Hi All!
Have been lurking for a while in what is a very informative Forum. And now I am after assistance please?
I currently drive a Company Car, but it looks like in January I will be changing job's and will be buying a Car.
I will still be doing a bit of travelling for work, but not as much as I do now.
I originally had a budget of about £15k, and initially had opted for a Volvo V50 (as new as possible). However, I have now fallen in love with the new Honda CRV.
I was trawling online, and could only find the old style CRV in my price bracket. But then found a CRV new shape '56' plate for £16.5k.
After more digging, I came across Bob Gerard's site which has a new '57' 2ltre Petrol ES for £17.5k on the road.
Am still torn between the two, and am just looking for general advise on either car, and information with regards to buying (best price) and possible running cost guidance?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Nathan
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Honda just came top in the latest reliability data from Warranty Direct (See this month's What car?), for the second year running. Volvo is about mid table.
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...wanders into this thread
reads the words 'I have fallen in love with the new Honda CRV'
shakes head in disbelief
wanders out again...
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LOL - come on Mike, don't be like that to a Noob!!!!!
You will probably shake your head even more when you hear that I originally was looking at a Quashqai!!!!!!
To be honest, I am after some general buying advice, irrelevant of the car I am buying, so your input would be appreciated.
I have read reviews about the new CRV complaining about it's looks, but I personally think it looks much better than the old one, and is one of the nicest cars I have seen in a while - my opinion of course!
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I quite like the CR-V as well.
Note that Bob Gerard's cars come with 2 years warranty rather than 3, but his prices seem good.
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On the website is states the car comes with Manufacturers Warranty, which I am guessing would be 3-years?
Would a normal Honda Francishe price match someone like Bob Gerard?>> I quite like the CR-V as well.
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Sorry NatD! ;-) You're right - not fair on a newbie.
I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Honda fan - ask anyone here - but it's just that I was going to buy the previous model, esp after they announced the diesel. I drove it and liked it but everyone said 'don't do it yet, there's a new one coming'.
So I waited...then I saw it. On a good day I think it looks 'neither nowt nor summat' - neither an off-roader or a people-carrier; on a bad day I think it looks like one car dropped on top of another at the front and goodness knows what from the side at the back.
I have to say the Volvo V50 looks quite nice to me but it gets slagged off here for being just a Ford in a frock.
Good luck with whatever you go for anyway - hope you get a brilliant deal!
Ps: my tip is to go to a long-time Honda dealer (Bob Gerard is a boys' own hero!) rather than one of the more recent franchises - if you can find out which is which.
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I wondered about the negativity when I looked at your personal details lol! Personally, I didn't like the old style, but was taken with the new styling!
Even though the Bob Gerard deal is a bit out of my price range, I might just go for it anyway.
Do any of the importers discount, or do a deal, or is it the listed price and that's it?
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We have 2 Hondas, and 3 more in the wider family, but the current CRV is American cack-handed styling. A bitza, nothing gels, especially the front. Would prefer the old model if i needed to pretend we go off-road.
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reads the words 'I have fallen in love with the new Honda CRV' shakes head in disbelief
HJ has recently written that it is the most pleasant car he has ever driven, and, IIRC, that it is not just 'car like', it is better than most cars.
Chacun à son gout.
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I really like the looks of the new CRV - if it were me there would be no contest, but alas I will have to wait some time before I am in a position to buy a new Honda - will stick to the 2 older ones we have (of which my 10 year old Accord has just passed it's MOT with no advisories and no money other then normal service costs spent on it, thats why I love Honda's).
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I been buying CRV's since November 1997 and have had the 1997, 2002, 2005 models plus the new shape CRV, which I bought in April, 2007.
Although I experienced the odd problem with each of the first three cars, these were soon rectified under warranty, although I must admit a whine at 40mph upward from the automatic gearbox on the 2005 car was classed as being a characteristic of the
model.
I must agree that it indeed was, for a couple of local Honda dealers lent me their same model demonstrators to try out and they all had the same whine to a greater or lesser extent. I guess I got used to it after a while but unfortunately it encouraged me to change to the 2007 model earlier than perhaps I would have.
