*are hondas really that bad?

[Daniel Hussey <GY3WSX@UNIVSCVM.CSD.SCAROLINA.EDU>]

       Hi Y'all,

            As a quattro owner and ex-owner of an '90 Accord EX, I think I shou
ld have a say in this one.  Yes, the Honda is a nice car, but comparing it to a
 5000TQ or 200TQ is rediculous.  Lay off the crack pipe for a while, OK.

           The Honda Accord is a great car if you believe in the point A to poi
nt B philosophy.  It never gave me any trouble and ran great--didn't cost anyth
ing to own it. I just put gas in it (the cheapest I could find) and it just ran
.  But, it was too boring.  No charisma!  It was too bland--it did everything O
K, but nothing great.  It's not a true drivers car--it's built for the masses r
ather than entusiasts (like the quattro).

            My Honda was a slushbox, and I didn't like the transmission at all.
  It wasn't smooth at all (not that my Audi is either).  It reved too damn high
to squeeze as much power out of that little lawnmover 4 cyl as it could and the
n jerked into the next gear.  If you are accelerating normally--it's not too ba
d.  I just hated the japinesie whinny sound of that little four.  In fact I hat
ed it so much I had a CD player, amplifier, and a pair of tweeters installed so
 I'd only hear the music not the whinning.  After that it was much better.  I d
on't like the interior much--felt cramped and chinsy (made out of cheap plastic
).  The seats were uncomfortable and the interior got real hot in the summer--t
ook a long time to cool down.

             The brakes on that car were horrible.  I had new pads put on mine
and they cracked after 3 mos.  I told the dealership that I wanted new ones and
 I wasn't gonna pay for 'em--should last more than 3 mos.  I found out that tha
t dealership put new pads on it and never bothered to resurface the rotors--and
 thats a no-no.  I finnaly solved the problem whenI finnally had them resurface
d and put Repco Metal Masters on it.  It was much better after that.

            After my minor conversions, it really wasn't a bad car.  It still w
as boring and unlike some of y'all, I thought the suspension wasn't great--OK b
ut I felt the corners--Help I'm being sucked out the window!  Audis, although b
igger and heavier, corner better in general.  It's a good car if your looking f
or something simple (simple is accords middle name).  I enjoyed the car while I
 had it, but I don't think I'll ever buy another.

            The car I would reccomend though (and built by Honda) is the 87-90
model Acura Legends.  They had the 2.7 liter 6 cylinder engine.  No, this engin
e was smooth. It also had a beautiful interior and a more sporty or taught susp
ension.  These drive like a million bucks and never have any problems.  Just as
 smooth as silk-fast-reliable-and an absolute pleasure to drive. This is what I
 reccomend for the potential Honda owner.  They come in sedans and coupes and r
ange from $7-$10,000.  And why fork over $20k for the new accord w/ the V6, whe
n that same V6 is in the older Legends.  Unless, of course, you really want the
in-dash cellular phone--how stupid?   This is my experienced opinion and doesn'
t count for much.

<Nomex on!>                                   --Dan Hussey
                                                 '88 5kTQ