[blackwasp]

The Honda Accord V6 cost a good 10 lakhs more than its I-4 sibling when new. The 3.5L V6 is rated at an astonishing 271 BHP and 339 Nm. In terms of bragging rights, you get brute power, a silky smooth V6 engine, a fully-loaded car, cool cylinder deactivation tech (3 cylinders are switched off when not needed) and unmatched performance for the money. The Japanese are known for reliability and this Accord is no different. Just get the car serviced in a timely manner and it will never let you down. Internationally, these cars are known to last 300,000 - 500,000 km. Depending on the condition, the Accord V6 will change hands between Rs. 3,50,000 to Rs. 6,00,000.

Positives:

• Goes like a rocket in a straight line
• Has aged well. Still looks good & has presence
• Spacious & comfortable cabin for the family
• Honda reliability
• Fully loaded - gets a sunroof, automatic climate control, leather seats etc.
• Unbeatable bang for the buck

Negatives:

• Abysmal fuel efficiency. Expect 4 - 6 kmpl in the city
• Not really a handler
• Might be too big for some people
• When parts fail, they are expensive

Related Threads:

• Vivekji05's review

• Launch thread

• Sidindica's pictorial thread with details on the bluetooth kit

Mod Potential:

Very good. Lots of after-market options for the engine, suspension, braking etc. This is a model that sold 400,000 copies per year internationally.


Source

Here are some examples on sale (59,000 km white, 61,000 km black, 67,000 km white, 77,000 km white).

Pictures of the 2010, 61,000 km Accord V6 with an asking price of Rs. 5.50 lakh:

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Indian Car Scene. Thanks for sharing! Am going to enjoy this series. We have other enthusiast cars like the W124, Laura vRS etc. coming up.

Voting for HOT. There is no other used car like it for 5 - 6 lakhs (otherwise known as budget hatchback money). I've redlined in one and it was an unforgettable experience . The silky smooth engine pulls like a race car; you can never ever get bored of it. It's also family friendly. If I had 6-lakhs to buy a single car, this would be on top of my list.

Suits those with low running like me. If your running is higher or you are sensitive to FE, buy the 4-cylinder Accord instead (will give you 2 kmpl more & cost lesser to buy).

On the downside, if you get an aged car, you had better be prepared for some part replacements, even if the Accord's reliability is top class. I would count on a maintenance average of Rs 25,000 / year, with the occasional 50,000-rupee year. But if you buy a good piece, there is no reason for your 5-year ownership to cost over 1.25 - 1.75 lakh rupees in upkeep. Make sure you have a good independent mechanic.

[Nithesh_M]

There's one on sale in my area. I wanted to just buy it on impulse but then read on how much it costs to maintain one. Although not a big issue for a person who wouldn't see more than 8k a year, its a big headache finding parts off the shelf these days. The previous owner told me as much.

The asking price was 5.5 lakhs for a 2007 black v6. 5.5 is also the expected fuel efficiency

[TheHelix0202]

Wow, didn’t know a series like this existed; perfect! Voted for ‘hot’, of course it is! Was just casually browsing through OLX for nicely maintained V6’s a couple days back.

But that being said, I definitely wouldn’t want to pick one up when I couldn’t fit it in our apartment parking or otherwise. Just too much hassle. Better pick up a nice Civic that’s 1/3 the size of the Accord.

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Voted for NOT.

Thanks to the lockdown and surplus time at hand - I've been searching for deals on OLX myself and had come across the Accord V6 offerings. One of the best examples I could find here is a 11 year old car, run 1L km and asking for 7.5 lakhs.

But I fail to see any positives beyond the 3.6L V6 engine!

Here's my list of negatives:

1. The large dimensions - 4950mm * 1845mm. It's longer than the even the 2020 G30 5-series BMW! Not something my 6L budget parking space can afford.
2. Soft suspension. Together with the dimensions - it's a boat around the twisties.

3. Average 5-speed torque converter that fails to put all that power down. 0-100 was reported at 8.46 seconds back in the day.
4. 10-year-old car, discontinued 8 years ago - spare parts situation seems to be not very good locally, though parts can be procured from abroad. Be prepared for a wait if things go wrong.

5. Somehow most Accord examples (not just the V6) on the used market seem to have interiors which are a big turn-off. The leather seems to have wrinkled / chipped off upon taking a closer look and the beige used for the entire bottom half is very badly soiled in most cars.

