Honda Accord vs Lexus IS200 on lexusownersclub?

[tejas121]

Looking at these two, both models that i'm looking at are from around the year 2000.
Always lots of kilometres on them and the prices are about the same.

Both engines are 2.0, 4 cylinder's with around 150HP, i am in Europe so no american spec models with a V6 for me sadly.

The Lexus has nicer trim for sure, but the Honda seems a lot easier to work on and diy stuff as it gets broken (i have a little bit of experience, and am quite a handyman).

What do you guys/gals think?
Is reliability an issue on these 2 models?
If it would come to fixing stuff over the years, would you rather work on the Honda or doesn't it really matter all that much on lexusownersclub

[Shizukesa]

Lexus all day, but I'm biased 😉

Either was, you can't really go wrong with either. They're both awesome cars! Good luck.

[Tel]

Had both cars.

Both did c.80k in 20 months & were similar specs.

Neither missed a beat & were utterly reliable.

Tel

[shafque]

The accords do come with a 2.4 v6 version in the UK. For prestige I would go with the lexus 

[rich1068]

Really? I thought the 2.4 was a four pot.

[shafque]

No check the spec sheet online it's a v6. I was looking for one for ages. Especially the Cadbury dairy milk foil colour purple with cream interior and wood pack with an automatic transmission. They hold their value well. It just still doesn't have the prestige of a lexus. With the money you spend on an accord 2.4 v6 ur best bet is to invest in an is250 sel edition with all the trimmings. It's also and v6. 

[LenT]

It’s an interesting problem to have.  I had an Accord until an HGV wrote it off and would have replaced it the next day, if Honda hadn’t stopped selling it in the UK.

it was utterly reliable and never needed more than regular servicing by the excellent dealers.  To replace it, I spent a day touring the Merc, BMW and Audi dealers in Milton Keynes.  On the way I passed a Lexus dealership and on impulse decided to pop in.  The salesman thought he had the ideal Accord replacement and took me to an IS250 in white.

Well, it was love at first sight (with the car not the dealer) and although I toured the others, nothing came close - and that includes the attitude of the sales people!

By the time I got home, the Lexus dealer had already emailed me a video tour of the car.  

Service and attention by the Lexus dealer has been exemplary.  And we have bought makes where the sales team couldn’t do enough and the service team couldn’t do very much!

On balance, I’d give Lexus the edge but that might not apply to your local dealers.  As for reliability, neither car needed any attention between regular servicing and both makes are regularly to be found at the top of the customer satisfaction surveys.

For DIY, I suspect that the Honda will be easier to work on and parts will be cheaper.  You don’t mention the actual mileage but it might be worth looking at the service histories to give you some idea of what kind of life they’ve both lived.

Finally, try to take both on an extended test drive and then buy the one that leaves you smiling!

 

 

[royoftherovers]

That`s a great post Len.

[LenT]

 

On 1/2/2021 at 12:01 PM, royoftherovers said:

That`s a great post Len.

Too kind...☺️

[Pahino.IS200]

On 12/25/2020 at 9:18 PM, tejas121 said:

Looking at these two, both models that i'm looking at are from around the year 2000.
Always lots of kilometres on them and the prices are about the same.

Both engines are 2.0, 4 cylinder's with around 150HP, i am in Europe so no american spec models with a V6 for me sadly.

The Lexus has nicer trim for sure, but the Honda seems a lot easier to work on and diy stuff as it gets broken (i have a little bit of experience, and am quite a handyman).

What do you guys/gals think?
Is reliability an issue on these 2 models?
If it would come to fixing stuff over the years, would you rather work on the Honda or doesn't it really matter all that much on lexusownersclub

I'll go for the is, as you said better trim and finish, however it's actually easier to work on the engine bay of an is than an accord you have more space and the beams 1gfe its pretty easy to teardown way more easier I'm a mechanic myself 

[Pahino.IS200]

On 1/2/2021 at 12:38 PM, LenT said:

It’s an interesting problem to have.  I had an Accord until an HGV wrote it off and would have replaced it the next day, if Honda hadn’t stopped selling it in the UK.

it was utterly reliable and never needed more than regular servicing by the excellent dealers.  To replace it, I spent a day touring the Merc, BMW and Audi dealers in Milton Keynes.  On the way I passed a Lexus dealership and on impulse decided to pop in.  The salesman thought he had the ideal Accord replacement and took me to an IS250 in white.

Well, it was love at first sight (with the car not the dealer) and although I toured the others, nothing came close - and that includes the attitude of the sales people!

By the time I got home, the Lexus dealer had already emailed me a video tour of the car.  

Service and attention by the Lexus dealer has been exemplary.  And we have bought makes where the sales team couldn’t do enough and the service team couldn’t do very much!

On balance, I’d give Lexus the edge but that might not apply to your local dealers.  As for reliability, neither car needed any attention between regular servicing and both makes are regularly to be found at the top of the customer satisfaction surveys.

For DIY, I suspect that the Honda will be easier to work on and parts will be cheaper.  You don’t mention the actual mileage but it might be worth looking at the service histories to give you some idea of what kind of life they’ve both lived.

