[Closed] Car Opinions: Accord or Passat?

accord all the way... it's a honda.......

If the Accord is a diesel walk away.

The early diesel Accords had awful engine problem when they got high miles on them.

Yes, they ARE both Diesels.
What was wrong the Accord?

Passat with automatic gear ...

I ran an Accord Tourer as a company car for a while.It was a great vehicle.Much more refined and than the gruff Passat TDis of the same vintage.

Don`t know about the high mileage issues,I had to give mine back when I changed jobs!

I`d also be looking at Mondeos.Nicer to drive than the Passat.

Honda actually have the build quality that everyone thinks VW has, but doesn't.

Had looked at Mondeos. But found all the localish ones had massive mileages!

accord all the way, chain driven cams, as opposed to the belts on the vw, which need replacing at some point.
my mate has one, (accord 2.2 ictdi) 54 plate with 105000miles on it, nothing done to it apart from routine wear and tear.
i have a mondeo 2.0 tdci, which sounds like a massey ferguson in comparison.

Passat with automatic gear ... I think Accord does not have an automatic gear version.

Also I like the boring look of Passat.

I have a 55 accord tourer cdti its a brilliant car, good mpg, v reliable. Honda have extended warranty on some parts even to the non original owner. Just ahd a new exhaust manifold on warranty. Honda have a new cheap servicing/parts policy too. I would happily pay the extra 600.

I have no experience of the passat.

[i]my mate has one, (accord 2.2 ictdi) 54 plate with 105000miles on it, nothing done to it apart from routine wear and tear.[/i]
105K? Is that all?
My 51 Passat only has 218k & likewise has ony had routine wear & tear jobs done on it. Still doing 47mpg round the doors too.

I have an 06 Passat which is the 2.0 TDi that everyone says is rough and tractor-like. Well, it is a bit noisy at idle and low speeds, but really WGAF? It's a motorway cruiser, and the engine is beautifully smooth in 4th and above, so I don't really care. If I were taking it to the shops all the time it would annoy me a little more perhaps.

I discounted the Accord when I was shopping because of the poor fuel economy figures, but that may not be the whole story. A family friend reported 60mpg on the way down from Edinburgh, but he is a retired civil servant so who knows how easily he was taking it. I can get 60mpg from my auto saloon Passat though by using the amazing tactic of sticking the cruise on 70mph, but that's with the winter tyres. The summers form the same manufacturer are strangely less economical - about 56mpg on the same run.

Hmmmm well I have an opinion on hondas after working for them in there factory in Swindon which I hated every minute of.

Buy Honda they are very very well made the QC is amazing, infact after I left Honda I bought one

Nuff said

Hmmmm well I have an opinion on hondas after working for them in there factory in Swindon which I hated every minute of.

Buy Honda they are very very well made the QC is amazing, infact after I left Honda I bought one

Nuff said

If you need internal space it's the new shape Accord estate go for the Passat.

The old shape Accord was massive inside the new one is rubbish inside.

I cant afford the New shape Accord!
I have about £3000
I want a diesel estate. Power to tow,and plenty of room in the boot for the dog and the back seat for the soon to be arriving baby Elmo.

Also looked at Saab's and Vectra's but don't really fancy the Vectra and i'm concerned about the long term reliability of the Saab.

The Mondeos around seem very high mileage, so i ended on Passat's and Accords.
I do like the Accord but i've now read about cam chain problems at 100k. Right about where i'm looking!

A mate at work has an 06 Saab, the bloody thing's falling apart!

Unless its a W8 Passat get the accord.

Whats with the get a auto box? They're shocking unless its a DSG box and if your buying one for mpg reasons never get a auto.

Old Passats are great cars, had mine 11 years. 2 things to watch; the drainage holes in the battery compartment can block damaging the main computer in the footwell and (in my case) rotting the brake servo allowing rain water to get sucked into the engine; the suspension arms need constant replacement too.
Despite this, it's been fast,economical,coped with constant overloading and is still on the origional battery and exhaust.

I love my accord.

So comfy, so reliable, so cheap, so economical.

I've driven passats too, they're fine.

But I love my accord. Drives like a good petrol engine once it's warm too.

I'd have the Passat of those two. The 1.9TDI's were generally bombproof, which is more than can be said of the 2.0 that's followed (and somehow the early TDI 140's were rougher than the engine they replaced!). The 'high-miler' thread on here a week or so back should give you an idea of just how tough they are.

