[Harbir]

The Elise and the MX-5 are wonderful, but they don't work out for family use. My parents visit from India, my sister and her family come over, and renting cars was getting a bit annoying. So I decided to that I had to get a 4 door.

The conditions were simple. It had to be the largest manual transmission equipped 4 door sedan I could find. I had an '07 Camry 4 cylinder which at the time I bought it was the biggest manual transmission car in the US market, but i sold it after 11 months, I sold it because I couldn't take its lousy engine and absolutely terrible throttle programming (set up for emissions, without regard to drivability), plus it was dreadfully dull. The next choice was the new 2008 Honda Accord 4 cylinder. Its even roomier than the Camry, plus its got much superior engine, transmission, handling, steering, everything. I would have bought this for sure, but for one thing. I had recently had a chance to drive a used '07 V6 Accord with the manual transmission. I did not like the automatic V6 much but the manual V6 was brilliant!

This is an EXCEEDINGLY rare car, made only in '06 and '07, at a ratio of about 1 manual V6 for every 2000 V6 automatics. it is not as roomy as the Camry, never mind the new Accord, and does not have the ride/handling/steering qualities of the new Accord, but the combination of the superb V6 engine and very sport 6 speed manual transmission was truly wonderful. So I set about locating a new one and found 11 remaining unsold in the entire US. I started negotiating on a couple and ended up buying one at $5000 under list price.

The car is fully equipped with no options. 244hp V6 (0-60mph in 5.9 seconds), 6 speed manual transmission, navigation system with touch screen and voice activated control, satellite radio, 6 CD Changer, leather upholstery, heated seats, heated mirrors, sunroof, side curtain airbags, side airbags,etc.

A review for the '06 (same as the '07) can be found here 2006 Honda Accord EX V-6 Sedan reviews - CNET Reviews

i'll post pictures at some stage. So far the only disappointment is that the driver's seat is artificially restricted from going too far back. I am going to disassemble seat and remove the obstrution so that I can get the legroom I need (I am 6'3").

other than that, its superb. the engine is magical, powerful, torquey, smooth, the steering, ride, etc are all excellent. The handling is obviously no match for my miata or my Elise, or the BMW 330i I used to own, but for the purpose of carting family around, its passably good, and its just so relaxing after I get beaten up by my sports cars.

I would have bouhg the '08 Accord if I could have gotten the manual transmission with the V6 but its not available like that in the sedan unfortunately.

Just wanted to share!

[greenhorn]

Nice ride Harbir. It's a pity that yanks like only auto 'boxes :(

[speedzak]

Congratulations on your purchase.
That mighty V6 mated to an insane manual tranny is a driver's dream come true!

[ram_hyundai]

Wonderfull buy buddie,Enjoy her.Getting a MT there is unusual isnt it?People prefer AT there for the comfort and ease of use.
ram

[nitrous]

You're a hero among the Indians there who pickup auto boxes,man!
A V6 and a 6-speed manual. Slurp!

[A S H V I N]

Congrats with the buy. good job going with the manual transmission. for such cars the automatic is pretty sluggish when compared to the manual moreover at times when you really really need it to move the automatics take their own sweet time! by the way .. just wondering .. how come you didnt opt for something like the Nissan Maxima?

[GTO]

It had to be the largest manual transmission equipped 4 door sedan I could find.

You betcha! I remember looking for a manual Accord in the States, and it took me a pretty long time to locate one. The best part is...I got a great deal because no one else wanted a stick shift.

Only a true car guy will buy a previous gen due to an allergy to automatics. You got a car that is fun to drive, is fast and scores high on practicality. Congratulations!

[low_bass_makker]

We in India don't get V6 with manual transmission.

[hmishra83]

A V6 accord with a sporty 6 speed manual transmission. Isn't that a dream? Well, sure is for me.

Congratulations dude. I wish I could follow suit living here in India and yeah being able to afford that car here in India

[Harbir]

Thanks everyone!

Like I said, I cannot stand automatic transmissions. I don't mean for sporty driving. even just normal day to day driving to work and the grocery store. for me driving involves doing it myself and I absolutely hate automatics. Someday when we have kids I might end up getting a minivan and they come only with automatic transmissions in the US, but till then I am keeping the faith!

The driveline is truly superb. The engine is silky, has a very flat torque curve, is powerful. The transmission has just about the best shift I've expereinced in a sedan. The rest of the car is not as sporty as the engine/transmission combo might imply. Its a mixture of sport sedan, luxury sedan, family sedan. Its not even as sporty in its handling and steering as the base 4 cylinder 5 speed manual version, which is quite commonly found. I believe this is due to the 4 cylinder engine being very light and thus not causing the car to be so nose heavy. Its short gearing, enthusiastic and slightly raucous nature, make the 4 cyl 5 speed a lot of fun to drive, but it does not have the luxury, refinement, and effortless power of the V6 6 speed.

