As a boomer with four grown children in 2009, I was finally able to buy the car I wanted and not the vehicle I had to settle for. Narrowing down my wish list I wanted a car with the following criteria:

1. Peppy (Only up to or a little above legal speed limits!)
2. Sporty (standard transmission - or paddle shifters).
3. Four doors (because grown children & friends still visit.)
4. Roomy enough for for my (ahem) larger frame.
5. Burns regular ($10 or more for a tank of premium irritates.)
6. Safe (Canada pension owes me and I intend to collect!)
7. Loaded (Navi, great stereo, as many toys as possible.)
8. Intuitive. (When everything is exactly where it should be.)
9. Reliable (Too many repairs in the past, I want trouble free.)
10. Fairly priced (In comparison to the competition.)

After looking at and/or testing: Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, Audi, Mercedes, VW, Nissan, Toyota, Subaru and Porsche; none of these manufacturers scored better on my top 10 list.

Granted many cars were faster but surprisingly not much faster. Better yet the Accord was less expensive, much less expensive than most of the comparative vehicles from the manufacturers listed above. Honda Accords consistently are one of the most reliable vehicles on the road.

Since I purchased the 2009 Accord, Honda has upgraded the equipment and offers even more value. I would like to have the latest 2013 Accord upgrades: a six speed manual transmission, memory seats, heated rear seats and the new blind spot notification and even better fuel economy.

If I was purchasing a new vehicle in 2013 the Honda Accord EXL would still be my number one choice.