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"So your girlfriend rolls a Honda, playin' workout tapes by Fonda"

9K views 68 replies 20 participants last post by  I~LUV~Caddys8792 
#1 ·
But Fonda ain't got a motor in the back of her Honda... :D

I went and leased a 2013 Accord LX Sedan last night. I got hooked up with a sweet deal at work, got it for well under invoice, was given a good amount for my trade (way more than a friend offered) and got window tint thrown in for cost. Ahh, the joys of working at a large Honda dealer!


I needed a more reliable mode of daily transportation than my LeSabre. In the last three months, it spent significant time off the road, in the shop, getting miscellaneous crap fixed. It was constantly one thing after another, which wouldn't be a big deal if I LOVED the car or if I was mechanically inclined, but I'm not. It sucks spending your day off at the mechanic, explaining again what it's doing. No bueno. Also constantly putting money into a car worth $1000 on a good day was not a wise investment.

Since I started at Brookdale Honda last month, I've really been eyeing up the all new 2013 Accords. They've gone from a design that was ugly and stale to one that was classy and fresh. It's more powerful, more fuel efficient and quicker. I was always driving our demo Accord LX, as well as a Civic EX, to see which I liked more. I always leaned towards the Accord LX, but would go to the Civic EX if the payment was much lower, but it wasn't significantly different AND the insurance was higher on the Civic.

So last night, I decided to pull the trigger on an Accord LX Sedan, in the super classy, rich looking Basque Red Pearl II with the ivory (wheat) cloth interior. Since the Ivory interior was a must have for me (as opposed to the claustrophobic all black interior or the sterile grey interior), it's only offered in a few exterior colors (Champagne, Pearl White, Black and Basque Red) black is too common and impossible to keep clean, champagne is an old man's color, pearl white would be OK if I had to, but Basque Red is my color of choice. This is the 3rd maroon car I've owned....I'm a huge fan of red cars!

I'm very happy to lease an Accord!

1) The Accord has won many awards in it's lifetime, biggest of which being Car and Driver's "10 best" award, received 24 of the last 28 years. The 2013 Accord was also voted one of the 10 best cars sold in America by Automobile Magazine.
2) Leasing is easy. The only things I have to budget for are the payments and gas! No surprises, no headaches! Just a modest once monthly bill that's easy to plan for! Plus, I can buy out the Accord at the end of the lease if I want to.
3) Is there anything MORE reliable than a new Honda?
4) 27/36 MPG!
5) It's great to have a car that I sell. Adds credibility to the conversation.
6) My grandpa owned or leased Hondas from the late 70s to the mid 2000's. Grandpa was a financial planner, so he knew what a good investment was. I have many memories riding around in grandpa's '90s era Accords, which planted the seed in my brain early in life that Hondas were good cars. Grandpa actually bought a new Lesabre in 1996 or 1997 and hated it, haha. Had it for a year then traded it off on another Accord. If he were still alive, I'm sure he'd be proud of my choice.

This is my first brand new car, first lease, first car from a Japanese brand (All Accords have been built in Marysville, Ohio since 1982 though), first four cylinder and first CVT equipped car.

Even though it's a four cylinder with a CVT, performance is never a question. It feels very sprightly and fun to drive. 2.4L, direct injected, dual overhead cam....185hp. 0-60 in about 7.5 seconds, very tossable, quick steering and confident handling. What's not to like?

I almost leased a Kia Optima LX at my old store, but decided to fix my LeSabre. Never considered an Altima, as I liked the Kia more, but I definitely like the Honda most. Much better quality.

I've gotta get ready for work, but I'll post pictures later.
 
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#5 ·
I'm not sure I could ever get use to a cvt. constantly feeling like the transmission is slipping just doesn't seem appealing. I've only driven one tho. In a scion IQ or what ever that scion is that competes with cars like the smart car. Maybe I'd like it more in a car like the accord.
 
#6 ·
First off, its an excellent CVT. And for me to ever say that? Weird...

