Well I decided the old Civic was getting a bit long in the tooth at seven years old and a bit boring so after a month or so of consideration and checking prices, I went out to the local Honda Main Dealer on Friday and bought a 2.4 EX Honda Accord Tourer . 04 plate. one owner car, 24 k miles ie barely run in for around half the new price .
I'm picking it up on Friday and obviously read HJ's CBCB so was looking out for the problem areas.
Had a good test drive and a look round the car and the only problem I found was uneven wear on the outside edges of the front tyres which suggests a tracking problem although the tyres ( Michelin Pilot Premacy ) still have plenty of tread . The garage have promised to check the tracking and rectify the fault. They are also spraying the rear bumper to get rid of a few badly touched in corner scratches.
Nice friendly negotiation with the salesman . I managed to get more or less what I expected in P/Ex on the Civic. I also negotiated a two year parts and labour warranty rather than the one year they were offering, years road tax ( £300 ) , full service , new MOT and a full tank of petrol.
I'm interested in any Tourer owners views of the car or problems they have had with tracking . I'd also like to know if there are any other likely problems to look out for ( apart from the drain on my wallet at the petrol station) before I pick it up.
|
this would be one for me! Have 2.4 tourer type s. its currently on 76k so has done a few miles. Ive done about 30k of them. Had an issue with the driveshaft (forum search for more info) but nothing else.
Its easy to drive and quite rapid when you want it to be. 17" wheels with sport suspension is a firm ride and i think the 16" and softer suspension of the EX might be of benefit. It is a large car, but it is easy to park (with practice). i thought i would need parking sensors fitted, but decided against it. The boot is huge and versatile, with a very easy to use mechanism for dropping the rear seats. this gives a very handy flat floor.
The electric tailgate did fail, but it can still be raised manually. Was replaced under warranty. Handy toy but a bit slow to go up and down.
I have been looking to replace it, but have decided that there really is no point as i cant see a benefit to spending out a load more money for a car that doesnt give me anything more.
If your car doesnt have a spare wheel, they can be bought for about £70. Well worth it in my opinion.
All in all a good 2nd hand buy. If you have any other questions, do ask.
|
Thanks for the reply ablandy . Glad you like the car.
I did a forum search but no joy on your driveshaft problem. I Hope it was not too serious. I am always able to use my company car if I have a problem like that .
I would hope any major problems like that would be covered under the extra warranty I negotiated but as it is a Honda , it should be pretty reliable.
The car has only the fluid and compressor which I don't like as it ruins the tyre . I may as well get a spare.
Does the lockable boot compartment hold a full size spare or only a space saver? Did you buy a spare from the dealer or elsewhere.
I will also be sure to check the electric tailgate works OK before leaving the garage.
Also any more owners out there with comments on the car. All views and comments appreciated.
|
the driveshaft problem - briefly, i was getting nasty vibrations through the car at 50ish. Turned out to be a worn driveshaft, which was replaced. Fairly expensive, but i get the impression its quite unusual. Out of warranty by then of course.
Got the spare from dealer, only a space saver im afraid. better than nothing though. You may be able to get it independently, but it was fairly cheap at the main dealer.
One interesting aspect of the engine is that at very high revs it feels like it gives an extra boost of power. Although i dont like to drive like that very often because a: it doesnt feel very mechanically sympathetic and b: all the petrol disappears!
Does yours have the dark "wood" effect or the light "wood" ? I looked at the light one and that really put me off. Quite possibly the most hideous bit of trim i have seen. The type-s has a carbon effect, which i quite like (reminds me of the alfa)
Also make sure you get a spare key - they are very expensive to buy. Approx £150-200.
|
amendment to previous post - just found the prices from honda, pasted below.
the price for the spare key £218.00inc vat & programming of keys.
spare wheel kit £77.30inc
|
If thats the price for a spacesaver I'll get one for peace of mind, although touch wood have not had a puncture in five years with the Civic.
I think mine is the dark " wood" . I can't really remember what it was like but SWMBO who notices these things described it as a 'bluey burred maple' whatever that means ie dark plastic wood rather than light plastic.
Horrendous price for spare keys ! - I thought £40 + for a Civic key was bad. I did check with the dealer today when I took new insurance in that they have got two sets so thats OK.
|
>>One interesting aspect of the engine is that at very high revs it feels like it gives an extra boost of power. <<
I think the rest of the world knows this as Honda's often imitated but never bettered VTEC variable cam profile system. ;-)
|
|
Only problem I've had is the clutch master cylinder needed replacing (under warranty) due to an annoying creaking clutch pedal. It seems to be a known/common problem. They are great cars imho.
|
interesting you mention that. Mine has and does creak, i always put it down to the pedal / linkage. Do you have any more info on that? mine isnt under warranty though. I have heard mention of this on here, but no info about what the problem actually is. If its just a creak i can live with that.
One other thing i forgot - aircon seems to have failed. Put it on low and the yellow recirculation light comes on and doesnt cool. Will book it in with the aircon people who did the alfa. Pregnant wife could do with the aircon at the moment (built in toilet would probably be more useful though)
and i knew the car was had a vtec engine, but i have no idea what that is!! Didnt know it was variable (but i do know a vvti is). Chain cam engine as well, which is nice.
|
Well as my new one is an automatic no possibility of a creaky clutch pedal.
SWMBO certainly checked out the aircon ( or rather climate control) on the touch screen at warp speed five during the test drive and it was very effective.
