Well if reliability is a key factor in your decision, I wouldn't
recommend any non-Japanese brands.  Lexus and Acura are pretty close
on reliability.

ATs do fail too often generally and that goes extra for this one.
(Although you can easily find more trouble-prone ones from other
manufacturers.)  The V6 is a typical Honda engine, which is to say
extremely durable and reliable.

I would say you were unlucky to have the AT failure.  It was a virtual
lightening strike to lose the engine.  What exactly happened to it
anyway?

How was the car driven?  Hard driving could trash the AT, but I don't
think you could over stress that engine.

If you like the car, I wouldn't get rid of it.  OTOH, if you do like
to drive it hard, there are better models for that.

The back seat to the bean counters thing is very real, in my estimation.  
Honda spent at least 10 years with bean counters making all the
decisions.

The new Civic shows that maybe the engineers are back in the saddle.  
Time will tell.

But I think they also hit a home run with their V6 engine.  Again, time
will tell.  Or maybe I'm looking at it as "well, so far it hasn't been
recalled like the tranny was".

Bottom line, you're 100% correct on all counts.

I have an 02 Ody, and a 94 ES300.  The Lexus has 156K on the clock; I
got it with 124K and a bad transmission (due to Joe's Corner Garage
doing some sort of 1950's tranny flush for the previous owner).  Rebuilt
the transmission, and I haven't touch it since except for oil changes
and an emissions part that caused no problem other than the check engine
light (dammit).  I get between 20 and 27mpg.  (So much for the hybrid
philosophy; if my goal is to minimize my car expenses, the high mile
Lexus that someone else is "done with" is the way to go.  Decent gas
mileage and no car payment and minimal insurance cost--$600/year.)

Time for brakes, though.  Ah, well.

The Ody has 40K on it.  Let's see...there was the transmission recall,
which showed my 2nd gear to be clean and unburned, so I got the oil jet
kit.  The idle air control valve died at around 35K miles (but 42
months, so technically it was outside warranty), which is
unacceptable--but my dealer didn't hesitate, as I stood there
unbelieving it at 8pm (they called the service manager at home), to
cover the $300 repair out of Honda's monthly goodwill dollars.

So I'm in a good negotiating position (I'm old enough and have a good
enough relationship with the dealer) to get many of these
beancounter-inspired problems taken care of.  The point is, I shouldn't
have to.  I never had to before.  I've been a Honda man for 25 years,
been dealing with this dealership for 25 years, and my 92 Civic Si (fer
chrissakes) didn't have any stupid engineering flaws or problems like
what came about starting in about 1996-1998 and which are showing up in
my 02 Ody.

If I buy new, I'll probably buy Honda again--because of my dealer and
because I think I see that Honda is turning the corner on the
beancounter thing, and that engineering has stepped up to the plate
again.  But I'll sure look a lot harder than I thought I'd ever have to
before I pull that trigger.

But if I buy used, it'll be Lexus until further notice.  Sorry, Honda,
but you've caused too many issues for me to trust a Honda that has been
in someone else's care.

I never thought the day would come when I'd say that.  But generally,
people don't care for their appliance cars--and while the old Hondas
could weather that, I don't think the newer ones can.  It'll probably be
a good 10 years before I'm completely comfortable buying a used Honda
again.

And like you said, it'll be a 4 cylinder manual transmission Honda--the
one they could engineer and build in their sleep.

Get a car that you can drive all year round. That way, it'll last longer.
Storage is for antiques that are dead to the road and a ghost to their true
potential.

Pars

Honda spent years selling bad transmission engineering to people who
bought their V6 cars and vans.  First the 4 speed was PURE junk, and
shops were replacing them every day--and customers paid for it until
they got wise, and Honda got wise, and Honda did a recall (the largest
recall in Honda history).

Then they made a 5 speed trans to hook to their V6 engine, and even THAT
one had problems out of the gate--it was a 2nd gear cooling issue, in
that it was badly engineered and got no oil on the gear and the gear
burned.  AGAIN a recall, and they fixed the ones they could and replaced
the ones they couldn't fix.

This went from the 98 model year up through the middle of the 04 model
year.  Hondas, Acuras--they're all the same engines and transmissions,
and they all had the same HORRIBLE engineering flaws that caused Honda
cars to be like Chryslers in that regard.

Fortunately, Honda has stepped up to the plate and acknowledged it.  And
THAT'S what makes the difference.  Chrysler looks down their nose at you
and says, "You bought it, it's your problem now."  Honda--in Japanese
fashion--apologizes and takes care of you.

They put the oil spray kit on my 02 Odyssey, but I'm convinced that I
will never, ever have to pay for a transmission repair or replacement on
this van as long as I have it.  At most it will take a little pushback,
but between my dealer (with whom I have a great relationship) and Honda,
they'll take care of me should the worst arise.

I don't buy Hondas to buy $5000 problems.  I buy Hondas to avoid $5000
problems.  So do most people.  The problem is, Honda nonetheless foisted
$5000 problems onto many, many of their customers--many of whom went
ahead and paid for the repair, ignorant of the issue or of how simply to
ask to be taken care of.

And then there are the ones who go through life with an in-your-face
"screw the dealers, they're scum" attitude.  They'll never have a
relationship with the dealer that gives the dealer any incentive to work
with them.  Fine with me.

go back to Nissan with the Infiniti G35 (I miss RWD a lot)

well, I live in newengland, and I know RWD is NOT fun in the snow.... my
brother had a 99.5 Audi A4 quatro and that was the best car I've driven in
the snow. (actually better than the infiniti FX35 he has now, he wishes he
didn't give up the audi)