Honda Car Owners Speak Up!

[honda250sx]

Since I have vowed to NEVER own another Domestic, I am looking at honda vehicles. I drive ALOT, I mean ALOT for work. Cover a three state territory repairing high end CNC machinery. So I do carry alot of tools with me. Trucks, nope won't work for me. Need something comfy with great gas mileage, well anything over 20MPG. I am currently looking at Honda CR-V's. These things rock. I really like them.

Lots of honda trike owners, but who owns a honda vehicle? What's your story?

[jb2wheels]

I've had two Honda cars. One was an 87 Accord. I sold it with 300,000 miles on it and it was still running strong. 27mpg city, 37 hwy.

I currently have a 90 Civic Wagon. It has about 170000 on it now. It was neglected and abused by previous owners but I've had it for 18 months and 30,000 miles. Great car. 35 mpg city, 42 hwy and I can fit an ATC70 in the back or a buttload of parts.

I've driven many others. My parents have had Accords since the 70s until they bought an LS400 10 years ago and never looked back.

I think a Fit is the closest thing to my wagon they currently make.

FYI I'm 6-4 260+. The Civic wagon is the only Honda car I've ever been able to sit up straight in. Never been in a Fit. Best friend has a CRV and an Odyssey (van not buggy). Both are nice but if I had to put a lot of miles on something, I'd look at a Fit just for the mileage. The CRV mileage is good, but not great.

One thing to remember - Hondas are very reliable but regular maintenance is expensive if you don't do it yourself. A major service somewhere around 100k is a timing belt, water pump, etc. That's a cool grand in some cases/locations. Check the prices and plan accordingly. Plus, the two people I know with Odyssey Vans have replaced motor mounts around 70k - another chunk of change close to a grand in both cases.

I know you've sworn off domestic cars, but I actually like my Dodge mini van better than the Honda vans and it's cheaper to drive and maintain. Same for the Crown Vic I had. Crown Vic was absolutely fantastic hwy car and would get 27mpg hwy. That's observed and calculated by me over repeated tanks. Great hwy car but city mileage was not as great - 16/17. HUGE trunk. A Town Car is ths same thing only nicer.

I had to pick between the Crown Vic and the Civic and at $3.00/gallon, the Civic won.

Damn - I'm rambling again...

[aldochina]

i bought my first brand new car back in 2000, it was a honda accord. The ex v6 coupe!! fully loaded!! black!! man i loved that car, i drove it for 8 yrs, only had 60,000 on it when sold. I never had one problem with that car, still had the original battery, brakes, tires, everything!! Wish i never sold it, but you cant keep everything. Had to upgrade to the Murano when the fam came along. I would say you cant go wrong with a honda. Not a big fan of the crv, although i havnt seen a newer one. I know they just came out with that accord hatchback type thing, but i dont know if your looking for new.

[atctim]

Hey - I have the Honda Ridgeline and could not be more happy. It is about the most car like truck ever made - but I do not think it will meet your MPG criteria. take a good hard look at the Element. they are super functional and can be had with All wheel drive and good gas mileage. The CR-V as you are looking at is another great choice. I was not a fan of the element when they were plastic composite fenders - but now you can get them in all one color. It is the inside that you will fall in love with anyway!

http://www.cargurus.com/images/2009/08/31/22/18/2009_honda_element_ex_4wd-pic-5452313354160303243.jpeg

http://www.autoblog.com/media/2006/04/Element-SC-seats-down-450.jpg

http://automobiles.honda.com/images/2008/element/interior-gallery/gal_lg10.jpg

[oldskool83]

Bought an 04 civic ex coupe brand new in feb or march of 04, ya wanna know the only thing to go bad on it to date that broke?!!?!?! 1 month after i owned it somthing broke in the seat, some support member. i only owned trunks before. 35mpg normaly, have 102,000 miles on it now, just changed plugs at 100K and battery and both were in good shape yet. i have every service done to it every 5K miles, nothing modded out, but 1.5" drop, handles alot better and rides smoother, thats it.

i do no plan on getting rid of this car any time soom. ive hauled trunk loads of trikes, dirtbikes, dirt and lime stone rocks home with ease and tomorrow i mdoing 4 more trunk loads of dirt...i dont own a truck anymore im spoiled using 8 gallons of fuel driving 250 miles a week for work....thats 31+ mpg!!!!