HOWEVER - I'd get a Mondeo. The boot is heaps bigger (and more useable) than the pair you're considering. 3 XC bikes with wheels out + a weekend's light luggage goes in even badly packed. My wife and I had previously mostly had German premium cars but we now have 2 Mondeos 04 and 05, both high milers (the wife's petrol hatch bought with 99k on, my diesel estate was bought at 4 years old with 40k and has been chomping up the miles since). Both have been brilliant ownership experiences and both are still 'tight' to drive.

When we bought mine we had 2 large dogs (now sadly passed on) and we could get them and most of a weekend's luggage in the boot. We now have two young kids and can get a weekend's worth of stuff (including a monster pram) in the boot under the load cover with space to spare.

Mine has only given me one scarey bill and that was when the DMF went a few months back. The car's good enough that it took me about 30 seconds to decide to have it done and keep the car (instead of trading it for something new/nearly new, which was my other option).

The 130 TDCI is a rough idler but once up to 30mph it's smooth, the power delivery is even and it stays that way to continental motorway pounding speed. Mine's currently turning in 46mpg (mostly motorway use at 70 and with 'measured' use of the throttle).

OH and it has a chain driven cam too!

Sorry if that sounds rather evangelical (deranged even) but after four and a bit years of ownership it is the only car I have owned that I have not felt like I really want to get rid of at any point not because it is the best car ever but because it is reliable and an excellent compromise of size/luggage capacity/comfort/performance for a family load lugger. It's a barge round town though.

If you're going for a manual have a careful listen when you drop the clutch while stationary with the engine running. Any ADDITIONAL sustained clanking could be an early sign of DMF/release bearing death. Also if there's a rhythmic vibration (sound and sensation through your seat) at a steady 70mph. These were the first symptoms when mine went along with a kind of scraping noise when easing the clutch out in traffic. Lots of smoke and a poor economy reading also common indicators (this is any modern diesel not just Mondeos)

If it is it's walk away time....

Crikey, didn't I waffle.

😳

if your buying one for mpg reasons never get a auto

If you want one, a DSG can be good. Mine's DSG and as above good for 55mpg on motorway or more.

I've got an accord tourer diesel. Great cars but the mpg can be a bit low. There are three common issues that IM aware off. 1. The clutch can need replacing. This was a fairly low(ish) fixed price but has recently gone up to around £900 at a Honda dealer. 2. Rear brakes can bind. The fix is a caliper rebuild and to replace the hoses, budget a couple of hundred quid for that. 3. VSA module can go which is a fair whack to replace.

Having said all that I do all my own servicing so that saves loads on main dealer prices. Plus it's a lovely car to drive. Pop over to the type accord website loads of info there.

Oh yeah overall average is 44mpg since I've owned it (3 years) and that's a mix of town, countryside commuteand motorway miles. Best I've ever had is 50 worst is 39.

That sounds worse than my Passat then.

Maybe a little :D, but thank you very much though garage dweller!

Been looking on Type accord. Not sure if I've scared myself off getting one after reading about the chains!

This was a fairly low(ish) fixed price but has recently gone up to around £900 at a Honda dealer.

Had my clutch done at a honda dealer for a fixed price of 600 quid in jan 2011. Paid for by the car dealer I bought mine off. This was much less than half of the quotes I got elswhere (like 1500-2k??)

Crikey ... that much for clutch change ... go for auto then ...

its the year 2012 you know, clutch changes are not 150 quid anymore, that ended in about 1986..

There is no auto on the accord diesel. Costs a bomb as the engine has to be dropped.

Don't go for the DSG if you want to save money - on the early ones (I think) the oil change is like £300 every 80k.

Honda every time. We have a CRV and an Eos, both diesel. The Honda engine is much more refined. Fuel consumption is acceptable, build is better (although more hard plastics). Honda dealers are vastly better than VW.

Meh, our VW dealer is bang on. The Honda one isn't bad mind.

Drive both see which one you prefer.

toys19 - Member

its the year 2012 you know, clutch changes are not 150 quid anymore, that ended in about 1986..

It is not as if the clutch is for an expensive car but normal household estate car so anything more than £500 is a rip-off but then we are in UK and we know that we get rip-off all the time ... then we rip-off other to cover for someone ripping us off ...

Alternatively ... go for Toyota Avensis estate auto then ... best of both world 😀

Toyota is the Japanese workhorse but space might just be a bit smaller by comparison.

chewie, if toyota made a car as big as the honda I would own it. Unfortunately they dont, but the Honda is probably 2nd only to toyota on quality.

toys19 - Member

chewie, if toyota made a car as big as the honda I would own it. Unfortunately they dont, but the Honda is probably 2nd only to toyota on quality.

