Hi there,
I am going on a driving holiday to France this summer and I want to get an SUV to carry the family. An older, well maintained Honda CRV diesel was my choice (around an 06 plate) with one owner and FSH. I am looking to spend £5000. The issue I have is not knowing whether, with the new diesel MOT regs etc, I would just be wasting £5k as I would need to keep the car for 2-3 years.
I think getting a petrol SUV would be too expensive on fuel for not only the trip but my daily commute of 40 miles. What do people think?
Thanks
|
|
The new MOT regs don't apply to these older vehicles, so far anyway.
|
|
|
Unless you’re doing a fairly substantial mileage the fuel savings offered by a diesel will almost certainly be wiped out by the higher maintenance costs and lower reliability of a diesel especially at this end of the market. £5k doesn’t go very far when considering diesel SUV’s.
If it must be an SUV (a large estate would be wiser and much better to drive) then the CRV is a good option especially with the almost bombproof 2.0 petrol. In all the years I’ve been buying and selling motors I’ve yet to have any trouble with a single petrol Honda VTEC. These engines will run and run if looked after, to be honest they’ll run and run even if not looked after. They’ll take huge abuse.
The 2.2 CDTi diesel however is a much much more complex beast and nowhere near as reliable. As far as older diesels go it’s not bad but turbo failure, injector problems, rattling timing chains, slipping clutches and EGR valve problems are all pretty common on them especially on neglected examples. The diesel will save around 10mpg and maybe (at a guess) £300-£400 a year on fuel over 10,000 miles but it’ll open you up to the possibility hugely expensive repair bills over 2-3yrs. Just one will kill off any fuel saving.
I’d buy petrol or better yet go find a 2.0 petrol Accord Estate. It’ll drive far better than the CRV, use less fuel and you’ll get a newer lower mileage car for your money. If buying an SUV is about the image then I advise forgetting this until your budget can buy you a good one.
|
|
^^^...agree...
Honda CRV...YES...or Rav 4.
Diesel ...NO
Petrol...YES.
Edited by nellyjak on 05/03/2018 at 11:52
|
|
|
|
I had a manual i-CTDI CRV2 and rarely got more than 36mpg if I recall correctly. Before that I had a 2.0 auto petrol that I could just about get 30 out of.
The auto was much better to drive (in a relaxed fashion of course) and the clutch was weak on the diesel. I didn't have to replace it in 100,000 miles but it did need roasting a couple of times to stop it slipping.
One of them developed a creaky rear diff which was easily cured (the plates in the multi-plate clutch rust if the diff gets water in), otherwise nothing went wrong with either.
|
|
I have a diesel auto CRV and am happy with it. I will probably keep it for a few more years. MPG is approx 35 just now and that will increase once the weather warms up. There seems to be a bunch of happy owners of the CRV for old and newish cars. I find the HondaKarma uk web site quite useful.
Edited by sandy56 on 06/03/2018 at 09:25
|
|
I have a Honda CR-V 2.2 I-DTEC that I bought new in 2013. It has been bomb proof since I bought it and I get around 40mpg on local journies. On longer runs I get around 56mpg.
I also tow a caravan and achieve between 28 and 31 mpg, depending on road conditions. No problem towing, with the whole outfit being very stable.
I have heard all of these scare stories about the Honda diesel engine but it has never happened to mine, and my dealer confirms the reliability of the ones they service.
Edited by Robbie on 07/03/2018 at 13:02
|
I have a Honda CR-V 2.2 I-DTEC that I bought new in 2013. It has been bomb proof since I bought it and I get around 40mpg on local journies. On longer runs I get around 56mpg.
I also tow a caravan and achieve between 28 and 31 mpg, depending on road conditions. No problem towing, with the whole outfit being very stable.
I have heard all of these scare stories about the Honda diesel engine but it has never happened to mine, and my dealer confirms the reliability of the ones they service.
We’re not talking about £15-£20k worth of car here but a diesel SUV on a tight £5k budget. Main dealers will sing the praises of their products but to be fair to them they don’t typically see many older examples. It’s not a bad engine but as with most older diesels they do suffer plenty of common problems which the much less complex petrol model does not.
|
|
Other issues aside I must admit I much prefer the diesel version of this era CR-V.
The petrols got a lot better in later versions - a lot more economical with better performance.
The 2.0 drinks like a fish in this era CR-V and lacks torque as well - even when one up and it poor when fully loaded (in fact it lacks torque in the Accord from this era as well - the 2.4 is by far the better car and barely uses any more fuel).
