"Duran" <nospam@hotmail.com> wrote:

> Glad to hear you are happy with your Accord as well!!
>
> I have only taken bottled water into the car so far (hopefully it stays that
> way too!). As for the cupholders, the center ones in the front make a great
> spot for a cell phone!

***
I can see your point about the bottled water, Duran. When it spills,
there is virtually no stain at all, but as for me, I can bring bottled
water into the car but no drinking it for me. At least that is the
way I feel about piloting this space shuttle, since I want to devote
full attention to driving and not be distracted, as I so easily am
with drinking or talking on a cell phone.

I agree that the non-used cup holders in the 2003 Accord are perfect
for a cell phone. But hopefully you hide the phone within the covered
console tray (behind the cupholders) when you park and leave the car
during the day, so no one looks inside and sees an advantage to steal
a cell phone left in plain view.


> Do you mean poor visibility out of the rear window, or poor visibility (IE
> blind spots) out of the side mirrors? Overall, I find that rear visibility
> is great, but maybe this is because most of my driving experience was in a
> '92 Accord with worse visibility - in my opinion. On both Accords ('92,
> '03), backing up takes some getting used to (especially in parking spots)
> because you cannot tell where the car ends out of the rear window (you can't
> even see any portion of the vehicle out of the rear window). This was the
> same case in my '92 and it took me quite a well to back up confidently. I
> have heard many people complain about blind spots with smaller side mirrors
> but I don't have any. I angle my side mirrors WELL out to get rid of this
> (IE, I can't see any portion of the vehicle in my side mirrors). This is
> actually a STRICT test that any car I purchase must pass: I must be able to
> angle my side mirrors out enough to eliminate blind spots. Some new cars
> have the side mirrors designed so that the mirror is inside the plastic
> casing about an inch or so. This setup does not allow me to angle my
> mirrors properly.

***
I was referring to the poor visibility out of the rear window itself.
As you mentioned, there is no portion of the car visible out of the rear
window, so it takes some practice learning to mentally note where the
rear bumper is when parking, especially when parking tail-first into
a spot.

I have purchased the Honda day/night mirror and I find it genuinely
useful at night. The mirror turns either greenish or bluish (it dims)
when the sensors detect excessive light from headlights behind you!
There is no need to adjust the mirror at all -- I simply think that
it was the most useful Honda accessory I've had installed in the car.

I totally agree with you about angling the side mirrors so that no part
of the car is visible through them.


> > I love the styling. Looks like I am piloting a NASA space shuttle!
> >
> > Hint: my car is white!! My first Honda too.
>
> Wonderful!
>
> Great to hear that you are a first time Honda owner. Welcome aboard!

Thank you, Duran! Looks like I am a new member of the Honda family!

Paul