My trusty 1998 Honda Accord EX finally passed away three days ago. We got over 170K miles out of it, never had any non-driver-caused issues (no crashes either, knock-on-wood!) and it drove very well until the last day.

Sadly, though, it began having some starting issues about a week ago that were traced to humidity issues with the electrical system (arcing when it was wet, basically). That, along with some looming maintenance that we were going to have to do (tires, brakes, etc.), the fact that the timing belt and clutch have never been replaced, and other minor things (some dash lights out), lead both of us to the decision that it was time to replace it. In summary, I have no complaints at all about the Accord, and would buy another one (see below) in a heart-beat, but this one had truly given up the ghost.

Another factor in all of this is certainly the price of gas. While the Accord was never BAD at the pump, it wasn’t all that good either. I think I got 20 mpg or so. I’m not a stickler for fuel efficiency: I drive reasonably fast, use the engine to decelerate, and down-shift as necessary (or desired) to pass. But at $3.60 or so right now, and no end of the increase in sight, I’m not going to thumb my nose or my wallet at more fuel-efficient alternatives.

So, as we always do, we hunkered down to do some research. Our requirements:

• New model: both of us have had semi-poor luck with used vehicles, and consistently good luck with new ones.
• Sedan: while 95% of the car’s purpose is to get me (and only me) back and forth between work, I anticipate joining a car pool shortly, so I’ll need room for passengers. Also, I occasionally have to cart the kids around. So, while I don’t necessarily need trunk space, I need 4 seats and 4 doors. A sports car option will continue to be my “next car.”
• Hybrid if possible: nothing (too) altruistic here. Sure, I’d like to do my part, but I’m not about to spend gobs of extra money just to get a shiny, hip “hybrid” decal on the car. But I’ve heard good things about hybrid performance and accelaration, and obviously the gas efficiency factor is big here.
• Manual transmission, if possible: one of the reasons we bought the Accord model we did was that it came in a standard transmission. I just don’t like automatics, for performance, efficiency, and ‘drivability’; I like driving a stick.
• Leather interior: I’m pretty much a slob, and this is going to be pretty much a commuter car. Combine that with traditional velour seats and the inside of the car would like like an old ugly dish rag in months. We had and liked leather in the Accord, too.
• Sun-glasses holder: it might seem like a minor thing to you, but I drive 35+ miles to work “in the sun”, both ways. It was one of my favorite features on the Accord, so I wanted it in the new vehicle.
• Sporty look: alright, what I really should be saying here is “not a Prius.” Sorry, but that thing is just ugly.
• Sporty drive: my druthers would be to stick (ha, get it?) with a manual. But failing that, I want something that’s reasonably peppy.
• Good stereo: not much to say here. I’m not looking for state-of-the-art, bass-thumping, glass-shattering sound, but I do like my music and CD collection.
• His and Hers features: really, driver and passenger preference features. My wife likes to “melt her face off” with the heat settings, and I prefer a cooler environment. She gets cold quickly, and I’m hot all the time. She wears a blanket while I wear a T-shirt (OK, you get the picture.) So we wanted something that, if possible, accommodated our disparate preferences.
• Cool new features: again, if I’m going to buy a new car, I’d prefer one with cool news gizmo’s like Nav system, keyless entry/ignition, bluetooth, backup camera, compass, leather steering wheel, moon-roof, satellite radio, aluminum alloy wheels, etc.

All things being equal, I’d have loved to get another year out of the Accord so we could buy the new 2009 Accord Diesel. Even being first-gen, and with the high price of Diesel, I think I’d have rolled the dice with this one if fuel efficiency was as good as they’re saying it will be.

Anyway, after looking at all of our options today, talking with a few folks, and reading tons of reviews and spec’s, it basically came down to a short list of:

• Honda Civic Hybrid
• Toyota Camry Hybrid
• Nissan Altima Hybrid

Surprisingly, the Civic Hybrid doesn’t come with a leather option. Honda really needs to re-think this, imho. While not a show-stopper, it was a pretty big damper on this one. I’ve been in the 2008 civic and it was “nice” and relatively roomy. Nothing to really wow me, but it’d have been acceptable. The 42 mpg is almost best-in-class, too.

