'08 Accord has issues, '09 Camry has issues...any suggestions?

[lexani]

I've been looking at both of these cars for a while now and its crunch time. If all goes well, I'll be picking up a car by the end of next month. The only thing is the further I do research, the more I start problems I start finding about each vehicle.

I've narrowed it down to the '08 Accord and the '09 Camry to be specific.
Both cars are around the same price....35K with taxes and everything. The Accord is the Ex-L model (I4) and the Camry is the SE w/leather, sunroof (I4).

The Accord is a bigger car, but first year its out after all the changes. It certainly does feel great to drive. However there are know issues with its VCM all over.

The Camry has a much more quiet ride to it but on the other hand has a couple issues. Squeaks and rattles everywhere, the transmission (even on the I4's), and as well as small things such as the CD player going out after first week of delivery.

I'm leaning towards the Accord right now however the Camry is still up for grabs as well.

Question is: By choosing the Accord, would I be better off as opposed to the Camry? (keeping in mind that I do plan on keeping the car for a while)

Any suggestions/advice on anything you guys have heard or know is appreciated.

Thanks

[Mayoo]

I have a 2003 accord and its the first year of 7th gen cars. I had some problems which were fixed in 2004 and 2005 models. So my advice to you is to stay away from first year of any generation. According to me they like test trail products and all the problems on those will be fix on the next year.

So accord 2008 is again first year in 8th Generation series. So it will have alot of problems which will be fixed in 2009 model.

[flame02]

my dad got the camry hybrid and aside from sligh sligh creeks within the cabin when everything is quiet and a slight squeek in his brakes, everything is great. Smooth ride and efficient!

[Dixon007]

35k ? ur spending too much money on these cars. and they are 4cly. not even v6s. so ur getting ripped off. Why look only at accord and camry ? why not other cars ? fusion ? mazda 6 ? nissan ? the lancer ? all for examples. But if its crunch time, don;t pick one car for another because somebody on RFD said its better to go with this car. everybody is bias. so pick whats best for u and what u like the most. Alot of cars have problems. New or old. for whatever reason it is. some cars have ,more problems than others. quaility control is at all time high, so buying a new car is gonan be problem free for some time or u would like to think so. I know when i got my new car. drive belt was making sounds after 100 km. like wtf was that **** for a new car

[killbillvol1]

Don't buy Honda - the most arrogant and anti-competitive/bully-tactic loving of the automakers.

[KorruptioN]

Don't buy Honda - the most arrogant and anti-competitive/bully-tactic loving of the automakers.

To claim and not produce any proof or backup...

[vtec260]

Give Hyundai Sonata or Azera a thought. They have pretty decent quality now and deals offered for cash purchase seems like a bargain(something like $4-5K off MSRP). Most Hyundai cars come pretty much loaded except Accent. For over 30K price tag, I would spend my money on Azera.

[craftsman]

I have a 2003 accord and its the first year of 7th gen cars. I had some problems which were fixed in 2004 and 2005 models. So my advice to you is to stay away from first year of any generation. According to me they like test trail products and all the problems on those will be fix on the next year.

So accord 2008 is again first year in 8th Generation series. So it will have alot of problems which will be fixed in 2009 model.

+1

You will find that the first year of a generation will produce changes in years 2 and beyond.

A side problem that most people don't know is when these issues are "fixed" the availability of the "broken" part is very limited. For example, if part A needed a slight modification to be more reliable, then part A+ is produced. Part A+ also required a slight change in belt B (part B+ is now produced). Normally, this isn't a problem unless you need part A later on and find out that for part A+ to work you will need to replace belt B as well with B+.

So what you say?

Well it's possible that belt B+ will also require that pulley C be replaced with C+.

Impossible you say? Tell that to my 1988 Corolla heater control assembly that was replaced with an improved version for 1989 and the cables connecting to the controls no longer attach...

[craftsman]

I've been looking at both of these cars for a while now and its crunch time. If all goes well, I'll be picking up a car by the end of next month. The only thing is the further I do research, the more I start problems I start finding about each vehicle.

I've narrowed it down to the '08 Accord and the '09 Camry to be specific.
Both cars are around the same price....35K with taxes and everything. The Accord is the Ex-L model (I4) and the Camry is the SE w/leather, sunroof (I4).

The Accord is a bigger car, but first year its out after all the changes. It certainly does feel great to drive. However there are know issues with its VCM all over.

The Camry has a much more quiet ride to it but on the other hand has a couple issues. Squeaks and rattles everywhere, the transmission (even on the I4's), and as well as small things such as the CD player going out after first week of delivery.

I'm leaning towards the Accord right now however the Camry is still up for grabs as well.