I've test driven a few of the newer Accords. They're very, very good cars. If the numbers were a little better for me last fall, I'd be in one right now and not only driving the TC everywhere.

And you should see the red/ivory combo in person. If you like the style of the new Accord, that color makes it twice as nice.

But, Chad, swap out to some EX or Sport wheels pronto!

----------

Oh, the numbers and the fact that if you want a manual you'd better like black and grey and not care about options...
 
#10 ·
Congrats on the Accord. It always amazes me how much more car you get jumping from a Civic to an Accord. I don't know what they sell/lease for in the real world, but on Honda's website a Civic LX was $18,900 and an Accord was $22,500 or so. For $3500 its an absolute no brainer IMO, go with the Accord.
 
#11 · (Edited)
In the CVT's defense, first time I drove a car with CVT system was an 2005 A4, and to be honest I didn't realize the CVT's effect. Maybe I was too much distracted by the car itself. Then, when I realized that it is a CVT (the dealer had no idea it was or not and even he didn't know basically what CVT is!), I started to pay attention to RPM. It was the only thing that felt weird! Other than than it was OK. I passed all A4 CVTs because they are not as reliable as the regular automatic systems or manual gearboxes.
 
#13 ·
Subaru and Honda do okay with their CVTs. They're less than thrilling but perfectly adequate for casual driving. Nissan's CVTs are the worst, both unreliable and miserable to drive. Otherwise, an "excellent CVT" is like poop that stinks a bit less.

The trade-off is outstanding fuel economy.

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Chad! The pics aren't loading! :)
 
#15 ·
I'll post pictures later, been very busy at work.....month end.


Honda's CVT feels a LOT different from Nissan's because it's much quieter (Nissan's is really whiny in the I-4 Altima), is much smoother and feels like it has more low end grunt. I would never have leased an Altima, partially because I hated Nissan's CVT, but this is a lot better. With the throttle tip in on the Honda and transmission gearing, it pulls along at low rpm like a traditional automatic transmission.

It's weird not feeling it shift during heavy acceleration, but it's very smooth and is quicker than a traditional five or six speed.
 
#16 ·
Here's a few pictures from last week, when I decided Basque Red Pearl was the color for me. This is the only LX in Basque Red (stock # 131702) we had in stock, which is the one I leased.

The car was built on 5/24/13 and we received it from the factory on 6/3. It had 7 miles on it when I got it.






Interior pictures, pre-clean up.




Inside our storage garage, instead of getting stormed on.


Bye-bye LeSabre, hello Honda.


Proud owner.


All waxed up and ready to go!
 
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#20 ·
VERY sharp!! I wish that shade of red were available on the new fortes. I've always loved that shade on cars. Definitely looks great chad!

Feels good seeing just the number 7 in the space you're use to seeing 5 or more digits. Lol. 7 is what our forte had too. Now has 664

For a base model, you're accord looks much more than base. I was expecting plastic wheel covers and things like that. Lol
 
#21 ·
Nice car, Chad.

Will it get much summer use now that the Marauder is back on the road?
That color combo would look great with a mild tint all the way around.

I hope you got some of your $$ back from the LeSabre experiment.
Now you'll be checking in on the Accord Forums as well.
 
#26 ·
Thanks, I know you're very Accord/Honda loyal, so I'll be interested to hear if you've ever driven one of these 9th generation Accords yet.

The Marauder will still keep it's current "toy car" status, only getting driven to work sparingly and enjoyed on nice weekend days.

I paid $1100 for the LeSabre last fall, I got $900 for it on trade. I had a friend interested in buying it, but he wouldn't match that.

Do you have a good Accord forums?

Maybe it's just me, but those wheels look small on the car.
You seem to always be the first to nitpick my cars. Why is that?

