If you’re looking to buy or finance a brand new car and are trying to get the most bang for your buck, then you might want to try negotiating with a Honda dealer (try to do it online in order to get the best price, at least that’s what this guy recommends) and see if the sales team will knock off a few thousand dollars from the price of a Honda Accord.
That’s because car enthusiast and TikTok creator Sean Chandler (@sean.chandler) says that sales of the well-known sedan haven’t been doing too hot in recent years. He states that this year for the Accord has been the worst ever in Honda’s history.
There are numerous factors to consider why this is the case. The rise of crossover SUVs, sports utility vehicles that you probably can’t take off-roading but give the illusion that they can and offer folks more trunk space for their dollar, have been killing sedan sales for a very long time, per Yahoo! Finance.
Chandler says that the main reason the Accord is falling behind the competition is because it just can’t compete in terms of value with other auto manufacturers. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), for instance, of a Hybrid Toyota Camry, which is in the same class as the Accord, only costs $500 more—which is money you’ll get back in gas savings almost immediately.
Chandler goes on to state that if prospective Accord buyers wanted to get a base model version of a hybrid drive-train for the vehicle, then they’d have to fork over an extra $5,000, and with that amount of money they could probably buy themselves a Tesla Model 3.
He adds that some shoppers aren’t big fans of the Accord’s new styling and that vehicles with Honda’s own lineup, like the Civic, are eating into the sales of the mid-size sedan.
One of the biggest gripes folks have with sedans is the lack of available rear legroom. The Accord does have the Civic beat there, but not by much depending on who is sitting in the backseat. The 2024 Civic is packing 37.4 inches of rear-legroom, whereas the accord has a whopping 40.8.
As a consumer, this probably means that you can walk into a dealership and drive a hard bargain on negotiating for an Accord since you know that the vehicle isn’t selling as well as it used to. Per automotive sales data from Good Car Bad Car, Honda Accord sales have decreased from 388,000 units in 2014 to 197,000 units sold in 2023. That’s a nearly 50% decrease over nine years.
“The new Accord is a major flop and Honda’s probably scrambling because they’re on track for having one of the worst year of Accord sales for the history of the car and this time it’s not due to a chip shortage,” Chandler says, referencing Honda’s cut of production in 2021 due to a chip shortage.
“Besides, there’s really no reason to get an Accord when a Camry costs just $500 more and for that you get a more powerful Hybrid power train, which will end up saving you money in the long run,” Chandler continues.
“With the Accord’s elimination of things like higher performance trims, like the 2.0 Turbo and the V6, it really just can’t set itself apart from the Civic which is kind of becoming more of an Accord anyway,” he reasons. “Which is probably why the Civic is cannibalizing sales with sales up more than 40%, white Accord sales are down 30%.”
@sean.chandler Replying to @Justafellow The new Accord is indeed struggling #cars #honda #10thgenaccord #11thgenaccord #hondaccord #civic ♬ original sound – Sean Chandler
Numerous commenters agreed with his viewpoint.
One person said that they intentionally visited a dealership fully wanting to purchase an Accord, but then thought the Civic was more to their liking. “100% we went to look at a new Accord and left with a 2024 Civic Touring,” they wrote.
Someone else replied, “New accord looks like a boring 9-5 office worker.”
One TikTok user said the new model year Accords didn’t exactly instill excitement in people like the previous design did: “RIP GOAT ACCORD 2018-2022.”
A further commenter agreed, “The accord before is dope.”
“Honda needs to fire who ever designed this generation accord,” another ripped.
“New Accords have to be by far the worst designed ever made,” one TikToker echoed.
But one commenter said that the dip in sales shouldn’t be news to anyone who’s been following car developments. “Been a Honda guy my whole life. This year was the first year that I am considering getting a Toyota. Honda isn’t innovating and their tech is way behind,” they said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Honda via email and Chandler via TikTok comment for further information.
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