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Tue 23 Jun 2020 11:35

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - Jamie3141

Hi all

I'm buying my first car! Unfortunately, I don't have anybody knowledgable that can come and look at them with me.

I'm interested in Honda Accords and Ford Mondeos for reasons of reliability and practicality/price. I've heard good things about the revised Ford 2L Duratec HE engines once they fixed the swirl flaps and similarly good things about the Honda 2.4L K24A series engines. I should note that I'm a young driver so the insurance is ~1.5-2x more for the Honda.

The 2004 Honda Accord 2.4L i-VTEC Executive is up for £2.7k, automatic, petrol, has had 1 owner, 85k miles and is at a (seemingly) reputable dealer. MOT hisotry is a bit more complicated and has upper susp ball joint wear, front radius arm play in bush.

The 2008 Mondeo 2.0 Zetec is up for £2k, manual, petrol, has had 4 owners, 85k miles and is private. MOT history is just break pads, etc.

Does anybody have any advice for me when looking at these cars? With RE: to the Mondeo, I understand the ECU is behind the passenger-side bumper, so any indication of damage around that region is likely a walk-away situation, and any rattling while the clutch is depressed could indicate a dual-mass flywheel problem.

I've never driven an automatic car though. What should I look out for?

Are dealers doing off-premises sales at the moment (which could potentially give me greater rights if the vehicle's crap)?

Thanks

Jamie

Edited by Jamie3141 on 23/06/2020 at 11:38

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Tue 23 Jun 2020 12:02

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - concrete

I must declare a preference for the Honda brand. I had several, the last of which I bought from the company when it's replacement was due. That was 1992. Mine was a 2.0i petrol manual. I put about 57K on in 2 years. In total I kept the car for 17 years and it travelled about 180K miles. Usual servicing, very few repairs and passed the MOT every time. The engine was still like a sewing machine and the doors all shut with a lovely clunk. It was made in Japan. I scrapped it in 2007 because I could not give it away. SWMBO gave up driving so there was no need for it. Every youngster It was offered to free of charge turned it down. It was not 'cool' apparently. Never had another Honda since because the company went diesel and Honda did not have one for quite a while after that. If kept in good condition these cars will last a long time and be relatively trouble free. Honda over Ford every time for me.

Cheers Concrete

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Tue 23 Jun 2020 12:44

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - John F

Financially, I would go for the Mondeo if the insurance is that much cheaper. As a young driver the premiums will soon exceed the cost of the car. The Mondeo is 4 years younger and will probably be cheaper to service and repair.

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Tue 23 Jun 2020 14:02

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - Jamie3141

Yes. Insurance is a bit of a joke for youngsters. The Mondeo is ~£870 and the Accord's about £1200 for a box thing and £1800 without one... The insurance isn't a huge issue, because I'm fine having a box.

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Tue 23 Jun 2020 14:04

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - Jamie3141

Hi Concrete

Thanks. I've heard great things about Japanese designed cars and Honda engines.

The Ford has a slightly modified Mazda engine in it, which is supposedly very reliable too. They probably should have left it alone!

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Tue 23 Jun 2020 14:20

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - pd

For the money difference on both insurance and price I think I'd go Ford.

The Honda will be better equipped and the 2 4 a great engine but 2004 is getting pretty long in the tooth these days and wouldn't want to pay that for a 16+ year old car.

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Tue 23 Jun 2020 16:30

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - badbusdriver

As you are a young driver and this is to be your first car, why a large automatic?. Understandable going for an auto (though not neccessarily that big a car!) if you can't drive anything else, but clearly you have a manual licence.

Also, these are two odd bedfellows, the 2.0 Mondeo vs the 2.4 Accord?. Is this due to lack of choice in your area?. Surely more obvious rival to the 2.0 (145bhp) Mondeo would be a 2.0 (155bhp) Accord, which would no doubt be somewhat cheaper to insure than the top of the range 190bhp version.