Question is: By choosing the Accord, would I be better off as opposed to the Camry? (keeping in mind that I do plan on keeping the car for a while)

Any suggestions/advice on anything you guys have heard or know is appreciated.

Thanks

What's wrong with buying used? If you are worried about these early production years of a generation, why don't to pick-up a the last production year of the previous generation. All of the changes would have been to the assembly process and a longer history of what the issues are would be available. Therefore, there would be no mystery on what you are getting yourself into.

[seftonm]

Does the 4-cyl Accord have VCM? That sounds odd to me. What do you want in your car? Space, fuel economy, fun to drive, reliability, power, etc?

[Jon Lai]

35k ? ur spending too much money on these cars. and they are 4cly. not even v6s. so ur getting ripped off. Why look only at accord and camry ? why not other cars ? fusion ? mazda 6 ? nissan ? the lancer ? all for examples. But if its crunch time, don;t pick one car for another because somebody on RFD said its better to go with this car. everybody is bias. so pick whats best for u and what u like the most. Alot of cars have problems. New or old. for whatever reason it is. some cars have ,more problems than others. quaility control is at all time high, so buying a new car is gonan be problem free for some time or u would like to think so. I know when i got my new car. drive belt was making sounds after 100 km. like wtf was that **** for a new car

Perhaps 35K is the all in price? Accords start at $26K and Camry at $25K, with the packages he's listed it does look like he's going for a $30-31K car, add taxes, freight and PDI and you've got something around that number.

[VorteC]

Don't buy Honda - the most arrogant and anti-competitive/bully-tactic loving of the automakers.

Yes, buy Toyota instead because they're against anything that has to do with being human. Excitement, emotion, spirit.. woops you don't get that cuz its a Toyota.

[gilboman]

Yes, buy Toyota instead because they're against anything that has to do with being human. Excitement, emotion, spirit.. woops you don't get that cuz its a Toyota.

:lol: this comming from a guy driving in a 3200+lb FWD 4banger talking about toyota a company that has RWD V6's,V8s and the whole works.

honda doesnt even have a sportsedan and you are throwing around words like excitement, emotion and spirit. yes plenty of those in a FWD 4banger that weights more than 3200lbs and is as slow as molasses

and being human also means practicality as well.. as in comfort, refinement and quality.

there is a reason why toyota is #1 and lexus is #1 in the states. and honda/acura isn't. actually, acura is a utter and complete joke, but that's for another thread.

[The_Professor]

Does the 4-cyl Accord have VCM? That sounds odd to me. What do you want in your car? Space, fuel economy, fun to drive, reliability, power, etc?

I don't believe that the I4 has VCM, only the V6 (which can run on six, four or even three cylinders if I'm not mistaken).

[MrDisco]

Sadly, if you research any make/model you're going to find issues. :|

If you're only choices are the Accord i4 and the Camry i4 I myself would lean towards the Accord. I felt it had a stronger engine, the interior felt it had higher quality materials/assembly, and for a short while you won't be stuck in a sea of Camrys.

The Accord i4 does not use VCM.

If it makes you feel any better, the Accord was:
-picked by Consumer Reports as their top mid-sized sedan (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/video-hub/video.htm?bctid=1407950700)
-won AJAC's 2008 Best New Family Car award
-2008 "Top Safety Pick" by the IIHS
-five star rating by the NHTSA
-numerous other accolades by various publications

good luck

[thephenom]

Every car is bound to have some problems here and there, there isn't any car manufacturer that can have 100% quality on every single parts + installation.

That's what warranty is for. Just go with the one you like the most. I would pick the accord over the camry, the camry just feels too dull.

[lexani]

Thanks for the input so far.

My main issue is space because i'm downgrading from a 2002 4Runner. Gas is also an issue hence why I want to go with the I4 (4cyl) engine. I looked at the camry because of the great reliability I had with the 4runner. The accord was definetely bigger in terms of interior room.


I looked at used cars as well but coming across an '08 accord with low mileage is rare. There are plenty of camry's but I mean if the '09s are already out I might as well go with that, hopefully the bugs out of the previous years might have been fixed.

Does anyone also know why the 2008 camry's were so short-lived? Seems that they put them out for about a couple months before the 2009's hit the dealers.

[tugzy]

Accord V6 is the only model with VCM. You should have little oif any problems with a new Accord. Sure every vehicle has its problems, no vehicle is flawless.
Malibu has issues, Altima has issues, Mazda6 has issues, etc etc.....

IMHO you cant go wrong with either Accord or Camry. Test drive both extensively and decide upon which one fits YOU...size, commfort, ergonomics, driving feel...etc.

You wont get a straight answer from this forum long as there are still *********s like this around


Don't buy Honda - the most arrogant and anti-competitive/bully-tactic loving of the automakers.

