USED Honda Accord Saloon (98 - 03)

My car

I have had my Accord for 7 years but as a result of an accident (neither it's or the drivers fault) I am reluctantly having to part with it.

It has been a faithful servant for all of those 7 years and in all of it's 146,000 miles it hardly ever complained. Servicing was not expensive and faults were rare.

I am currently looking for a replacement and having briefly considered other cars of this type I am now looking for exactly the same model of this superb car.

My car

I purchased this car second-hand in 2003 (at one year old) with 11,000 miles on the clock.

It has never once given cause for concern. I have been through the big Rovers and BMWs but this matches them all. I am loathe to change it, because what do I get next?

Another Accord is, unfortunately, out of my reach now as I am retired. I will have no worries that it will last me a few more years of trouble-free and happy motoring.

My car

When I bought my Accord with one stroke I drastically lowered the average age of a Honda driver, being a 20 something. This has drawn many 'old man' comments, but who cares?

I traded in my 1998 Civic with 144,000 miles for a late 1999 Accord with 58,000 miles. While I loved my Civic, the difference between it and the Accord very quickly became apparent. The Accord rides and handles very very well. It's very composed, especially at high speeds, if slightly firm around town. The handling is incredibly safe - there is little body roll and the car doesn't feel as skittish as my Civic used to - and the Civic wasn't a bad car.

The 1.8 is powerful and quiet. It can really shift if you need it to, but normally wafting along at 2000rpm is the way forward.

However, get the car into the city or start accelerating hard and the fuel consumption rockets. I get about 40mpg on a motorway and rural run, but this drops to 30mpg if including town.

I will be upset if my Accord goes wrong. Hondas are bullet-proof, as proved by my Civic, and though I expect high servicing costs, the return is not being stranded at the side of the road.

Inside the car is spacious, if not as spacious as I expected from such a large car. The boot is large and useful, but I'd recommend the hatch. I had to take the saloon due to time restrictions on replacing my car. Yet you should be able to argue more money off the less popular saloon.

Equipment-wise, the base level has everything you want.

My car

My husband purchased this car new in July 2000. I have owned it since May 2004 when my Rover 600 was written off. The Accord has been ultra reliable and has loads of space for us and the kids plus luggage. The saloon boot can be a bit restrictive for bulky loads but the split fold rear seats are good. It is easy to drive with power when you need it. It's a bit big for parking sometimes but I've got used to it. The only time it's been in the garage was last year when a hose on the air conditioning failed. Otherwise, the only cost has been tyres, front brake pads and servicing. Now the Accord is coming up to 7 years and has done 72000 miles. The only question is what do I replace it with when it's worn out!