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Honda Accord vs. Nissan Altima

twistedlegato

twistedlegato

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jun 15, 2006
1,494
1
Our family is getting a new car (not for me). We have narrowed it down to either the Honda Accord or Nissan Altima. They seem to be of about equal price (Nissan is a little more).

The new 2008 of each are really nice. I myself like the Nissan, mainly for the interior. Push button ignition FTW.

I want some experience with the safety, milage, performance and such. Does not have to be from the 2008 line necessarily.

Your opinions?
 
Reliability - Honda
Resale value- Honda

I'm a VP of an auto extended warranty company. We have 13 parking spaces in the building garage- 8 Acura's & 3 Honda's are what 11 of the executives own. FWIW.
 
rdowns said:
Reliability - Honda
Resale value- Honda

I'm a VP of an auto extended warranty company. We have 13 parking spaces in the building garage- 8 Acura's & 3 Honda's are what 11 of the executives own. FWIW.
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You might want to pay attention to the man, Honda may be the most anti-corp Corp I know. H-Accord 6 yrs., keeps her at her tops. TRust... period.
 
If either has the CVT transmission, and you plan on keeping the vehicle beyond the warranty -- choose the manual option or the regular automatic.

The CVT isn't a bad unit, just that the 30k mile fluid change/flush is basically mandatory.

Unlike some of the manuals and regular automatics which can go until the warranty runs out -- basically the no service required, but in reality still needs replacement if you want the tranny to last 200-300k miles.
 
Honda has reliability, but so does Nissan in the larger scheme of things. Nissan also knows how to do interiors up nice. I imagine it has more horsepower as well. I never liked the look of the older Altimas but the new ones are quite nice looking.

Edit: And we are not talking about Fords here... both of these engines should go forever. I'm just getting started on my Maxima at 100K.
 
I'd check the theft ratings and insurance in your area.

If your auto insurance agent is nice, he should be able to run the numbers on a couple on VINs you bring in.
 
The new Accord comes out in just a few months, I believe. If you're OK with the current styling, you could probably get a good deal on an "old model" one once the new one is released.
 
twistedlegato said:
I want some experience with the safety, milage, performance and such. Does not have to be from the 2008 line necessarily. Your opinions?
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Well, personally, I think the Nissan looks better but I have never owned one so I really don't know what kind of cars they produce.

However, a few years ago we bought a Honda Accord. We had it about a year. Real nice car.

Then my wife made a left turn through a red light (the lanes going straight turned green but she thought her light turned green :eek:) and she cut in front of oncoming traffic, colliding with a Suburban which, at probably 55 MPH, hit the right corner of the car, flew up into the air and landed on it's roof.

The other driver broke his arm and totaled his Suburban.

The Honda was totaled. The impact pushed (jammed really) the steering wheel into my wife's left hand and splintered her wrist. She had to have emergency surgery to put it back together.

Our niece was in the car, in the passenger seat. She was 14 at the time. Had the collision happened a few seconds later the Suburban wouldn't have hit the corner of the car but would have T-boned the car right into my niece's side. I doubt she would have survived.

As it turned out, all she received was a 3" wide by 6" long "rope burn" from the seat belt where it hit her chest and shoulder. She was out of the hospital the next morning.

While out in the emergency room I overheard cops and ambulance drivers talking about the accident and how they were shocked that anyone survived.

The next day I had to go down to the lot where they towed the car.

Half of the front part of the car was missing, compressed. But the interior of the car (from the firewall back) was intact. Where you'd think my niece's feet or legs should have been crushed the car was perfectly normal.

Outside the car you could see how the entire car absorbed the energy of the crash. The roof was buckled, the posts around the windows were rippled, the trunk lid was bent (though it was hit in the front)...

Really amazing.

I'd buy a Honda again in a second. As a matter of fact a few years ago we got the Honda Civic Hybrid. Not as nice as the Accord but I can go from LA to LV and back on a tank of gas. :D
 
As rdowns said, honda has better reliability and a better resale value. Also, Hondas are ULEV (Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle). If you buy a hybrid, your family will get a huge tax break.

Prof. :apple:
 
well if you are looking at the 4-banger version of the Altima get the honda. Nissan QR25 engine is crap and has lot of problem over the years since it come out. It has problems left and right and Nissan refused to admit to.
Reason I know this I own a Spec V from Nissan and it the same engine used in the 4 cylinder Altima so there just been a lot of problems. Now my Spec V has not had any problems in the 35k I have put on it (at least none related to the power train) and it works just fine. I just know the QR25 engine has had a lot or problems. They where first noticed in the 02 SE-R and Spec V and when investigated farther it was noted it was coming up in the 4-cylinder Altima as well that had the same engine.

now the V-6 verson of the Altima I only heard good things about so if you are looking at V-6 then altima all the way.
 
