3gee road manners vs new cars

[Ayeobe]

What do you guys think? I dont drive new cars so often, but i find the ride is plush, and it still will take a corner quite well. I am of course talking about stock 3geez..

Mine needs new engine mounts, tie rod, shocks arnt fantastic, and the rack has a bit of play in it, and my friend said it drives comparably to a new car.

I know alot of you have newer cars, so what are your opinions on that?

Note:
Someone wana change the topic title?! I failed and called it roar manners instead of road manners ...

[Buzo]

With my poor English I understood the title as "characteristic noises of the 3gee vs a new car"

I feel my 3geez more powerful than my wife's 2012 Focus. There is always a delay that looks like a lack of power when taking off. It might be the throttle controller (there is no cable between the accelerator and the throttle) or the transmission modules, or something but I am not satisfied with Ford.
Even in the fuel economy, The Focus is 30 and my 3gee is 26 MPG city drive. Very close for those 25 years of difference.

[RAZR]

Well i have driven a few of my friends cars and my car just feels tighter and I don't feel disconnected from the road in my car. My parents have a 2008 accord 4dr and sure it drives nice and is super quiet but there is no driver feedback through the steering. Also that car has close to 180 hp and my car feels much quicker than it.

[car6289]

My 3G rides and handles better than my 05 Civic. My 3G loves to be driven at about 130 km/hr. It is the sweet spot for my car, a feeling while driving similar to a boat once the bow drops and the hull planes out. My Civic is twitchy at or above that speed.
Above the posted speed limit "roar manners" seems appropriate.

[Ayeobe]

Lol ... i dont know how i typed Roar manners, but i guess my mind was subconsciously reminding me how loud it is at highway speeds lol.. Someone suggested using some kinda shoe shine, i imagine leather treatment of some sort to re-condition the rubber seals, but i dont remember exactly what it was.

He has a 2007 or so Caddy SUV with the same doors and door locks as the 3gee.

I have found that the 3gee offers a more "real" or "raw" drive. Its still super comfertable, but as a driver you have alot more feedback from the car, and yes, i haaate computer-controlled throttle..

[MessyHonda]

new cars are too big. I got to sit in a 2013 accord at a car show and it feels like a mercedes benz...fancy inside but if anything breaks your S.O.L. at least our cars can be taken apart and put back together with basic tools. my 04 accord feels like a boat. Im already thinking about upgrading to TL sway bar upgrade.

[Vanilla Sky]

I love how guys on old car forums bemoan electronics failures. These days, a car tells you what's wrong with it, usually while it can still get you home.

Now, consider that it's been a while since I've driven a 3gee. I really can't say that our Accords feel that much different from any other car with a similar suspension setup. It doesn't feel anything like my Mac-strut front, torsion beam rear Astra. It feels nothing like my '89 Cherokee, either. It really depends on what we're comparing it to.

Now, most cars in the same segment as the current Accord are bloated whales, made to cart fat Americans around while they drink their lattes and run over little kids without stopping because they're so isolated from the world they don't know it happened. Cars of similar size are all over the place. I can't think of a single new car with a similar suspension, size, and power to the 3gee. If I had to say one felt similar, it would possibly be a Mazda2.

These 3geez were also considered fairly big cars when new. They were an honest mid-sized sedan, with a mid-sized sedan price. Honda managed to pack a lot of stuff into these cars at that price point. Technology then was there to make the car better. Tech now gives a car more gadgets, but usually less of an engaging driving experience. Built in lag for the throttle is a pain. Traction control and ABS are now standard. Try finding a real 3rd pedal in a new car on a lot, especially in a mid-sized or small sedan with a leather interior, using a manual SEi for the comparison. You just won't, not without either buying a stripper model or a performance package of some sort.

So, while there are a few cars out there that feel a bit like our cars, it's really hard to compare them because they aren't going to be an apples to apples comparison.

[Dr_Snooz]

It's pretty rare to find a mid-priced, family car with double-wishbone suspension at all four corners now. Any other suspension will pale in comparison. I know the 1g Miata had 4-wheel, double-wishbone suspension, so that has made it real popular. You can also cram a Mustang 5.0 into it, which doesn't hurt it's popularity either. I don't know if the new ones are still that way.

Beyond that, Honda was obsessive about building perfect cars. Every component in the car coordinated seamlessly with every other. It wasn't like other car makers where they would mate a tall-geared trans with an under-powered engine or some such, just because they had a million of them in their warehouse, or make the door panels out of an inferior grade of plastic that starts turning to dust after 4 years, just because it saved them $0.05/car.

I don't think you'll find a new car today that will "feel" like the 3g.

[Vanilla Sky]

You can, but you're going to spend a lot more for it. Honda was gunning for BMW when they designed these cars. Now they are gunning for Toyota, the Japanese GM.

[carotman]

You can, but you're going to spend a lot more for it. Honda was gunning for BMW when they designed these cars. Now they are gunning for Toyota, the Japanese GM.

So true...

