Accord replacement has arrived

[SJ_GTI]

The gas milage isn't that great but it's a tradeoff for the other things the Accord doesn't have, mainly 4WD and all that.

Maybe I could just get a moped for day-to-day situations that don't require bringing other people around.

Or bad idea? The hospital is just up the way a mile or so if I crash.

FWIW my point was more that 14-17 MPG ain't bad for a luxury SUV with a V8.

[AutobahnSHO]

It has more realtor panache than Subies and IMO the car's looks have aged well.

This

look at those passenger seat options!!! 

It's high-class mediocre, which is perfect for the job/location.

[MexicoCityM3]

Congrats old man.

[MX793]

With all that snow, I can see why you wanted 4WD.

[Byteme]

Thanks man!

I think it's the combination of the chrome wheels and the gold badges but yeah, they're decent and in person, they're not very glaring but they're still chrome.

The gold badges, however, really gotta go. Is that even a popular thing for people to do anymore? It seems like that was a 90s/early-mid 2000s fad.

Yeah, dump the gold trim. 

I've always referred to those as the TGT option; Tacky Gold Trim Option.   

It's even sillier when you know how much shops charged for doing that vs. how much it cost them. 

[MX793]

I think the gold emblems were actually from the factory.  They actually work with some colors (particularly greens) without looking completely tasteless.

[Soup DeVille]

I think the gold emblems were actually from the factory.  They actually work with some colors (particularly greens) without looking completely tasteless.

No they don't.

[Morris Minor]

California Window Tint Law
http://tintlaws.com/california-window-tint-law.php

Edit: 3M now makes an (expensive) film that passes pretty well all light, but blocks out a lot of heat, that cops will not notice when you accidentally have it applied to the windshield.

Edit Two: It's 3M Crystalline:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Window_Film/Solutions/Markets-Products/Automotive/Crystalline-Automotive-Films/

[68_427]

Damn even Cali isn't as strict as NYS.  My friend got $1200 worth of tint tickets for his last WRX.  Officer wrote him a separate ticket for each window.

[Morris Minor]

Damn even Cali isn't as strict as NYS.  My friend got $1200 worth of tint tickets for his last WRX.  Officer wrote him a separate ticket for each window.

That is a true arsehole move that does not endear the forces of law & order to the citizenry.

[68_427]

He ripped all the tint off and they were dropped but yeah that's normal for NYS...

[veeman]

Damn even Cali isn't as strict as NYS.  My friend got $1200 worth of tint tickets for his last WRX.  Officer wrote him a separate ticket for each window.

That's probably because he has a WRX.  My Sonata is tinted on all 4 windows beyond "legal" and no law enforcement ever gave me any trouble (I lived in New York for 6 years with the Sonata).  You can still see inside the car so they're not that dark but they are above what's legal.   The tint guy in the Bronx told me no one will ever give you any trouble as long as it's not a boy racer car, it's not  riced, and you can still see pretty easily inside the car.

[68_427]

A black wrx wagon with good prodrive wheels, headers and full carless exhaust is boy racer?

[BENZ BOY15]

They're basically Toyota Land Cruiser Prados, so they're actually supposed to be quite good off-road.

Exactly. It'll be great for the areas that require a little bit more height and for exploring larger tracts of land and other areas that aren't readily accessible via Accord. And there are many.

That said, I'm not exactly referring to this:





They also don't have buttons to change the 4WD; it's an actual lever. The parking brake is the same way and while some might not like all the levers in that one area, I like it.  There's Downhill Assistant Control button is intriguing and I wonder if I'll ever use it. The headlights are a significant upgrade from the Accord but that said, I'm looking into a fog light/guard grill setup. The fog around here can be atrociously dense and persistent, so I'd guess they would help during those situations. Many people up here have aftermarket fog light/guard grill setups for SUVs & pickups.

I also think they look great, provided it's the right one and isn't too ridiculous.

[BENZ BOY15]

FWIW my point was more that 14-17 MPG ain't bad for a luxury SUV with a V8.

It really isn't that bad, especially considering the Suburban got 12 ish and the Hummer H2 in many tests gets under 10.

With all that snow, I can see why you wanted 4WD.

We actually get more snow than Boston and New York on average per year & some other towns higher up significantly more. It can snow here pretty good, although it hasn't since the start of the new year. My bosses & I agree that I should really try to work those areas this year and hopefully do a couple deals myself and make some money that way....which the goal for 2015. To do that, it probably entails going to the towns up the mountain further & I gotta be flexible in terms of where I do business. So there actually is some justification for getting 4WD.

That said, January & the first part of February have been freakishly mild, in the 50s & 60s with absolutely nothing frozen....save for some frost in the mornings.

But March is our snowiest month and April snow does occur so there's still hope for more white stuff. I'm looking forward to seeing how it does.

[Soup DeVille]

A black wrx wagon with good prodrive wheels, headers and full carless exhaust is boy racer?

Yes.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Is it a stickshift? I figured that would have been mentioned, it sure looks like it from the pictures. I didn't think those came in manuals.

[CJ]

It is not.

[Soup DeVille]

Is it a stickshift? I figured that would have been mentioned, it sure looks like it from the pictures. I didn't think those came in manuals.

Dude owns a mint condition Jensen Healey he's never driven; do you think he's buying a stick shift?

[thewizard16]

Very nice! I saw the first picture and thought "it definitely has a realtor (or lawyer/doctor/investment advisor's wife) look to it!"... And it has that 3rd row to take up cargo space and still be essentially unusable for anything other than decorative purposes! (Unless you have a couple toddlers you haven't told us about.)

They're nice cars and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Congrats on the purchase!

[Raza]

Gold badges?

[thewizard16]

Gold badges?

The previous owner wanted her kids to be able to pick it out of the line up of identical GXes at the Country Day School pick up line.

[BENZ BOY15]

Gold badges?

Gold badges, gold color, chrome wheels. It even has one of those stripes along the side of the car.....in a different shade of gold.



Gold just isn't my thing but for some people, they love it.

[BENZ BOY15]

Very nice! I saw the first picture and thought "it definitely has a realtor (or lawyer/doctor/investment advisor's wife) look to it!"... And it has that 3rd row to take up cargo space and still be essentially unusable for anything other than decorative purposes! (Unless you have a couple toddlers you haven't told us about.)

They're nice cars and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Congrats on the purchase!

Thanks!

It's a good car for what I do and it's also nice to know that it has a very good track record in terms of reliability.

[Byteme]

I think the gold emblems were actually from the factory.  They actually work with some colors (particularly greens) without looking completely tasteless.

I think they were plated at the POE, but in any case certainly before the dealership took possession.

[BENZ BOY15]

I think they were plated at the POE, but in any case certainly before the dealership took possession.

Putting aside the aesthetics, I think it looks dated.

[CALL_911]

Putting aside the aesthetics, I think it looks dated.

Lol what does that mean

[BENZ BOY15]

Lol what does that mean

Yeah, I was thinking that wasn't the clearest explanation of what I'm trying to say. Basically, I think it's dated and the aesthetics aren't that great & some may not hold that view.

What's good though is that it's a simple fix.

[hotrodalex]

It looks fine.

I'd leave the car as-is. It's in good condition, why mess with it?

[Soup DeVille]

Lol what does that mean

He means there was a time when gold badges didn't look horrible. As far as I can tell, that was the early renaissance period.