Finally, try to take both on an extended test drive and then buy the one that leaves you smiling!

 

 

Great post but in fact lexus are easier to work since they are toyos in disguise, the only different is honda pushes their engines a bit harder than toyota, but at the cost of reliability if you are the type of person that drives close to redline all the time, but if you are going to granny shift it, both are pretty reliable, but i still go for lexus, i had hondas before, and will never look back.

[LenT]

16 hours ago, Pahino.IS200 said:

I'll go for the is, as you said better trim and finish, however it's actually easier to work on the engine bay of an is than an accord you have more space and the beams 1gfe its pretty easy to teardown way more easier I'm a mechanic myself 

Like the OP, I’d have thought different.  But as it’s not something I’ve ever done and you obviously have, it would seem to settle the choice for the OP.
 

With the additional advantages of style and luxury - but no overriding edge in reliability, longevity and dealer satisfaction- it would seem that the Lexus has it.

Of course if one’s been sold by now, that makes the decision even easier!

So we wait to hear...or will the OP surprise us by announcing his purchase of an eminently sensible Volvo 240 Estate?

 

 

[LenT]

18 hours ago, Pahino.IS200 said:

...if you are going to granny shift it, both are pretty reliable, but i still go for lexus, i had hondas before, and will never look back.

These days I might even embrace a spell of granny shifting, particularly as my wife (who’s not a granny) keeps demanding that I slow down.  

Unlike many here, I’ve never driven these year 2000 models so can’t compare them directly in terms of driving experience.  

(I had hondas before, and will never look back.)

It may be a bit dim of me, but I’m not clear if that means you wouldn’t have another Honda.  I would certainly agree that as the years have gone by, the Honda range - apart from the mad Civic R - seems to me to have become more family oriented, whereas Lexus has continued to widen the styling and luxury gap between them.  Maybe that’s because as a marketing operation, Lexus can still offer a Toyota to that market.

My own experience seems to reflect this.  My Accord - bought new - was the last year it was sold in the UK.  Prior to that I had a brilliant Prelude, bought new in 1997 and again, I believe, the last year it was sold in the UK - and PXd after 14 years and 120,000 miles for the Accord.

Before the Prelude, I had a Toyota - an MR2 - for three years and 90,000  miles.  So I have very fond memories of both marques. 

But were I to buy another new car - which is highly unlikely  - it would be a Lexus.

 

 

 

[Las Palmas]

Had an Accord Coupé Automatic from year 2000 and it was good.

Now I have a Lexus CT200H Luxury and if I needed a bigger car the Honda would be one of the possibilities but the Lexus is in all other ways the better car for me. Sure it is 16 years newer and that makes it impossible to compare.

Honda, Nissan are the 2 brands that are similar to Lexus in reliability in my opinion.

Rather sure, that if I need a new car: It will be a Lexus.

[Cactus]

Get the honda.

 

[royoftherovers]

3 hours ago, Las Palmas said:

Had an Accord Coupé Automatic from year 2000 and it was good.

Now I have a Lexus CT200H Luxury and if I needed a bigger car the Honda would be one of the possibilities but the Lexus is in all other ways the better car for me. Sure it is 16 years newer and that makes it impossible to compare.

Honda, Nissan are the 2 brands that are similar to Lexus in reliability in my opinion.

Rather sure, that if I need a new car: It will be a Lexus.

In the UK Nissan is not a reliable brand.

[Las Palmas]

1 minute ago, royoftherovers said:

In the UK Nissan is not a reliable brand.

Had a 280ZX and a 300ZX later a Micra. The 300 ended up in a tree but no fault on the car. Motor was still running and not a scratch on me.

All 3 Needed nothing more than gasoline, ordinary service and nothing more. For me they were reliable.

[noby76]

On 12/25/2020 at 8:18 PM, tejas121 said:

Looking at these two, both models that i'm looking at are from around the year 2000.
Always lots of kilometres on them and the prices are about the same.

Both engines are 2.0, 4 cylinder's with around 150HP, i am in Europe so no american spec models with a V6 for me sadly.

The Lexus has nicer trim for sure, but the Honda seems a lot easier to work on and diy stuff as it gets broken (i have a little bit of experience, and am quite a handyman).

What do you guys/gals think?
Is reliability an issue on these 2 models?
If it would come to fixing stuff over the years, would you rather work on the Honda or doesn't it really matter all that much on lexusownersclub

the Lexus IS200 is a 6 cylinder by the way...

if you want an Accord then i'll say go for the 2.4 190bhp version owned one and put about 50,000 miles on it and only thing i replaced was a brake switch and one wheel bearing other than that a very capable engine and handling for a FWD car.. although a 4 cylinder but moved and responds like a 2.5 V6  thats because i owned a ford Cougar V6 some years ago and can compare both.

if you want Lexus then might aswell get IS250 more refined, better mpg and performance compared to the IS200...

 

[rich1068]

11 hours ago, Las Palmas said:

Had a 280ZX and a 300ZX later a Micra. The 300 ended up in a tree but no fault on the car. Motor was still running and not a scratch on me.

