"New" car
 

Well, it's about that time that I'm thinking of getting a different car. I am currently considering the Honda Accord coupes... maybe 2004, EX V6 model, and was wondering if anyone had one, knew about pros/cons and the like. Also considering 2004 Dodge Stratus R/T coupe, and if anyone knows about those as well, please let me know.

Thanks for any advice!
altitude1@gmail.com

I can't imagine that the Dodge would stack up well in an overall comparison against the Honda.

In early '04 my wife and I wanted/needed a new car; we considered the Accord very seriously right down to the finals, but we chose the Acura TSX and I'm not at all sorry. Both of us still really really like that little car and I'd still buy it over the Accord. But the TSX doesn't come with a 6 cylinder motor even though the little 2.4 liter four has a healthy 200hp and in 15k miles of driving I have never "needed" more power than it has.

Niether one of the cars really interest me, but I would rather have the accord coupe v6 than the dodge.

Stay away from the Dodge. My girlfriend has a Stratus and it's a piece of cheap plastic rolling on wheels. It's just a plain/poorly designed car that handles like crap. The Accord is a far superior car in every way that you can ever imagine.

Thanks for the replies! I have also considered the TSX... I would prefer the TL of course, but it's just a little too expensive. I currently have a Dodge that has worked really well... surprisingly, it has over 193,000 miles on it and is still running really well. Everyone who knows this seems quite surprised that a 1991 Dodge is still running well after all this time.

I had an '89 Dodge Dakota with 180,000 miles on it a couple years ago, and I can agree that everyone was surprised it still ran. I think the problem is that Dodges are very hit and miss. You can get a great Dodge...and then you can have one that's falling apart before your eyes.

I'd go with the Honda or Acura over the Dodge any day of the week.

If you're looking at that level of car, check out the new Chev Impala. If you like the styling, I think you'll like the car, even with "just" the 3.9 Liter V6. Similiar chassis will net you the Pontiac Grand Prix. Both cars are available with a 5.3 liter V8 as well. They say the new cars are screwed together better, have MUCH better interiors (than those of just a few years ago at GM), and reliability shouldn't really be a factor. That's my 2 cents, but I am a GM nut, and have a hard time even considering a Toyota or a Honda.

I recently purchased an Acura with 160 000 miles on it. Thus far, everything runs well. I had the car looked over immediately upon buying it and all that really needed to be done was standard replacement items, nothing too expensive.
This is the 'newest' (1990) and most fancy car I've owned. This one has a working a/c and a cd/radio with electric locks and windows.

Previously, I have owned only 80s Toyotas and loved every one of them for the years of service. Acura is going on that list now.

There is no comparison between a Dodge and a Honda. The Honda is a completely different vehicle. That said, the most recent generation of Accord is a slab-sided pig that looks more like a Saturn than a Honda. Still, if you can get past the atrocious styling, the Accord is an excellent performing and dead-reliable car. If you could swing the cash, I'd recommend a used Acura TS-X. It's the Accord as sold in Europe.

Good luck with it. My "daily beater" car I drive to work everyday 25 miles each way mostly highway driving is a 1989 Acura Legend 4dr. I like it since it's kind of large by today's standards. Last week I drove it on a business trip about 500 miles each way and I was cranking along between 80 and 90mph almost the whole way, it never missed a beat. It's been in the family since new so I know it's been properly taken care of, but it has quite a few less miles than yours, mine only has 125,000. I'm sure it'll run for a few more years. I get a kick out of daily driving a 16 year old car; a few more years and I could get antique tags for it.