Question of the Day: Did I Do The Wrong Thing?
Some of you may remember last week when I "advised" my friend to go ahead and purchase a Citroen SM. Your collective reaction was swift and merciless. So much so that she didn't buy it. However, I got a very frenzied phone call from her yesterday. She was at a Honda dealer, they were all out of Fits. But there were two cars she liked and now she needed my advice. In the white corner, with just 1,000 miles on the clock is a 2008 4-banga, automatic Accord. Priced to move at $21,600. In the kinda-pewter, kinda-gunmetal corner is a 2006 Infiniti G35. Also a slushbox, but with a very healthy VQ V6. While it's cheaper than the accord (just $20,000) it has 50,000 miles on it. "Well," I began. "The accord is the more logical choice. It's essentially brand new. It'll get better mileage than the G and most likely last forever. The Infiniti's engine will last even longer than the Honda's (those VTEC headgaskets love to die) but you'll start getting Lucasian electrical gremlins at 100,000 miles and there is no question the AC, CV joints and windows will stop working by 150,000. No question." And then I paused. Could I in good faith really advise someone to buy an Accord — especially a slushy four-cylinder — instead of a RWD entry-level luxury/performance 3-Series competitor? No way in hell! "You know what though, the $1,600 you save on the Infiniti will cover the gas mileage difference. Also, Accords are one of the most stolen cars. You should get the G35." Bad?
Cleanup driver for Team Black Metal V8olvo.
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USAFMech: Dammit man, you're right!
If she likes to drive, the G was the right choice. If she aims her car to direct it from point A to point B, the Accord was still overpriced, and she should have been looking at 4-pot Camries or Yarises. It's like comparing a pair of tennis shoes to stylish high heels. I mean, you don't do a value comparison, you get what you like.
Like Axel said, the G35 is the way to go if she's a car enthusiast. In any other case, the Accord is a better car for her. If she's just looking for basic transit, then she won't really be able to enjoy the G for what its worth. She might complain of how cheap the interior details (dashboard material, "metallic" trim pieces that are possibly worn out, etc.) look in comparison to the Accord, while ignoring the G35's BMW-like handling, the mechanical beauty of its Front-Midship mounted VQ V6, and its Nissan Skyline roots.
Jonny - you screwed up - the 4 banger Accord doesn't have aggressive variable valve lift, and mostly makes due with variable valve timing. Not to mention your statement about VTEC head gaskets is completely unsubstantiated by mine or my colleague's personal experiences(as the owner of 5 Civics, including several with motor swaps and original engines having various evolutions of VTEC throughout Honda's years) Hondas are indestructible.