I need help deciding which car is the better buy. A 2003 Accord EX-L with 112k miles or a 2005 Accord LX with 97k miles. Both are $7000 and from dealers (non honda). I need to make a purchase asap so any advice would be welcome before vehicles are gone. Thank you!

 

9-years-old vs. 11-years-old.
Both kinda sorta around 100k miles.
Not enough information.

If it were me, I'd decide based on the actual condition of each car, because the age & mileage are close enough. Factor in the maintenance records (complete vs. incomplete).

Both the same engines? If one was 4-cyl & the other was V-6 then that would sway my decision.

 

Thanks for replying Jim. Both cars have the 4 cylinder. Neither has complete records but both show a clean car fax. The 05 came with head curtain air bags standard in the back and the 03 did not offer this. Are both a good deal or should I pass because of lack of maintenance records? thanks!

 

If one had a manual transmission and the other has an automatic, I'd choose the car with a stick every time.

 

Are both automatics?

 

not 100% sure so check with someone else but from what i remember the 03-04 models with the 5 speed auto had overheating issues with the transmission. They were fixed though by the dealers I think so make sure it was fixed. The 05 was fixed from the factory and didnt have the same rate of transmission failures. I see that you would like the luxury and features of the ex-l over the lx though. It really depends on which is in better overall condition and if the transmission what fixed on the 03( should be if it has gone 112k)

 

What I really meant was I'd take a good look at both. Regardless of which one "looks better" from a written description, there's enough room for the actual condition (in-person) do be much different.