I’ve also driven in a 2007 Camry Hybrid. This is actually the car that got me seriously thinking about hybrids and the ‘new’ features. I’ve owned a Camry before though, and I think it was my uncle who summed it up: “are you a grand-pa already??”. Basically, this is a pretty boring car, both from a performance and styling perspective. While all the options are there, I just can’t get over the fact that this is a car geared towards “older folks” – nothing wrong with that, it’s just that I’d like to cling to the last vestiges of my youth while I can. This car is 33 mpg.

When we were comparing options for the Accord purchase 10 years ago, we test-drove an Altima, and I hated it. It was cheapish, didn’t have as roomy an interior, and.. well, I just didn’t like it. We’d also owned a Nissan before (a Pathfinder), but my wife liked it more than I did. So, I certainly wasn’t predisposed to the 2008 Altima Hybrid. However, when I took it for a test-drive last night, I was just blown away. It has almost every feature I could want (no standard transmissions available in hybrids… *sniff*), a very attractive exterior, and was really nice to drive. My only complaint here is that the color I wanted (blue) is no longer available. It is rated at 34 mpg.

The straw that broke the camel’s back on my decision was really the Tax Credit. The Altima has a full $2350 tax credit available on it, while both Honda and Toyota have run out of their available credits.

Finally, being the last day of the month didn’t hurt in negotiations either. Truth be told, it was just coincidence that it all happened yesterday, but I’m glad it worked out that way. I think I was able to walk away with the car we wanted, in my second choice of colors (silver), with all the options we wanted too, at a good price (especially with hybrids flying off the lot right now). I ended up going with the “Tech” package. We’ll pick it up at around noon today. Here’s the full skinny, for anyone who’s still reading :

• Nissan Navigation System with XM NavTraffic
• RearView Monitor
• Digital Bose® audio system with AM/FM/in-dash 6-CD changer with 9 speakers
• Bluetooth® Hands-Free Phone System
• XM® Satellite Radio1
• MP3/WMA CD playback capability
• Radio Data System (RDS) and speed-sensitive volume control
• Folding outside mirrors with turn signal indicators (Hybrid)
• Leather-appointed seats and door trim (Hybrid)
• Heated front seats (Hybrid)
• Driver’s power lumbar support (Hybrid)
• HomeLink® Universal Transceiver (Hybrid)
• Auto-dimming inside rearview mirror with compass (Hybrid)
• Illuminated center console (Hybrid)
• Rear-passenger air conditioning vents (Hybrid)
• Patterned metallic trim (Hybrid)
• Rear spoiler (Hybrid)
• Automatic on/off headlights
• Patterned metallic trim
• 8-way power adjustable driver’s seat
• Passenger-side front-window one-touch auto-up/down
• Remote front windows down
• Dual illuminated visor vanity mirrors with sun visor extenders
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel
• Steering-wheel-mounted audio controls
• Illuminated steering-wheel-mounted audio controls
• MP3/WMA CD playback capability
• Auxiliary audio input
• 16″ x 7″ 6-spoke aluminum-alloy wheels
• P215/60R16 Tires

So, rest in peace my old Honda Accord.. we’re going to miss you. And hello, shiny new Nissan Altima Hybrid.. I think we’re going to have fun!

P.S. Like I said before, we research the bejeezus out of our purchases before we make them, but in car purchases, it is crucial to getting a good deal. As normally is the case, I knew a ton of stuff about the car (the salesman was very knowledgable too, which worked in his favor) and had done my homework on dealer invoice price, dealer stock, package options, available incentives, the tax credit, financing options, blue book on my trade, etc. I frankly don’t see how anyone in today’s world can defend NOT having this information when they enter the dealership. If you’re reading this, and decide to go into a dealership unprepared.. just don’t. Do your research!