Teamwork wrote:
I really enjoyed the aesthetics inside and outside and I think it was during a time where Honda was just starting to peak. My friend had a yellow one with the 4WS but it ended up getting totaled when rear ended at a red light. That car was kind of a nightmare for the under the table politics other then actual driving because it was also attempted fail break in when the window still trim was "wedged out" and torn up by the driver side window one night and obviously it suffered the fate of getting totaled (rear ending a yellow car
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). My dad around '85-'86 was in the show rooms and was between a Prelude and Mazda 626 and went with the Mazda 626 brand new at the time (to make up for his misfire with an Isuzu Impulse). He went with the Mazda 626 and openly confesses it was one of his best car decisions he's ever made. He owned it flawlessly for 10 years only replacing a radiator which road debris ended up destroying prematurely and it ended up getting stolen out of the North Bellmore train parking lot. They never ended up finding the car until a year or two later and it was only the shell of the car as it was parted and chopped. I don't think I've seen my dad cry again since then.
i too loved the looks overall of the last gen prelude (along with the prior two generations, but the last gen was definitely nicer looking). unfortunately, looks aren't all that's needed to sell cars, and the masses apparently don't care much about looks (other than maybe in the case of the new accord
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). the mazda 626 was much more practical than the prelude, despite not being overall as reliable from what i've read (especially the V6 models). my cousin had a late 90s 626 with the oscillating vents. other than the weak engine (2 litre??), that car was nice. he did start to have issues with it as it neared 100k miles, and he ended up getting rid of it.
I test drove the refresh one even and still felt the same way. It wasn't even a base model but the 'middle of the line' premium package. I wanted to like it even with bias because I remember "Acura's from the past" but this model is a serious embarrassment from the sedan's in the past. I know I'm really digressing with stories but my grandfather who was a Buick, Cadillac, Lincoln guy through and through somehow got sold on the first generation TSX. It was one of his weirdest car acquisitions during his last years of life and he told me it was weird how "strong the brakes here", and how "it didn't leak engine coolant pre 40k miles". He loved it and it was honestly in my mind one of the last great Acura sedans. I remember thinking back in the day (okay I was daily driving a 1.8L N/A with 120ish hp) that the engine didn't feel like a 4 cylinder and it was so smooth to drive.
yeah, when you base a luxury car on a civic, it's not gonna be the nicest ride. the tsx was based on the european accord, which was a decent car. between the shield grills (aka beak), other odd styling choices, cheaping out on details and letting honda models canibalize acura models, they have made some poor choices and are obviously not the same company they were in the 80s through mid 2000s.
I stand corrected. The issue is the Honda dealerships in Nassau County are pretty much assembly line factories that aren't even trying to disguise themselves for being anything other than non-impersonal. I never ended up getting to the Accord but I knew the write up's on the sport with the manual were 'overwhelming positive'. I did test drive the Fit and Civic SI and I was left with mostly favorable impressions with a less than favorable dealership experience. One thing that made me grimace in thought was having to get stuck with those bright red and black seats as I slowly (quickly) approach 30. I'm not usually such a judgmental person with aesthetics like that but good god (but the 18 year old in me would've loved that). The Honda Fit I could've paid in full for what I was looking for so that was the draw there but I wanted to take more of a leap of faith. That is probably one of the best car's money can buy- on the initial impression nothing really struck me was low rent of cheap (being realistic of course). I hope they continue trekking onwards with the Accord sport with a manual because I might be falling into that market in the future (but please a better sound system and maybe one with actual tweeters!).
your experience in many ways mirrors mine. i was on the fence between the Si and the Accord Sport, and the red seats were one of the things pushing me toward the accord. the main things though were that i didn't really like the exterior look of the Si sedan (but did love the coupe), and really wanted the sedan for practicality. also, the back seat was hard to get into in even the sedan. also, the Si takes premium gas. the Si was more fun to drive, with a more entertaining engine and tighter gearbox and smaller chassis etc. It also had most of the luxury features of the higher end models such as moonroof, smart entry and keyless start, powerful stereo, touchscreen stereo with apple carplay, etc. another negative was the seats, while more cushy feeling than the accords (despite being compared to accord seats), had tight side bolsters and no power adjustments like the accord sport has. as for the dealer experience, i would've tried to find another dealer if the one you went to (honda city??) was that bad.
I see what you're saying and mostly agree with the consensus. I'm just forced into so many of the big parkways that I'm kind of just numb from the pain. I'm sure other big city parkways experience this but I don't know if anything hurts worse then being on Long Island- getting onto the localized entrance for the SS or LIE and as soon as you can see traffic is not moving and at a stand still and you're trapped. It takes you over 30 minutes to go 2-3 miles and you realize it's because everyone's rubber necking to see a flipped SUV in a ditch... and all of a sudden you were averaging speeds of 5-8 mph and now you can openly do 80 if you wanted too... welcome to Long Island. I don't think I ever heard of the LIMP but it seems interesting. The Wantagh and meadowbrook serve their purpose but it's to a MUCH lesser volume. I honestly have been driving since 2005 and I don't think I've ever been in a stand still on either one of those. The Seaford Oyster Bay which I frequent a lot too is a decent high way with "medium/large volume" but honestly every time I get onto the LIE or SS I just pray.
well that explains it. yeah, i've dealt with the LIE nonsense before, though not as bad as the locals or regulars. that's part of why i like to jump down to the southern state and sunrise highway (east of your area where it's actually a highway) instead of staying on the LIE. I also find the LIE boring and have even gotten flipped off on that road before
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I'm really glad that I wasn't thrown into the fire because I don't know if I'd be around to be writing on this forum. I think it took me 3 solid months before it wasn't a 50/50 chance of me stalling off a stop. I've never written anything about hill starts in my 'refining techniques' thread because it literally was sink or swim for me. I get off exit 10 - Plainview off the 135 and it's a moderate hill with a traffic light at the top. Sometimes I literally have to wait two lights to make it while balancing myself on a hill. If I didn't learn hill starts fast I would've probably been on the news for something bad.
it really took me 6 months to get good at shifting. i think the main problem was i was overthinking things and not trusting myself to do it without conscious input. it took me several years to figure out hills; i was frightened of them for the first 4-5 years i drove manual. once i realized (or read, probably on this forum) that hill launches aren't really different from a well coordinated launch on level ground, i quickly adjusted.
It's really kind of crazy that we probably know mutual people and have shared the same "local" roads. Lighthouse is good and pretty much the "after Mulchay's" staple but Massapequa is definitely better food wise. I haven't been to borrelli's in a quick minute but I definitely know what it is
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i never really thought much of lighthouse. it looked nice inside and the service was decent, but the food wasn't anything special. borelli's also i never thought much of, and my friends who still go there for special occasions even say it's not real italian food. we're usually up north in farmingdale when i come down lately, and one of my friends who lives there usually meets me at embassy diner, which i personally don't think much of.