Alright, I just went through this dillema 2 weeks ago. I was comparing a V-6 Accord EX (I think) vs. a V-6 Altima SE, both automatic, Altima with CVT. Both of these vehicles are nice on the inside compared to a Toyota Camry and are very comfortable to sit in. Both come with airbags, and I know for a fact the Altima comes with curtain airbags and all that stuff. My main qualm with the Accord was that it shuts off 3 cylinders to conserve fuel and you can feel the lag in power. It was about the worst thing to drive uphill in traffic because it was a horrible ride when it could have been unbelievably smooth. In case you couldn't tell already, I chose the Altima and I still can't believe how fast this thing is, how nice it is inside and out, and how much technology is there. Don't believe all this reliability and value crap. It's Japanese, it'll hold up to 15+ years of driving and retain as much value as any other comparable Japanese vehicle. I say get the Altima, but then again, I wanted a sedan that felt like a race car, not like a Volvo or some Mercedes that you barely drive. Here's a pic of my Altima for you all to oogle over (sorry for EXCELLENT quality, pic taken with iPhone)
 

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Church said:
Alright, I just went through this dillema 2 weeks ago. I was comparing a V-6 Accord EX (I think) vs. a V-6 Altima SE, both automatic, Altima with CVT. Both of these vehicles are nice on the inside compared to a Toyota Camry and are very comfortable to sit in. Both come with airbags, and I know for a fact the Altima comes with curtain airbags and all that stuff. My main qualm with the Accord was that it shuts off 3 cylinders to conserve fuel and you can feel the lag in power. It was about the worst thing to drive uphill in traffic because it was a horrible ride when it could have been unbelievably smooth. In case you couldn't tell already, I chose the Altima and I still can't believe how fast this thing is, how nice it is inside and out, and how much technology is there. Don't believe all this reliability and value crap. It's Japanese, it'll hold up to 15+ years of driving and retain as much value as any other comparable Japanese vehicle. I say get the Altima, but then again, I wanted a sedan that felt like a race car, not like a Volvo or some Mercedes that you barely drive. Here's a pic of my Altima for you all to oogle over (sorry for EXCELLENT quality, pic taken with iPhone)
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Beautiful car! My mom and I are gonna go test drive it on Saturday! Maybe the Honda too, but one thing we just found out is that the 2008 is a FULL-SIZED sudan. We don't want one of those! So it's either 2007 Accord or the 2008 Altima!

Gah I love the black so much but my parents hate it. It's not my car though. My parents really seem to like that Dark Slate instead, on both the Accord and Altima.

What did you get on your Altima? LIke Bluetooth, Bose speaker ect. I see you opteed for than rear-wing spoiler that I love so much.
 
It really depends what your family is looking for, if it's reliability, fuel efficiency, lack of torque then Honda Accord is a better choice. But if you want aesthetics, better inside ergonomics, some grunt and power then Nissan Altima wins hands down.
 
If you can afford a new 2008 Accord EX sedan, go for it. That new 190 bhp I-4 engine is quiet and amazingly powerful, zipping you up to 65 mph before you know it. :eek: I'd buy one if it weren't for the fact it costs US$23,000 out the door.
 
twistedlegato said:
Maybe the Honda too, but one thing we just found out is that the 2008 is a FULL-SIZED sudan. We don't want one of those!
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The Altima seems larger than the Accord to me...

I was in this dilemma a couple months ago (before the 08 Accord was out), but my wife and I ended up with a 2008 Subaru Legacy. Great car and I'd pick it again in a heartbeat, but I still really like the looks of the Altima. Ultimately, either one of your choices are excellent.
 
twistedlegato said:
What did you get on your Altima? LIke Bluetooth, Bose speaker ect. I see you opteed for than rear-wing spoiler that I love so much.
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Rear Spoiler, Fog Lights, Splash Guards, and Kick Plates. I wish I had gotten the Bose sound system, but it's not like I need the best sound system in the world in my car with 40" subs and million watt amps and such. But get the kick plates for sure, they make the car look like a million dollars when you open the door.
 
Church said:
Rear Spoiler, Fog Lights, Splash Guards, and Kick Plates. I wish I had gotten the Bose sound system, but it's not like I need the best sound system in the world in my car with 40" subs and million watt amps and such. But get the kick plates for sure, they make the car look like a million dollars when you open the door.
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Kick Plates is now on the list for sure. I don't think we'll get the Bose sound system either.

But we have decided to try out both the Honda and the Nissan.
 
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