DCDomain:
I bought a secondhand '98 Accord V-6 EX last spring after my '99 Integra GS-R was stolen. I had wanted a Maxima (the Integra was far too buzzy and torqueless for my long commute), but I really wanted a used car (at the time I thought I might be stationed overseas and did not want to take a huge resale hit if I had to unload it on short notice), and a friend was selling the Accord, so I got a good price from a known source.
From the beginning, the Accord exhibited what I felt to be sub-par build quality for a Honda: the body panel fit was imperfect, and the interior panel of the driver's door moved in and out quite a bit when the window was opening and closing, which was weird. The stereo, the in-tank sending unit for the gas gauge, and one window motor had to be replaced under warranty. The car always exhibited a weird whistling/ringing sound from under the hood in cold weather (it sounded like a too-dry belt, but the dealer said the belts were fine). The leather was very hard and vinyl-ly, and one headrest kinda of fell apart on its own one day.
The straw that broke the camel's back was that the driver's seat began to self-destruct on me once the car was out of warranty (I weigh ~200, and the previous driver was a 110-pound woman). It started tilting to one side, creaking and clicking, and finally it would literally move laterally a tiny bit when the car was turned (VERY disconcerting). When I took it into the dealer (who was always very reasonable and honest as far as I could tell), he related that a riveted part of the seat base was coming apart, and it could not be repaired, as the rivets were inaccessible. It required replacing a major component of the seat (I think it was the entire base), with a total parts/labor cost of $700! I said no thanks and immediately did the Autobytel thing and got a great deal and a fair trade-in for my Accord (the seat thing was not obvious on a short test drive).
Frankly I think I would have been disappointed with the Accord even if it displayed typically perfect Honda quality. IMO the new Accords have far too much body roll and nose dive, have laughably slow, overboosted steering, and yet manage to ride rather roughly given the otherwise-wallowy suspension. The seats are way too flat and provide no support. I have always been a Honda loyalist, but to me the current Accord is like a slightly nicer Buick; my '84 Accord with 206,000 miles was far more fun to drive than my top-of-the-line '98.
The upshot: I LOVE my 2001 Maxima SE (5-speed, silver with gray leather, Bose stereo - the Maxima has 7 speakers in contrast to the 5-speaker setup on the TL, auto climate control, 17" wheels . . .), which is thousands cheaper than a TL and feels 100% more solidly-built and handles worlds better than the Accord.