Ok, made the jump yesterday - picked up an '05 Accord LX. Coming from an old '89 Prelude Si, I think I miss driving the Prelude already! But it's nice to have working a/c again although I'll miss the sunroof :-( Will also sorely miss the handling of the 'ol Prelude! Starting to feel like an old fart already....
I asked the salesguy about the break-in oil I've read so much about on here. He had to check with a mechanic and called me back today - said the oil that comes with it is regular oil with additives! They no longer use break-in oil, and to have the first oil change just like the others. Anyone heard this one before?
Anyway the Accord is a nice car but just big. Keep thinking I should have gone for the Civic EX - but it was underpowered and the Si was ugly, IMHO. Mazda 3 w/2.3 engine was nice - but Mazda reliability scared me, along with the below average dealerships I went to. Amazing how each Mazda dealership would not negotiate the price of the 3 because they were selling like "hotcakes", yet - they still had NEW '04 models on their lots! Amazing...
To keep from feeling like an old fart - I picked up the Accord in a 5-speed. I'm sure it'll be a pain to try and sell later on, but at least I'll enjoy driving it in the meantime!
-Dave