Daily Podcast: Hold on Tight to Your Dreams

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

I can't get that friggin' song out of my head. Even my trusty pop hook removal methodology– humming Elvis' Rock A Hula Baby– won't exorcise the tune from my neurological pathways. I'm not sure what the Hell Electric Light Orchestra's hit has to do with driving an Accord, but whatever Honda paid for the rights, it was too little. If only they'd used the French chorus as well; a nation of American children would know what "accroches-toi a ton reve" means. Or not. I once met a beautiful young girl in Spain who could sing every single word of every single Yes song ever written with perfect inflection– without knowing what any of it meant. Come to think of it, I'm still trying to figure out how you send an instant karma to someone. Anyway, do people really dream of owning an Accord? Someday Pearl, when my ship comes in, I'm gonna buy me one of them Honda Accords. Why not? Those of us in the biz tend to forget how loopy people get over cars. Oh sure, we pistonheads go all loopy over Skyline GT-Rs and Maserati Quattroportes and suchlike. But if you've never seen someone ooh and ah over an automotive appliance, you really should. It teaches you the power of dreams. Oh, hang on. That's it, isn't it? Right. Gotcha.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

More by Robert Farago

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 8 comments
  • Kurt B Kurt B on Nov 29, 2007

    I'll more disliked than ever for this comment ;-) I feel sorrier for people who lust after low end luxury marques than those who lust after a common sedan. At least with the Accord et al you aren't paying extra for the logo and getting nothing in return. And no, I don't lust after the Accord.

  • Kevin Kluttz Kevin Kluttz on Nov 30, 2007

    The Accord is quite an uncommon sedan. I did lust after one since 1986 until I could afford one in 2001. 172000 miles later, I hope it NEVER wears out. And it's just 6th gen. It IS a car to lust after. It is the perfect car.

  • Robert Schwartz Robert Schwartz on Nov 30, 2007

    Kevin. I have bad news for you. I have owned a 2002 Accord and a 2003. The 2002, which is similar to your 2001, is, IMHO, a more pleasant car to own. The 2003 was a better handling car, it felt more stable and more locked into the road, and it had 20% more power (both V6s the 2002 is 200 hp the 2003 is 240), but, I did not care for its ergonomics. The 2003 actually gets slightly better mileage than the 2002. Switches and gauges were styled to look good, not be most usable. Why was the ventilation fan speed control between the radio knobs? The fuel gauge which was vertical with F on top was changed to horizontal. The arm rest trays in the the 2002 had openers arranged vertically, the one on top was opened by the top lever. The 2003 put them in the same plane and it was impossible to select the right one without experimentation. Further, the greenhouse in the 2002 is more open than the 2003 and gives better visibility. I found the 2003 induced mild claustrophobia. I think the 2002 is a bit shorter and lighter than the 2003. A couple of moths ago I traded the 2003 in for a new CUV for the wife. There were other issues such as value and which car carried a note, but I am perfectly content continuing to own the 2002. The 2008 is a different car than either the 2002 or the 2003. It is on the platform used for the Acura RL and the JDM Legend, and qualifies as a large car under EPA rules. It is bigger than what I need now and I doubt that I would buy one. Because the 2002 still has many years and miles (odo is at 40K) of service left, I expect that I will not have to replace it soon. Unless, one of my kids takes it.

  • Johnster Johnster on Dec 01, 2007

    It seems to me that V-6 powered Accord is a very decent, reasonably-priced car that I might actually, one day, be able to buy. Even similar near-luxury cars (Cadillac CTS, Lincoln MKZ, Infiniti G35, Acura TL, Lexus ES350, Volvo S60) seems, to me, to be just a bit pretencious. The last time I went new car shopping I actually narrowed my choices down to the Accord V-6 and the Camry V-6. Then when I got to the dealerships and started contemplating the actual payments. Before I knew it, I was next considering 4-cylinder Accord and 4-cylinder Camrys, and then Civics and Corollas. And that's how I ended up with a Civic. But I still aspire to a V-6 Honda Accord Coupe. (And when you squint really hard it sort of looks like a Bentley Continental.)

Next