The handling is very good by typical standards, but given that my other two cars are a Lotus Elise and an MX-5, the car's handling is not what stands out when I drive it. In fact, I appreciate it more for being coddling and luxurious and refined, and so able to destress me, without boring me to death.

I love the voice activated controls. I can control the navigation system, the audio system, the air conditioning system, the trip computer, and various other functions purely by voice control.

I am quite disappointed by the tires that Honda has chosen to fit and would like replace them with some Pirelli P Zero Nero at the earliest opportunity. I also want to get more legroom from the driver's seat as it does not go far back enough. If I am not able to modify it to move further back, I have made a arrangements to install a Sparco Chrono seat on the driver's side. It is very clear that Honda has configured the US market accord for Moms driving their kids around, which has resulted in a huge car suited to small drivers. to a 6'3" 110kilo man, the driver's seat area is non optimal. not only does the seat not go far back enough, its bottom is too short (front to back), which means the thighs are not properly supported if you have long legs and the edge of the seat causes a pressure point under the thighs.

The car also has a little excessive body roll under hard driving and could use firmer dampers or stiffer anti roll bars, but I am not inclined to mess with that for now.

Well I'd better shut up now, take a shower and get to the office! later guys!

[Mpower]

Funny you mention this because I went down the same path a few years ago. Wanted a 4 door sedan with V6 and manual trans (a rare species indeed). I had pretty much settled on the Maxima with its jewel like VQ V6, but then its struck me that there is a company called BMW that makes excellent sedans that meet my requirement. So ended up saving some more and decided to get a 328i but eventually stepped up to an M3.

Originally Posted by Harbir

The conditions were simple. It had to be the largest manual transmission equipped 4 door sedan I could find.

That would have to be the BMW 5 series..manuals can be had with both I6 and V8. Also maybe CTS/Lincoln LS etc

[Nitin]

Congrats on the purchase! Nothing to beat the V6 and stick shift combo!
Drive safe..

[Harbir]

I was considering buying an E39 M5. Had located a gorgeous Imola Red 2003 with 22k miles. but I chose not to buy it because it had precious little more leg room than the 330i I used to have, especially in the rear, and no where near as much as I needed or wanted. I could not justify spending over $40,000 on a car that did not come near the Elise for handling and fun factor, but didn't provide the adequate interior space either. The E60 5 series has more interior room than the E39, bit less than the accord, and again, i was not willing to pay big bucks for a smaller car because it had no traits that I did not already have in greater quantity in my other cars.

I am a big BMW fan, I loved my 330i Sport madly, I almost bought a used 330i ZHP just before I made the deal on the accord but I decided against it because what I wanted was interior room, value, and reliability, traits BMWs do not excel at.

The cadillac CTS is indeed a good car, but the manual transmission version is not good. it suffers the same maladies that my camry did, of incomplete driveline development. A quote from Car and Driver explains the issue well:

What we found during this comparison test was that coupled with the six-speed manual, the CTS didn’t feel quite as finished or satisfying as the automatic-equipped car. Not even the $1300 “rebate” a customer gets by purchasing a CTS with a manual transmission would be enough to make up for its bad habits. From a stiff clutch pedal with inconsistent engagement to a clunky and high-effort shifter that resists smooth, quick gearchanges, the CTS’s powertrain seems crude without the automatic. Push in the clutch after running first gear toward the 7000-rpm redline, and the engine lets out an unflattering moan. Strange whooshing and droning sounds accompany any changes in throttle position. As one tester glibly put it, “The CTS has more strange sounds than a haunted house.”

the Lincoln LS is not in production anymore and wasn't all that great even when it was.

A friend of mine just got an E90 328i and my Honda is no match for it for driving fun, but for that i have my Elise. What I got the Honda for, the BMW can't match it on. which is room, value, and reliability.

Now I am late for work. cheers!

[highwayblaze]

Harbir you have a great car collection. I didnt know u'r a Miata fan as well. From the looks of it you're a "handling" guy more than "Horsepower". Your miata 1990-93 i assume since its 1.6 right? great clean ride. Btw nice family ride you got now. Drive safe !
Btw if you've got any miata stories we'd love to hear em. Do you autocross etc.?

[Harbir]

This is not mine but it looks the same (except the wheels and foglights). I'll get some pictures of mine soon.