All 3 Needed nothing more than gasoline, ordinary service and nothing more. For me they were reliable.

Over here newer Nissans are pretty much re-badged Renaults.

[Pahino.IS200]

On 1/7/2021 at 7:19 PM, LenT said:

These days I might even embrace a spell of granny shifting, particularly as my wife (who’s not a granny) keeps demanding that I slow down.  

Unlike many here, I’ve never driven these year 2000 models so can’t compare them directly in terms of driving experience.  

(I had hondas before, and will never look back.)

It may be a bit dim of me, but I’m not clear if that means you wouldn’t have another Honda.  I would certainly agree that as the years have gone by, the Honda range - apart from the mad Civic R - seems to me to have become more family oriented, whereas Lexus has continued to widen the styling and luxury gap between them.  Maybe that’s because as a marketing operation, Lexus can still offer a Toyota to that market.

My own experience seems to reflect this.  My Accord - bought new - was the last year it was sold in the UK.  Prior to that I had a brilliant Prelude, bought new in 1997 and again, I believe, the last year it was sold in the UK - and PXd after 14 years and 120,000 miles for the Accord.

Before the Prelude, I had a Toyota - an MR2 - for three years and 90,000  miles.  So I have very fond memories of both marques. 

But were I to buy another new car - which is highly unlikely  - it would be a Lexus.

 

 

 

Sorry for the delayed response,  so yes i had a 2009 honda crv with absolutely all the extras bc it was the last one remaining on the dealer so had no option plus gave me a reasonable discount, however the vehicle came with bad brakes from factory, the dealer resurfaced the rotors twice but the problem came back a month later,  had a lot o vibration coming through the brake pedal plis the hole vehicle was also vibrating, aat the end, the factory did a full brake replacement, calipers, rotors, pads, brake like and abs assembly,  all except the brake booster and after that the vibration never came back but the brakes felt soft still like if there was air on the line which i did several brake flush my self and it never changed anything, but long story short, i had an accident with that vehicle, on which I lost control of it in a corner on which the car for some reason activated the EBD and made things worst, the vehicle ended as a total lost ill upload the picture so uoy can see, then a good friend of my told me something i will never forget,  honda has an excellent engine, not to say one of the best, but when it comes to brakes, has a lot to learn from his rivals.

 

Total vehicle lost, and purchased a 2011 Hyundai santa fe the 2.2 CRDI it was a change like day and night, yes the Hyundai felt a bit cheaper in the materials inside the vehicle mainly plastic everything but it was a hole world of difference when talking about the gearbox, and brakes, way much better i cant compare the fuel economy bc the santa fe was a diesel, same horsepower but double the torque plus an extra gear, it was marvelous. 

 

So in resume I wont back to honda, and if i buy one, i would be the accord Euro R the 20 valve engine which is the type R engine.

And about subject,  my parents are now toyota fanatics, but i have always liked lexus and had the opportunity to get this is200 and didn't though it twice 

[LenT]

20 hours ago, Pahino.IS200 said:

So in resume I wont back to honda, and if i buy one, i would be the accord Euro R the 20 valve engine which is the type R engine.

I would have bought it too - except Honda had stopped selling any Accord in the UK!  Which is why I went looking at Lexus.

You certainly were unfortunate with your Honda.  It sounds like what we call a ‘Friday Night’ car - although that was more a British thing than Japanese. On the other hand, you obviously survived what seems to be a heavy impact on what I presume is the driver’s door.  My wife and I both walked away from the Accord, with not even a scratch between us, when it was written off on the motorway.  So no complaints about build quality!

As I said earlier, I had two Hondas, both discontinued, for a total of 20 years and 200K miles without any problems at all.  But considering the current ranges, I too would stay with Lexus.

Unless I’ve missed it, we’re still waiting for the OP to come back and tell us which one he bought - if either!

 

 

[royoftherovers]

The O.P.`s last post was gobbledygook as far as I could make out.

[LenT]

1 hour ago, royoftherovers said:

The O.P.`s last post was gobbledygook as far as I could make out.

Perhaps the strain of arriving at a decision finally took its toll?

 

[Pahino.IS200]

3 hours ago, LenT said:

Perhaps the strain of arriving at a decision finally took its toll?

 

Could be. But anyways hope he enjoy the vehicle he chooses, and changing subject ill be doingna full series of the is200 video maintenance for any type of work that has to be donde in any vehicle as the car requires and also personal mods due to my personal taste, the first one i did is the explanation and detailed procedure for a water spray injection cleaning for the combustion chamber.

 

If you have any questions or request feel free to do so, ill be uploading the videos as i can get the money for the parts.

[Garth-1]

I asked my local "indy" garage, who have serviced all my cars for the past 20 years, which brand is the least likely to have faults.  Honda, they said, without prompting.  I asked my local auto electricians which brand is the least likely to have electrical faults.  Honda, they said, without prompting.  Admittedly they won't see many Lexus's but they didn't mention Toyota either.