The other day, during our Connecticut trip, I passed the 1000 mile mark in my almost new car.
I was wondering when this was going to happen, since it’s been a while. I think I’m doing pretty well, considering I bought the car on January 3rd and hit 1000 miles on March 3rd. That’s about 500 miles per month. Not bad for saving gas.
2008 Honda Accord Review (Test Drive)
A hands on review of the newly redesigned 2008 Honda Accord. A full test drive based review!
Modulo 2008 Honda Inspire / Accord
Since the announced of 2008 Honda Inspire/Accord. Many of the Honda specialized tuner take their opportunity to show off their capability. After Muger now presenting to you is the Access, one of the tuner show out in 2008 Tokyo Auto Salon.
Road Test: 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid vs. 2006 Toyota Prius & 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid vs. 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid
The fall of the Honda Accord - Who is on Top now?
See the top rated family sedans from Consumer Reports. The Honda Accord has finally fallen from its #1 spot. Who tops the 2008 list of sedans?
HONDA ACCORD HITS THE BIG 3-0!
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Honda Accord in the UK. Over the past four decades, more than 15,800,000 units have been sold across the globe, making it one of the most popular cars in the world.
A Honda that will get 62.8 MPG and is not a hybrid!
Feast your eyes on this, car technology and high-mileage nuts. It’s a Honda Accord that runs on diesel. It gets 62.8 miles a gallon on the highway, but otherwise looks and feels like a regular Accord.
I went out today to give my new Sony Handycam Camcorder a try. I have mad skillz and I know how to use them. I decided that a look at the engine of the new car would be cool as well as a drive down the road. I had to go drop off some clothes at the clothing drop anyway, so it was a good excuse to use the camera.
As you know, I have been putting some videos on YouTube. My Honda Accord videos have been getting quite a few views. I guess people out there are interested in the new body style. Get this - some little 19 year old posted a comment on one of my videos stating that the car I posted a video on wasn’t really an “EX” or a “V6.” Ok, then…just for him, I took some video of the engine…
…and this is me trying out the camera while driving down the road…
Due to popular demand (actually, Paul was the only one who said there were no pictures), I am writing a post with some photos of the new car. Last night was just too dark when I got home to grab anything. I called the neighbor, Tim, to come out and look at the beast. The poor guy looked so cold, but he stood there like a trooper.
Ok, so again, this is a 2008 Honda Accord EX (v6). I guess I can’t write that enough. I took these photos about ten minutes ago. I was going to do some video, but it’s too cloudy out there. I will get some later when it’s nice.
This is the front view. It’s got nice fog lights and halogen headlamps. I like that. I think it has daylight running lights too. I don’t think that’s as much of a feature as it is the law.
Here is the front/side view. The reason I got the EX is because it’s more badass than the other models. The reason I got the V6 is because it’s more badass than the regular EX. I like the 17″ alloy wheels.
This is the side view. I don’t know what to write about that besides the fact that the EX comes with chrome door handles. Honda seems to talk about that a lot. It’s not something I would particularly brag about at parties.
This is the side/rear view. I am sure there is something nice to say about that, but it escapes me right now.
This is the rear view. I can’t believe my license plates got here so quickly. This model has the dual exhaust, so I can be sure it will cost twice as much when it comes time to replace it.
This is the interior view. One thing I haven’t gotten a picture of yet is the moon roof. I love that. Last night, when I was driving home, I opened the moonroof. It allows the air to circulate without blowing all over the place. With the heat on, it’s really nice.
This is the dashboard. There are some things I still have to figure out, like how to find out how many miles are on the car. That’s not readily available. Probably Honda’s way of getting money out of the people who lease. HAHA.
As I said above, I will get some video of it later…maybe when my new video camera comes tomorrow.
Love, peace and hair grease.
Ok, like I said, if I go to the dealer, I am coming home with a car.
Today, I took a drive down to Middletown Honda in New York. I guess I made the decision when I woke up. I had already done tons of research online and there were just no cars out there that could beat the reliability, performance, features, safety and price of this car. I compared the 2008 Honda Accord EX V6 against the similar Toyota Camry and the Honda came out on top. The Camry’s base price is lower, but when you add all the features that the Accord comes with, the price is higher.
I went in and talked to a nice sales guy. I am not sure if he was ready for my attitude, but we did OK. I always think that push is going to come to shove in these places and it kind of did today. I got a little ticked off, but we worked it out. At the end, I traded my car in and drove home later on in a brand new one. Good enough for me.
