My wife's mom van (toyota) is now officially a bottomless money pit and needs replacing. We got a good 12 years out of it but not a ton of miles (95K). Worth $2-3K and needs $5k of work.
There's a 2012 lease-return Honda CRV-EX (certified pre-owned) with a moon roof here locally that she really likes. It's only got 4K miles on it and is listed low end of KBB.
We've had a crap ton of accords, a civic, and even a prelude but don't know much about this thing.
My love's '03 has about 130k on it. Been great since it was new with just regular maintenance, if we don't talk about the time I took it song dog chasing....
We bought my wife a new one in 06. Got 28 mpg 4 adults went to the beach 7 hr Drive and all our stuff. 3 out of four are over 6 ft. They are very comfortable. Only reason for selling was two seats. Had to get a odyssey van.
I was dead set on a CR-V when we decided to trade our 07 accord in 2 yrs ago......then I sat in it and drove it. It had to cheap a feel for us. To much plastic and way to noisy. for a Honda product, I was very disappointed. I have no doubt the reliability was still there but I couldn't drive that thing 600mi and be happy.
It depends on which model you get. I have a base model which is less than a civic. Not even in your dreams will it compare to an Accord. This '03 CR-V has 230,000 miles and going strong. I have F150, Accord, and Miata. I drive the CR-V. All of my hunting and shooting gear is in the back---yes, it stays covered. There is room--not comfortable--for two on the second seat. If it gets a scratch, I don't worry about it.
If you get the top end model---which it sounds like you are looking at--you will be happy.
Recently, I looked hard at the 2014 CRV's, along with the Nissan Rogue and the Toyota Rav4. Both the Nissan and Honda had the CVT transmission. This is basically a gearless transmission, and acts a bit like a turbo charger when you step down on the gas, meaning there's a lag and it takes a while for the thing to get going faster. The Rav4 has a standard 6 speed and acts like a normal tranny when you step on it. This I preferred and just felt safer with, so I bought the Toyota.
I spent almost a year looking for a clean lower miles 2002-2006 CRV and finally found one early this year - a clean 2005 EX. I sure like it, its been really pretty darn good in the snow and gets in the high 20's so can't complain. I bought it as a scouting/shed hunting rig when I don't want to drive my 4Runner that sucks gas. Its also a great rig for fishing and running around town so its been exactly what I needed. No not fancy and a little nosier but overall not a bad option.
Wife's Accord was a EX and the CRV is a EX-L the Accord had more road noise than the CRV one of the reasons we traded. 3 Adults in the rear seat is tight but can be tolerated for short trips.
Recently, I looked hard at the 2014 CRV's, along with the Nissan Rogue and the Toyota Rav4. Both the Nissan and Honda had the CVT transmission. This is basically a gearless transmission, and acts a bit like a turbo charger when you step down on the gas, meaning there's a lag and it takes a while for the thing to get going faster. The Rav4 has a standard 6 speed and acts like a normal tranny when you step on it. This I preferred and just felt safer with, so I bought the Toyota.
We went with the Crv partially because it was still offered with a 5 spd auto and it was regular fuel injection. I'm not sold on direct injection yet
this one we're looking at seems to have a STD transmission:
Drivetrain Transmission Drivetrain Four Wheel Drive Trans Type 5 Trans Description Cont. Automatic First Gear Ratio (:1) 2.78 Second Gear Ratio (:1) 1.61 Third Gear Ratio (:1) 1.08 Fourth Gear Ratio (:1) 0.77 Fifth Gear Ratio (:1) 0.56 Reverse Ratio (:1) 2.00 Final Drive Axle Ratio (:1) 4.44 Transfer Case Gear Ratio (:1), High 1.00 Transfer Case Gear Ratio (:1), Low - TBD -
You can't beat a CRV. We currently own three (1999, 2001, 2005) and have owned four. The new ones have a CVT tranny and get 34 highway MPG. You can't beat their reliability. The earlier generation were underpowered. Our 2005 (which we just bought) has 165 ponies and is not underpowered. The new ones make 185 ponies.
You can't go wrong with a CRV. Best cars I've ever owned.
My wife's 08 CR-V EX has a little over 100,000 miles now and is running good. So far it has been very reliable and only required normal maintenance. Can easily get 30 mpg on the highway. Very surprised at how well the 4wd drive system works.
Wife's Accord was a EX and the CRV is a EX-L the Accord had more road noise than the CRV one of the reasons we traded. 3 Adults in the rear seat is tight but can be tolerated for short trips.
I had a CR-V and liked it a lot. Good mileage and basically trouble free. It was actually given to us by a neighbor who had crunched the top a bit with a garage door, which is why my wife eventually prevailed about getting rid of it. Oh, the embarrassment with her friends.
Another American expat told me that the CR-V was much more comfortable and with much better leg room (he's rather fat) than an Accord, which is why he got one.
Bought a new 2004 CR-V as a daily commuter/city/country runabout and couldn't be happier with it.
The only complaint I would have is that there is some road noise particularly with the rear seat folded down, even with good replacement tires. On certain surfaces at freeway speeds it's hard to hold a conversation in the car.