[AccordB20A]

i dont really like newer cars. shits getting too big. too much safety crap. Small cars that weigh more than our big cars and have bigger engines and they are still slower.

the accord handles well but for some silly reason they feel bad in the rear. too much roll when cornering. the only real let down on the 3g accord that drove me to buying an integra

[Vanilla Sky]

You can control body roll with sway bars and heavier springs. It's not terribly hard.

[mykwikcoupe]

I ride my motorcycles nearly everywhere these days. I tell most people that I only own cars because i have kids. My daily driver will start to become one again when the roads start to freeze. That being said I had to drive the kids in my 87 hatch the other day. They always ride in the 07 pilot but they prefer to ride in my hatch with a loud exhaust. They think its cool.

Anyways, the pilot has the same computer controlled crap in it, telling you your tires are underpressure and your gas cap is off and all. It ever restricts power when you plan on having on it. Ok back on subject. Even my daily driver which I plan to drive into the ground has alot of new or aftermarket parts on it. The steering is very crisp, the feedback is amazing and road feel actually enjoyable. Yes it doesnt have the heated seats the pilot has, yes it doesnt have the same amount of road niose isolating materials installed that new cars have. Id still drive my 3gee.

Ive been looking at new cars for the past few years. What to buy that can outdo the accord. i get 40mpg with 275k on the clock and I drive it pretty freely(13in rims). Its niosy inside but thats what pandora and radios are for. Its comfortable enough for me and its parts are cheap and easy to come by if the delaership doesnt have them. I know they are getting harder to find but I have a stash!!

Vanilla, I know the new cars electronics have a place, its for people that dont know how or cant maintain there own vehicles. The computer might as well just be more idiot lights. I dont need a car to tell me its time to change my oil, my odometer does that. I dont need a car to tell me its time to change in cabin air filter. My accord doesnt have that. I dont need my car to turn on the blind spot monitor becuase Im too lazy to turn my head and look. I dont need my car to tell me when I going to crash becuase I wasnt paying attention or texting and driving or whatever. Im not picking on you just saying. And what Im most proud of, I dont need my car to park itself becuase Im not an incompetant driver!

Im sure its nice to be able to start your car and go and not think from piont A to piont B becuase the car does that for you as well. I know spellings not my strong suit.

[allhailmj23]

^ Well said man! I agree with each of those points. I really believe that with each new technological aid that is added to modern day cars, drivers are becoming worse and worse. It's like they're not even driving vehicles anymore: rather, they are operating appliances that get them to the places they need to.

To respond to the topic though, I have driven quite a few cars, especially at my young age - nothing yet from the past 2 years, but many manufactured between 2000-2010. To set a point of comparison, I find my Accord to be extremely loud, rude, and harsh on most road surfaces out there (though I do live and California and the roads are indeed crappy). But that's what I like most about the car. I get so much road information and feedback through the steering wheel. Yes, I do get bump steer and the car follows through every crack on the road, but that's what makes the everyday drive enjoyable.

Compared to a E46 328i sedan, a car that is highly praised as a great driver's car, it doesn't even come close to the 3g. Brakes are way too touchy, clutch is too light, and the throttle too stiff. And the steering, which does have a good amount of heft, sends no information of the road to me, like trying to navigate through a room blindfolded. It doesn't get the driver involved. But the car is extremely well mannered on all road surfaces and is comfortable. That's all that's important to today's drivers in America.

I've also gotten the chance to drive my uncle's 2008 Accord, which has now been replaced by the ninth gen. To stay on point to steering and handling, the car does not inspire any confidence from behind the wheel, well at least driving in straight. Straightline steering weight is as light as a feather, thus feels quite nervous. Though when the steering angles increase, the weight builds up very nicely and feels much better. It is a pretty noisy car when compared to today's cars, but still much quieter and more comfortable than my 3g. But handling and steering are still lacking.

And there is my mom's 2001 Camry that's just an absolute nightmare to drive. Sooo much body roll, combined with too light steering, and no road feedback, equates to a miserable driving experience. The fastest I can take turns in this car is at least 15mph less than in my 3g. But I shouldn't be surprised, because at the end of the day, it IS a Camry.

Although these do seem like very negative views on cars built in the last decade, there are cars that I have driven that drive just as well, or even better than my 3g. These cars would be the 2004 Mazda 3, a 2001 Inifiniti G20, a 2006 S2000, and a 2004 350z. All of these cars exhibit very similar steering feels and general handling characteristics (although not tested to the limits). Each car has relatively heavy steering that builds up perfectly through turns with no slop on center whatsoever. They all provide me the excellent road feel and feedback that my 3g provides me, minus the harshness. And with every turn I've taken in those cars, I can guage pretty well how much grip remained in the front tires. I just wanted to take each turn faster and faster, but I restrained myself only because the cars weren't mine .

I'm sorry for the pretty long post, but steering and handling is the thing I look at most when I drive cars. Connected through that leather wrapped steering wheel are the tires, the only part of the car that touches the ground, unless you are scraping lips and mudflaps because you're "hellaflush" . Although most cars today have lost the excellence that the 3g had in the steering and handling departments, some cars in the market still can match and exceed it. The only difference is that you're likely not going to find it in a midsize economy car that the 3g Accord was back in the day. It generally has to be a true sports car, or an everyday car that is marketed as sporty.