Honda Accord replacement - Ford Fusion or Hyundai Sonata (or ? maybe...)

[NsXMas]

Our 11 year old Honda Accord 4 cylinder automatic 4 door SE sedan has developed the dreaded P0700 transmission error engine code. This is a known issue with Honda Accords of this age, and a lawsuit prompted Honda to extend the warranty to 100k miles or 7 years... It won't do us any good. The car is still practically brand new, has 90k miles, but I don't know if Honda would help cover the transmission issue.

That said, I've been pretty unhappy with this Accord - the power door locks has gone out on 3 of the doors, and I've paid to have 2 of them replaced (1 was covered under an extended warranty that I bought). The Airbag SRS light has come on twice in the last 6 months, fortunately Honda dealer fixed it both times under some Honda extended safety warranty - seat belt buckle sensor was broken and replaced. It is the 3rd time the SRS light has occurred and was fixed.

So I have an appointment to have the car serviced this week, including an ignition interlock recall done. If the news on the transmission is bad, I am thinking of replacing it with a new Ford Fusion or Hyundai Sonata.

I've rented 2009/2010 Fusion before and like it. I've test driven the Hyundai Sonata at a Hyundai drive event last year and was blown away by how nice it was. I especially like the ON / OFF engine start, which the Fusion does not have. I would have to get either one in automatic, since the wife will be driving it.

Both Fusion and Sonata are rated very reliable, very safe, and pretty decent on fuel economy as well. I've always had good luck with Ford vehicles and like Ford. I've never owned a Hyundai but the 10 year powertrain warranty on the Sonata gives me peace of mind.

So I've got a dilemma of picking one of two very good sedans as the potential replacement if the news on the Accord is negative.

I really need your input and help on this. Any thoughts?

I've not added other cars because I have kind of looked around, read on Consumer Reports auto magazine, and other sedans haven't jumped out at me, in terms of safety / reliability / price point / economy. But if you have another sedan that comes to mind that you feel strongly about, please share it too.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[NSXLuvr]

I would go with the Sonata. It is much roomier than the Fusion. The only way I would go with Fusion is if Youn have to get a Hybrid(I would wait before buying a Hybrid from Hyundai). I bought a Genesis last year(for my Dad). Their quality has come a long way.

 

[Jetpilot3]

The magazine reports and how it looks....easy. Sonata.

 

[clarknm]

I think the hyundai is horrible looking, if I was looking in that class I would consider the Kia Optima. Essentially the same car, but much better looking with a "sportier" drive according to reviews. I don't think you'll go wrong with any of these though, if you like them.

 

[Moses]

Have you test driven a new Accord?

 

[SOURCE 1]

Our 11 year old Honda Accord 4 cylinder automatic 4 door SE sedan has developed the dreaded P0700 transmission error engine code. This is a known issue with Honda Accords of this age, and a lawsuit prompted Honda to extend the warranty to 100k miles or 7 years... It won't do us any good. The car is still practically brand new, has 90k miles, but I don't know if Honda would help cover the transmission issue.

That said, I've been pretty unhappy with this Accord - the power window actuator has gone out on 3 of the doors, and I've paid to have 2 of them replaced. The Airbag SRS light has come on twice in the last 6 months, fortunately Honda dealer fixed it both times under some Honda extended safety warranty - seat belt buckle sensor was broken and replaced. It is the 3rd time the SRS light has occurred and was fixed.

So I have an appointment to have the car serviced this week, including an ignition interlock recall done. If the news on the transmission is bad, I am thinking of replacing it with a new Ford Fusion or Hyundai Sonata.

I've rented 2009/2010 Fusion before and like it. I've test driven the Hyundai Sonata at a Hyundai drive event last year and was blown away by how nice it was. I especially like the ON / OFF engine start, which the Fusion does not have. I would have to get either one in automatic, since the wife will be driving it.

Both Fusion and Sonata are rated very reliable, very safe, and pretty decent on fuel economy as well. I've always had good luck with Ford vehicles and like Ford. I've never owned a Hyundai but the 10 year powertrain warranty on the Sonata gives me peace of mind.

So I've got a dilemma of picking one of two very good sedans as the potential replacement if the news on the Accord is negative.

I really need your input and help on this. Any thoughts?

I've not added other cars because I have kind of looked around, read on Consumer Reports auto magazine, and other sedans haven't jumped out at me, in terms of safety / reliability / price point / economy. But if you have another sedan that comes to mind that you feel strongly about, please share it too.

