Hey y'all! Joined the club Monday with a 2027 Prelude in Meteorite Gray!
Spent the last 4 years in an Acura Integra A-Spec w/ Tech. Loved the styling, creature comforts, and overall personality of the car but the CVT was its limiting factor. I often reminded myself it was a commuter car and I should appreciate everything else it offered. Then Honda introduced the two-motor hybrid in Civic, and suddenly I couldn't look at my Integra the same way. The Integra was reasonably efficient, but the Civic was better. The Integra had enough power for everyday driving without constantly tempting me into speeding tickets, but the Civic had superior electric motor torque. All while running on 87 - more range, less cash.
Recently, we started shopping for a replacement for my fiancée's Toyota Highlander, initially considering CR-V. My plan was to keep my Integra hoping that they'd hybridize it soon. Then a Honda sales rep called me about a "special" they were running on Accords. It ended up being a decent deal, and somehow, in the middle of shopping for her car, I ended up buying a new one for myself instead. I traded my Integra for a 26 Accord Hybrid EX-L in Canyon River Blue Metallic (really nice color IMO). On paper, it made sense: bigger, plenty practical, power and all the important features I needed. I could live without the HUD or rain-sensing wipers, and I figured I'd replace the ELS audio with a custom system eventually. Most importantly, I had the hybrid efficiency I'd wanted, but you can probably guess where this is going... 4 weeks/1k miles later of trying to convince myself I loved the Accord. And to be fair, it's a great car. I just didn't realize how much I valued the Integra's styling and personality until I didn't have it. Accord does a lot right on paper, but I never found myself looking back at it after parking. It was an appliance, an exceptionally good one.
Meanwhile, the Highlander replacement adventure continued. We ended up getting her a 26 Passport TrailSport Elite Blackout in Modern Steel Metallic at a discount since the 27s are flowing in. Apparently, my enthusiasm about the new car was pretty obvious because my fiancée started asking questions like, "Why don't you ever take pictures of your car too?" and "Do you even like your car?" and my response was some variation of "Of course! I love the efficiency!". Eventually, I'd admit that while I appreciate the Accord, I didn't actually love it for me which was frustrating because I had done this to myself... I'd traded my perfectly good Integra for a car that was objectively better in some ways, only to find out that those improvements weren't the things that made me happy.
My fiancée was supportive, she encouraged me to stop trying to rationalize something I wasn't excited about and instead find something I'd love to drive. So after some tough conversations, some lost equity, and a few thousand dollars in expensive life lessons, I found myself back at a Honda dealership. This time, I drove home in the car I should have bought in the first place. It's only been 4 days, but I know this was the right move for me. The styling, the driving dynamics, the hybrid powertrain, and even the compromises (manual seats mostly) all come together in a package that makes me excited get on the road. Prelude isn't for everyone, and I understand plenty of the criticisms, but for what I wanted out of a daily driver, it checks boxes that Accord couldn't.
Sometimes the financially optimal/logical choice isn't the "right" choice!
Happy to be here, and looking forward to seeing what everyone does with cars!
Spent the last 4 years in an Acura Integra A-Spec w/ Tech. Loved the styling, creature comforts, and overall personality of the car but the CVT was its limiting factor. I often reminded myself it was a commuter car and I should appreciate everything else it offered. Then Honda introduced the two-motor hybrid in Civic, and suddenly I couldn't look at my Integra the same way. The Integra was reasonably efficient, but the Civic was better. The Integra had enough power for everyday driving without constantly tempting me into speeding tickets, but the Civic had superior electric motor torque. All while running on 87 - more range, less cash.
Recently, we started shopping for a replacement for my fiancée's Toyota Highlander, initially considering CR-V. My plan was to keep my Integra hoping that they'd hybridize it soon. Then a Honda sales rep called me about a "special" they were running on Accords. It ended up being a decent deal, and somehow, in the middle of shopping for her car, I ended up buying a new one for myself instead. I traded my Integra for a 26 Accord Hybrid EX-L in Canyon River Blue Metallic (really nice color IMO). On paper, it made sense: bigger, plenty practical, power and all the important features I needed. I could live without the HUD or rain-sensing wipers, and I figured I'd replace the ELS audio with a custom system eventually. Most importantly, I had the hybrid efficiency I'd wanted, but you can probably guess where this is going... 4 weeks/1k miles later of trying to convince myself I loved the Accord. And to be fair, it's a great car. I just didn't realize how much I valued the Integra's styling and personality until I didn't have it. Accord does a lot right on paper, but I never found myself looking back at it after parking. It was an appliance, an exceptionally good one.
Meanwhile, the Highlander replacement adventure continued. We ended up getting her a 26 Passport TrailSport Elite Blackout in Modern Steel Metallic at a discount since the 27s are flowing in. Apparently, my enthusiasm about the new car was pretty obvious because my fiancée started asking questions like, "Why don't you ever take pictures of your car too?" and "Do you even like your car?" and my response was some variation of "Of course! I love the efficiency!". Eventually, I'd admit that while I appreciate the Accord, I didn't actually love it for me which was frustrating because I had done this to myself... I'd traded my perfectly good Integra for a car that was objectively better in some ways, only to find out that those improvements weren't the things that made me happy.
My fiancée was supportive, she encouraged me to stop trying to rationalize something I wasn't excited about and instead find something I'd love to drive. So after some tough conversations, some lost equity, and a few thousand dollars in expensive life lessons, I found myself back at a Honda dealership. This time, I drove home in the car I should have bought in the first place. It's only been 4 days, but I know this was the right move for me. The styling, the driving dynamics, the hybrid powertrain, and even the compromises (manual seats mostly) all come together in a package that makes me excited get on the road. Prelude isn't for everyone, and I understand plenty of the criticisms, but for what I wanted out of a daily driver, it checks boxes that Accord couldn't.
Sometimes the financially optimal/logical choice isn't the "right" choice!
Happy to be here, and looking forward to seeing what everyone does with cars!
