Torn between 2003 Accord and 2004 Solara

[Guest]

I'm in the market for a sporty coupe. I've narrowed my search to a 2003 Accord V6 coupe or the 2004 V6 Solara. I know this is a Solara site, so your comments may be bias, but which would you buy and why? Have any of you been experiencing reoccuring problems with your Solaras? Thanks for any comments!

[hari-bhari]

well, i hate to say this, but i would go with the 2003 accord. the 04 solara is pretty ugly, IMO, and i think the accord would be faster. the only thing you may want to consider is that the accord is a more popular car, so there will be a lot more on the road, and u will not be as unique. my guess is that the solara will not be nearly as popular of a car, so by getting an 04 solara, you will be a member of a more exclusive club . but of course, to some people, that sort of thing doesnt matter at all. but when i bought the solara, i was torn between getting an accord or solara as well, and the reason i got hte solara was because it was SO rare (back in 2001, i would see a solara once every 2 weeks, and get really excited. now i see 1 or 2 everytime i leave the house, but still a LOT more accords).

[Jackass-Jeff]

It really depends on where you live... I usually see 10 or so Solaras every day when I drive.

Both cars will last your a long time, although my previous Accord ran into a few problems (I think we just got a lemon), so it really depends on what you want. Do you want a sleek looking car that makes a great daily driver, or a confused looking car that makes a great daily driver. haha

The interior of the Solara looks better than the Accord, imo, but the exterior styling of the Accord is better than the gen. 2 Solara... but then again, we haven't seen it in person... You have to see a car in person before you can really judge it.

Aside from that, happy hunting!

[Eddiman]

i was torn by the same two cars..in fact i test drove both cars and the solara has really soft steering almost like a lexus...the honda has tight steering and the engine was louder, Yes the interior was cheap looking. However at the time I was not thinking of performance, I just wanted a car that no one had and that looked nice.
Honda ='s everyone has one, easy to modd, not as nice interior
Solara=' not as many people have one, nicer interior and exterior; but practically impossible to modd if you have a 14 engine.

the ball is in your court

[fotodad]

Thank you for your responses. You all make excellent points. I do like to old styling of the Solara over the 04. But, as one of you pointed out, I haven't seen an 04 in person, yet. I also completely agree that the interior on a Solara is far more luxurious looking and classier than the new Accord. The Accord felt too plasticy (is that a word?) and cheap. I drove a V6 Accord coupe a couple days ago and wasn't overly impressed with the performance...felt wimpy in my opinion. I am concerned about the number of cars out there already. Where I live (Wisconsin, Go Pack!) there are FAR more Accords than Solaras. So that's a plus for the Solara. I'm hoping one of the major car magazines does a review on the 04 Solara to help me in my decision.

I actually had a 2000 Solara and loved it. But I traded it in on a Nissan 350Z. I knew the Z would be impractical, but it's proving to be excessively impractical. So now, ironically, I'm thinking of trading the Z in on a Solara! I need to get my head out of my ass!

Thanks a ton for your thoughts! KEEP 'EM COMIN'.

[fotodad]

I registered. So I'm no longer a "guest."

[hari-bhari]

another thing is that i feel that the v6 accord doesnt have as much low end torque as the v6 solara. i test drove both, and noticed that the accord torque was somewhat steady, but i saw the rpms climb really quickly without the car accelerating quickly. so basically, even in normal driving in the v6, its really easy to take the v6 up to 4000 rpm. but then again, honda with the vtec engines generally make their cars high revving. i dont know if this puts more strain on the engine. the solara v6 felt really smooth and was quiet. you get good torque at low end, so for normal driving, you dont even have to take it above 2500 rpm (this is also the case for my 95 avalon xls). but then once you do push the engine, you get a really good push around 4000 rpm. all in all, as far is torque goes, i felt the engine in the solara was more satisfying for me, and i dont have to worry about going to high rpms and putting strain on the engine. but hten again, toyota steering is always softer than honda, so if you care about that, then consider it. bottom line, test drive both a couple of times, note the differences, and decide, good luck

[richcali1@email.com]

Go with a Solara.

I'm a football type of guy (6'5') and the Solara had great leg room over the Accord and has a nice trunk. I have yet to have a problem with my Solara and the car has a lexus type look to it.

I did get a BMW Dinan M5 but I will probably keep my Solara because for some reason I'm fond of it. The BMW however cannot compare to Toyota's reliabilty. (I will probably trade in my Dinan if Toyota produces a nice looking V-8 Supra)

The Accord is not a bad choice but Ricers give it a bad name.

[tiredolddog]

Go with the 2003 Solara. I went through the the same decision process. The 2004 Solara is hideous. Good luck

Tired Old Dog

[Jackass-Jeff]

Since you are in a state where cars probably move out slower from the dealership, you can probably get to the dealer in August when the 04s ship in BUT they will still have the 03s in stock! (but probably in small numbers). I would call the local dealer and see what date the 04s move in if you're still considering that. I guess you're not considering the Accord as much anymore.

Note: My friend test drove an 01 Accord v6 and compared it to a 4-cyl 99 Camry (the 140 hp one) and complained that the Accord had so much more power... when I pointed out that he's comparing a 4 and 6... his jaw dropped lol

[richcali1@email.com]

The 2004 Solara's will be coming out in August along with the FULL four door Tundra truck.

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

I think i would have to choose solara from your choices...v6 honda engines don't come with a strong tranny (that is usually what dies)...provided that it sometimes dies in the lifetime of the powertrain warranty..but still...thats my only compaints from honda...if you can live with that..then choose the accord!

[TXSolaraSLE]

personally, I didn't like the ride and driving feel of the Accord. It feels harsher than a solara in terms of road noise and steering wheel response. I also thought the pedals were too touchy, which might improve with some wear, but even a brand new solara was much smoother to drive. I got dizzy when my girlfriend drove the accord, but in a 2002 sle, didnt feel a thing.

It kinda depends on your needs. If budget is real important, i think the solara is a better deal. also, if you're tall, the accord has little headroom if you have a sunroof. But, if you just really love the look of the accord or want the slightly faster car, it might be for you. Good luck!

[Whatever]

I'd get both