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Honda Accord vs Toyota Camry vs Nissan Altima (V6 Models)

91 messages,  Last post on Jan 02, 2011 at 9:58 AM

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What is this discussion about? Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Car Safety, Car Comparisons, Fuel Efficiency (MPG), Sedan

Messages Page 1 of 9

#1 of 91 2008 Honda Accord vs 2008 Toyota Camry vs 2008 Nissan Altima (V6 Models) by norwestgal

Nov 14, 2007 (3:30 pm)

I have been watching the introduction of newer styled models of the Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, and the Honda Accord for 2008. For those out there with indepth knowledge - Which of these cars are the best $$$ for reliability, cost of ownership, and overall value.
 
I have been driving a 1996 Toyota Corolla that has been great for me over the years! I have racked up 320,000 miles on it from my initial purchase. I am looking for another car that can do similar, but with upgrades (i.e, leather seats, bluetooth, sunroof, etc).
 
Please post answers to my inquiry on board.
 
Thanks to everyone!

#2 of 91 Re: 2008 Honda Accord vs 2008 Toyota Camry vs 2008 Nissan Altima (V6 Models) [norwestgal] by greanpea68

Nov 14, 2007 (4:51 pm)

Replying to: norwestgal (Nov 14, 2007 3:30 pm)
I am looking for another car that can do similar, but with upgrades (i.e, leather seats, bluetooth, sunroof, etc).
 
If that is the case you may want to take a look at the Nissan Sentra SL... Giving you everything you are looking for in a size that you are used to and also it is more economical
 
GP

#3 of 91 Re: 2008 Honda Accord vs 2008 Toyota Camry vs 2008 Nissan Altima (V6 Models) [norwestgal] by bv050506

Nov 15, 2007 (11:59 am)

Replying to: norwestgal (Nov 14, 2007 3:30 pm)
I think i'm your guy, at least 2/3 of one. I owned a '07 V-6 Camry XLE and now own a '07 Nissan Altima V6 SE. These are two very different cars. The Camry is more elegant inside, is very quick, and gets respectable mileage. It has a nice JBL stereo and has a great reliability as did your Corolla. It has a small back seat, small truck, and handles like a battleship. It also has a very high frump factor and I always felt like an old man in mine. I ultimately told my salesman to take it back, treat me fair and find me an Altima V6 SE. The Altima with its CVT tranny is an awesome ride, handles superbly, has a huge trunk, and a great Bose sound system. It gets good mileage, 1 or 2 less than the Camry, is more sporty inside, but you feel great in it. Nissan enjoys a good reliability rating as well. The Altima out performs the new V6 Accord, but most people like Accords better. Go figure. also if you want to stay with a 4 cylinder, the Altima 2.5 has a great enjoy and can hit 34mpg. Get the CVT tranny though! It has a learning curve, but you'll dig it after a couple of weeks. I'm not bashing Honda, they are an awesome car, but I some times think people get stuck on a make and can't see beyond it.

#4 of 91 Re: 2008 Honda Accord vs 2008 Toyota Camry vs 2008 Nissan Altima (V6 Models) [norwestgal] by bug4

Nov 15, 2007 (5:07 pm)

Replying to: norwestgal (Nov 14, 2007 3:30 pm)
Since you aren't getting many responses -- I'll copy a post I made on the Accord v. Camry thread several weeks ago. These comments apply to the 4 cyl. models --NOT the v6 -- but, hopefully my thoughts will be of some limited use. Just my $.02 on the Accord vs. Camry part of your dilemma You can't go wrong--they are all awesome cars! Good luck in your search!
 
-----------------------------------------------
Accord or Camry ..... that's a loaded question in this forum. Here is my $.02 (the length of this post might suggest I'm giving you $.04 ) -- I think you can't go wrong!! Both cars are excellent for their price...but very different for a discerning driver. The engines/transmissions, while having similar ratings, have significantly different characteristics. In the 4cyl models (which it look like you are looking at), the Accord is higher revving (190HP model) and perhaps has better pick-up once your into the RPMs. The transmission is more sporty in the Accord and, IMHO, better able to read your right foot (I think the auto tranny in the Accord is the single biggest mechanical advantage that the Accord enjoys. . . and its a significant advantage). The Camry clearly has a smoother ride and is better insulated from the road. The Accord, more firm and sporty. Although I don't feel the Accord is "noisy," the Camry is decidedly quieter. The Camry feels more like a luxury touring sedan and the Accord more like a sport sedan (although neither actually get there when compared to the true benchmarks for luxury or sport - but consider the low price!!!).
  
