When I turned sixteen, I inherited the family heirloom, a 1986 Honda Accord sedan. After the transmission broke for the second time, my family decided that it was time for a newer car. Luckily, my father's friend was selling his 1990 Accord EX sedan. While it wasn't the most stylish car, it looked nice and I loved the metallic navy blue color. I bought it for $4,000 with 128,000 highway miles on the clock.
Considering it is a family sedan, the handling is sporty, without upsetting the ride. While not as smooth as a Camry or Taurus, the Accord could take an exit ramp faster than any car in its class. The engine provides above average economy and acceleration. It could be better if it weren't for the awful automatic transmission, which never downshifts unless the pedal is floored, and the "SportShift" mode barely helps this.
It also jerks harshly when it shifts, but it doesn't bother me.
Fortunately, the highway ride is smooth and the seats are the best that I've ever sat in. The rest of the interior is good, too. There is more cloth than plastic, and the plastic is padded and of high quality. The body feels solid for an early 1990s family sedan, and as a result the car feels confident at high speeds, which it reaches with average difficulty. Interior space isn't grand, but is comfortable for five adults for no more than three hours. The trunk is large, too. If I were Honda, I would have made fourth gear slightly taller for less engine noise when cruising.
The car now has 165,000 thousand miles on it, and I have no major complaints, except for the radio which is unfixable, the broken passenger side interior door handle, the broken CV joint, and the broken temperature lever. Other than the radio, it seems that all of these have plagued 1990-1993 Accords, but they aren't major problems which have caused me to rush to the shop. Also, on many 1990-1993 Accords, I have seen rust around the rear wheel wells. I've seen it on Accords up to 1995, and even on some Acura Legends! After making great cars for years, I'd think that Honda would learn, because this is unacceptable. Camrys don't rust that easily, and I haven't seen any rust Jettas, Stanzas, 626s or Legacys of that age with rust.
Overall, one cannot find a more reliable and well rounded family sedan. I also enjoy the added benefit of sporty handling, along with the perfectly designed interior. I have some complaints, but buying one of the Accord's competitors would have resulted in having to deal with more unpleasantries. It's safe to say that I'm happy with my car, and I know why people buy these cars as much as they do.