UPDATE: Cornerstone of the Family

I am in year 7 of my first Honda Accord. We traded a 2000 Jetta VR6 and skipped the BMW we'd planned on buying.

Performance: The 200hp engine still zips. I'm not an aggressive driver, but in Washington D.C., you have to be an assertive driver. You don't get a second chance to merge in this town - so take it or leave it. D3 is obviously more fun, but runs at a higher RPM so you lose 1-2 MPG on the efficiency. Handling and acceleration are better than the BMW 3-series I think, but I'm partial to FWD cars.

Reliability. This car never breaks down. It's been hit 3 times, and that's the only time I've had it repaired. I'm approaching 90K miles on the car and all I do is fill up and change the oil.

Cabin: The backseat is large enough that a newborn car seat fits well and is easy to install - a far more demanding test than putting my 6-2 father-in-law back there. Silly things: The armrests are at the same height on both sides, which is nice for people stuck in traffic who just want to be comfortable. The various controls on the steering wheel are a key feature for me. I don't want to be reaching for the volume control on the stereo in heavy traffic. The rear seats don't fold, but it hasn't been a problem yet - in 7 years. The leather is firm enough to be reliable, but soft enough to be enjoyable. I don't worry about tearing it.

Maintenance. I replaced the brake pads once back at 50K miles. I got new tires at the same time since I was putting heavy mileage on the car and the state inspection was due that month. I probably could have squeezed another 10K, but that would have run out by Christmas.

Wow Factor. You wouldn't expect it from this car, but I did actually have people compliment me on the car. Not something I expected from an Accord.