The old Honda CRV

[Koolau]

But seriously, my CRV is 18 years old w/155K. Very few problems. About the only thing I am not impressed with is the ride. It's rough by comparison to more modern design SUVs. Still, I just put $800 into it over a minor fender bender (my fault - backed into something.) It's a known quantity and does what I need. I'll keep it until the next repair that costs too much - say more than replacement value. When the time comes, I'll look for another CRV. YMMV

 

[Blue Collar Guy]

i have a 2004 Hyundai XG 350 L, my first new car. 38000 miles, i went in for recall work. they said i need 6000 in repairs,. they scared me so much i had the car towed to my mechanic for the non recall work. the price ? A big FAT ZERO. My mechanic said sure they need to be replaced , but not now. Imagine 6000 for unnecessary work. that was 4 years ago, just got the car inspected, still not ready to replace anything they said.

 

[Souschef]

My DW has a 1998 Cadillac DeVille, which LOOKS like a Cadillac. If you look at the new ones you have no idea what they are.
She has about 105,000 miles on it, and we just spent about 2K getting the A/C fixed. Talk about cascading failures!
She loves the car and hates my Hyundai, which she calls a "sewing machine". BTW, she is right

 

[Breedlove]

I have a very good friend that is the GM for a Chevy , GMC , Hyundai , Buick and Cadillac dealerships. He is also over a large used car lot.

His own words "everyone builds a good car but few build a great car . Right now among the car people Hyundai / Kia are building Great cars and not just for the money . They are great cars . " Plus the warranty is great !

I think the Cadillac is a great car , Wife is looking at a new Kia Tucson Sport for 18000.00 out the door .

 

[Lsbcal]

Our 2004 CRV with AWL only has 72,000 miles on it. It's always been garaged and no rust issues in our weather. So it looks nice too.

Still I read that newer cars are safer. Apparently even the steel is stronger in the frame due to manufacturing technology. Not sure if the safety spiel is real or not. If I or DW got into an injury accident it would be hard to live with the knowledge I could have maybe prevented that. It would not strain our budget to buy a new CRV. Opinions?

 

[samclem]

Still I read that newer cars are safer. Apparently even the steel is stronger in the frame due to manufacturing technology. Not sure if the safety spiel is real or not. If I or DW got into an injury accident it would be hard to live with the knowledge I could have maybe prevented that. It would not strain our budget to buy a new CRV. Opinions?

On average, you spend about 100 hours per year in that car, you drive a lot less than the average person. In this case, there's probably a better "bang for the buck" in buying increased safety/life expectancy than changing from a relatively modern car with good safety features and performance to one that is marginally better. OTOH, if you want a new car, get one.

 

[Ronstar]

I'd fix it - it only has 120,000 miles. It's a Honda - probably has a lot of miles left. Our old 2001 Acura has racked up 150,000 miles with the last 5 years as a low mileage snowbird vehicle. Now I have it back in Illinois where I'll drive it until it drops.

 

[texcurtis]

My 2006 CRV is still chugging at 150,000 miles. Hope it lasts a few more years!

 

[rayinpenn]

Update: The Mrs and the son are off to pick up the old gal from Honda this morning . $402: battery, oil change, wiper blades and new serpentine belt. I explained the situation to the service manager and he said they could find nothing wrong with the brakes or front end.

The fact that someone would ask for $1,000 in repairs, that appear unnecessary is outrageous. I couldn't and wouldn't do it. So wrong.

Normally I wouldn't buy a battery from Honda but since they appear to be doing right by me I am happy to throw some business their way.

 

[Koolau]

Normally I wouldn't buy a battery from Honda but since they appear to be doing right by me I am happy to throw some business their way.

So, slightly off topic, but just had to replace the battery in the Buick. Glad I didn't have to find out the battery was under the back seat on some rain-soaked, dark, cold dirt road instead of under the hood. Can you imagine needing a jump and not being able to find the battery?

Anyway, the battery was weak so I figured out where it was. I cast about looking for someone to replace it for me. I found ONLY one place who would actually do the work for me. Other places were glad to sell me a battery but, because the battery compartment was inside the cabin, they would NOT accept the liability issues involved. (What liability issues, I hear you ask - so did I. Shrugs were all I got.)

SO, the little-garage-that-WOULD wanted almost $190 for the job. I went to Sams and paid $102 for the battery and did it myself. It was actually easier - and a heck of a lot cleaner - than replacing a battery under the hood. A couple of years ago, I had to replace the CRVs battery (see, it IS related to the topic) and it was up by the firewall which meant a dead lift or else a 3 step ladder to get to it. Inside the hood was so dirty I considered having it steam cleaned first - but, naaaah! YMMV

 

[38Chevy454]

I am late to the party, and seems the OP did not need to replace the control arm bushings. For many vehicles it can be cheaper to just buy complete new control arm with new bushings than to pay the labor to change out the bushings. This is assuming not DIY, but paying for the job by a mechanic. Either way you have to remove the old control arm, but a simple swap to new control arm avoids the extra labor time for the bushing removal and replacement. Just have to compare the options for the specific vehicle.

As to a 120K mile vehicle that is less than 15 years old, fixing and keep it is the no-brainer decision to my way of thinking. But then I also drive a 2004 Ranger as my daily beater (154K mile), and have many old cars around 80 years old. 15 years or less is not an old vehicle to me.

 

[ncbill]

Y'all have some nice cars.

Between our family & some older relatives I'm responsible for a half-dozen vehicles, newest 10, but most nearly 20 years old.

I pay a great local (only 2km away) independent shop, unless it's a simple parts swap.

I'd love to have a 10+ year old Honda/Toyota, but the closest we've got is a Subaru, and they are not nearly as trouble-free as those brands.

Though the Subie is still a lot less trouble than the (several years newer) Chevrolet/Chrysler/Ford vehicles we have.

 

[GravitySucks]

I'm always surprised how few miles many people on this forum drive.
Since retirement I've doubled my average miles driven in the car plus a couple of x-country and a few thousand mile RV drives.
Glad you kept the CRV, nothing more aggravating than mechanics or other pros insisting on unnecessary repairs.