Hey Honda-Tech

I am looking into buying a 7th Gen Honda Accord sometime this month, preferably an EX/EX-L model. I am considering the years 2005,2006 and 2007 with 60k-70k miles on it. My question is in terms of reliability which model year would be more preferable and what are the known issues I should be looking out for while buying the car. Also apart from the face lift are there any other differences between the 2005 and 06/07 models. Previously I was set on buying the V6 versions but now I am reconsidering due to the timing belt and timing chain factor on the i4 models, is it advisable to go with the V6's as in is the timing belt really that big of an issue in comparison with the timing chain? Hope you guys can help me out with my purchase.

Thanks

 

they are all the same.... get either power train... win.

 

Thanks for the response, although how much do you think I should be looking to spend on an EX/EX-L for those years with that mileage.

 

try comparison shopping, that's going to get you the best idea of what you need to spend. asking complete strangers for advice is only going to get you something short of that

 

I just bought an 07 EX-L with 50,000 miles, V6 auto for $14,200 from a dealer. I was looking for a while for it for a good price under $15000

 

That definitely is a good price, yeah I think anything around the 13k-14k range would be a good buy. Although with all the warranties & things of that nature, prices may get hiked up a bit. I am looking to finalize the purchase sometime this month but realistically its the matter of getting a good deal on it.

 

See i dont ever buy the extra warrenties on any of my hondas. If i were buying a ford or GM or whatever, maybe. I have had nothing but good luck with all of my cars and i've owned a ton and put over 100,000 additional miles on all of them with no issues after purchasing them used.

The only car i needed to use the warrenty on was a 2004 mazda 3s that I bought and turned out to be garbage. Traded it in on an 05 civic. Bought an 06 RSX and just kept buying from there. I currently have a 90 CRX, 99 CRV and the 07 Accord

 

Yeah you're right, Honda's reliability is really good, I had an 03 Honda Civic and that car never gave me any troubles. Although I am not sure as to how lucky I will be when it comes to this purchase. With that being said I am going to have to look at the fine print as well and see what all is covered. It may/may not be worth the extra bucks

 

I'd rather have the additional 90 hp and change the t-belt once every 100k miles. You wouldn't have to do it for a few years at the targeted mileage. The 06/07 does offer a little more HP than the 03-05, and also a slightly more attractive rear with LED tail lights. Just make sure you stay away from the autotragic trannies. The 6 speeds are very hard to find, but usually WELL worth it unless you have some jerkoff dealer sitting on it well over KBB.

 

I just bought an 05 Cpe LX SE with 73K miles for $9700, for a price comparison. As far as extended warranties go, Consumer Reports did a survey study on this and with just about all car makes, the owners lost money on warranties (cost of warranty vs repairs). Even on the worst vehicles (Jeep was last), only 35% saved any money, so the extended warranty was a toss up. The avg. lost return for buying a warranty for Honda's was ~ $300.

Their recommendation was it was a big scam (no regulation or oversight). Also, some of the fine print will say that if the issue is caused by a non warranted failure, then they would not cover the warrantable failure. e.g. if the fan belt (wear item) breaks and causes the engine to overheat and fail, it would not be covered due to the belt being a non covered wear item

Neil

 

06 is an awesome car, no problems from the V6. I would like to know why I just put the 3rd battery in this car and it's only 6 yrs old. This has me stumped, I have owned since new and each battery has lasted less than 3 yrs. Any suggestions as to why my accord is eating batteries??

 

Interesting. My '05 Accord was on it's third battery by '09. The cell(s) actually blew, it didn't just die, it would randomly cut in and out, and when it went out, you got NOTHING; no interior lights or anything.

 

I have a 06 V6 with the 6speed and I will admit I'd rather have a timing chain than the belt. However, imo it's worth having to deal with the belt for the extra power. I drove the one with the 4 cylinder and there was no comparison. I'd never trade the V6 for the 4cylinder in this car, and I wouldn't trade the 6speed for the automatic either. For a family car, it really is a fun car to drive.

 

@Uncle Ben,

 

That is weird. In my 06, the battery died really early on as well. I think it was right at 2.5 years, but I can't remember for sure. It was early I thought. I got the dealer to replace it under warranty, and I've been running this replacement for around 3 years now, so it's done okay for me.

Are you all using OEM batteries, or aftermarket? I'm wondering if when this battery dies again if I would be better to get one someone other than the dealer. Actually the only time I got the last one at the dealer was because they installed it for free.

 

I have the V6 EX L 6 speed, but don't understand the problem with automatic transmissions. This one is fine, gives me all the power I want. Guess some of them are lemons, but this one is okay.