aight fella's, I gotta say bye...

[osidepunker]

but it's been fun!

I just traded in my Avalon for a 2008 Accord V6/M6 Coupe. Its a sick ride! Owning an Avalon for the last couple years only made me want a sports car more and more. I know that the Accord is not a sports car, but it's a better compromise for me. Its kinda like comparing apples and oranges, but just a few quick points:

Accord has MUCH better acceleration
Accord has better handling
Accord has stiffer chassis
Accord absorbs the bumps in the road better (the Touring Avy has a very harsh ride)
Accord has slightly better build quality
There will probably be ALOT more aftermarket parts for the Accord
Avalon has more rear seat room, front room seems equal
Avalon has slightly bigger trunk
Avalon gets 32mpg highway, Accord is rated at 25mpg (although I will have to verify this for myself)
Paid $29,860 for the Avy Oct 2005
Paid $27,100 for the Accord today

Also, I was SHOCKED to discover that my Avalon was only worth.... drum roll please...

$14,000 ! ! !

What?! I have slightly high miles, 44k, but that's not that high. What happened to the famous Toyota resale value? The dealer tried to tell me it was because it was a full size sedan and the market was limited... blah blah blah. Whatever. I had to come up with some serious cash out of my pocket, but I would rather do that then ship the debt into the new ride.

Anywayz, it's been fun, but now I'll be chillin at superhonda.com. See ya!

Oh, BTW, Im selling my sub enclosures if any of you guys are interested. They are custom fitted for an Avalon and any 12" subs will fit. These are hand laid fiberglass enclosures and they bolt right into the trunk.If you want to see pix, check out my car domain site (see my sig). I need to talk to my installer about how much I should be asking for them, but if you're interested hit me up.

[greenalien]

The 08 Accord Coupe is alright, but I wouldn't buy one to use as a fun car.

But anyways, why didn't you try to sell the Avalon yourself instead of trading it in?

[osidepunker]

I don't feel like spending the time and energy to try and sell it myself. It's much easier to have the dealer do it, even though you lose some money. In the end, I got the dealer to give me $17k for my Avy and they dropped $2k on the Accord ($29k down to $27k). So I feel like I did alright considering what KBB was telling me the Avy was worth.

BTW, the Accord is definitely not an M series BMW, but it is DAMN fun. I don't want a pure sports car anyway. I haven't driven the automatic, but the M6 is way cool. Also, the M6 drops VCM (cylinder management) in favor of more mid-range torque. Go test drive one (make sure its a manual), and then let me know what you think.

[liquidsilver]

Originally Posted by osidepunker

I don't feel like spending the time and energy to try and sell it myself. It's much easier to have the dealer do it, even though you lose some money. In the end, I got the dealer to give me $17k for my Avy and they dropped $2k on the Accord ($29k down to $27k). So I feel like I did alright considering what KBB was telling me the Avy was worth.

BTW, the Accord is definitely not an M series BMW, but it is DAMN fun. I don't want a pure sports car anyway. I haven't driven the automatic, but the M6 is way cool. Also, the M6 drops VCM (cylinder management) in favor of more mid-range torque. Go test drive one (make sure its a manual), and then let me know what you think.

Accord coupe is a real nice car.....much better then their sedans. Having said that, I honestly think that ur accord feels better cause its newer. I dont think Honda makes better cars then Toyota. I actually own an Accord and Highander....as well as my previous cars were few Corollas, 2Civics, Previa, GS400, celica etc etc. Put it this way...I think ur right about Honda building better suspension /ride/handling combo........but when it comes to overall durabiliity/ cost of ownership and build quality, i still find toyota better overall. But thats just my past ownership experience.

[greenalien]

I've been in the new Accord V6 and they're really nice. I would buy it to haul the kids around just like the Avalon but I'll never get it as my weekend car.

[osidepunker]

Originally Posted by liquidsilver

Accord coupe is a real nice car.....much better then their sedans. Having said that, I honestly think that ur accord feels better cause its newer. I dont think Honda makes better cars then Toyota. I actually own an Accord and Highander....as well as my previous cars were few Corollas, 2Civics, Previa, GS400, celica etc etc. Put it this way...I think ur right about Honda building better suspension /ride/handling combo........but when it comes to overall durabiliity/ cost of ownership and build quality, i still find toyota better overall. But thats just my past ownership experience.