The Civic had the VTEC engine and it was one of the reasons I went for the Accord. The chain cam is also a plus , having seen the damage done to my father in laws Rover ( and his wallet )a few years back when the cambelt snapped.
Looking forward to picking it up Friday - not looking forward to the hit on the bank account.
However if it is as reliable as the Civic I will be well pleased. The Civic has cost me less than a thousand pounds a year in depreciation over the five years I have owned it and nothing went except a window motor which was replaced under warranty.
It required only normal regular services with oil change every 6000 miles and a new set of tyres. Pretty cheap and reliable motoring.
|
Mine (leased) is just coming up to 100,000 miles - possibly at the weekend - but it is a diesel (March 04 Exec spec). I get to change it in March next year.
Only failures so far (don't want to tempt providence) are seat motor (at around 9 months), clutch cylinder squeaking and replaced at 2 1/2 years (I didn't notice but they did), and . . . . . . that is it. The 2/3 rear seat is sometimes stiff (does not always operate one handed) and the wiper arms are starting to show signs of rust - probaqbly from chips. Lots of chips on the bonnet but o signs of rust mine is the indigo blue so the light primer/metal shows up should have got a silver one.
One set of brake discs and on its fourth pair of front tyres (around 30k a set) and its third pair of rears (around 45k a set) - and even with the traction control it will spin the front wheels.
Motorised tailgate is very useful as you push the trolley up to the caqr in the supermarket car park and an 8 year old made my day when he saw it operate in a car park and said to his dad "Wow! How cool is that!"
Sound system is magnificent - the only car stereo I have had where you can turn it up full blast and it gets very loud but quality stays good!
Cigarette lighter socket, and socket in boot, only work with the ignition on.
I have the space saver (was a no cost option) but instead of buying the space saver you might want to consider a full size steel spare - there is space under the lid. Also does it have the liner in the well under the boot floor - the standard estate came with a polystyrene bock with screwdriver, jack, sealant, compressor etc which sits in part of the spare wheel well and is covered by a hard (cardboard?)liner the same finish as the car interior. Mine came with this loose in the boot as it won't fit with the space saver in place (it is up in the garage roof).
Even SWMBO said last week "why don't you just get another one of these" and she professes not to like it because it is big, diesel and an estate.
|
|
One thing to watch is that on cold mornings (mine stands outside) it can mist the windscreen about a minute after you start it. Tend to leave mine with the aircon off so it is probably my fault!
|
|
Mine does that too (saloon diesel) its intermittent and happens quite suddenly even with aircon on - although it may be that the air temp is below the cutoff level so thearicon is actually off? Its particulary dangerous when it combines with low winter sun as I turn east just about a minute into my journey. It only seems to be in certain temperature/humidity conditions, not every winter day. At the first sign of misting I drive (with seat heater on) and all windows open for the a couple of minutes and this keeps the temperature and humidity on both sides of the glass even, so no misting. I wonder if its related the special diesel powered heating system its supposed to have to provide heat until the typically slow heating engine warmth kicks in? I cant say I've ever noticed any heat though until a couple of miles have past. Idling before I set off produces no real heat at all so doing that doesnt get over the misting issue.
|
>Motorised tailgate is very useful as you push the trolley up to the car in the supermarket car park...
My view on the tailgate is that it is in the "gimmick" category - it is just too slow to be practical. Also, the controller on my 18 month old Accord has failed for the second time. At least it is under warranty - what happens when the warranty expires is another matter. Also, there is no default to manual control on failure - the only way to open it is to crawl inside and open a panel.
BIG
|
Also there is no default to manual control on failure - the only way to open it is to crawl inside and open a panel.
That is insane!
|
Well, the latest tailgate controller lasted precisely one week - back to the dealer on Monday. What is it about this wonderful piece of electronics which makes it so unreliable?
BIG
|
Well that last fix managed to last more than a month! Same problem again - tailgate controller giving an error signal which can't be reset. Result - boot can't be used; wonderful! Back to the dealer on Monday, this time they will be asking for help from Honda Deutschland. Hope that leads to a permanent cure.
BIG
|
|
|
How much did you pay for it? We just putchased a 55 plate from a dealer. No problems so far.
|
You do seem to have had a few problems there B I G .
Hope it is fixed properly this time. Just be thankful its a Honda. I think you will find even if you have further problems beyond the end of the warranty they will do all they can to keep your goodwill.
In answer to Ben the car was up at £12950 - Price when new was around £25 K .
My actual cost to change was £9450 . I traded in a 7 year old Civic with 42 k on the clock and FSH for a part ex of around £3500. They had the Civic on the forecourt the following week at £5 K with 1 years warranty.
In that cost to change in addition to the Accord itself I negotiated on the extras I wanted rather than more in P/Ex :-
Two years parts and labour warranty and full Honda Assist breakdown cover which must be worth at least £400
A years tax £210
A spacesaver wheel which is worth around £100.
Years MOT and full service has got to be worth another £200 to £250.
A full tank of petrol say another £50.
Scratches on the bumper resprayed say £100 .
Tracking checked - £20 ? or so
Car properly valeted and presented with a bunch of flowers for SWMBO £30.
Already I have had two new headlights fitted under the warranty - no quibble at all say £ 400 worth.
So the extras are worth around £1000 or so and I have a 24000 mile 04 Honda Accord EX with all the toys for around half the new price.
Insurance is a bit more as is the fuel but I am happy with the deal.
|
.................. but I am happy with the deal.
That is the most relevant bit.......enjoy :-)
|
|
|
|
