Brain Fertilizer

Check out these descriptions of the 2007 Honda Accord 4-cyl.:

Aside from the discordant chrome moustache on the grille, the Accord is one of the best examples of understated automotive styling this side of an Aston Martin DB9.

The sedan’s precisely dampened switches, knobs and levers are more than a pleasant surprise. At this price point, they’re a miracle.

Activating the Accord’s turn signal stalk is like biting into a Lindt chocolate truffle. The glove box and lower dash storage binnacle doors open with all the graceful, elegant motion of a sunflower blooming in a time lapse movie. The Accord’s portal treatments combine rich cloth inserts, classy vinyl and integrated storage nooks, creating a segment high watermark. There’s space aplenty for kids and cargo, with the ideal amount of visibility for pampered back seat passengers.

In the final paragraph, the writer points out that at $20k, you can get a 6-cyl Ford Fusion or Hyundai Sonata that are smoother than the Accord's 4-cyl. Well, duh. 6-cyl. engines are always smoother. But note that price point. We'll talk more about it in a moment.

Now how about the 2007 Honda Civic?

Fortunately, the Civic’s high quality fit and finish create a suitable cavern for A to B’ers determined to enjoy their daily dose of gridlock or weekly jaunt to the local supermarket. The Civic’s cloth doesn't look or feel cheap, even having the foresight to spend quality time on the inviting door panels. True to Honda’s heritage, both major and minor controls are faultlessly, sensuously ergonomic. And there’s plenty of head, leg, shoulder and trunk space for five Civic-minded adults.

Honda's funky-fresh wedgemobile handles in a manner more befitting a Gran Turismo endurance race. Most everything from the ghosts of Civics past is present and accounted for: linear steering, powerful brakes, confident handling and reasonably well controlled body motions. The Civic’s 16" wheels encourage fast cornering and deep braking, even if the chassis’ limitations are strictly R&B (reached and breached).

How about the 2007 Honda Civic Si?

Honda salesman? More like “order taker.” The new Civic Si sedan is guaranteed to sell itself, no “product specialist” needed. After all, the stock version is already a hit. Honda can legitimately claim they’re moving them by the boatload– even if they’re assembled on Ohio acreage. And Si coupes have always done well– even when they haven’t been well done. So, offering a four door variant with a sprinkle of go-faster and look-sharper for a few more bucks is a no-brainer.

And the 2007 Honda C-RV? Gotcha covered:

Enter the CR-V and experience the joys of ergonomic correctness. All the trucklette’s switchgear and controls are intuitive enough for the cognitively challenged, with dials that are more legible than the top line of a DMV eye chart. Washable plastics cover all major surfaces and buttons– except the leather wrapped gear selector, steering wheel and cruise compatible seats. The center stack is a vast improvement over the previous effort (file under faint praise), with the rich-sounding MP3-ready radio finally assuming its rightful place below the air vents.

And:

And the bottom line here is that the CR-V is still the best buy bar none.

Here's what is clear from these reviews: Honda puts luxury-level quality into cabin materials and design. Furthermore, the only way to criticize Honda is from the perspective of idealistic perfection, not its competitors. More on that in a moment.

There are a few things missing from these reviews, all of which come from the same source. The most salient points not emphasized can be found in a copy of Consumer Report's most recent Car Buyer's Guide. In that issue, a few things become clear:
1) Hondas are either the #1 or #2 best buy in every single class of car Honda makes.
2) Honda is no longer attempting to fill a marketing niche slightly less expensive than Toyota. The Civic is actually a few thousand dollars more expensive than the Corolla.
3) Honda is pretty much the most fuel efficient car maker on the planet across the entire line.
4) Honda is tied with Toyota and Hyundai for best initial quality and most consistent reliability over the life of the car.
5) ALL Hondas have a problem with road noise. That includes their upscale Acura products. Apparently Honda has decided that noise insulation adds too much weight for their engines to maintain the sweet spot behind adequate power/acceleration and impressive fuel economy.

Yes, Hondas are no longer an inexpensive alternative to other vehicles. But they are worth the cost.

Because there is one other thing not covered in either review: Street Value.

In 2005, when I was looking at vehicles, it was possible to purchase a used 2001 Honda Civic VP (value priced model) with low miles for $13k. The price of the car new? In the high range of $14k. I don't know if the dealership ended up getting that much, but it is impressive to even be able to ask for a depreciation of less than $2k on a 4-yr-old car.

Looking for cars again in early 2007, I saw a 2000 Civic with 90k mileage and water stains on the floor carpeting (very limited flood damage) going for $9k at a dealership. I ended up getting a 2001 Chevy Prizm with 90k miles and some cosmetic paint problems for $3k.

And looking through the want ads, comparing Accords to Camrys and Civics to Corollas, an equivalent amount of mileage and options consistently cost you $2-3k more for a Honda than a Corolla for 3-8 year old cars.

A 2-yr-old Honda was consistently not more than $2k less than the new price (excluding fully loaded cars, where the options apparently depreciate faster than the car itself).

Quite simply, even 2-yr-old Hondas are worth more than equivalent new Chevys, Fords, Chryslers, Kias, etc. At the very least, every prospective car buyer should start with test-driving a Honda in their desired car style to understand what the state of automobile art is.

The bottom line is: if you can handle road noise, a Honda is the best value vehicle for efficiency, reliability, and driving enjoyment.