I do like the looks of that generation Accord, and, like most Honda's, they are very reliable. But, through reading contemporary roadtests and owners reviews, there are a couple of points worth bearing in mind. The ride is a bit on the firm side and this is somewhat exacerbated by the bigger wheels which will almost certainly be fitted to a 2.4. I also seem to recall reading of some problem with the headlights being prone to blowing bulbs?.

As for the Mondeo, pretty reliable, very comfy over long distances, spacious and refined. But it is a heavy car, so with the 2.0 n/a petrol, there may not be as much performance as you might expect and it will be some way off the pace of the Accord.

If you must have a car of that size with an auto, i'd also be looking at the Mazda 6 and Toyota Avensis.

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Wed 24 Jun 2020 09:18

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - Jamie3141

Precisely! I'm limited by distance from Cambridge at the moment, and without having another vehicle, inspecting them is not very easy at the moment. I tend to keep it to a 20/30 mi radius.

The K20Z Honda 2.0 engines are really nice too, apparently. I'd be happy with either. The difference in insurance isn't as great as you'd think though, they're almost exactly the same by ~£100. In some instances, I was quoted higher prices for the 2.0L Honda (with lower trim) than the 2.4L, which I can't understand.

Thanks for bringing the Mazda 6 to my attention, it's a nice looking vehicle and I'll do some research and consider whether it's worth searching for them as well.

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Tue 23 Jun 2020 17:16

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - 64bit

The Honda will be much more reliable and enjoyable over time. plus alot nicer to drive.

The mondeo 2.0 is only 144bhp and it feels slow compared with the lovey 189 bhp accord.

even in auto spec the honda goes well,

serving cost the same the accord executive has power everything as well.

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Tue 23 Jun 2020 17:44

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - sammy1

Reading the original post the questioner has no person with any knowledge to help. When you consider the content it is clear that the OP is not as naïve as he thinks

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Wed 24 Jun 2020 09:24

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - Jamie3141

Thanks for the confidence boost :). I'm not interested in flashy/fast/modified vehicles and I'm not in a situation (financially) where an uncalculated purchase which leads to a dud could be chalked up to "lack-of-experience" and written off. So, I'm more than happy to do the required research.

I still feel ridiculously unqualified to walk around a vehicle and 'assess' its condition mechanically, though. And ultimately it's the idea of failing here that I find intimidating.

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Wed 24 Jun 2020 09:24

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - Jamie3141

The Honda definitely seems to be a mark above the Mondeo (especially on the inside). Thanks for your help.

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Tue 23 Jun 2020 18:38

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - SLO76

Both good cars but neither is what I’d suggest for a young first time driver. What made you pick them out? Do you need the space? The insurance must be terrifying on the Accord. The fuel economy will be poor on a 2.4 auto too and the road tax high. I wouldn’t pay the guts of £3k for it either, its worth nearer £1500 though prices have formed up on older cars of late.

I’d reign yourself in a bit and buy something from the class down. Spend some of that insurance money on a newer, more reliable and more economical car to start with.

I’m assuming this is the Accord in question?

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200611001...8

If so, here’s a few other options for you.

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200219749...0

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200308815...5

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200613009...9

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200609996...7

www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/20200616018...4

Edited by SLO76 on 23/06/2020 at 18:40

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Wed 24 Jun 2020 09:39

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - Jamie3141

I really like the look of these "saloon" style cars. Having said that, I do like the look of the older Civics before they started using that all-in-one headlight monstrosity thing (05-09). I also think they're much safer than these unimposing hatchbacks. I'm not planning on having an accident, but if I was to have one, I'd prefer to be in an Accord than a Auris. If I was going for something a bit smaller, it would have to be a Prius. They're not great to look at but I'm just in awe of the reliability of those cars (aware that I sound like an extremely boring person!)