Thanks in advance for your help!

so wait .. 11 years and 90k miles and your upset about 2 window regulators?

The trans are easily replaced... Contact a company called RMP they sell a warrantied 3 yr 100k mile trans for around 1500.00

Keep in mind that Honda voluntarily extended the warranty on the transmissions. After all the issues I have had and seen in ford Transmissions you wont see them doing that.. you only paid for 2 out of three window issues and none of the srs issues?? The seatbelt issue you have in the accord is under a warranty for life if I recall Honda is the only company with a lifetime warranty on the seatbelts..

Fusion - although has come a long way I still worry about trusting them in the long haul.

Sonata great car. Seem very reliable.

My issue with buying either of those is simple.. Clean wholesale value on your car is 6000 with retail being 8350

A 11 year old sonata - same info is only 3100 and 4700

Fusion was not produced until 2006 here are those numbers... All with the same mileage and options. - wholesale is 5650 and retail is 7750.

I just dont see hondas resale value going anywhere anytime soon in comparison to ford and hyundai. If I were you I would fix the Accord and detail it and sell it for 8500 ish ( being an original owner and I am sure documented maint. you could get that out of it. and buy a 2011 Accord... And hope you dont have a trans go out at 90k.. Which I highly doubt..

But first step is to see if honda will do anythign for you.. Go for a free replacement and settle for they buy the part you buy the labor?

 

[White92]

I'm betting you can get the dealership to fix your transmission. That should buy you some time until the new Accord comes out if you don't like the current model. I personally don't like the new Sonata. It looks like it was left next to a space heater and the whole car melted down.

 

[Moses]

As long as you've had all your services done at the Honda dealership I'm pretty sure they'll pay all of the transmission fix or some of it.

 

[NsXMas]

so wait .. 11 years and 90k miles and your upset about 2 window regulators?

The trans are easily replaced... Contact a company called RMP they sell a warrantied 3 yr 100k mile trans for around 1500.00
...

Sorry I mis-spoke - it's the door lock actuators, power door locks that keep going out, along with a lock that had to be replaced. Pretty damn annoying when it's a Honda and is supposed to be reliable.

I had paid for an extended warranty when I bought the car, so the extended warranty that I paid for - covered the 3rd power door lock repair, not exactly free.

I test drove the new Honda Accord (2010) and was not impressed. The interior / dash is ancient compared to the Fusion / Sonata. Plus I hate the styling.

...My issue with buying either of those is simple.. Clean wholesale value on your car is 6000 with retail being 8350

A 11 year old sonata - same info is only 3100 and 4700

Fusion was not produced until 2006 here are those numbers... All with the same mileage and options. - wholesale is 5650 and retail is 7750.

I just dont see hondas resale value going anywhere anytime soon in comparison to ford and hyundai. If I were you I would fix the Accord and detail it and sell it for 8500 ish ( being an original owner and I am sure documented maint. you could get that out of it. and buy a 2011 Accord... And hope you dont have a trans go out at 90k.. Which I highly doubt..

But first step is to see if honda will do anythign for you.. Go for a free replacement and settle for they buy the part you buy the labor?

Good points about resale value, but we simply don't enjoy driving the new Accord when we test drove it or even just sat in it. Honda has lost a lot of allure in their development and simply seem very aged compared to the peers. Perhaps the new 2011 Accord will redeem itself.

 

[SOURCE 1]

Sorry I mis-spoke - it's the door lock actuators, power door locks that keep going out, along with a lock that had to be replaced. Pretty damn annoying when it's a Honda and is supposed to be reliable.

I had paid for an extended warranty when I bought the car, so the extended warranty that I paid for - covered the 3rd power door lock repair, not exactly free.

I test drove the new Honda Accord (2010) and was not impressed. The interior / dash is ancient compared to the Fusion / Sonata. Plus I hate the styling.

Oh ok... Either way thats not a bad repair history.. I can however see it being annoying. Between the Fusion and Sonata I would go with Sonata. BUT if you do get the limited with the bigger wheels etc.. They are the only ones that look impressive. The Kia Optima as someone said earlier are basically the same car and definately loook more sporty. Its all in what your looking for. Just dont plan on getting a ton of resale out of it if that is something you take into consideration.

Brian.

 

[NsXMas]

As long as you've had all your services done at the Honda dealership I'm pretty sure they'll pay all of the transmission fix or some of it.