Although some disagree, I feel the Camry has a little more bomb-proof interior feel. To me, it seems less luxurious, but perhaps a bit more durable. The interior look / design is so much different between the two cars, it is simply a matter of personal preference. The Accord's myriad of buttons and complicated look will turn some off. The Camry's ultra-sheik, minimalist look will turn some off. If considering a black Accord interior, I do think the aluminum-looking accents on the black Honda interior are awful! It looks good, but is a terrible effort at trying to look anything like brushed-aluminum.
  
On both the base levels and premium editions, I think the Camry stereo is significantly better than that in the Accord (especially the up-graded stereos).
  
The Accord has more contoured seats and impressive bolstering in the front buckets. But, they hold you relatively tightly and discourage much shifting around. It is somewhat uncomfortable to sit in the passenger seat of the Accord and angle your body toward the driver to talk. The seat wants you to sit straight ahead. The Camry's seats are much wider feeling and likely better for large people.
  
I never thought it was a selling point, but the steering wheel in the Honda is awesome (at least in the EX-L's)!! It has a smaller circumference, its thick and has perfect contours for a VERY sporty feel. In general, you can achieve a very impressive driver position in the Accord. The Camry is equally adjustable, but somehow is not able to achieve an equally aggressive position. It may simply be a matter of the bolstered seats and sporty wheel in the Accord???
  
With regard to the exterior, you just have to decide which style you like. Again, I don't think you can go wrong. If you are a wheel guy (I think it plays a BIG part in how a car looks), consider the wheel options between the Camry LE and Accord LX-P. The Accord's wheels are considerably more "styled" --whether for better or worse (Personally, I give a huge advantage to Honda in this regard). Consistent with the ride/handling characteristics, I think the Accord looks more sporty, particularly if you can afford a rear spoiler, while the Camry looks more classy. Subjectively, I think both cars fail in front-end design. The Camry looks like a clown with a big nose and the Accord looks like . . well . . like every other car on the road. I strongly dislike the cheap-looking black, plastic fins on the Accord's front grill. The Camry's painted grill is much better executed. I think Honda does a great job with their chrome assents. To my eye, the Accord looks more styled (not necessarily stylish) from the side and the Camry looks a bit "huge" from the side. I think both cars get kudos for their rear-end, tail-light design. I particularly like the broken C-pillar design on the Accord - very 5-series BMW-ish.
  
When selecting a car, don't forget color. Because the Honda looks sportier, in my opinion, it clearly wins the "looks" battle if you select colors and options that are sporty. Conversely, the Camry looks great in conservative and rich colors. Frankly, I feel the Camry has limited its audience by selecting such a conservative design. The Camry looks like a big touring sedan. In the same vein, perhaps the Accord has limited its appeal by looking more sporty. However, the Accord seems to be more adaptable. The light gold exterior with tan leather/cloth is a very rich looking car, whereas the silver with black leather interior is very sporty (particularly if you add a spoiler). The Camry can look very classy, but I'm not sure it does as good a job pulling off the sporty look. (Sure you can get the SE, but my personal opinion is that it looks like a draft horse with a racing saddle )
  
As I mentioned, I don't think you can go wrong. If you spend too much time trying to decide which car is "better," you'll go insane! They are both excellent! For me, it helped when I finally let go of weighing the technical specs of each car and started looking at what I like. For me, I picked an 08 EX-L Accord, silver exterior with black,leather interior. Because I was going for maximum sport, I added a rear full-size spoiler, which I would have omitted if I had bought a darker, more rich color. I absolutely love my Accord and have not had a single regret, even when a classy Camry pulls up beside me at the stop light!

