The current Honda Accord has been winning plenty of plaudits since it went on sale in 2003. Honda had been using the Accord name for several generations of car before the latest one but this current car is the biggest so far and also the best looking. Better still is the estate, which joined the range about a year after the saloon. You may remember it more for the spectacular television commercial used to introduce it to the UK market - it certainly stuck in my mind and made me want to drive one although, of course, I don't actually have to buy my cars. The Accord also saw the introduction of Honda's first in-house diesel engine, an excellent 2.2 litre four cylinder unit that has been winning as much praise as the car that first used it. It also now features in the CR-V 4x4 and Civic. Most recently, I have been driving an Accord estate with the diesel engine, and a fine piece of kit it turned out to be. But not everyone can afford the oil burner and the petrol car is definitely worth considering it you can't run to a diesel in the used market. The 2.0 petrol is a peppy engine that gives the car a good turn of performance yet at the same time also endows it with excellent economy. I found it hard to believe, but I got 38 mpg from a petrol car, which begs the question "Why buy a diesel?" when the petrol car is as cheap to run after fuel prices are taken into account - and much less cash to buy. Of course, it may be that the current generation Accord is beyond your budget - Honda has been careful with supply and the cars are therefore harder to find in the used market than you might like. Although business users find plenty of appeal in the car, Honda has not slashed prices or done daft deals to win business sales, a move that always hits residual values hard. While the current car is sold as the saloon and Tourer estate, the previous generation, launched in 1998, came as a saloon, a hatchback, and also a coupe, the latter being dropped during 2001. These cars, while not in plentiful supply, are about in enough numbers to make it easy to find one and whether at a Honda dealer or used car specialist they should still have plenty of life left in them... The Accord is a durable car and most around should be in good condition, especially as Honda buyers tend to be a loyal lot, sticking to the brand and looking after their car. Best bet is to go for one in SE trim because that way you get all the goodies. They are relatively little more expensive to buy than the lesser models but will be much more easy to move on when you want to sell. Most 98-03 cars had petrol engines and either the 1.8 or 2.0 model is good. There was also a performance 2.3 litre model, a 3.0 in the coupe and, for a short time, a 2.0 diesel (not Honda's own engine). Current shape cars start with the 2.0 and also have a 2.4 litre petrol as well as the 2.2 diesel. Those earlier cars have a 9,000 mile service regime while the latest cars have the interval stretched to 12,000 miles. Insurance starts at Group 8, so is not too bad. Around £4,000 will get you a Y plate 1.8S VTEC four door saloon. Current shape cars are much dearer - you'll need at least £8,400 for a 2.0 SE, for instance. Latest shape diesels are from £10,900 upwards for the saloon but my favourite would be the £12,500 Tourer on an 04 plate. If you want nearly new, the same car on an 06 would be almost £16,800, a £3,000 saving on its new price maybe nine months ago. Maurice Hardy