Ill prob regret knowing but ill ask. Lol. I never even thought to look at the accord when I bought my forte. Which model of accord could I have gotten for the same sticker price as my loaded forte? Lol. Sticker was 25.6k. I'm just curious lol.
A $25,000 Accord would be the EX. It's gonna have all the goodies of the LX I've got, plus the moonroof, 17 alloy wheels, keyless ignition & smart-entry, Honda lane watch (a camera in the right side mirror will show what's in your blind spot when you put your right blinker on) and some other features. No leather or no navigation though.

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the current Accord. Honda definitely corrected all the wrongs with the previous generation and made this a leader in the class. I'm usually not a fan of darker reds but I do love this color with the beige interior. I sure hope you get lots of joy out of this car!
The previous generation Accord was so "meh" it wasn't even something I'd consider buying. We have a ton of the 2008-12 Accords on our lot, in all trim levels and configurations, but it's not something I'd ever consider. They're uglier inside & out, duller to drive and the largest Accords ever. The Accords that came before and after were smaller, sprightlier, more fun to drive, better looking.

With the 2008-12 Accord, it's almost as if Honda lost their way and forgot what makes it a Honda.

I've always been a huge fan of Accords in general. They're all around great cars! Extremely well rounded, fun to drive cars that appeal to many, are a great value, have good interior room, a comfortable ride and an extremely high loyalty rate. They are leaders in their class and have been for a very long time. The Camry is nowhere near as nice, the other cars in the class (Fusion, 6, Optima, Sonata, 200, Malibu, etc) are making ground, but aren't touching the Accord's status or sales numbers, yet.
 
#28 ·
I usually do car details on the side and one of those cars happens to be an '09 Accord EX V6. I actually don't mind the styling so much as the EX's have the larger wheels which fit the car better. The interior is a bit strange at first with all the buttons which makes it very un-Honda but they are easy to get used to and mostly self-explanatory. I haven't had any seat time with this generation of the car but it definitely seems like a huge step up from the previous car. Of course my favorite design will always be the '90-'93 sedan. It was one of the first cars I can remember riding in as a child.
 
#29 ·
I hated the interiors in the 08-12 Accords. It's button city, there's no real logical flow to them and the dash design is ugly. The seats are firmer and the materials aren't as nice as the current models.

Wut? I don't recall this occurring ever. The Marauder is awesome. The Regal was pretty cool, too. Even this Accord looks nice with its color/interior combo, but to me the wheels/tires look too small on it because the high beltline makes it look slab sided. Either that, or it sits too high (which is understandable, it's an everyday family sedan). I just don't find it aesthetically pleasing, that's all.

Is there a bigger wheel option on the upper trim levels that alleviates this?
The Accord LX has 16" alloy wheels, the Sport model (I-4 model between the LX and EX) has 18" wheels and the EX/EX-L and Touring models have 17" wheels. The Accord LX wheels are my least favorite of all the wheels offered on the 2013 Accords, but it beats the hubcaps that Honda had standard on the 2012 Accords as well as the competition offers on their entry level mid-size sedans.
 
#31 ·
Yea I did test drove an 11 accord and it just didn't do anything for me. It was the EX but not the EX-L, so no leather but it had a sunroof n all that. But it was VERY boring to drive. About 6 years ago I test drove an 06 accord, both fully loaded EX-L's, one with the 4 cyl and one with the 6. I enjoyed both of them. Even back in 06, the 4 was a quick little engine for such a larger car. Of course the 240 hp V6 was even more fun. Lol. But I even thought the generation b4 the 08's looked better inside and out than the 08-12. To me, I always felt as though Honda took a huge step backwards in 08 with that accord.
 
#32 ·
We had a few 2006-07 Accord EX-V6's in stock at work since I've started there two months ago. I enjoyed driving both of them. The V6 in them is super smooth, sounds sweet and is really quick, making for a fun to drive experience. I like the smooth, polished look of the 2003-07 body style, and I'd really considered buying one of them instead of leasing, but decided against it because they were both out of the warranty and would take more fuel than the model I bought.
 
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