Mr friend is on the market for a new car. His parents are giving him a budget of 30-35K (same as his brother, who got a 05 TL when it came out)..

He doesnt want a TL becuase that would be the 4th in our group and 6th if you count "not as close" friends.. hes pretty car illiterate so im doing most of his car research for him..

It was between the Eclipse GT (or GT-S, which ever ones top of the line) and the new Altima 3.5 Altima Coupe. But now the new Accord coupe came out, so i told him about that.. what do you guys think?
(We all told him not to get the Eclipse but hes been in love with that car forever.)

All 3 cars are the V6 Version, fully loaded with everything (Navi optional)..

 

I know this is a Honda/Acura biased forum... but please, be fair! lol

 

of those three, i'd take the '08 accord coupe.

then the altima coupe. then eclipse.

 

altima

 

Based on looks since i havent driven any...

Altima looks kinda girly to me so I would pick the Accord coupe.

Why not the G37?

 

I havent fallen for the back of the Accord yet, but i havent seen it with the sports package.

Im thinking Altima; Accord; Eclipse right now..

Heres why:
The Altima has about 10-12 more lb tq. than the accord, and a couple more HP, and weighs about 300 lb less. And i dont think the Accord has Sport Shift, which is a turn off. And the Altima has a push button engine start that i like and gives better gas mileage.

 

The G37 is over his price range, otherwise i would give him no other option

 

just curious. but why the eclipse?

 

I personally dont like the Eclipse... its just that hes loved the car forever and has always wanted it (donno why?) but im sure we can talk him out of that..

 

fair enough. i was just curious because it didn't really fit in with the altima coupe and accord coupe.

to be honest, the altima coupe does look a little girly, but at the same time, most cars do. i mean, to me, it looks a lot like a mix of the previous and current infiniti g coupes. and i'd have no problem with buying one of those. so i wouldn't be too turned off by its looks.

and i agree with you that the push start alone makes it intruiging. but i do like the accord's interior a lot better.

is he set on a 2 door?

 

Accord.

1.) Honda has been good with high powered FWD cars
2.) Fuel economy is better with or without the VCM.
3.) Best quality of the bunch

 

i dont care what the altima has that the accord doesnt, it still looks like a chick car to me like someone else said.

get the accord v6 coupe in 6MT/navi. winn3r.

 

he wants a 2 door, but isnt 100% set on it, if we can find a good deal on a nice 4 door (such as the new Maxima) well go for that!..

and i agree, the Accords interior is awsome..

 

the car will be an Auto Trans..

 

by new maxima, if you mean the current one, i'd rather spend the money on a tsx. heck even the mazdaspeed 6 or legacy.

and that's coming from a nissan fan who almost bought a 6g maxima.

 

Accord coupe FTW.

But what about the IS250?

 

You'd be fairly hardpressed to find even an IS250 for under $35k. It would be underpowered but in another league as far as luxury and refinement go.......

 

but i'm going to assume that the op's friend is his age (~19). so he might not be interested in a car like the IS and luxury/refinement just may not be a priority.

especially since the choices are eclipse, altima coupe, and accord coupe. plus, it seems like he really wants a 2 door.

regardless, i wish i had this problem when i was 19ish.

(well, not really. i was more than happy with my hand me down '96 maxima when i was 19.)

 

Can I be your friend's son? Hell, for a new car, I'll be his "daughter!"

 

Eclipse is a chicks car

Have 'em drive both the altima and accord back to back (with similar engines/trannies) and have him decide which one he likes better...

I haven't see enough (haven't seen any) accord coupes in person to tell if I like the accord better than the altima, but the altima is a sharp looking car (baby G37). Looks are subjective anyways... what we like isn't going to be what he likes.

It's really a tossup between the accord and altima... Have him flip a coin if he's having a hard time deciding...

Oh, and I'm jealous, I only had a budget of $250 for my first car....

 

Accord, all day long.

 

Agreed. If it's only between these 3 choices, I'd pick the Accord hands down. I don't like the Eclipse, and the Altima looks retarded to me.

 

Mine was a hand-me-down 1974 Toyota Corona coupe.....for which I was quite grateful.

 

1979 Honda Accord HB with a stick!

 

My second car was a 1980 Honda Accord HB with AT.

 

For 30-35k how about C350 with a seven speed auto trans and all the luxury for his 4dr option instead of a maxima..

 

what about a tsx?

 

I was just at a Mercedes Benz C-class event this past weekend. The C-class' interior actually feels cheaper than the Maxima's. That people would part with $35k (likely $40k) for that amazes me.

 

I'm doing it this weekend in DC. It should be fun to see how cheap it is inside.

 

I think the original poster is asking about V6 Coupes... (2 strikes against the TSX)...

 

I had a 76 Pinto MPG station wagon... I would have felt lucky to have had an import It was an automatic and was geared for MPG, not speed... But I loved that car...

 

How about a mazda rx 8? I know it's kind of underpowered compared to the three, especially for an auto tranny, but it's

1. better looking
2. more of a sports coupe
3. better handling
4. been a consecutive winner of "coupe of the year"

Plus, I'd highly suggest a RWD on a coupe cuz an FWD with all that HP will only create more torque steer.. Just my 2 cents.

 

i'm also a big fan of the rx-8 and i'd definitely take one over an eclipse.

but once again, looks are subjective, and it all depends on what the op's friend wants and is looking for.

 

Tell him to wait for the 128i

 

Good call.

 

accord, altima, no eclipse.

i like the new accord, it's not the sh*t yet, but if it's modded oh man it'll look like sex. the altima might be ligher and more power to crank... but i believe the accord would handle better

the altima is a very nice looking car also, a bit funky.... nissan went cheap on designing it, same front end as the sedan... i dont think the front matches the rear very well. rear is very aggressive, but front is blah.

and no to the is250, WEAK car, i wouldn't get the is unless its the 350. is250 are for the moms who want a nice LOOKING car.. not performing

 

None of these 3, for a 2 dr coupe, he should go badass and get a 350z or a Nismo 350z. It's a V6, doesn't look girly, and is a true 2 dr sports car.

 

his friend's going to go with AT, i wish he'd pick a MT..


i'd throw in an s2k, not v6... but its light and great on handling

 

Accord Coupe all the way.

 

Hes 17.. hes been driving a 96 Prelude for a while now, and the things really shaken up.. tahts why he likes coupes.. but like i said, its not 100% coupe, 4 doors are fine too if we can find the right one..