Nearly 39 years ago, the Honda Accord became the first Japanese manufactured car produced in the United States. The four-door sedan variant has been a massive success since 1989 and shows no signs of breaking stride.

With each new generation, the Honda Accord only got better. Even pre-owned models are well-received by consumers looking to purchase an affordable yet highly dependable second-hand vehicle. In addition to that, used Accords remain a popular car of choice in motorsports.

The ninth-generation Honda Accord received special design attention

Honda revealed its ninth-generation Accord Coupe Concept in 2012 at the North American International Auto Show. In September 2012, both the sedan and coupe models were revealed to the public for the 2013 model year. The Accord sedan hit showrooms in September 2012, in the United States, and the coupe followed in October 2012.

Honda’s veteran engineer, Shoji Matsui, acted as the lead project manager. This made it the first vehicle to be entirely developed under the direct guidance of Honda’s CEO, Takanobu Ito. More trim lines became available with the ninth-generation. An upgraded suite of safety features was introduced, such as adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, pre-collision warning, and automatic braking.

Two hybrid models were introduced in 2013 as well. Nevertheless, a majority of the ninth-generation Accords are powered by a 185 horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine. Honda introduced enhanced variable valve timing with direct fuel injection with its four-cylinder Accords. With Honda’s expertise in designing and building solid powertrains, its four-cylinder engine and Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) combination performed well.

The Honda Accord’s CVT does an extraordinary job of imitating a well-tuned automatic. It does such a great job that professional test drivers didn’t realize they were operating a car with a CVT.

If the four-cylinder isn’t powerful enough for you, the V6 offers a 278 horsepower 3.5-liter engine. Variable cylinder management is responsible for shutting down three out of six cylinders when less power is needed. So, you can turn the power off and on so to speak, allowing one to save a lot of money on fuel.

The 2015 Honda Accord offers a lot for less

If you’re not interested in spending over $16,000 for a used car, the 2015 Accord should be at the top of the list. In an Edmunds‘ Expert Review, this model year gained significant recognition in the midsize sedan class. A well-rounded blend of premium features, gratifying performance, and superb fuel economy made it one of the top-selling sedans in America.

The redesigned 2015 Honda Accord is equipped with a surprisingly powerful four-cylinder engine. Buyers and reviewers alike had nothing but praise for its perfect combination of fuel efficiency and performance. It boasts a powertrain that takes you from 0-60 in a little under eight seconds.

All that pep is accompanied by an estimated 31 miles-per-gallon—outstanding for a midsize sedan. And for those looking for even higher fuel economy, the Honda Accord Hybrid earns around 47 miles-per-gallon.

Ninth-generation Honda Accord customer satisfaction

The ninth-generation Honda Accord never managed to receive a customer satisfaction score above 74 percent. However, according to Consumer Reports, none of the model years fell below third place. Its stiffest competitor, the Toyota Camry, came in first place four out of the five years, dropping to second place only once. The Mazda 6 alternated between second and third place with the Accord, Interestingly enough, all three makes cost relatively the same, with certain Camry trims exceeding $22,000.

As for complaints, it seems the 2017 Honda Accord received the most complaints; owners complained about the CD player overheating; driver displays would freeze; all the warning lights would stay on; firmware needed to be reprogrammed, among other tech issues.

The 2013 through 2015 model-years received significantly more compliments than later models, namely the tech upgrades, exterior styling, and interior comfort. This may explain why you can find earlier models—depending on mileage and condition—retaining their value better than later models.