I have to say, it’s a pretty sweet ride. I have never owned a brand new car before, so this is a treat. Here are the specs:
Standard Features
Technical Features
• 268-hp, 3.5-Liter, 24-Valve, SOHC i-VTEC® V-6 Engine
• Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM®)
• 5-Speed Automatic Transmission
• 100K +/- Miles No Scheduled Tune-Ups
• ULEV-2/PZEV CARB emissions rating
• Drive-by-Wire™ Throttle System
• Double Wishbone Front Suspension
• Independent Multi-Link Rear Suspension
• Front and Rear Stabilizer Bars
• Variable Gear Ratio (VGR) Power-Assisted Rack-and-Pinion Steering
• Power-Assisted Ventilated Front Disc/Solid Rear Disc Brakes
Safety Features
• 3-Point Seat Belts at all Seating Positions
• Front 3-Point Seat Belts with Automatic Tensioning System
• Adjustable Front Seat Belt Anchors
• Dual-Stage, Dual Threshold Front Airbags (SRS)
• Dual-Chamber Front Side Airbags with Passenger-Side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS)
• Side Curtain Airbags
• Active Front Head Restraints
• Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure
• Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®) with Traction Control
• Brake Assist
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• Four-wheel Disc Brakes
• Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
• Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD)
• Daytime Running Lights (DRL)
• Side-Impact Door Beams
• Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH)
• Child-Seat Tether Anchor (Rear-Center)
• Emergency Trunk Opener
Interior Features
• Driver’s Seat With 8-Way Power Adjustment
• Power Lumbar Support
• Power Windows with Auto-Up/Down Driver’s Window
• Power Door Locks
• Cruise Control
• Center Console with Sliding Armrest and Storage Compartment
• Tilt and Telescopic Steering Column
• Illuminated Steering Wheel-Mounted Cruise and Audio Controls
• Ambient Console Lighting
• Dual-Zone Automatic Climate Control System
• 160-watt AM/FM/6-Disc In-Dash Audio System with 6 Speakers
• Speed-Sensitive Volume Control (SVC)
• Maintenance Minder™ System
Exterior Features
• One-Touch Power Moonroof with Tilt Feature
• 17-inch Alloy Wheels
• Flat Blade Windshield Wipers
• Security System
• Remote Entry System with Power Window Control
• Multi-Reflector Halogen Headlights with Auto-Off
• Chrome Door Handles
• Body-Colored Heated Power Side Mirrors
• Dual Chrome Exhaust Finishers
• Fog Lights
I took some video of the ride today. You can view them below. Also, I will take some photos and video tomorrow and post.
I have been beating myself up over this. I flip flop more than…some politicians I know of.
Just the other day, I came to the realization that I am a boring human being. The reason I keep considering what type of car I want next is because I have never bought a brand new car before. Also, I am trying to bust out of that boring, computer guy persona. I know I shouldn’t care what people think, and I really don’t think I do. As all the ladies say, “I am doing it for myself.”
I dabbled a bit with the thought of getting a Toyota Camry Hybrid. Then, I started noticing way too many Camrys on the road. Then, I thought a BMW 5 series would be really cool. After a little research, that car seems to make the least sense possible. I want to break out of nerdhood, but I don’t want to be a fool. The car does have all-wheel drive, which is a huge plus, but dealers are few and far between. This becomes an issue when one of the big perks of getting that car is the fact that they offer four years of maintenance for free. I can’t even bring my current car down the road for an oil change, and I think I am going to drive a car 90 miles (round trip) a few times a year? Probably not. Also, I learned that the BMW requires premium unleaded gasoline. I am really cheap when it comes to gas, so I don’t think that’s going to work for me.
I am slowly arriving at the conclusion that I am going to get an upgrade of what I currently drive, but with GPS. I have to admit, I have been admiring the 2008 Honda Accord V6 from afar. Honda seems to have a lot of nice technology in their vehicles and they are pretty comfortable. I should know, my last three cars have been Hondas. The only thing wrong with this car is that it doesn’t come with all wheel drive. I guess we can get around this by getting Laura’s next car with all wheel drive. We’ll see.
Earlier this week, I bought two new car stereos…one for Laura and one for me. The Sirius satellite receiver I got for her a few years ago is pooping out, so I decided to upgrade her with a satellite ready deck and a new satellite tuner. I still need to order the tuner, so she will get the install next week.
I needed to get a new radio because I got some audio books and “learn Spanish” CDs for my birthday. My car radio only had a tape deck. The stereo I chose to purchase was a great deal at $109 from Circuit City. It is a Pioneer DEH-P2900MP. I read the reveiws and they were good. Everyone agreed that the sound is great, but the stereo is hard to figure out. When Laura learns how to work it, she can teach me. I’m no dummy.
Anyway, as I sat in my car this morning, looking at the job at hand, I had absolutely no idea where to begin. I found two little screws underneath the big plastic thing and took them out. Boy, that didn’t do much. Everything was still firmly in place. I ran inside and jumped on the internet and found this great webpage called, “Honda Accord installation of a Car radio Pioneer DEHP835.” This, my friends, helped.
Strangely enough, the fact that I took those screws out was correct, but the secret was behind the clock. I had to pull the clock out (which was tight) and take out the screw behind it. There is no way to do this without a little bit of damage to the plastic. I have a few minor marks. With that out, I pulled off the entire plastic piece.
I was pretty proud of myself. I sat there and thought about how good of a job I was doing. I even bought the correct wiring harness for this car and stereo. Back in the day, I would’ve just cut the old harness plug off and used a lot of electrical tape. What a mess. These days, I am much more refined.
I mounted the stereo in it’s holder and looked at the new wiring harness. “Boy, that’s weird,” I said. “It doesn’t look like the correct plug.” I got on the phone with Circuit City and discovered that there was one more piece I needed for my specific car. I thought I had already taken care of that. Guess not.
I drove down to Circuit City in Middletown and picked up the plug. Gee, $40 for the two harnesses. That’s just to get the damn thing hooked up to the car. They really know how to get you. Oh well. They only had one in stock and didn’t have the tuner for Laura, so I was out of luck there. Still have to order them online.
So yes, there are two pieces to the wiring harness. Once they were plugged in and the antenna was set, mounting the stereo was easy. I did that and then plugged the rest of the electrical stuff back into the big plastic piece. I snapped that back into place and things looked pretty good.
I turned the stereo on to see how it sounded. Wow, I was impressed. Great sound, but I still don’t know how it works. That’s ok, I suppose I will learn soon enough.
