Agree Honda make ugly cars.

Show me a nice looking BMW or a Ford or a Renault. As for Hyundia.. UGLY stick job.

Nissan Juke anyone? Only for those with even less styling panache than Honda owners..

my Dad and almost all his acquaintances drive Jazzs and most are on their second or third...Now and over the next 15 yrs or so these are the only mainstream customers who can afford to buy new cars regularly. Which other company would turn their back on such loyal customers who do your marketing for you?

My dad bought himself a Jazz in 2003 when he was 75. It gave him 5 years faultless service so he decided to replace it with a Jazz to celebrate his 80th birthday. We turned up at the dealer where he bought the car and who had serviced it since new, they wanted nothing to do with him, virtually forced us off the premises. Was it the fact the showroom was full of younger people looking at CRV's and Type R's, who knows.

When we got home (dad was somewhat deflated) I rang the dealer where we got my wifes Micra from. New Micra delivered one week later and 5 1/2 years later not a single problem.

As a family would we buy another Honda, don't think so. Well not from that dealer, believe it or not they closed a couple of years later and its now a cheap car supermarket.

I think they must have forgotten what it was like in the 70s 80s and 1990s when the Japanese car makers sold cars much more efficiently than they do now - no spendy tv ads, no big colour spreads in magazines etc - just the odd local paper advert and let customers spread the word and make sure 80% of customers repeat purchase....then just count the cash and take to the bank...simples.

I would have to disagree on that. My first new car was a Honda Civic and I bought a number of new Hondas in the next 10 years. However it was not that easy as they were subject to tight import quotas in those days and it could be difficult to source a new vehicle without a considerable wait. Basically they could easily sell all that they were allowed to import so there was not a lot of point in mass advertising.

They set up the Swindon operation to circumvent these quotas and obviously, now that the restrictions are gone, they have to advertsie as much as any of the other manufacturers.

It doesnt look that bad.

Problem for honda is the pricing, they are one of the most expensive companies out there.

And thats why when we buy new, we never buy honda.

The price and the fact they dont offer a MPV any more.