I've had the services done at several Honda dealerships as I moved while we owned the Accord. But hopefully something good will come of it.

If we can make it last a little while longer while we test drive all the cars and consider our options it would be nice. :smile:

Test drove the Acura TL yesterday and boy was that nice! But the Fusion / Sonata are great value for the money.

Oh ok... Either way thats not a bad repair history.. I can however see it being annoying. Between the Fusion and Sonata I would go with Sonata. BUT if you do get the limited with the bigger wheels etc.. They are the only ones that look impressive. The Kia Optima as someone said earlier are basically the same car and definately loook more sporty. Its all in what your looking for. Just dont plan on getting a ton of resale out of it if that is something you take into consideration.

Brian.

Bummer to hear about the resale...but we would plan to keep the cars for another 10 years or so. Maybe by then it wouldn't matter as much.

 

[Moses]

Tsx?
Rl?

Genesis?

 

[Vega$ NSX]

I vote Sonata Hybrid

 

[White92]

You're right about the new Accord. My dad has been buying Hondas since the 70's. Honda or nothing. He ordered an 09 Accord. (wanting the VIN that starts with a J) He doesn't like it so much. It's still a safe choice, but it's his least favorite Accord to date. TSX or TL? Let me know if you want help with getting one. :wink:

 

[d.n]

I had a Sonata for a rental for a few weeks. The novelty of the start button goes away after a while. I guess I also owned an S2000 for a while which could be part of it. The blue lighting on the dash is hard on the eyes at night. I found it hard to read when dimmed, and hard on the eyes when the brightness is turned up. Modern perhaps, but I am not a fan at all. I guess it didn't help that the radio was having some issues (I did note some coffee stains on the lower console area by the AC plug, I can only hope this caused it). Also my biggest peeve was that the drive by wire (I assume it's drive by wire) throttle was very sensative. It took some effort to just putz around and not goose the gas off the line. My back got a little tired on a 1.5hr drive, so I'm not crazy about the seats at all

The trunk was enormous - camry territory there, but so is the price . Is there a reason Camry is not on the list?

Incidentally a family member of mine has a fusion as a rental right now hah. The black with flake in it is a great color, but the wheels on it are terrible. The gauge cluster looks like a fake one you'd find in a children's toy car or maybe console video game steering wheel setup. Seriously it's terrible, but the inner plastic in the gauge cluster has some warpage which makes it look very cheap. Seats are decent. I can't really comment on it much as I'm not driving the car except on occasion. I did take it for a 2hr drive and my back didn't get tired, so take that for what it's worth. Everything worked fine. I did notice one odd sensation when putting the car into reverse before the car had completely stopped rolling forward (I was the passenger here, not the pilot!). At first I thought "good thing I don't own a ford", but it was a rental car afterall so perhaps not fair to blame the brand

 

[NsXMas]

I had a Sonata for a rental for a few weeks. The novelty of the start button goes away after a while. I guess I also owned an S2000 for a while which could be part of it. The blue lighting on the dash is hard on the eyes at night. I found it hard to read when dimmed, and hard on the eyes when the brightness is turned up. Modern perhaps, but I am not a fan at all. I guess it didn't help that the radio was having some issues (I did note some coffee stains on the lower console area by the AC plug, I can only hope this caused it). Also my biggest peeve was that the drive by wire (I assume it's drive by wire) throttle was very sensative. It took some effort to just putz around and not goose the gas off the line. My back got a little tired on a 1.5hr drive, so I'm not crazy about the seats at all

The trunk was enormous - camry territory there, but so is the price . Is there a reason Camry is not on the list?

Incidentally a family member of mine has a fusion as a rental right now hah. The black with flake in it is a great color, but the wheels on it are terrible. The gauge cluster looks like a fake one you'd find in a children's toy car or maybe console video game steering wheel setup. Seriously it's terrible, but the inner plastic in the gauge cluster has some warpage which makes it look very cheap. Seats are decent. I can't really comment on it much as I'm not driving the car except on occasion. I did take it for a 2hr drive and my back didn't get tired, so take that for what it's worth. Everything worked fine. I did notice one odd sensation when putting the car into reverse before the car had completely stopped rolling forward (I was the passenger here, not the pilot!). At first I thought "good thing I don't own a ford", but it was a rental car afterall so perhaps not fair to blame the brand

Interesting info. I rented a Camry last Friday, liked it, but was not in love with it. The interior is kind of bland, like the Accord. I'm not really a Toyota guy, not sure why - always thought Toyotas were boring. Also no Nissan since I had bad experiences with my Nissan 240SX and Nissan truck.

