USED Honda Accord Hatchback (98 - 03)

My car

I own the 1.8 SE Exec. It's perhaps the best car I have ever owned. It's by no means a high-performance car, but the engine is tractable around town, and more than capable of sitting at 70+ on the motorway.

On twistier roads, the handling is better than the competition, and the 1.8 engine loves to be revved - get it over 3000rpm and it starts to open up with a little extra urge. Lovely. The brakes are also confidence-inspiring. If you need more power, the 2.0 actually feels a little lazier, so perhaps try the Type V or the Type R (which is meant to be blisteringly quick!)

On a slightly more suburban angle, the hatchback's boot is enormous! For example, we managed to get 4 large suitcases, 2 shoulder bags and numerous other smaller pieces into the boot without any fancy geometry puzzling. The low lip also makes it dead easy to load and unload.

As with all Hondas, my car has been totally dependable. No dramas, no problems. The Exec has all the toys you'd ever need. The only area I feel the car falls slightly short is in the fuel economy - I average 32mpg. However, that aside, the insurance and servicing costs are pretty low, so it evens out over the year.

My car

Brilliant car to drive - superb handling. Some wind and tyre noise but too intrusive. Very comfortable.

Perhaps a little cramped in the back. Good boot though high lip.

The only reason for not giving 5/5 for the cabin is the awkward glove compartment and a general lack of storage.

The best thing about the car is the utter reliabilty. In two years eight months of owning the car the only problems have been two bulbs needing replacement.

Have never checked the fuel consumption but it does not seem excessive.

My Accord is a 1.8SE. Good equipment levels.