I don't think it feels better cuz it's new. I bought my Avalon new so I know how it felt. Avalon's build quality just isn't on par with the rest of Toyota's cars, but comparing build quality between Toyota and Honda is like comparing Mobil gas to 76 gas, both are still better than Arco. I think that Honda has a slight edge over Toyota though.

Originally Posted by greenalien

I've been in the new Accord V6 and they're really nice. I would buy it to haul the kids around just like the Avalon but I'll never get it as my weekend car.

I don't want it for a weekend car. I want it for a daily driver.

[Tom in Tacoma]

Originally Posted by osidepunker

I don't want it for a weekend car. I want it for a daily driver.

That's okay - referring to your purchase as a weekend car fit his argument.

Congrats on the new car. I'll miss your presence here at TN.

[jimhuey]

I am also looking at Honda. My 08 Avalon with the useless nav and voice recognition tell me that Toyota doesn't want my business any longer. Maybe my 23 years with Toyota did not allow me to see what other campanies were offering. The Accord, and the Acura are really nice vehicles.

[benalexe]

Originally Posted by jimhuey

I am also looking at Honda. My 08 Avalon with the useless nav and voice recognition tell me that Toyota doesn't want my business any longer. Maybe my 23 years with Toyota did not allow me to see what other campanies were offering. The Accord, and the Acura are really nice vehicles.

Personally I think people are way to overboard on the nav system. I have a n 05 and yes I would much rather have a touch screen and I would also like to have the more modern features such as the traffic features or searching by zip code etc. Having said that the system is completely functional and actually is more accurate in terms of the actually GPS then my tomtom in my other car. The biggest down side is the entering of the data. once you get use to it , it's easy.

In terms of voice control- Yes it sux. I did not buy the car for this feature and if I did, I probably would not even use it. It's just not that important.

I have the avalon limited and honestly the ride is like a limo. Yes I would agree that the handling is like a wet noodle and you can't really feel the road- But I bought the for comfort and that it is. IT is great on a trip on the open road as a cruising car. My previous car was a 2005 saab 9-3. I could not wait to get rid of it. Yes it was fun to drive and handled good but it was bumpy, loud and small.

The avalon is large and comfortable. Try putting 3 adults in the back of the avalon compared to the honda. No comparison.

I like the honda I just think it is a different car.

Having said that I love the luxury of the avalon. The Honda is a more common car the avalon stands out as a luxury vehicle.

[osidepunker]

Originally Posted by benalexe

Personally I think people are way to overboard on the nav system. I have a n 05 and yes I would much rather have a touch screen and I would also like to have the more modern features such as the traffic features or searching by zip code etc. Having said that the system is completely functional and actually is more accurate in terms of the actually GPS then my tomtom in my other car. The biggest down side is the entering of the data. once you get use to it , it's easy.

In terms of voice control- Yes it sux. I did not buy the car for this feature and if I did, I probably would not even use it. It's just not that important.

I have the avalon limited and honestly the ride is like a limo. Yes I would agree that the handling is like a wet noodle and you can't really feel the road- But I bought the for comfort and that it is. IT is great on a trip on the open road as a cruising car. My previous car was a 2005 saab 9-3. I could not wait to get rid of it. Yes it was fun to drive and handled good but it was bumpy, loud and small.

The avalon is large and comfortable. Try putting 3 adults in the back of the avalon compared to the honda. No comparison.

I like the honda I just think it is a different car.

Having said that I love the luxury of the avalon. The Honda is a more common car the avalon stands out as a luxury vehicle.

You're right. Like I said, it's like comparing apples and oranges. I really wasn't trying to start an Accord vs Avalon debate. I was merely explaining the differences so that people might understand why I decided to switch rides. As far as nav goes, I have never felt the need to spend extra money on something just so it can tell me where to go. Those few times I have gotten lost I simply pick up my cell phone and have someone tell me which way to go. imho, car manufacturers should include it for free. It doesn't cost THAT much to produce. Definitely not the $2k they always ask for it anyway.