Bryan Canter wrote:
> Not to start a religious war but just wanted some feedback from people
> more experienced than me. I own a 2000 Accord that has no ABS. I
> bought it in FL and didn't feel the need for one. Needless to say,
> now that I am in MA, I regret that decision. A lot.
>
> Recently I came across this ad for a used Toyota Camry 2002 LE with
> ABS selling for about 13k (private party). Now, granted the history
> of that car maybe suspect and my car's is known to me, but barring
> that aspect, is there anything else that I should keep in mind?
>
> I can see all the goodies, like it has a premium JBL 8 speakers (as
> mentioned in the ad) sound, CD *and* cassette, 2002 vs 2000 model, and
> of course, ABS. But what about power and handling and stuff like
> that? How do people here compare a Camry LE to an Accord LX? (I
> always thought the Hondas had a little more snob value. So both me
> and my wife don't like the idea of downgrading our ride in that
> sense.) :-)
>
> Also, if the car was bought from the dealer with 5000 miles on it (it
> was a "loaner" at the dealership) is that necessarily a very bad
> thing? Or should it just discount the book value by a grand or so?
>
> TIA.

My take on Accord vs Camry is simply that they are both great cars. A little
more "American" ride to the Camry and quieter. We own one of each and I
would be hard pressed to pick one over the other for quality.

One has ABS and the other not and I do not mind either braking action.

The Honda was purchased as a demonstrator with 15000 km on it and has been
trouble free for almost 12 years with only replaceable items being done and
regular oil changes. The 99 Camry purchased from a reputable dealer with
45000km has not had a failure and just the replacement items done on it as
required. We have had that one for two and a half years now and plan to have
it a good while. No doubt in the next two years the Accord will be replaced.
The choice is much wider even today as all auto makers have increased their
quality thanks to Honda and Toyato's market leadership. Even the South
Korean autos are getting good reviews now and several of our kids have had
great sucess with Hyundais.

It will be a long time before I can be swayed back to the big three however
as I feel they still owe me bigtime for the junk I drove in the 70's and
80's.
I had a 92 Chrysler 5th Avenue that cost dearly to maintain. Poor
electronics and transmissions.

Happy Motoring
Mike