[hightech]

Don't buy Honda - the most arrogant and anti-competitive/bully-tactic loving of the automakers.

I too had similar experiences with a few Honda dealers when I went to look at new cars. I found the service and approach at the Toyota dealers better. I visited a number of locations and every Honda dealership had some arrogant bugger, while the Toyota guys were better.

[Jon Lai]

I looked at used cars as well but coming across an '08 accord with low mileage is rare. There are plenty of camry's but I mean if the '09s are already out I might as well go with that, hopefully the bugs out of the previous years might have been fixed.

Does anyone also know why the 2008 camry's were so short-lived? Seems that they put them out for about a couple months before the 2009's hit the dealers.

Whoever suggested you used, I think they meant for you to buy and older car, not a used 08 ;)

Anyways I would go with the Camry. Reliability is the best in the industry for Toyota.

[hightech]

Honda Reliability:
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj218/hightechto/HondaAccord4CylReliability-1.jpg

Toyota Reliability:
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj218/hightechto/Camry4cyl.jpg

Both look pretty solid but the Camry may have some more rattles. I know the Camry's are North American built, but where are the new Accords built?

Also, the Camry's are in their 3rd year for the new style. The odds of rattles are lower as the first year kinks should have been worked out by now.

[Samir]

I know the Camry's are North American built, but where are the new Accords built?

Marysville, Ohio for Accords sold in North America.

[hightech]

Marysville, Ohio for Accords sold in North America.

I guess all the cars that used to be the pride of Japan are now being built in the US. I prefer Japanese built cars. The 02 to 06 Camry's built in Japan had less issues then the same cars built in Kentucky.

[THINKPADT61]

A little off topic, but my friends 06 Civic is having issues with suspension and exhaust right now... Just want to point out that Honda does not mean complete reliability!

As well, I had a friend that bought a brand new Corolla and rear window were falling apart!

[KorruptioN]

:lol: this comming from a guy driving in a 3200+lb FWD 4banger talking about toyota a company that has RWD V6's,V8s and the whole works.

honda doesnt even have a sportsedan and you are throwing around words like excitement, emotion and spirit. yes plenty of those in a FWD 4banger that weights more than 3200lbs and is as slow as molasses

and being human also means practicality as well.. as in comfort, refinement and quality.

there is a reason why toyota is #1 and lexus is #1 in the states. and honda/acura isn't. actually, acura is a utter and complete joke, but that's for another thread.

Power doesn't make a sport sedan. Any idiot can go fast in a straight line. I'm fairly sure that the TSX would be nimbler than say, an IS250 for example. The added weight doesn't help. I'd definitely go with a TSX over an IS250.

I also remember hearing Honda saying that they don't want to be #1... they would rather focus on being good at what they already do best. Toyota focusing on #1 has brought up some issues, namely reliability (fancy new transmissions, poor camshaft build, etc). They're not the same Toyota of the '80s... their current cars have no soul, especially compared to their products of the late '80s. Discontinuing the Cressida and ushering in Lexus was the start of a new era.

[craftsman]

. There are plenty of camry's but I mean if the '09s are already out I might as well go with that, hopefully the bugs out of the previous years might have been fixed.


Like everything else when a new version is introduced, the old bugs are fixed but they are often replaced by new unknown bugs in higher numbers. Just look at XP and VISTA.

[niceguy1234]

Sadly, if you research any make/model you're going to find issues. :|

If you're only choices are the Accord i4 and the Camry i4 I myself would lean towards the Accord. I felt it had a stronger engine, the interior felt it had higher quality materials/assembly, and for a short while you won't be stuck in a sea of Camrys.

The Accord i4 does not use VCM.

If it makes you feel any better, the Accord was:
-picked by Consumer Reports as their top mid-sized sedan (http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/video-hub/video.htm?bctid=1407950700)
-won AJAC's 2008 Best New Family Car award
-2008 "Top Safety Pick" by the IIHS
-five star rating by the NHTSA
-numerous other accolades by various publications

good luck

Check out Honda Accord forum in Carspace.com. There are may complaints about the 08 Accord I4. When the a/c is on, the head light will blink constantly. It is kind of safety issue that Honda may need to recall their 08 Accord I4.

[DCDi]

I've been looking at both of these cars for a while now and its crunch time. If all goes well, I'll be picking up a car by the end of next month. The only thing is the further I do research, the more I start problems I start finding about each vehicle.

I've narrowed it down to the '08 Accord and the '09 Camry to be specific.
Both cars are around the same price....35K with taxes and everything. The Accord is the Ex-L model (I4) and the Camry is the SE w/leather, sunroof (I4).

The Accord is a bigger car, but first year its out after all the changes. It certainly does feel great to drive. However there are know issues with its VCM all over.

