My sister purchased a used car last Friday. It’s a black 2006 Honda Accord EX 4-cylinder with 114k miles. Nicely equipped with heated leather seats, heated side mirrors, and satellite radio (which will never be used).

It was interesting driving a slightly upgraded version of my 2004 Honda Accord that had fewer miles. The interior was slightly quieter and the suspension had a more solid feeling to it. The accelerator was more touchy, which upon further research was probably from the biggest difference between the two models: throttle-by-wire.

I had my sister buy a few items for quick fixes and upgrades. The driver side dome light wasn’t turning on when the doors are opened but function when they are pressed in to turn on. I went through this with my car several months ago. It’s not an issue with the fuse or the bulb but with the switch. A $10 replacement part got that sorted out.

We were deciding between the 2006 Honda Accord and a 2010 Toyota Prius. Even though the Accord can’t compete with the Prius in terms of mileage, its reliability and ease of maintenance were the qualities that made us go with it. It also helps that I can diagnose and fix the issues that may come up in the future.