Yes, that's the Accord I was looking at :). Well spotted! I do need the extra space afforded by the saloon. I move around a lot for work and I can usually fit most of what I own in a larger car like an Accord with two journeys. Can I ask why you think it's only worth £1500? I was taken back when I started seeing cars from the early 2000s for £3-4k. I was also looking at the Toyota Prius and the prices are astronimcal for such old vehicles (although these are continually sold with 200k-300k miles on them and have reported going on for 400k+).

Insurance is about £1.1k-£1.5k on the Accords and £900 on the Mondeos.

Thank you for the links, I've added the Civics to my list to research before I start viewing them. As for the Mondeo, I'm in Cambridge so I'd have to get transport to London before I could get near Milton Keynes :(.

Edited by Jamie3141 on 24/06/2020 at 09:50

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Tue 23 Jun 2020 22:00

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - S40 Man

Do you definitely need a petrol (low mileage?)I used to have a 2.0 tdci Mondeo and it was great. There is 2:1 ratio of d to p on Autotrader. You'll get more choice with a diesel. You'll also get +12 mpg.

The petrol is 25 round town, ok while fuel prices are low, but 37 would be more palatable imho. It's a big old barge to move around..

I'm probably swimming against the tide on here but that's my ten pence worth.

You can do static regen of dpf with a Forscan tool if that is your worry.

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Tue 23 Jun 2020 23:05

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - drd63

I had an Accord 2.4 typeS so manual not auto, it was an awesome engine, so smooth and just seemed to pull strongly right up to the red line. I’ve a nasty feeling finances will decide for you as I think ved on the Accord is pretty high as well as insurance. I’d pay a premium for the Honda but not that much.

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Tue 23 Jun 2020 23:31

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - pd

Accord 2.4 Type-S was a great car. Sooooo......much nicer than the gutless and toque lacking 2.0 and only about 2-3mpg penalty. I had one for a year or so and loved it.

2.4 Auto Executive less of an all round package IMO - drinks fuel, auto is only 4-speed IIRC and blunts performance.

These are old cars now though. Rust is getting them and they are not immune to electrical issues which can be a challenge to fix. They're well built but an old design and most are 15-18 years old.

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Wed 24 Jun 2020 09:47

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - Jamie3141

I've heard good things about the manual transmission and people loving how the gears accurately "click into place".

Tax is no worry for me, I'm disabled so the tax gets reduced by 50% or ignored. Insurance is the big one though.

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Wed 24 Jun 2020 09:43

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - Jamie3141

I would take either a petrol or a diesel. My MPG isn't going to be great regardless, I'm a new driver and only have ~40 hours driving across 1.5 years and haven't driven in over 3 months, so I tend to accelerate and break a lot. I guess it'll take a while for me to start 'reading the road' effectively.

The problem with the diesel Mondeos is that they're Peugot engines if I'm not mistaken. Those engines do not have the same record of reliability as the (slightly) modified Mazda petrol engines.

I'll do more research on the diesel Mondeos and see if there's a variant that has a quality engine in it.

Thanks for your help.

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Wed 24 Jun 2020 09:50

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - pd

The 2.0 litre PSA engine is an OK lump - used in loads of cars and usually OK. Obviously, as with any engine, it can have issues but isn't know as a particular engine to avoid,

Incidentally one thing to check on any Accords is leaks from steering racks - they are very prone to them (particularly the facelift models) and needs the rack replaced to fix. The aircon is another known weak spot with condensers (radiator at front) rusting through and compressors seizing.

Edited by pd on 24/06/2020 at 09:51

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Wed 24 Jun 2020 09:56

Honda Accord - 2004 Accord v 2008 Mondeo mk 4 - Jamie3141

PD, thanks so much for that tip. It'll go on the list of things to check. A replaced rack wouldn't be worth it for me, so I'd just walk away. Do you know what the costs associated with compressors and condensers are? I see parts costs for compressors at ~£100 odd and condensers at ~£70 odd.

I'll keep the PSA engines in mind. Glad to hear there aren't any recurring/major problems.

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