The Camry has a much more quiet ride to it but on the other hand has a couple issues. Squeaks and rattles everywhere, the transmission (even on the I4's), and as well as small things such as the CD player going out after first week of delivery.

I'm leaning towards the Accord right now however the Camry is still up for grabs as well.

Question is: By choosing the Accord, would I be better off as opposed to the Camry? (keeping in mind that I do plan on keeping the car for a while)

Any suggestions/advice on anything you guys have heard or know is appreciated.

Thanks

35K? Have you get the invoice price from Carcost/Apa? The invoice price (base + PDI) for the 08 Accord coupe, I4, Ex-L is $30611, plus $1500 Non Stackable Trading Dollars/Factory to Dealer Rebate. Is the sedan version cheaper then the coupe version?

[belgiangenius]

Some of the above posters have gone there, but why only consider Accord/Camry? I was shopping recently and the Accord was my #1 choice until I went to see it. I ended up ordering a Ford Fusion. These cars are getting very high ratings. The issues I have with the new Accord:

1. Butt ugly;
2. Trunk hinges (scissor style) belong in a museum, not on a 2008 car;
3. Overpriced compared to the competition;
4. No 40/60 split fold down rear seat; and
5. Too big.

I test drove a Fusion because I've always liked the look. Damned nice car, and you'll get the leather seats you're interested in much cheaper.

[gilboman]

Power doesn't make a sport sedan. Any idiot can go fast in a straight line. I'm fairly sure that the TSX would be nimbler than say, an IS250 for example. The added weight doesn't help. I'd definitely go with a TSX over an IS250.

I also remember hearing Honda saying that they don't want to be #1... they would rather focus on being good at what they already do best. Toyota focusing on #1 has brought up some issues, namely reliability (fancy new transmissions, poor camshaft build, etc). They're not the same Toyota of the '80s... their current cars have no soul, especially compared to their products of the late '80s. Discontinuing the Cressida and ushering in Lexus was the start of a new era.

you are right power doesnt entirely make a sportsedan, neither does FWD or underpower though. the TSX is an overweight, underpowered FWD sedan. everything that a sportsedan should not be.

FYI, the TSX is a 3250lb four banger FWD, IS250 is a 3450 RWD V6. they arent even in the same class. atleast the IS has the right set of wheels moving

and what does honda do best? building woefully inadequate cars for the acura name? honda says a lot of things, they were rambling about moving acura to tier 1 status, they were saying they can't compete with BMW/Lexus and wanting to. they say a lot of stuff, yet all we ever get from them are rebadged econo sedans that are overwhelmed by anything in their class.

[gheart008]

I'm fairly sure that the TSX would be nimbler than say, an IS250 for example.

I highly doubt that due to TSX being FWD.



I also remember hearing Honda saying that they don't want to be #1... they would rather focus on being good at what they already do best.

Of course they would say that since they're not #1.

It's like saying: I didn't win first place in that competition because I let the other guy win, when in reality I just couldn't win no matter how hard I tried.

[DCDi]

Some of the above posters have gone there, but why only consider Accord/Camry? I was shopping recently and the Accord was my #1 choice until I went to see it. I ended up ordering a Ford Fusion. These cars are getting very high ratings. The issues I have with the new Accord:

1. Butt ugly;
2. Trunk hinges (scissor style) belong in a museum, not on a 2008 car;
3. Overpriced compared to the competition;
4. No 40/60 split fold down rear seat; and
5. Too big.

I test drove a Fusion because I've always liked the look. Damned nice car, and you'll get the leather seats you're interested in much cheaper.

6. Looks like the Sonata

[MrDisco]

6. Looks like the Sonata

perhaps from the front (which to me looks quite nice); the rear bears no resemblance at all.

[Monky]

The Accord is a bigger car, but first year its out after all the changes. It certainly does feel great to drive. However there are know issues with its VCM all over.



What kind of issues have you read about Honda's VCM system?

[new_vr]

FYI, the TSX is a 3250lb four banger FWD, IS250 is a 3450 RWD V6. they arent even in the same class. atleast the IS has the right set of wheels moving

Please explain how the drivetrain makes a car sport luxury or not. Is it just because that is how the germans have always done it? I mean, that's good enough for me...
Also, please show me where you are going to use the handling of the RWD in these cars...I am willing to guess most of the people who own them never will outside an onramp

[niceguy1234]

What kind of issues have you read about Honda's VCM system?

You can check the Honda Accord forum at CarSpace.com

[niceguy1234]

perhaps from the front (which to me looks quite nice); the rear bears no resemblance at all.

Looks good or not is all personally preference. I like it, but m wife says it is so ugly for the new Accord.