That engine is a big positive, but not enough to pull that trigger for me - unless if I were to afford it to be an additional project car in the garage.

[Miyata]

Voted "Not"

I have not known a happy Accord owner in my circle! They are not as reliable (or even elegant!) as a Civic. From the Honda stables, Civic is a much better and refined car. Honda Accord has been known to typically not age gracefully - quite a few niggles it carries.

Examples of the niggles - Windshield cracking; Transmission Slipping. They may be excellent for the first 60k-70k kms, post that you may be better off not having it!

[84.monsoon]

Voted HOT. The body shape somehow remains modern and classy even after all these years,. Although two later generations of the Accord have come, neither look as good as the 8th generation Honda Accord. The later generations look busy and cluttered, with design elements that do not blend in nicely with each other as they did in the 8th generation.

Regarding the comment on the interiors, agree that the leather quality is not the same as the Germans and can appear worn and saggy. An easy fix is to get the seats taken out and new leather seat covers sewn on. I did that in a second hand CRV I had years ago, it cost 30K but made the car look (and smell!) like new.

However, one issue is that finding an 8th generation Accord with the V6 is hard. Most of the V6 Accords listed in OLX and similar sites are the seventh generation ones, which looks awful. The metamorphosis from a servant girl to Cinderella in as the Accord goes from 7th to 8th generation is amazing!

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Miyata

They are not as reliable (or even elegant!) as a Civic.

Actually, Honda's reliability overall has moved from "exceptional" to "good". The 8th-gen Civic of India also has known issues. IIRC, they include engine mounts, steering rack, ABS module & more - more details in this thread (Honda Civic : Maintenance, Service Costs and Must dos). I would say that the Accord's reliability is overall superior to the Civic's (note = I am an ex-Civic owner).

Windshield cracking; Transmission Slipping

- Windshield cracking is hardly a major reliability issue.

- Transmission slipping problems affected the 6th-gen Accord (there was a major recall), and some of the 7th-gen. As far as I know, this isn't a widespread problem with the 8th-gen V6 at all. In fact, the V6's AT is known to be bullet-proof.

[ramki.grandhi]

Voted not, mostly because I’m not a fan of automatics, cvt in particular.
It would’ve been damn hot for me if it was a manual transmission.

[sunilch]

Voted Not. Primarily because I do not consider this to be a driver's car and I drive by myself.

Except for the leg room and the humongous boot, I don't find anything attractive in it. The handling is not great and GC is also bad. Parts are expensive and off-course the terrible FE.

Agreed that it does great in straight line but then that is one part of the driving pleasure. Rest of the parts are missing

[Superleggera]

Voted Not. This is the only generation of accord that didn't have a sporty look and doesn't seem to age gracefully.

[Miyata]

Originally Posted by GTO

As far as I know, this isn't a widespread problem with the 8th-gen V6 at all. In fact, the V6's AT is known to be bullet-proof.

You had me doing about an hours long research on the Accords and issues / reliability commonly experienced over long term. You mods really are on top of all things automotive

Sure enough, very few cases of transmission slipping appears to be reported on the 8th-gen models as compared to the previous gens.

Another problem that used to be common was rusting on the wheel arches. Particularly at the rear wheels. It appears that may have been better sorted too.

The 8th gen V6 also appears to be using timing belts instead of timing chains. On a used Accord, one may need to be a little wary of this and possibly get it replaced a bit preemptively.

[landcruiser123]

Great buy if if it not your daily commute car.

I know someone in Bangalore who:
1. Uses office transport (pre-COVID) or works from home
2. Shares a WagonR with his wife for city duty
3. Takes his Camry out for trips, parties, and those events at 5 star hotels

Expect 9-12 kmpl on highways.

[2000rpm]

Voted for NOT. I think the Civic is a way classier car from a looks and interior perspective.

The Accord is a difficult car to live with, the size, the spare parts, the handling, the ground clearance. All of it put together makes for a bad ownership experience.

[locusjag]

This is going to sound unreal, but I'll post it anyway - I saw a 9,50,000 mile run 2008 8th gen Honda Accord V6 on sale in Craigslist back in 2017 in the US. I had just finished putting up my SUV's sale listing when Craigslist showed this Honda Accord listed nearby in the same zip code. It was listed for free (as a "parts car"), which is understandable - given the number of miles on it. Assuming that it was a genuine listing (with it being Craigslist), that's a mind-boggling number of miles on a car. How's that for reliability?