From Day One the 2007 model presented three problems:
1. Creaking back springs - now replaced and OK
2. Excessive wind noise from the offside mirror, which was firstly stuffed with foam
which certainly improved matters, but was eventually replaced with a new mirror unit
complete. It's certainly better than it was but !!! (Note: Not a sound from the
passenger side)
3. This car has the hardest ride I have ever experienced - so much so that I have to
admit that I have been running with the tyres about two psi below the recommended
30 psi all round in an effort to improve matters. Every road bump, crater, or
whatever, is felt as if you have hit a brick!
Having said all that, on a decent well surfaced road, the drive is excellent with good acceleration and response.
On another car magazine site,however, there are several complaints of steering drift to the nearside which Honda seem unable to rectify judging by the comments.
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Welcome Nathan. I think you need to decide what you really want - a medium estate or a 4x4.
If an estate, the V50 is qute a nice car but the oily bits are similar to a Ford Focus and you;'d get a new or newer one (depending on spec and engine size) for your money. A Golf estate would hold its value better than either - so would a Skoda Octavia.
A Honda Acccord Tourer might be worth a look too.
If you want a 4x4, I'd say the CRV is as good as any and better than a lot. People who have CRVs swear by them rather than at them.
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>>but the current CRV is American cack-handed styling<<
I am also a big Honda fan and I'm convinced that once someone owns one they would very rarely go back to another make. I don't think anyone currently holds a candle to the engineering integrity of any Honda. But I agree with nortoones on the styling - especially at the front. The irony of his point though is that if you look at the Acura RDX which is an upmarket badged CRV then the styling on that looks good IMO.
But I think I could forgive the looks after reading HJ's report.
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I'm sure it's a nice driver - could hardly be otherwise - but the thing about a road test, and I've carried out many, is that you are doing the driving and you don't have to look at it...
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Honda, Honda, Honda
Volvo's are ok until they go wrong, then wait for the response from the dealers and Volvo UK and then wait ....... and wait....... and then sell it!!
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DRIVING THE DEAL!
I will be test driving both, but think I have decided on the 2ltr CR-V ES from Bob Gerard.
Will try and get a local dealer to match but I am guessing they won't get near his price.
However, I am stuck to buying a car in January, and was wondering if someone like bob Gerard's would move on their price seeing though we are so close to '08' Cars?
Could anyone please give me any buying advice?>> Honda Honda Honda
Cheers
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I've had both an S40 (the V50 saloon version) and CRV - Volvo was the worst car experience I've ever had. More faults than my previous 10 cars put together (and one of them was an Italian jobby!). Clutch, 300 miles to a litre of oil, rust, drive shafts splitting, handbrake failing, power window winder failing, sun roof(s - all three of them) leaking, mis-firing, headlight bulbs blowing 2 per month...... the list goes on.
Honda - I think I had to fill up the windscreen washers some time ago............
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Hi hbosken - thanks for coming back to me!
I have had 2 V40 (Old style Estates) in the past and thought they were good cars to drive. They were company cars, so whenever a problem came up, I just called a number and got it sorted.
It will be a bit different now though lol!!!!
Just For everyones information, I have been speaking to Bob Gerrard, and the DO offer the full 3 Year Honda Warranty (not 2 as some people thought) but you DON'T get the AA Roadside which for the saving isn't too bad!
I am still hoping to get a local dealer to do a deal and see if they get anywhere near the Bob Gerard price.
Does anyone have any tips about servicing costs (worth buying a package?????)
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Unless the rules have changed Bob Gerard Hondas will have a 3yr 60,000 mile warranty, not 90,000 miles as have the official UK cars. Not a problem for me as I will not quite manage 60,000 in 3 years. I can confirm that my Gerard-supplied car is registered on the Honda warranty system and has had warranty work done, and the EGR upgrade that was subject of a TSB. Unlike some manufacturers, Honda's is a proper manufacturer warranty for the full 3 years AFIAK.
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Apologies - you are correct, he did say 3 years 60k (but I would be hard pushed doing this anyway!)
How was your buying experieince? Could you get them to knock the price down?
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Good to deal with, not pushy, they will very much leave it up to you. Regarding negotiating, if you don't ask they probably won't offer ;-)
Generally do what they say they will do without the usual insults to the intelligence that most main dealer sales staff distribute more efficiently than they do cars.
I've bought three cars from BG and will go back if they have what I want.
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