The new Toyota Avensis estate is bigger compare to the old Avensis but that's another topic because it's beyond OP's budget.

Yes, the Honda has larger space for the earlier model.

The new Toyota Avensis estate is bigger compare to the old Avensis but that's another topic because it's beyond OP's budget.

And mine , and it still isnt as big as the accord estate. It fits my dh bike in the boot seats down, straight in no wheels off or anything.

toys19 - Member
And mine , and it still isnt as big as the accord estate. It fits my dh bike in the boot seats down, straight in no wheels off or anything.

Well, just a suggestion as I prefer Toyota. 🙂

after four and a bit years of ownership it is the only car I have owned that I have not felt like I really want to get rid of at any point

+1. Had my Mondeo for coming up to four years and it's likely to be replaced by another one.

Had a Passat before that; couldn't fault it either, but the cockpit in the Mondy is light years ahead of the VW. I sat in a new Passat recently and it still looks like it was designed in 1990.

Cougar,

I prefer the Passat 2012 over ...

[img] [/img]

Mondeo 2012.

[img] [/img]

Hm,

My Mondeo doesn't look anything like that. Interesting.

[img] [/img]

My Mondeo doesn't look anything like that. Interesting.

Because its actually a Volvo?

My Mondeo doesn't look anything like that. Interesting.

Because its actually a Volvo?

And to answer the o.p Honda all the way. My FrV has been outstanding in six years of ownership. Can't see myself selling it for another 3 or 4 years yet.

That's another thing. Honda servicing is incredibly cheap and they valet the car for you for free. Parts cost buttons too.

I had a 55 plate 2.2CTDI Accord Tourer from new for 3 years, and about 50000 miles. It was a good car, 100% reliable, huge boot, and not bad to drive. At the time this was supposed to be the most economic diesel out there. Only got near the combined mpg figure by driving very, very gently. Honda dealers not great in my experience.

Only negative for me was that after 3 years, despite being very well looked after, the car started feeling old to me (noisy, baggy and worn). At the time, this was supposed to be one of the most refined diesel engines out there (they don't claim that any more as everyone else has moved on...), but my last two new cars have been petrols, which I prefer (my annual mileage has also reduced btw).

I'm a fussy sod when in comes to interiors, and I am very pleased with my now 6year old 85k Passat.

An old Accord may well have depreciated more than a passat so you will get more for your money if you only have £3k.

I reckon accords hold their value better than passats..

I do like them both.
I'm currently asking questions on the Accord forums about the diesel chain problems.
That could sway my decision.
Unless a nice mondeo turns up soon!

Old Audi. 1995 A6, 275k miles, 210k on the current engine, which was changed before we bought it. Never replaced anything, still does 45mpg and is probably about £800.

I had two MKv11 Accord over the course of 5 years and drove 120-130K in them. One company car and one private, with company Passats before them.

The Accords blew lots of light bulbs and both had cracked exhuast manifolds (Honda still repair these under warranty). The Accord clutch has better life than Civics and I didn't replace a single one. The VSA issue seems fairly rare on TypeAccord too. Really I had very little go wrong on the Accords. Especially no electical niggles etc..We have a MKviii now.

If I had the choice I'd get the Accord. They seem reliable for a tdi, handle very much better than Passats.

I have an accord type r, best car I've ever had, I'm on my second one only cos the mileage of the first got into starship figures.

Superb car and better than any passant I've ever been in, I love my vw t5 but they don't make cars so well.

Honda all the way Ü

MMM, forum advice seems to be full decent service history, with the right oil. Ideally hang out for one with the work already done 😕

Oh well search will continue!

Bregante - Member

My Mondeo doesn't look anything like that. Interesting.

Because its actually a Volvo?

D'oh! Wrong picture link ... Well Passat 2012 still looks better IMO but then I don't really electronic gadgets in car and rather prefer plain looking ones ...

Well, my choice is Toyota Avensis ... 😆

I bought an 07 accord diesel tourer for £3900 plus a 52 plate golf GTTdi with no oil in the gearbox

Its a great car, no more boring than a passat, infact a bit sharper id say.

Has ALL of the toys too, literally everything, something like £37K when new, 4 years straight from lease.

Had the manifold replaced FOC by Honda, have the callipers to sort out at the rear, but otherwise look at honest Johns for a list of problems with the equivalent passat, it runs into pages as oppose to about 6 things with the accord.

All of the passats i was interested in at the time were either on 3 owners in 4 years, in the garage getting their park brake fixed or strangely had no repair paperwork with them at all, as if everything had been disposed of