* Update 1 Year Later! - See At End *

The time finally came for me to look at new cars. The majority of the new cars never really appealed to me until I saw the 2003 Accord Coupe in a showroom. "Wow, I'll take one of these please!" - that was the first thing I said. The styling and curves looked amazing in the NightHawk Black Pearl. And that was only the exterior. Once I got inside with the leather I thought it was incredible. I could only see myself driving this dream car in my dreams because my parents would be helping me out in buying my new car. I was planning on getting the Civic, but this thing just blew that thought straight out of my mind. So after sleeping on it, talking it over and doing some pricing, it was finally decided that I would be getting it!

The hardest part about getting my Accord was waiting for it! The last one available with my options was bought off the lot a day before I got to it. It was ok though because I rather a brand new one. But I had to wait 2 and a half grueling weeks of torture for it to come in. It seemed like forever, but finally worth it. So we'll start off with the...

Exterior
Like I said, the deciding factor on my new car was the appearance, and I fell in love with the Accord Coupe. It has a nice sleek design especially in the NightHawk Black Pearl. The diamond reflector, crystal clear headlights look awesome - they are sleek and compliment the black paint perfectly. The side mirrors, door handles and molding are matched to the body color. The rear of the Accord Coupe is my favorite part ;) I'm not so crazy about the front of the car, but the rear looks very sporty and tough. I got my car with the oem spoiler because it makes it look good and sporty, the way I think it is supposed to be portrayed. The spoiler also has an LED brake light which I love, and it's extremely bright. Another feature I love is the dual chrome exhaust! Makes the car look sooooo good from behind. I like the way the smoke comes out from both sides of the car in the winter or whenever it shows...hot!
The taillights are pretty cool too. I wish the lens was transparent and just used the reflector for diffraction. Also woulda been cool if they used backup lights like on the trunk, used the white part of the taillight for turn signal, bottom for parking light and the top for brake. The Accord Coupe has the brake on the bottom - I think it should have been more "in your face" than down that low.
The rear bumper looks sporty too because it has cutouts for the dual exhaust.
Oh yea, can't forget the power moonroof! Love how it looks from the outside when it's tilted up in the back.
Ok, onto the...

Interior
This is where it gets good. The interior is amazing. After looking at all the cars it's hard to find a car with a nice exterior *and* a nice interior. But Honda has accomplished it!
I had to get the leather because it's just so cool and it looks great. Before you sit in the driver's seat you should know that it has an 8-way adjustable power seat. The seats are really comfortable, and if you get the EX model they are heated too! I got mine in April so I haven't been able to enjoy them in the winter, but I'm sure they are nice.
When you take a look around, you will notice some controls on the driver's door: power window, power door locks and power mirror switches. There’s also a passenger window disable switch. And the driver's window has an auto-up/down part of the switch.
To the left of the steering wheel there is the power moonroof switches, and the TCS off button. On the steering wheel there are the stereo controls and cruise control buttons. The 3-"spoke" steering wheel is also really nice. The steering column also features tilt & telescoping. The chrome and black "H" emblem on the center of the wheel is a nice touch.

When you pull the door handle from the outside and hear the soft pop of the door open, you'll see the instrument cluster light up instantly, but dimly. When you insert the key it brightens up and when you start the car everything comes on. I love that feature. The instrument cluster is so unbelievably clear, crisp, bright and white, especially at night because of the electroluminescent backlighting. It includes a tach on the left, large speedometer in the middle with a digital odometer, A&B trip meters, and a temperature indicator (if equipped) at the bottom, gas gauge and temp gauge, door/trunk open indicator on the right, with all the other indicators scattered in the right places. The gauges fly up with excitement when you start the car (as opposed to my old car where the gauges slowly crept up).

There are 6 (auto-adjusting) beverage holders in the coupe: 1 on each door, 2 in the center console and two on either side of the rear. Having cup holders, while not exciting to others, is for me because I never had any in my old car, and finally having a secure place to put your drinks is really exciting not having to worry about them! Ok, onto the things that matter more...
The stereo is 120-watt AM/FM/6-Disc In-Dash CD changer audio system! Wow, that’s really cool, huh? It sounds really good for a factory system too. The appearance of the display and controls along with the climate control system is truly a work of art. The volume/adjustment is round and has a chrome ring around it. The LCD text is bold and bright white like the Apple i-Pod. Everything displayed and how it's laid out on the screen is perfect and neat.

I got the dual-zone automatic climate control system which let's you, the driver experience a certain temperature and the passenger too (there is a control knob for each side). I love how the exact temperature shows up on the display. The fan speed, air direction, A/C status is also digitally displayed. Air direction has a cute little person icon with arrows showing where the air is flowing (windshield, face, floor, mixture).

Below the stereo and climate control system is a pop-open storage compartment, or an mp3 player if you got that instead. In front of that at the bottom is a DC outlet and next to that a little storage compartment for very small items. In front of that are the dual heated seat buttons (Hi/Lo), then the nice leather-wrapped(?) shifter with the chrome button, then the cup holders and the parking brake with chrome button. Behind that is the armrest/center console. The leather sliding armrest moves forward for adjustment, you can open the top for the smaller compartment where I usually put my cell phone and coin holder, then there is a roomy storage compartment below, with another DC outlet inside.

On the passenger side is the locking glove compartment which is pretty deep and has a slowing mechanism so it opens slowly instead of falling open. The passenger seat is not power adjustable.

The back is comfy and secure as mentioned with cup holders on either side. The rear seats fold down for extra trunk space. Can be opened up unlocking with the key at the top or pulling straps from inside the trunk.

Speaking of the trunk, its really big and roomy. The spare is hidden underneath, and the jack and manual moonroof closing tool is in a cool tucked-away locking compartment on the side of the trunk.

Ride
Driving the car is a whole other experience. The car is very responsive and powerful with its 240 horsepower engine. The way the car responds when you press the gas pedal I refer to it in my own mind as like a rubber band. The second you push the gas pedal no matter what speed you are going, you can feel the pull. The few times I really got on it from a standing start, I feel like I lose control a little only because I am not expecting that kind of power. In order to spin the wheels you would have to turn off TCS (traction control system). It seems weird there is a button dedicated to turning TCS off just so you can spin your wheels, but it would suck if you couldn't turn it off. The car also has ABS. This is the first new car I ever had, so everything about driving the car seems perfect to me. Although there are a few rattles here and there, they seem to go away.

The last thing is the remote door lock buttons built into the key. You can lock, unlock, open the trunk and even roll down the windows with the key controls. The parking lights blink when you lock or unlock the car to confirm this. You can also control the windows by inserting the key into the door, turning and holding it in certain positions. The key also has a security chip built in that the engine checks for before it will start. The car has an anti-theft system that will disable the engine if it doesn't get that signal from the key. It also sounds the alarm if the car is broken in to. The stereo will also be unusable if removed from the car without the correct code. The stereo and dash have blinking LED lights to indicate this security.

I'm sure there are many other features I've missed, but I've pointed out the important ones.

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A year later after driving the car, I read over my review and can say I still feel the same way I did when I first got my Accord. I still love everything about it.

I mentioned in my review how I'm not so crazy over the front of the car, but I recently installed the front OEM lip and now I love the way the front looks! It gives it that "edge" I have been looking for, making it look aggressive and sporty.

Nothing in the car seems cheap nor is anything falling apart ::knock on wood::
Amount Paid (US$): 27000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: Auto EX-L V-6 Coupe