is a pretty nice drivetrain in its own right. Though its not quite as bullet proof as the old f22/23, I think it feels better. The car as a whole is both reasonably nimble and a comfortable highway cruiser. As with all hondas watch for rust (but this is not nearly as problematic as it was for earlier gens) and make sure the timing belt's done or budget to do it yourself. I can't really think of anything else.

They're great, solidly built cars. No major problems to look for. It's funny but I disregard them based on their FWD nature. But they're really nice cars and for a commuter don't really give up much by being FWD.

I like them. No reason at all not to shop for one. I also agree with your four cylinder bias.

I might be selling my 2011 LX 5-speed 2.4 sedan and I live in Chicago. You want a sedan? I just drove 488 miles to Muncie and back today with some of the I65 interstate running 76-78mph and she runs smooth. I might be a tad over $5,000....not sure yet. Today she hit 149,550 miles......

My family (both immediate and extended) LOVES these cars. We have basically a fleet of them. They are pretty trouble free well into the 200k mile range with regular maintenance. I am actually scanning Craigslist constantly for 5MT examples, because I just can't get them outta my system. For reliable/economical/comfortable transport in this price range, not sure how you could do much better.

They're great, I've had my 05 4cyl 5speed coupe for 4 years and like 45,000 miles (175k). Nothing but oil changes, a battery, and tires needed so far. I keep it stock as a daily and it's been reliable as gravity. Get an odd crack to the radio on humid/rainy days and sometimes the driver side window doesn't go down first push. Gets 31-32 mpg mixed driving.

My dad has an 04 sedan 5spd (aunt owned it 0-110k, he's had it to 165ish currently). No problems, great leather and such. Same window issue. I think it had a miss or something that was cleared up by plugs and wires.

My brother had an 04 v6 auto coupe that was very quick and had 214k on it when he sold it. Never any issues. Got about 18-20 mpg.

The back seats will hold two adults fine but you'll have to climb back in there.

Wife has an '03 EX auto. It's somewhere around 230k and still in great shape. The DWB, light weight of the 4, and shorter wheelbase of the coupe make it a blast on the back roads, until I start cursing the automatic. The two biggest bits of work needed since 89k when we bought it has been a starter and a cat. Great car.

Mom had an '07(7.5) v6 sedan. Power was stupid, coming from a Vulcan Taurus. While faster, it wasn't as nimble as the wife's coupe. I'm not sure if that was the weight of the v6, the extra wheelbase of the sedan or possibly a different suspension package.

Brian wrote: Mom had an '07(7.5) v6 sedan. Power was stupid, coming from a Vulcan Taurus. While faster, it wasn't as nimble as the wife's coupe. I'm not sure if that was the weight of the v6, the extra wheelbase of the sedan or possibly a different suspension package.

I'm pretty darned sure it is all three in equal measure. Fortunately, tuning the suspension can go a long way toward mitigating the first two.

pointofdeparture wrote: These: Is there any reason I wouldn't want to pick one of these up for $3-5k?

I'm basically looking for a sedan just like that. Anything at 100,000 miles or less is over $6k asking around here. Same with the TSX. It's astonishing how these things hold their value. I'd jump on a $4000 2004 Accord 4 cylinder sedan, but at that price they've got well over 150k on the clock. In the Midatlantic region, anyway.

Datsun310Guy wrote: I might be selling my 2011 LX 5-speed 2.4 sedan and I live in Chicago. You want a sedan? I just drove 488 miles to Muncie and back today with some of the I65 interstate running 76-78mph and she runs smooth. I might be a tad over $5,000....not sure yet. Today she hit 149,550 miles......

That DOES sound like a heck of a deal, unfortunately I'm pretty partial to the coupes. I bet someone will take you up on that though!

I like these cars a lot, but the V6/6spd is such a quick little sleeper that i can't manage much enthusiasm for the 4cyl cars (assuming no crazy modifications). I've done a timing belt and water pump on the v6 cars and it wasn't terrible. Other than that and fuel economy i don't see any real difference in running costs. I guess the mpg difference could be worth the 2-second drop in 1/4 mile performance for some people.

In reply to Vigo:

Lots of little things that add up. For a car that will basically live on the freeway at 80MPH and do little else the extra power is meaningless to me. I have a BMW in the garage for when I want to have fun, so two less spark plugs, no timing belt, less weight, a cheaper buy-in and an improvement of 5MPG EPA combined cycle (which means I could probably do better in the real world) adds up to quite a bit of savings.

If I wanted to take the MPG hit I would just buy a TSX, because I really love them, but like I said above - I'm reimbursed for mileage - so the lower I can drive that cost per mile, the more profit I turn on my driving for work. The V6 is just a no-go with that in mind.

I've just decided to name the Accord I am selling Zoidberg. With that in mind....

In reply to Vigo:

The 4-cylinder in the nose vs the v6 gives it that old school honda feel. In my experience-real world driving conditions the v6 gets low 20s vs the high 20s of the 4-cylinder. Personally I'd rather be WOT all the time in the 4-cylinder than babying the v6. But, I'm also super biased because I want this to be my next car.

That's what I like about 4-cylinder, 5-speeds. Drive like Mario Andretti and keep your drivers liscense. If I had a Mustang I'd hit three tickets in three weeks!

Well, i guess the only other thing i would add is that if you are looking at mid-size 4cyl/5spd Honda coupes for $5k or so, i would ask yourself if you wouldnt prefer a really nice 4th gen Prelude. Besides that, i have no qualms about the Accord in question. They are great cars. I want to buy one of the V6 hybrid models and put Insight-style IMA hacks on it. And a J35.

Vigo wrote: Well, i guess the only other thing i would add is that if you are looking at mid-size 4cyl/5spd Honda coupes for $5k or so, i would ask yourself if you wouldnt prefer a really nice 4th gen Prelude. Besides that, i have no qualms about the Accord in question. They are great cars. I want to buy one of the V6 hybrid models and put Insight-style IMA hacks on it. And a J35.

This gen of Accord is a much more "modern" car than any generation Prelude, IMO. I had a 5th gen Prelude, which may have been a closer match to the Accord in question, but even that did not have the "drive it and forget it" type reliability that this car does.

Plus, Preludes have the infamous H22. Decent engines, when they aren't sucking down quarts of oil due to FRM sleeve wear.

The K-series is really where it's at, part of the reason I like the Accords is because they got the K24 with this gen, which is a significantly more modern engine.

My daily driver is an '05 sedan with the 4 cylinder and 5 speed auto. We've owned it close to 10 years and all I've done is routine maintenance; it's closing in on 160k miles (we bought it at 50k), no real issues to date. 4 cylinders have a timing chain, not a belt. I was commuting about 50 miles/day and it is a great place to eat up miles, mileage is in the high 20's no mater how I drive. The auto can be "manually shifted" 1-4. Ours is sluggish on upshifts, but downshifts are much better. I have autocrossed it several times but it's more fun on a twisty road. Our plan is to hand it down to my son when he turns 16 next year.