pector@ihuxw.UUCP (Scott W. Pector) (04/17/84)
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HONDA ACCORD:
From: ihnp4!mhuxl!mhuxj!mhuxi!charm!hjg
Subject: Re: New Cars: Camry, Corolla, Accord
One month ago I bought a 84 Honda Accord Hatchback and so far
my experience is very pleasant. In otherwords, I would buy it
again. It is a car carefully engineered with attention to details,
something American carmakers do not find necessary (this is my
private opinion).
When I set out to by a new car a month ago I did so with the
explicit goal to find something engineered similar to German
cars and with the reliability of Japanese manufacturing,
but not with the price tag of a Mercedes. (I have to add here that
I was driving cars in Germany for 8 years, something which might
slightly color my opinion.) I looked at other Japanese cars
(Nissan Stanza, Corolla, Subaru etc.), and seriously considered
Stanza, Corolla and Accord. My final choice was basically determined
by three facts:
(1)The Accord Hatchback is as close to a German car
as you can come without actually bying one. Its suspension, which
is much firmer [ = better handling] than anything usually sold
on the American market plays an important role in this respect;
it is for some reason even firmer than in the Accord Sedan.
I liked its technical specs and its interior and dashboard layout.
Example: there is a coin-box, which I always missed on N.J.'s
toll roads. Details like this show that the designers actually
thought about what they were doing. (I do realize here that
this is true for most Japanese cars in this price range and that this
fact does not necessarily make your choice easier.)
(2) It is with a 1.8 l engine adequately powered for its weight,
something which is not always the case in compacts and sub-compacts
(3) It was available immediately with the "options" I wanted
(manual steering and transmission, no AC). This is a non-trivial point,
because the dealers seem to get only fully loaded cars (see below),
at least where I live (N.J.).
Now to the bad points (it is hard, but I found some):
(1) There is one big disadvantage: Due to Japan's "voluntary"
self-restrictions demand exceeds supply and there are no
dealers (again where I live at least) who would sell for the
suggested retail price. Mark-ups of 500-1000 $ are quite
common. They are also not very interested in customers,
which made it hard to get precisely what I wanted.
(2) In order to open the hatchback one has to pull a lever mounted
beside the driver's seat. This is the only way to do it, and a
little bit annoying since it forces one always to unlock and open
the driver's door, regardless of whether one wants to or not
(shopping).
If you have a specific question you are quite welcome to send me
mail.
Good luck
Hans Gossmann
AT&T Bell Laboratories/Murray Hill
From: ihnp4!ihu1g!fish
Subject: Re: New Cars: Camry, Corolla, Accord
I have an '82 Accord, and I love it. The 84's have a more powerful
engine, but are basically the same car I have. The "LX" model, which
I have, comes with everything you could want. Unfortunately, Accords
are very popular cars, and the dealers know it. You won't get any
breaks on the price.
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TOYOTA (general):
From: ihnp4!utah-cs!hansen (Chuck Hansen)
Subject: Go for the Toyota
I have a '76 Corolla wagon ... I have 118k miles on it. It burns no oil
I've only had to replace the battery, muffler/tailpipe, and brakes (pads &
shoes), shocks, and tires. I have never had such a dependable vehicle!
Chuck Hansen
From: ihnp4!vax135!houti!psv
Subject: Re: New Cars: Camry, Corolla, Accord
All three are nice cars but....Hondas seem to rust more
readily than Toyotas. Just look at the early Accords ('76 to '79).
Good Luck!
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TOYOTA CAMRY:
From: ihnp4!ut-sally!knutson@ut-ngp.BEVO.ARPA
Subject: I would pick the Camry
We did the same thing last June. We finally bought the
Camry and are extremely pleased with it. For the most part, it
has much more interior space (escpecially back seat) than the others.
Gas mileage is good. Comfort is excellent. Handling is good. We
have had ours coming up on a year now and have had no problems at all
with it. We took it on a trip from Austin, TX to Norfolk, VA for
Christmas (during the nasty stuff) and it drove beautifully. I am
not sure how the manual 5 speed deluxe model is. We bought the LE
with the automatic. However, in general, I cannot say enough good
things about the car. Look at a comparison of repair frequency
between Toyota and Honda in Consumer Reports. Well, good luck with
whatever you get. Hope this helps.
Jim Knutson
ARPA: knutson@ut-ngp
UUCP: {ihnp4,seismo,kpno,ctvax}!ut-sally!ut-ngp!knutson
From: ihnp4!decvax!felix!joey (Joey Tamashiro)
Subject: Re: New Cars: Camry, Corolla, Accord
I have a 1983 Camry LE automatic and I am pretty pleased with
the car. I now have 8300+ miles on it and have had no problems to
mention. I have kept accurate gas mileage records and am getting
26.3 mpg 2/3 city ad 1/3 highway ... not too shabby considering it's
an automatic. The stick version should be better.
Including the Corolla with the Camry and Accord is not fair.
If price is not object consider the latter two cars. Otherwise get
the Corolla since it will be ~$2000 less than the other two.
Comparing the Accord and Camry is pretty much apples and
oranges. EPA estimates are the same (as long as the honda is not the
Calif. model), and reliability should be the same. Ditto for drivability.
Maintenance might be a tad less for the Camry since it has fuel injection
and hydraulic valves. The Accord has a 12 valve engine with a carburator.
The Accord is also less roomy on the inside.
I bought the Camry simply because the dealers are not gouging
the public because of the supply demand principle. You can get Camrys
below the manufacturer's suggested list price (I got mine around $800
below sticker). You are lucky if you get the Accord (4 door) at sticker.
The hatchback you can get a discount on, but not much.
That's it. You can't go wrong with any of the three, so you
might just as well pick one on styling.
Have fun.
joey tamashiro
{decvax,ucbvax}!trwrb!felix!joey
From: ihnp4!decvax!tektronix!kurtk
Subject: Re: New Cars: Camry, Corolla, Accord
In-Reply-To: your article <789@ihuxw.UUCP>, I've got an 83 Camry. Good car. About 35mpg hwy, 28 city actual. It
is driven by a somewhat leadfoot. Good acceleration, but a little sluggish
when it has to climb hills (or pass going up them). It would beat the others
in a 1/4 mile easily, but if it was a race at 60mph up the rockies, I'm not
sure who would win.
Construction is good, engine runs VERY good. No stalls, hesatation
etc. at any temperature. Body construction is not quite up to Toyota standards
but is still quite good.
I'd buy it again.
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TOYOTA COROLLA:
From: psuvm%iks@psuvax.UUCP
Subject: Toyota Corolla 1984 report request.
Does anyone out in net.land own a 84 Corolla ?
Do you have any 1st hand/2nd hand information
about it ?
Have you heard any negative comments about the
84 Corolla ??
Should I consider some other car instead ?
I used to own a used 80 Corolla which was a gem.
I am now considering the purchase/lease of a 84
Corolla, 4dr with 5sp manual transmission.
I still have some time, so please stop me if
you think I'm in for a disaster.
Else all the encouragement can be used, this
could be my 1st new car and I am nervous !!
Please email direct to me. I shall put up a
summary if the response is good. Postings may
be missed since PSUVM does not keep them for
long.
Thanks !!
--Indra K. Singhal
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