We have a 2000 Nissan Maxima with approximatly 86,000 miles and a “Made on a Monday” lemon of a 2003 Honda Accord that is literally falling apart with about 115,000 miles on it. We are thinking of buying a Honda CRZ. We don’t know which car to trade in.The Maxima uses premium, the Honda, regular, but we have already replaced the transmission on it. All kinds of little things are falling apart and everyday a new light shows up on the dashboard…kind of like a light flavor of the day. Any ideas?
You have a Honda that does not satisfy your demand for quality, correct?
Trade in the vehicle that gives trouble and do not buy that brand again.
Upgrading to premium fuel is inexpensive compared to repairs as you may already know.
Trade the lemon. A car’s history is a good indication of its likely future…except over time it’ll get worse, not better.
I’m sure that Honda Motors of America will appreciate your loyalty in planning to buy another Honda. I’m not sure I would be so generous.
Lemons don’t suddenly turn into peaches.
I swear this Honda was made on a Monday. Every week something else falls apart! I have not heard of other Honda Accord owners having the same problems. But my husband drives it, he has a seriously heavy foot and is quite aggressive. We are wanting a hybrid which is why we are thinking of buying from Honda again. We may consider the Prius, but the Honda Insight or CRZ is high on our list. Not because they are Honda, but because they are Hybrids. And, the Honda Insight has been around a long time and I would think the majority of the bugs are already worked out.
Actually the current Insight has only been around for two years now. The first gen Insight was made from 2000-2006, then they stopped making them. The first gen Insight gave up too much in the way of saftey and comfort exchange for fuel economy, the current Insight is a mild hybrid, it’s not as effcient as a Prius, but it’s cheaper. The CRZ is the same in that regard. The CRZ also lacks rear seats, which may or may be an issue for you.
You may also want to consider a TDI VW, Honda Fit, or Ford Fiesta, or a Lexus CT 200h. Hybrids aren’t always the most cost-effective or green solution out there when all factors are taken into accound.
You hate the Accord. Lose it.
You might also consider Ford hybrids. They get excellent mileage. Check out gas mileage for comparison at the link below. It may help you marrow the list down. We are very close to the new model year. Do you and a 2011 or 2012? FWIW, Toyota will have the Prius v as well as the current Prius at the beginning of the new model year. The v is a wagon version.
I agree - lose the Honda. If you have to have a hybrid, I second the suggestion for the Ford hybrids. But it is interesting to do the math - I was all set to buy a hybrid until I realized that the savings wouldn’t be as great as I thought they would. I don’t know your situation, so maybe it makes more sense for yo - but something to think about for sure. Good luck.
Trade both in and get a pair of Ford Fusions or Focuses.
Do you drive in a lot of stop and go traffic or is your commute on the highway? If you drive in the city a lot, a hybrid does make sense. If you travel on the highway a lot, a VW with TDI would make more sense.
If you haven’t done it yet, test drive a CRZ, you may find yourself changing your mind about it after the drive.
I agree with trading them both if you can afford it. I also feel that if you trade only one, trade the car you have the least confidence in which appears to be the Accord. If you own a Max. and an Accord, I agree you may not be happy with the ride of a smaller car. I would look at a Camry or Fusion hybrid.
Your husbands driving habits could have more to do with the Accords problems than it being built on a Monday. The Accord is an '03 and at 8-9 years old it isn’t a lemon, just an older car that isn’t doing well being driven hard.
I’m not certain that hybrids handle hard drivers as well as conventional cars, but if you must have a hybrid the Honda systems really aren’t that sophisticated compared to Toyota and the Ford systems. I think your husband would beat a Honda hybrid into submission faster than the '03 Accord.
Hard driving takes a toll on any car. Therefore a hard driver should be ready to pay the price with a new car and replace the car more frequently, say every 5 years. Therefore I suggest your husband buy a new conventional car and budget to trade it in when it is 5 years old. A Ford Fusion or Toyota Camry might be worth a look.
You could go in a completely different direction, and trade in the Accord for a smaller, more efficient car, like a Fiat 500.
His lead foot would then be defeated by the low hp car, unless he chooses a manual transmission, and then he gets a car with a 4 year, 50k mile warranty, and 3 years, 36k miles included maintenance, which includes brake pads, rotors, and even the clutch.
He will save gas, and maintenance costs for those first three years.
And its less expensive than the cars you are currently looking at.
BC.