Recent mid-size sedan comparos

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby



Yes, I had an '88 Accord LX w/2bbl carb(not LX-i EFI). And it was a better car that our family's vehciles...Check this out, we all bought a new car this year and the Accord was the best. Not just because I owned it, they all even agreed after driving the Honda.

Our '88 Honda Accord 2.0L 4cyl w/Carb (What a car!)
SIL '88 Toyota Camry LE V6 (Boaring)
SIL '88 Nissan Stanza 4 cyl (Liked it better than the Camry)
BIL '88 Pontiac GrandAm V6 (Clostrophobic/uncomfortable)
FIL '88 Chevrolet Celebrity EuroSport V6 (Not Bad!)
SIS '88 Mercury Sable 3.8 V6 (Very NICE!)
BIL '88 Corvette (Well, a different breed)No comparo!

I have to say though that, I did like the Sable(Taurus) to drive but, what a money pit as was the GrandAm!


The LXi made a couple more horsepower than the Stanza. The LX a couple less

Like I said, mini-Maxima.

You did have to buy twice as many plugs, the wireset was double the cost, and the cap and rotor was more expensive but the CA20E was a decent motor.

My sister was given a Mazda 626. (girls in my family are given cars, boys have to earn the money to buy them ....)
It was down a little on power vs the flip up headlight Accords but shone everywhere else.
Her boyfriend at the time, a noted killer of Chevrolet C10 trucks, was unable to stop it. He dented most of the car but did not kill it.

I still think it is the best of that era:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/1984-10best-cars-1984-mazda-626-page-6

 

[CharBaby]

Amazing how the cars back in that time had only ~90 hp and hauled our families around as good as any today...Sort'a!

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Originally Posted By: Char Baby



Yes, I had an '88 Accord LX w/2bbl carb(not LX-i EFI). And it was a better car that our family's vehciles...Check this out, we all bought a new car this year and the Accord was the best. Not just because I owned it, they all even agreed after driving the Honda.

Our '88 Honda Accord 2.0L 4cyl w/Carb (What a car!) 98hp(LX-i, 120hp
SIL '88 Toyota Camry LE V6 (Boaring) 156hp
SIL '88 Nissan Stanza 4 cyl 92hp (Liked it better than the Camry)
BIL '88 Pontiac GrandAm V6 125hp(Clostrophobic/uncomfortable)
FIL '88 Chevrolet Celebrity EuroSport V6 125hp (Not Bad!)
SIS '88 Mercury Sable 3.8 V6 140j[(Very NICE!)
BIL '88 Corvette 240hp (Well, a different breed)No comparo!

I have to say though that, I did like the Sable(Taurus) to drive but, what a money pit as was the GrandAm!


The LXi made a couple more horsepower than the Stanza. The LX a couple less

Like I said, mini-Maxima.

You did have to buy twice as many plugs, the wireset was double the cost, and the cap and rotor was more expensive but the CA20E was a decent motor.

My sister was given a Mazda 626. (girls in my family are given cars, boys have to earn the money to buy them ....)
It was down a little on power vs the flip up headlight Accords but shone everywhere else.
Her boyfriend at the time, a noted killer of Chevrolet C10 trucks, was unable to stop it. He dented most of the car but did not kill it.

I still think it is the best of that era:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/1984-10best-cars-1984-mazda-626-page-6


I forgot to add another family member had an '88 626. Yeah, these were the speedsters of the bunch of '88 cars in the family. With 110 hp in standard form, they out ran the others except the V6 Camry(150+ hp)

The 626 turbo was rated at over 140hp but most articles I read, the author(s) said it felt more like 190hp. The 626 would show it's tail lights to all others. Great Boost!

This was during the time that the Asian cars had the better choices with great reliability. IMHO, better driving dynamics, more comfortable interiors "FOR THEIR SIZE"! All you had to do was pick the car that fit your driving style and comfort level, best! Then just turn the key and drive it for many years with very few issues along the way.

