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I need a family midsize sedan to fit 2 adults and 2 children. SUVs and crossovers are out of the question. Tell me what car would you choose and why between:
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Vegimo..... I was initially drawn to the Sonata for those exact reasons. However, multiple unrelated sources (one including a mechanic) said that the transmission on them is garbage. I do plan on keeping the car past the 100,000 powertrain warranty. I ruled out the Sonata, although it did seem like a desirable choice.
Hobbes..... I wish I was on showcase showdown.
Posts: 468 | Registered: Mar 2008
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As for the other two, I have always been partial to the Camry and have owned 3 of them. There are others who swear by the Accord. I think the bottom line would be to price them with options and test drive them to see which one feels better to you. I have not found there to be much difference other than preference.
On the options - one of the things that differentiates Hondas from Toyotas is that the former comes with a set package while the latter can be changed/added to quite a bit. See what cars the dealer actually has and go from there.
Posts: 95 | Registered: Aug 2011
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Personal preference/price. Both are excellent cars with excellent reputations. I loved my Accord, but as others have said, Camry is also a fine car.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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I love my Corolla, and would definitely buy another Toyota. Mine is a '98 with over 200,000 miles on it and it has given me very little trouble over the years.
One vote for Camry.
Posts: 298 | Registered: Sep 2011
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I vote Camry. My Dad had one as his company car for a long time and it drove like new and looked like new for years.
Posts: 8473 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I drove a 2012 Camry for a week awhile back and loved how it handled. Very comfy ride. I have no experience with Hondas, but I've heard from multiple sources that they're not the reliable cars they once were.
Posts: 1945 | Registered: Jul 2005
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I haven't heard any tranny issues wiht the Sonata, and have a ton of personal friends who have multiple Hyundai's. All of them had their cars past 150,000 miles.
Consumer Reports places a recommended buy on it, IIRC.
My parents HATED their Accord, and sold it for a VW.
Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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We currently own a '05 Hyundai Elantra hatchback, as well as a '95 Geo Prizm (which is a Toyota Camry.) Both have been excellent cars.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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Kwea, what did they hate about the Accord? This is the first bad thing I've heard about the car.
Posts: 468 | Registered: Mar 2008
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Bought an 04 Accord used a few weeks ago. I like it so far, and I have always sworn by Toyota. I had a 97 Camry that got me almost to 200,000 miles before a repair cost more than the car was worth. I had an 03 echo that I just sold with 110k on it, needed to upgrade with child #2, and there was nothing wrong with it.
I went with the Accord for the excellent deal I got. I say go with price all else being equal.
I have had bad experience with Nissan. My dad's truck, my wife's sentra, and a short lived Altima I had all had something go really wrong at around 100k miles.
Posts: 3134 | Registered: Mar 2005
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Haven't had any experience with the Camry, although we own a Toyota Sienna and are very happy with it.
My wife had an old Accord before we were married. The thing had at least 200K on it and still ran fine. Two of her brothers drove it for years after she gave it up. It probably topped 300K before they finally retired it, and then I think it was the suspension, not the engine, that had given out.
So I'll vote Accord.
Posts: 5957 | Registered: Oct 2001
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I'd also have to say Sonata. It is true that years ago the transmissions were garbage, however in the past five or six years the quality on all of Hyundai's vehicles have increased dramatically. The Sonata is now (in my opinion) one of the best built cars on the market, and you get a LOT more bells and whistles for the same price. It does feel a bit more bulky than the Camry or Accord, but I like that.
If you are stuck on an Accord or Camry though, go with the Camry.
Posts: 1937 | Registered: Nov 2006
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Most of the discussion has centered on reliability and longevity. I usually grade cars by performance and driving feel, but that's a personal preference.
Between these two, my experience has been both models are quite reliable. Both are fuel efficient, and should last for a long time (which is why they are such sought-after used cars). Additionally, this means they both retain their resale value well.
As to my preferred criteria, the Accord has traditionally been more involving to drive, a little more performance-oriented (without being downright sporty), but I find the Camry to be more comfortable, somewhat isolated from the road (quieter and smoother).
Really you can't go wrong with either. The Sonata is a good choice as well, and the Mazda6 might bear a look. I had a first-generation Mazda6 that lasted eight years and 167,000 miles and was pretty reliable, and it was a lot more fun to drive than the Accord, Camry, or Sonata.
The second generation Mazda6 is not as fun-to-drive, which is why I went a completely different direction when I traded in my 2003 model back in 2010. But there is a new Mazda6 coming out this month as a 2014 model with the Skyactiv technology Mazda has been developing, and it looks to be a nice compromise between performance and efficiency.
Posts: 7 | Registered: Jan 2013
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I'd like to put forth a vote for the Subaru Legacy.
We recently were in this same market, looking between the Accord, Camry, Altima, or Sonata. Someone suggested we give the Legacy a shot, and it completely won us over... so much so that we even decided to go a little bigger and get an Outback. We love it, and the next car we get will either be a Legacy or another Outback.
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We went to 2 kids last May, and we narrowed it down to the Camry Hybrid and the Subaru Outback.
The prices were almost identical (I price shopped across 4-5 dealers for each, online), so it was between very good gas mileage (Camry Hybrid) and AWD (Outback). The Outback was quite nice, and has more trunk storage, but felt bigger, though I don't think it was, really. I think I liked the sightlines on the Camry better though. Also, we talked to Good News Garaged (owned by Click and Clack) and they said Outbacks are higher maintenance vehicles.
We went with the Camry Hybrid. It's been a fine car for us.
We were moving from an '04 Civic Hybrid, and couldn't part with the good gas mileage. Also, we are city folk, and only put ~85k on the civic in the 8+ years we owned it. We are up to ~6.5k on the Camry now.
Posts: 7021 | Registered: Nov 1999
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I drive a 2006 Hyundai Sonata with over 105K on the odometer; no transmission problems to report (though thanks for making me nervous about it, now!)
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Thanks for all of the input guys. We ended up going with a 2013 Honda Accord. I feel like a straight up G driving it.
Posts: 468 | Registered: Mar 2008
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