Baldeagle
Ready to race!
Hi All. Well, I sold my 2010 GTI 6MT. I went in a slightly different direction than others in the forum. I bought a 2012 Accord EX-L Coupe w/Nav with the 3.5-liter engine and 6-speed manual transmission. I found an absolutely pristine one with only 9,500 miles. I wanted a little larger car with more presence on the road that was still sporty and had a manual transmission. This 6-6 Coupe hit the mark perfectly for me.
This car is bigger than the GTI. I would actually categorize the 6-6 as more of a GT and the GTI a more of a sports car. The 6-6 feels much better on the highway. It is also rock solid and rattle free. But as you would expect with the extra weight and longer wheelbase, it does not handle as well as the GTI. It also lacks the GTI’s charm. That is not to say the 6-6 lacks soul and is completely sterile. It actually has a very nice personality and decent fun factor, but it is simply not German.
The quality I like best is how 6MT, clutch and engine all work together. Honda does that part very well. I also prefer driving a manual transmission connected to a non-turbo engine. Its a known fact that turbos and manual transmissions do not make the best combination. There is always lag off the line and between each shift. With the 6-6, every release of the clutch is met with instant power and an even power delivery. 2012 was also the last year Honda mated a true dual-lobe VTEC V6 to the 6MT. Now the only V6 engine Honda offers is their VCM engine, which uses a single profile camshaft. The older VTEC engine has a better torque curve. This car feels pretty quick.
On the down side, I took a little beating on the trade-in. My car had a few minor scratches but was still between “clean” and “outstanding” condition. However, I added 17” forged wheels. That turned out to be a minor problem. As a start, the books lower the GTI’s value by about $400 because it had 17s instead of 18s. Second, even though my wheels were top quality, they were not OEM. Apparently that hurt the value more. With 17s on a Base GTI (and 27,000 miles), Edmunds states trade-in is $14,000 for a “clean” car and $14,650 for an “outstanding” car. I got $14,300 for it. If it still had the OEM 18s, it might have been $14,700. I expected more.
I bought my GTI in April 2012 with 4,500 miles on it for $19,100. If I forget about taxes, documentation fees and so forth, going from $19,100 to $14,300 in 1.5 years represents a 21% rate of depreciation. That is pretty bad. Most cars depreciate about 18% per year. Had I kept the 18’s and gotten $14,700 for it, that would have been about an 18% depreciation rate. Like I said, my fault. Fortunately, the price on the 6-6 was low enough to compensate. I have no regrets.
I guess Honda is no better. This 6-6 listed for about $32,000 last year and probably sold for about $30,800. Its original delivery date was in April 2012. I bought this car for $22,800, which means the first owner must have traded it in for around $21,500. If that is right, this Honda depreciated about 27% during the same time my GTI depreciated 21%. I'm not complaining.
Thanks to all of you for your witty banter and amazing knowledge. This is a great forum and I was glad to be part of it. I’ll be checking in now and then. For those interested, I’ve included the obligatory photos. Take care.
This car is bigger than the GTI. I would actually categorize the 6-6 as more of a GT and the GTI a more of a sports car. The 6-6 feels much better on the highway. It is also rock solid and rattle free. But as you would expect with the extra weight and longer wheelbase, it does not handle as well as the GTI. It also lacks the GTI’s charm. That is not to say the 6-6 lacks soul and is completely sterile. It actually has a very nice personality and decent fun factor, but it is simply not German.
The quality I like best is how 6MT, clutch and engine all work together. Honda does that part very well. I also prefer driving a manual transmission connected to a non-turbo engine. Its a known fact that turbos and manual transmissions do not make the best combination. There is always lag off the line and between each shift. With the 6-6, every release of the clutch is met with instant power and an even power delivery. 2012 was also the last year Honda mated a true dual-lobe VTEC V6 to the 6MT. Now the only V6 engine Honda offers is their VCM engine, which uses a single profile camshaft. The older VTEC engine has a better torque curve. This car feels pretty quick.
On the down side, I took a little beating on the trade-in. My car had a few minor scratches but was still between “clean” and “outstanding” condition. However, I added 17” forged wheels. That turned out to be a minor problem. As a start, the books lower the GTI’s value by about $400 because it had 17s instead of 18s. Second, even though my wheels were top quality, they were not OEM. Apparently that hurt the value more. With 17s on a Base GTI (and 27,000 miles), Edmunds states trade-in is $14,000 for a “clean” car and $14,650 for an “outstanding” car. I got $14,300 for it. If it still had the OEM 18s, it might have been $14,700. I expected more.
I bought my GTI in April 2012 with 4,500 miles on it for $19,100. If I forget about taxes, documentation fees and so forth, going from $19,100 to $14,300 in 1.5 years represents a 21% rate of depreciation. That is pretty bad. Most cars depreciate about 18% per year. Had I kept the 18’s and gotten $14,700 for it, that would have been about an 18% depreciation rate. Like I said, my fault. Fortunately, the price on the 6-6 was low enough to compensate. I have no regrets.
I guess Honda is no better. This 6-6 listed for about $32,000 last year and probably sold for about $30,800. Its original delivery date was in April 2012. I bought this car for $22,800, which means the first owner must have traded it in for around $21,500. If that is right, this Honda depreciated about 27% during the same time my GTI depreciated 21%. I'm not complaining.
Thanks to all of you for your witty banter and amazing knowledge. This is a great forum and I was glad to be part of it. I’ll be checking in now and then. For those interested, I’ve included the obligatory photos. Take care.
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