 

[SteveSRT8]

I would agree with many parts of the above EXCEPT for the dynamics part.

New cars whip old cars most notably in dynamics. probably the area of greatest improvement.

 

[BearZDefect]

I think Char Baby was referring specifically to some Japanese models. I agree that the driving dynamics of domestic cars have improved a lot since the '80s (think of some new vs old GM models), but when I drive a 2008-2012 Honda Accord (for example) and compare it to fourth generation Accords I've driven (1990-1993, I owned a 1991 myself for a few years) the new just feels fat and bloated compared to the old, and the electronic throttle control along with complementary automagic transmission make the driver feel even more disconnected.

But SteveSRT8 you may be right. Maybe the size difference distorts the comparison, I see no reason why the new should not be better.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: kkreit01
Accord has always been a good car (since the middle 90s at least). However, styling has always been bland, vanilla, blah...It's never been a car to turn around, and give a second look at.

I think the best one was 1986 Accord LXi 4-dr, it was way better than any competitor. IIRC MSRP was about $13k but most dealers in Mid-West demanded and got $3-4k above it.


I remember the substantial dealer mark-up but it seems like they stickered around $10-11,000. I do not understand how it was "way better" than the competition. It was good but I don't see it being "way better". The 1986 Camry was an ugly car. Very ugly, but it was as reliable as any Camry that followed it. The Stanza was better looking and decent. Like a mini-Maxima. Speaking of Maxima, for that kind of money in 1986 you could actually get a Maxima The 1986 Mazda 626 was arguably the best of the 4 cylinder lot. Good looking with a durable F-series motor and a JATCO transmission (and without needless dealer mark-up)


Car&Driver said this about Accord in the 1986 10Best (Mazda, Nissan, Toyota ... no one has COMPACT SEDAN in that year 10Best):

"Nine and a half years ago, Honda pinned a target on the wall in the form of the original Accord, and every other manufacturer hoping to compete in the compact class has since been taking its best shot at the mark. Mercedes-Benz has done a commendable job with its 190 line, and others have nipped around the edges of Honda’s hot-selling sedan, but no one has yet matched the Accord’s combination of poise, performance, and price.
...
The men and women of Honda will now stand politely aside while the competition resumes its fusillade.."

 

[Spazdog]

No question that Honda Accord was the darling of the automotive press for a long time. They owned it. Even the '84 Accord. (I've never driven an Accord from that generation that didn't have severely overassisted steering...feels like the steering wheel isn't connected to anything) But Mazda's RX-7 and 626 occasionally challenged the Accord and Prelude's consistent ranking.

The Mazda 626 is a car that can easily hold its own with our perennially favorite compact sedan, the Honda Accord. It combines the traditional Accord virtues of excellent space utilization, lavish accommodations, and a great selection of useful features with some qualities that not even the Honda can match. Most obvious of these is the styling. All three 626 versions have been sculpted into organic, fluid shapes that make most competitors look remarkably dated. The aerodynamic lines suggest Stuttgart more than Hiroshima. The European influence carries over into the driving, for the 626 just loves to be driven hard. Its engine and five-speed transmission are eager to do business at the supralegal speeds where the chassis really shines. When pressed hard, the 626 goes where it’s pointed, hangs on tenaciously, stops securely, and remains unfazed by even our disintegrating Midwestern roads. The 626 is so capable and confidence-inspiring that, with a few more ponies, it could give some of the premium- priced German machines a good run for their money. As it stands today, the Mazda 626 is merely the enthusiast’s definitive choice among affordable small sedans C&D 1984

I don't remember seeing the other Japanese sedans on that list. (seems like the Maxima would have been able to oust the Pontiac 6000 STE's ranking)

 

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
I would agree with many parts of the above EXCEPT for the dynamics part.

New cars whip old cars most notably in dynamics. probably the area of greatest improvement.


I'm sorry! I should have been more clear in the dynamics issue. I meant that Asian cars had better chassis dynamics than domestic cars during that time period. Euro cars may have had the best at that time. But the Asian reliability won me over!