[bittner5454]

my brothers and sisters first car was an 88 honda accord 5 speed....my sister drove it, handed it down to my brother, then it was my first car...it became my fiorst car with 220,000 miles on her and still drove like a champ...we ended up selling it for 1500 AND IT HAD 2350,000 MILES ON IT!!!!!!!!! THEY HOLD THEIR VALUE AND ARE GREAT CARS....i currently own a 2006 honda civic si and that car is rediculous i love it

[Thorpe]

Not a Honda, but I just bought a Mazda 6 for my wife... Also a sweet car... Good mileage, handles like a dream, like the car alot...

[dcreel]

We have had several Honda cars. I love them. Our most recent is a 2007 Honda Fit sport. It now has 80K miles on it and we have had no problems at all. It went to Honda last month to be aligned ($80). It has been to New jersey several times at 75-80 mph and given anywhere from 34-39 mpg. It handles like a go-cart. My mom liked it so much she bought one. My old neighbor bought one too. The rear seats fold down flat as do the front seats. Or the rear seats fold up to create a space for a bicycle or.. We have hauled Tri-zingers, XR50R, and a broken down Tecate in the back. We have had 2 car seats and a booster seat in the back for our 3 kids. Not to mention a 7 foot christmas tree. It has 105 hp stock, but is actually pretty quick. Someday I would like to buy the Hasport mounts for a K20a motor out of the Acura RSX for 200 hp and a 6 speed tranny. Now that would be a rocket ship. I would recommend a Honda Fit to anybody.
The Fit
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Cars%20and%20Trucks/100_0247.jpg
1995 Civic
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Cars%20and%20Trucks/100_0246.jpg
My 92 Acura GSR (My favorite car of all time 13.6 in the 1/4 mile)
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Cars%20and%20Trucks/acura.jpg

[BIG RED ATC]

My then girlfriend, now wife, bought as her first new car in 1990 a Honda Prelude. We both loved that car. Many great years of reliable service. Fun to drive and great on gas. Put her to rest last summer with 326,000 miles and get this.... original clutch. Engine still ran strong too. Rust from road salt did her in.

[posty2100]

Honda cars will run forever, just like their ATV/ATC's, I always wanted to buy a old CRX because I thought they looked cool and like 40-45 MPG

[Russell 350X]

Best car was a 92 Accord. Paid 50$ for it. Finally died at 280,000 (tranny locked)

[The Goat]

The new element in metallic maroon is dead sexy... just a heads up.

[Frankencelery]

Back in 2003 when I moved to a house in the country 40 miles from where I work, I knew I was going to go broke driving my Explorer. That thing got (and still gets) the most horrible gas mileage ever, about 13MPG! I realized I needed something smaller, and a friend turned me onto a '97 Civic DX that had about 80K on it, and they had to get rid of quick. I paid $3800 for that car and drove it until one sleepy morning I blew a yield sign and got T-boned by a minivan. Totaled, of course. It had 209K on it, and I wondered how much longer it would have gone. So I had to have another one, and in 2006 I bought my current 2003 Civic EX, which was really good until at about 170K (yeah, I put a lot of mileage on my cars) I did a routine timing belt/water pump change. A month later I had a bad head gasket, then a bad alternator, and I had spent about $2600 on it in 60 days. It's at 177K now, and I'm still not entirely trusting of it. It seemed like it suddenly decided to fall apart. To tell the truth, I blame some of the issues on sloppy mechanics.

[SYKO]

I bought a 91 accord for my then first wife, and drove it everywhere. One day she called and said it stoped on the side of the road, then she called again and said it was running fine. Then when it stoped running on us on the way to a major doc appt for my unborn daughter, I left it on the side of the road and called a freind. Went back to get it slaped a for sale sign on it and vowed never to own another honda vehicle again...Only lincolns in my house....and a jeep (new wify) lol.

[factoryX]

I am not really a honda person but my mom's honda odyssey is one of the nicest running minivans I have ever got to drive. It fits my atc250r no problem and it even fits a 86 trx250r no problem.

[Mosh]

I will say this. We dont work on them EVER for major failures, unless just a owners major neglect.
I have a 91 accord with 270K on it No major work. It is THE CHAMP.

If you are going with a CRV, some of the Mid to late 2000 models had a AC compressor problem (google it). The cases would just blow apart. About a 1300$ repair. The driveshaft U joints are not replaceable, as of the last I knew, and if one goes bad, the complete driveshaft is about a grand,but I have never seen one go bad yet.
Other than that, Ball joints, timing belt, waterpump and plugs every 100K plus routine fluid changes.
Brakes go about 30-40K depending on driving habbits.
I am all for supporting American Products, but the friggin Hondas are great vehicles. Almost any of them.

