Buying a used Honda Accord Euro (2003-2008)
Honda's early Accord appealed to conservatives and value junkies but then along came the Euro versionIf you’re in the business of selling European-made cars you might well read this article
with teeth gritted and tears welling. The Accord Euro, as its badging suggests, was built to convince buyers in the $30-50,000 bracket that a Honda could be as interesting and involving as any rival from France, Italy, Sweden or Germany.
As Japan’s most innovative car-maker is prone to do. Its Euro Accord then blew its competition away with a combination of quality, equipment and handling that was matched only by another Japanese product; the Mazda 6.
Accord sales that totalled 6200 during 2003 had, four years later, jumped to 15,500. More than 8000 of the increased total comprised Euros.
With an in-line four-cylinder engine instead of the standard Accord’s V6 it placed less weight ahead of the windscreen and cut overall bulk. Handling, response and precision took precedence over ride quality and quietness.
The Euro was made only with the 2.4-litre engine; double-overhead camshafts taking advantage of variable valve timing to deliver 140kW of power within a few hundred rpm of its electronic cut-out.
Euros were available with five-speed automatic or six-speed manual transmission. A low 4.44:1 final-drive ratio ensured punchy mid-range acceleration, but both versions were heftily geared to ensure they could waft along at 100km/h and with only 2500rpm showing on the brightly-lit tachometer.
Euro pricing began at $34,250 for the basic six-speed and reached almost $43,000 for a Luxury automatic. An equivalent ‘full sized’ Accord would cost more than $49,000.
Entry-levels Euros scored climate-control air-con, remote central locking, full electrics, a six-CD stacker, leather-bound wheel and 16-inch alloys. Automatic transmission added just $2000 to the starting price and a Limited Edition manual with leather trim appealed at $36,490.
Finding $8000 extra to fund a new Luxury wasn’t really worth the money unless you were desperate to have cow-hide under your bum and the sun belting in through a sliding electric sunroof. In the used market, the price difference between a cloth and leather-trimmed car has contracted considerably.
Safety was a priority for the Euro’s engineering team and the car is laden with protective equipment including front, side and head-protecting air-bags plus belt pretensioners. Due to issues with lower limb protection, the Euro only managed a Four Star ANCAP rating.
Not crashing at all is the preferred option and entirely possible if you drive a Euro. Primary avoidance features include powerful, ABS-equipped disc brakes, stability control and -- after 2005 -- traction control too. Honda’s competition-inspired suspension does a great job of keeping tyres in proper contact with the road rather than distorting and lifting the tread face mid-bend.
The MY06 upgrade that arrived in December 2005 brought minor visual changes including a new grille, bumpers and lights. The dash layout changed for the better but the steering wheel’s cluster of control buttons was more tightly bunched in 2006-08 models. Sat Nav was an option for Luxury buyers.
A Sport version was introduced in February 2006 and stayed only until July. It must have sold well if the number on offer as used cars is any guide. Arriving late in 2007 and running until a revamped Euro was launched in 2008 was a ‘Tourer’ version.
That’s important too, because with variable valve timing technology at work, maximum power arrived just 300rpm short of the 7100rpm redline. If you don’t like seeing the needle high on the tacho dial and hear an engine crackle and scream, don’t buy one of these.
The six-speed manual is the car the enthusiastic driver will most likely select. Around town, the auto with its almost telepathic shift pattern is very good but little is going to beat the aural reward and retardation delivered when you clamp down hard on the brake pedal and slot the gear-lever straight back from fifth to second.
The stock 16-inch alloys look undersized and 205-section tyres might seem inadequate but don’t be too hasty to judge until you’ve driven on them; city and most rural driving will never approach the car’s adhesion limits. A racetrack perhaps would and for those who want to try there are cars available with 17s and chunkier tyres.
Wet roads and bumps can produce a short-lived flurry of wheel spin and torque steer but people who don’t bury the foot in challenging conditions will never know.
The seats, be they cloth or leather trimmed, are well-shaped and comfortable. Looking at used Euros that have been exposed to sun for more than a decade confirms that the trim materials are durable and high quality.
Anyone whose family didn’t own an early Accord will have avoided the torrent of self-congratulation every time the car came back from a service having needed nothing but oil, a filter, maybe a hose or some spark plugs. Compared with the Cortinas, Toranas and
Leyland products they replaced in many Aussie carports, early Accords displayed extraordinary reliability and have maintained that attribute.
People who drive their Euro as the designers intended cannot grumble about excessive fuel consumption, but some do. In open going, the free-revving 2.4 should return 11.3-12.2L/100km. An auto in the city might require more and, yes, 95 Octane Premium fuel is needed.
Mid-range performance with either transmission is very good and even an automatic Euro whips through the 80-120km/h overtaking test in just over five seconds.
>> Cars that have travelled more than 200,000 kilometres may need attention to drive-shaft universal joints and the power steering. Look at these components for leaks or damaged rubber seals and get a price on replacements before finalising the deal.
>> Make sure that the five-speed automatic transmission shifts easily when left to its own devices or when used manually. Problems have been reported where the car holds gears longer than necessary and is reluctant to down-shift even when manually over-ridden.
>> A savage action and/or clutch shudder mean that a new clutch is due soon. Buy a quality replacement which, with sensible use, should last 100,000 kilometres.
>> The electrics are generally reliable however things that do fail are costly to fix. Test all the windows and make sure the seat warmers (where fitted) do work. So too the steering-wheel control buttons and the air-conditioning switches.
>> Owners of metallic red cars report fading and ‘blotches’ so inspect the paint in bright sun and shade for deterioration.
USED VEHICLE GRADING
Design and Function: 16/20
Safety: 13/20
Practicality: 15/20
Value for Money: 15/20
Wow Factor: 10/20
SCORE: 69/100
ALSO CONSIDER: Subaru Liberty 2.5i, Mazda 6, Volkswagen Passat 2.0T
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