The diesel is usually pretty reliable. Yes, they can go wrong, but are better than most. The very first 2.2 diesels in 2004-2005 had timing chain issues and some manifolds cracking but the later ones as long as regularly serviced are usually OK.
|
|
I'm on my 3rd CRV - first was a Mk1 petrol auto which is still on the road at 190,000 miles! Second was a Mk3 petrol auto - avg 28 - 30 mpg. Only trouble was the Air con - required new compressor but Honda went 50:50 over the bill. On my Mk 4 petrol auto now and things get better and better. Average 30 - 33mpg.
At least the petrol autos are all 4x4s - I think all Mk 4 diesels are now only 4x2
All the CRVs have been geat cars to run - apart from the A/C, nothing but routine servicing. Never a breakdown or even a hiccup. Comfortable driving position (let's just say I went back to a CRV after a short uncomfortable spell in a BMW X1), quiet, but an engine that, when it wakes up, it does so with gusto.
Friend has a diesel and reckons the petrol is far smoother ride.
|
“I think all Mk 4 diesels are now only 4x2”
Only the single turbo 1.6 DTEC. The 2.2 and twin turbo 1.6 are all 4wd.
|
|
|
|
Other issues aside I must admit I much prefer the diesel version of this era CR-V.
The petrols got a lot better in later versions - a lot more economical with better performance.
The 2.0 drinks like a fish in this era CR-V and lacks torque as well - even when one up and it poor when fully loaded (in fact it lacks torque in the Accord from this era as well - the 2.4 is by far the better car and barely uses any more fuel).
The diesel is usually pretty reliable. Yes, they can go wrong, but are better than most. The very first 2.2 diesels in 2004-2005 had timing chain issues and some manifolds cracking but the later ones as long as regularly serviced are usually OK.
My 2003 petrol pulled a 60KVA genny with a 600 litre fuel tank across a field without needing to slip the clutch or use excess revs
How much torque does one need?!
Yes it is juicy but I can forgive that for total reliability
|
|
|
|
I have a Honda CR-V 2.2 I-DTEC that I bought new in 2013. It has been bomb proof since I bought it and I get around 40mpg on local journies. On longer runs I get around 56mpg.
I also tow a caravan and achieve between 28 and 31 mpg, depending on road conditions. No problem towing, with the whole outfit being very stable.
I have heard all of these scare stories about the Honda diesel engine but it has never happened to mine, and my dealer confirms the reliability of the ones they service.
We’re not talking about £15-£20k worth of car here but a diesel SUV on a tight £5k budget. Main dealers will sing the praises of their products but to be fair to them they don’t typically see many older examples. It’s not a bad engine but as with most older diesels they do suffer plenty of common problems which the much less complex petrol model does not.
Prior to getting my CR-V I had an Accord Tourer i-CTDI that I bought new in 2004. I kept this for nine years and the only problem was with the motorised tailgate. The diesel engine was superb, although not quite as economical as the i-DTec.
|
|
I suspect teh probles arise with Honda diesels when they are owned by people who are not scrupulous about maintaining them and use them for stop/start motoring..
|
|
|
“Prior to getting my CR-V I had an Accord Tourer i-CTDI that I bought new in 2004. I kept this for nine years and the only problem was with the motorised tailgate. The diesel engine was superb, although not quite as economical as the i-DTec.”
The majority of owners would concur however the failure rate on this engine is still vastly higher as are repair costs due to its far more complex design than its petrol counterpart. I’ve seen plenty of them with gummed up EGR valves and several with timing chain rattling away. The latter mostly due to neglect but the former is very common and not exactly cheap to replace. Clutches are also a weak point on Honda diesels as they can’t cope with the torque. Don’t believe me, then spend some time googling away and you’ll find loads of cases of expensive failure. Again as any trader worth their salt will tell you if you’re shopping on a tight budget keep it simple, avoid unnecessary gadgets and forget turbo diesels.
|
|
To the OP, must u have an SUV? For a driving holiday in France, it offers no advantage unless you're towing or going off road, where it's one advantage - better traction would be useful I've driven thousands of miles in france and strongly suggest a nice big estate, hatch or saloon would be a far better proposition, and at your budget, you'll get better value. a big avensis or Accord would be perfect.
|
|
There's a reasonable bet the Dual Mass Flywheel and clutch will explode on a diesel CRV of this age and mileage - I'd steer clear unless it's cheap enough to cover the rectification of failure. If you do insist on sourcing a diesel CR-V of this vintage - double check the rear prop is fitted, as when the rear diff goes the "fix" is often to chuck the prop-shaft in the skip to mask the fault.Also change the brake fluid the day you buy it - ABS module corrosion from moisture contaminated brake fluid is not uncommon.
Actually, do youself a favour and just buy petrol Toyota RAV-4 instead. (Yes it might burn a bit of oil, but it'll go on forever.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