[andrew j hyman]

I have a 2004 Elment with 70,000 on it LOVE it. Great in the snow !!!! We had over 5 feet of snow this year! Just jump in and go! They even make lift kit for them, It is unreal in the snow. Flip the seat up in back Put a small bike in there no worries. In the winter i carry my Honda Snow blower in there .. They just kick butt

[honda250sx]

I took a serious look at the Element. Then when I started crunching numbers they told me there was a nationwide recall on the steering column. Parts are projected to take 2+ months to come in. The vehicles cannot leave the lot. At least not in NYS. Looks like CRV it is.

[Dirtcrasher]

I had bought and paid off early a 1994 Honda Accord EX. We never had one single issue with it and she went on to 200K miles; Then she heard a tranny noise and decided to trade it in for a Saturn. I told her that may have been a mistake, but that car was very good to her.....

BTW - OT, but those items didn't show up today either. Now I'm scared the USPS lost them..........................

[Louis Mielke]

Issues or not I still recommend toyota. Sticky gas pedals don't scare me. Toyota is still a great vehicle.

[honda250sx]

Issues or not I still recommend toyota. Sticky gas pedals don't scare me. Toyota is still a great vehicle.

Lou, fair enough.

However I sat in and drove a RAV4 and then drove the CR-V. Quality and overall feel of the honda was far superior in my opinion.

[Louis Mielke]

Lou, fair enough.

However I sat in and drove a RAV4 and then drove the CR-V. Quality and overall feel of the honda was far superior in my opinion.

Also fair enough, I won't argue with you that Honda fit and finish is higher quality than the toyota. But still $ to $ donut to donut, toyota is still a consideration.

[tecat-z]

Call me old school or whatever. But i can't bring myself to buy a foreign vehicle(new or used) when we build great cars and trucks right here in the US. I know the reasons are many on both sides, but i've bought 4brand new cars and truck in the last 10 years and ALL have been built in a US assembly plant. My truck was built close to me in Fort Wayne In. I always try and support this country any way i can. It does make a difference to someone working for a paycheck. And the pride i still have for the USA, and products we manufacture.

[honda250sx]

Call me old school or whatever. But i can't bring myself to buy a foreign vehicle(new or used) when we build great cars and trucks right here in the US. I know the reasons are many on both sides, but i've bought 4brand new cars and truck in the last 10 years and ALL have been built in a US assembly plant. My truck was built close to me in Fort Wayne In. I always try and support this country any way i can. It does make a difference to someone working for a paycheck. And the pride i still have for the USA, and products we manufacture.

Ed I hear ya. I have been in a multitude of countries and a multitude of industry leading manufacturing area's installing the top of the line CNC equipment for the last five years. The practices of yesterday in the detriot jugernaut world are just that, yesterdays news. Just the otherday I was in a Magna Powertrain facility in NY and watched a 3 pallets of brand new transmissions for HD's and Powerstrokes fly off a fork truck. I proceded to run over and see if everything was okay. I asked the union operator if he needed anything. He told me " Its break time bud, not my fault these are junk now." Mean while I had been observing this guy fly around with pallets and driving excessive. I see the neglect where ever I go, chevy, magna, john deere, caterpillar. Its common practice. Me buying american is not going to solve the problem were in now. Infact this little honda is built by americans in Marysville, Ohio where Honda has ALOT going on there.

Don't get me wrong there are still alot of awesome products we manufacture. I see alot of it here in NY. I spend alot of time on CNC's in Remington Arms facility here where they make alot of firearms. I spend alot of time in Kodak Eastman in Rochester where at one time it was the largest machine shop floor in the world and they ground the Hubble Telescope lenses in. Moog aviation and aerospace products, east aurora, ny, if it wasn't for them a company like Boeing might not fly and the B-2 might not have either. Lot of cool stuff still happens here. It's way more than someone's chevy or ford.

[andrew j hyman]

Hi have not heard about a recall. Crv is great too. When i bought my honda look all small 4X4 Jeep ect. For the money honda was best Under 20,000 , you can flip the back seats up quick and load it in.

[ridendirty]

I have a 2008 Honda Fit and best part about it... our ATC70 fits in the back hatch with the seats down. We bring it up to Jersey to play around on with my neice and we dont have to drive the truck! Perfect fit. I did just get my recall notice in the mail for the window switch but thats the first problem in over two years. Good Luck, cant go wrong with a Honda.

[ilmoakw]

Get a Toyota Matrix! Ya can't stop them.... hehehe.. get it?