#5 of 91 Re: 2008 Honda Accord vs 2008 Toyota Camry vs 2008 Nissan Altima (V6 Models) [bug4] by golfrski

Nov 15, 2007 (5:27 pm)

Replying to: bug4 (Nov 15, 2007 5:07 pm)
agree I have the silver V6 with black leather as well.. did the deck lid spoiler. The car is very sporty looking. I totally agree with you on feel. I have had the car for 3 weeks and logged 2400 miles (loads of highway driving) The seats are pretty uncomfortable to me. They are very firm and I agree they position you to sit straight up.. not the best on a long drive. city driving no complaints. I cant seem to find my mojo yet. I will say the road noise is pretty bad.. this accord is MUCH louder than my 03 V6. and I think the low frequency baffling coming from the engine in 3 cylinders (even with the noise cancellation) adds to the db levels... sporty for sure,, new higher performance tires on 17" rims with stiffer seats, road noise and you get a much diff ride than the camry.

#6 of 91 Re: 2008 Honda Accord vs 2008 Toyota Camry vs 2008 Nissan Altima (V6 Models) [golfrski] by golfrski

Nov 15, 2007 (5:29 pm)

Replying to: golfrski (Nov 15, 2007 5:27 pm)
btw like the car alot,, it will just take some getting used to after 5 previous generations that really were much diff in every respect.

#7 of 91 Re: 2008 Honda Accord vs 2008 Toyota Camry vs 2008 Nissan Altima (V6 Models) [bug4] by norwestgal

Nov 19, 2007 (9:20 pm)

Replying to: bug4 (Nov 15, 2007 5:07 pm)
Thanks for all of the info. I think I am leaning more towards the Toyota Camry (V6) fully loaded model. I am familiar with the brand and it definitely has my vote for reliability and durability over the years!
 
Thanks again to everyone!

#8 of 91 Re: 2008 Honda Accord vs 2008 Toyota Camry vs 2008 Nissan Altima (V6 Models) [norwestgal] by thegraduate

Nov 19, 2007 (9:21 pm)

Replying to: norwestgal (Nov 19, 2007 9:20 pm)
Thanks for all of the info. I think I am leaning more towards the Toyota Camry (V6) fully loaded model. I am familiar with the brand and it definitely has my vote for reliability and durability over the years!
 
You may want to do a double take. Consumer Reports no longer recommends the Camry V6 because of below average reliability. If you are buying the "yota" based on reliability, you may want to double check.

#9 of 91 Re: 2008 Honda Accord vs 2008 Toyota Camry vs 2008 Nissan Altima (V6 Models) [thegraduate] by viet

Nov 19, 2007 (11:12 pm)

Replying to: thegraduate (Nov 19, 2007 9:21 pm)
It's true. I voted for the Accord sedan V6 EX-L w/ Navi in Mystic Green Metallic w/ black leather interior and I am going to buy one soon.
 
One thing: Honda is an engineering focused car manufacturer while Toyota is marketing focused counterpart. I test drove the Camry V6 XLE and Accord V6 EX, I finally I bought the Accord because the Accord's engine/ transmission/ handling...are more sophisticated and more smoothly than the Camry.
 
In 1990, even with my recommendation, my wife insisted to buy a Toyota Camry '90 for her. It finally turned out to be a lemon with leaking oil issue into the spark plug tube 50K-55K miles. Then, the car only ran on 3 engines and could not climb up hills with all HP. Since then, we have only purchased Honda Accord V6 EX. Even a small cheap Civic is excellent. My '86 Civic at 120K miles ran on highway like a "dream" and its manual transmission shifted like...butter. I have felt in love with Honda top-notch engineering.

#10 of 91 Re: 2008 Honda Accord vs 2008 Toyota Camry vs 2008 Nissan Altima (V6 Models) [thegraduate] by norwestgal

Nov 20, 2007 (11:52 am)

Replying to: thegraduate (Nov 19, 2007 9:21 pm)
Wow! I didn't know this. It seems that I'm back to the drawing board a bit. I love the bells and whistles of the Altima (V6); however, the luxury of the Camry (along with what I thought would be continued reliability/durability) caused me to lean towards the Toyota. I haven't test driven the Accord but I have sat in one - it seems to be very plastic and cheap looking/feeling. If I am going to pay upwards to $35k for a car, I am looking for something that has quality engineered into it. Thirty five thousand is my limit and I want it to last around 10 years (if possible). My Corolla is a real trooper of a car with 320,000 miles on it. I don't know if I should expect the same of another car but it would be nice.
 
Any further thoughts out there?!

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