I really am hating to have to dig out a key every time to start the car. It's just a little thing, but it's more than novelty to me, it's convenience of having the key in my pocket and never having to dig it out.

 

[Hrant]

V6 TSK.

Drive it before you decide or comment :wink:

 

[socalx]

all you sonata lovers, have you driven one?
all the attention and positive press got me to go drive one (the turbo) on the plus side, if i told you it had a v6 you would believe me. (plenty of power and zero tubo lag or whine). However, it had torque steer and some of the syling i find overdone. In the end i like my wifes 2010 accord v-6 navi. it is actually the first car we have ever bought that we like more, as time goes by.

 

[JohnJW]

How about a KIA Optima, I agree with the resale, but they are pretty cool looking.

 

[Honcho]

I would go with the Fusion. Ford has come a long way and I would stack up their current products against Honda or Toyota any day. If I were in the market for a sedan, I'd be looking hard at the Fusion.

I hate to say it, but Honda is really losing its way. Most of their lineup is based on technology from the late 1990's and it's really starting to show. Advanced VTEC was supposed to happen in 2006. Where is it? All Hondas and Acuras are still using the old J-series V6. Really? That was a hot engine in 1998. Not so much anymore. Where is the Honda ingenuity? The Honda performance and economy? Where?? When Honda is being outclassed by Hyundai, there is a real problem.

You know, my first Honda was a used 180k mile 1988 Accord LXi 5-speed. It got me through college and law school. Even though the body was rusting off it by the end, that car never left me stranded. I drove it from Ithaca to Tampa for spring break one year with almost no coolant in the engine. Never so much as sputtered. A/C blew ice cold. All the power buttons worked. The transmission snicked into every gear just like my NSX. The engine pulled strong all the way to redline in that way only Honda engines used to do. The steering was sporting and lively. I got 36 mpg on the highway with the cruise set at 72. It didn't burn a drop of oil.

Compare that to today's Honda. Bloated, fat...tired. My RDX, a "compact" SUV, weighs almost 4000 lbs! I'm lucky to get 23 or 24 mpg out of it. The stereo has burned out twice and two of my speakers are blown...again. The steering wheel creaks when it is cold and there are all kinds of interior rattles when I hit bumps. This car is less than 2 years old. My 20 year old NSX has less quality issues than this brand new Honda.

I say get the Ford and don't look back.

 

[NSXLVR]

Are you just dead set on buying new? because of the two cars you've listed I'd still find myself buying a used TSX or a previous body styled TL over a Fusion or Sonata

 

[Jetpilot3]

The magazine reports and how it looks....easy. Sonata.

Haha...I meant the Kia Optima! Oops. The styling is quite nice and the front end is really attactive for a sedan.

Other option Audi A4. Not as expensive as they used to be...

 

[s14_tat]

+ 1 for the Kia Optima as well. And for the previous comment about the start button and comparing it to a S2000 is incorrect. The S2000's starter button is pure novelty because you still have to use the key and turn it to the on position, then push the button. It is utter retarded to need 2 steps with both hands to start the car. The newer smart keyless entry systems requires you to just push a button and leave the keys in your pocket. Apples to watermelons here.

I also agree with the Accords and Camry's, they look okay until you see a Sonata or a Optima drive by, than the they start to look extremely dated, with a dashboard that is a big clusterf*** of buttons and cheap plastics on the Accord and I never liked the Camry ever. In my shop I see Toyota's with leaking rack and pinions day in a day out. I feel bad for those customers. It does not matter if its a toyota or a lexus, they all have the same problems. Whoever they outsourced their rack and pinions out to is not doing a very good job.

 

[White92]

Haha...I meant the Kia Optima! Oops. The styling is quite nice and the front end is really attactive for a sedan.

Other option Audi A4. Not as expensive as they used to be...

friends don't let friends drive Audi. Good luck driving that car for 10 years and having a window regulator being your biggest gripe. :tongue:

 

[Jetpilot3]

Yeah...just sayin'

The Kia seems the winner in this battle however the OP should go test drive a few and see what fits and feels best.

Its too bad Acura is making such Fugly cars these days...I call the look "Rhino Grill"...haha.