But at 10 years old and 90,000 miles it's been trouble free, has consistently gotten around 21 mpg city and 26-28 cruising at 65 or 75 mph (now 80 mph) on the highway. Highway mileage is not as great as some more aerodynamic vehicles but acceptable. I didn't get it to take a lot of long trips in. With the back seat down it has enough room for 95% of the stuff I carry and the other 5% would need a full size pickup anyway. It has enough acceleration to pass on these two lane mountain roads. It has a short turning radius and is easy to get around tight parking spaces or parking lots.
It has decent ground clearance for rutty or washed out forest service roads or driving across open BLM land and it handles very well in snow. I've taken it on a few medium distance trips - drove 1200-1300 miles over three days twice this summer on freeway and mountain roads and it is comfortable to drive for long periods.
I'll keep this one for years, overall it's been a great and very reliable little utility vehicle.
You've seen the car adv showing a crushed vehicle saying they survived!My friend, wife, and a friend of theirs was hit headon by a large American PU at highway speed. They had to be cut out of the CRV. They all survived with the 2 females having pretty severe injuries. It was amazing that they survived! I do know that they liked it and the gas mileage.
Wife has had her's for seven years now. Normal maintenance, decent gas mileage, good in snow, and safe. I would buy another.
This is what my dad has experienced. He bought one in the mid 2000's as his Dodge diesel was getting horrific to maintain. He is 6'2" and says it is plenty roomy, good mileage, dependable, nothing except routine stuff like oil changes.
Can't comment on noise as I have not noticed it. I did test drive a new one for the wife and rather liked it. Perhaps the noise is related to the tires?
Its my wife's commuter car in the winter and our weekend trip car - for us anyways, its a tank in the snow. Gas mileage is about 24 putting around the city.
I have 110K miles on it - and I have replaced the alternator, sway bar links and an oxygen sensor. Need to put in new front struts and get an alignment. Also bought new headlights for $80 a pair because the old ones had glossed over and you couldn't see them.
I have no intentions of selling this car. It does everything I need it to do. I hope to get 300K on it. I intentionally chose the 5 speed because I didn't want to deal with an auto tranny down the road.
I've never noticed road noise but it would have to be bad for me to notice given my other car is an F150 with A/T tires.
A friend of mine has one and she loves it. She said she has never got stuck in the snow with it and enjoys the fuel economy. She is a retired school bus driver..in her 70's.
I had a Honda Civic, which I think was the precursor to the current CRV. I bought it years ago with 125k miles on it. I put almost 100k miles on it myself, then sold it cheap to a college student, who finished the last 2 semesters of college driving it. It drove forever without a hitch.
I have both----a 2005 CRV and a 2012 Pilot. The Pilot has softer seats and is a little quieter, but surprisingly little difference in that department. The Pilot being heavier just has a softer ride. Our '05 CRV is plenty comfortable for long trips however. I suspect the 2015's are prolly quieter and a better ride than my '05 too. Honda dealer tells me the Pilot still has a noticeably better ride than even the brand new CRVs.
If you are referring to ride and road noise, night and day but for 20k, there should be.
2015 CR-V $23,320 to $32,770 ... 2015 Pilot $29,870 to $41,620 ... [1] Prices shown are American Honda Motor Co., Inc. suggested retail prices only and do not include taxes, license ... Don't see the $20K difference for similar models.
My wife has a CRV and she likes it for around town errands and we sometimes take it on trips. I find it to have the following issues that I don't like:
Noisy/4 Cylinder idles rough Seats are on the small side and rather hard Back seat fits only two adults Ride is choppy due to short wheelbase Upholstry/carpet cheap quality, difficult to clean
My daughters had a Civic and it was a nicer vehicle than the CRV.
It's a one owner 2012 CR-V EX AWD with just over 4,000 miles on it. It's basically a brand new car, sans immediate depreciation.
We drove it quite a bit yesterday and the EX trim level is noticeably quieter than the civic we owned but not quite as quiet as the accords we've owned.
(I did find that closing the sun roof cover made a big diff in road noise).
my wife loved it (which would be priority #1) and we got it for $275 over what the dealer paid for it.
It's a one owner 2012 CR-V EX AWD with just over 4,000 miles on it. It's basically a brand new car, sans immediate depreciation.
We drove it quite a bit yesterday and the EX trim level is noticeably quieter than the civic we owned but not quite as quiet as the accords we've owned.
(I did find that closing the sun roof cover made a big diff in road noise).
my wife loved it (which would be priority #1) and we got it for $275 over what the dealer paid for it.
I hope you bought it. If it's a 5-speed manual, there are conversion modifications out there that add the 6th gear that the transmission is already set up for. It'd cost you about $1k-1500 in parts and labor, but kick the gas mileage up from low/mid 20s to just over 30.
I bought daughter daughter #2 (of 4....) a new CRV when she graduated from High School 12 years ago. It now has approaching 200,000 miles on it. If you ran it through a detail shop, then took it out for a long test drive, you would (almost) not believe it wasn't a brand new car. Runs like new. Drives like new. Cleans up to look like new inside and out. Fantastic.
Change the oil and the timing belt and you can drive them practically forever. Talked to a Honda rep that worked at the Marysville, OH assembly plant, during her time there a gentleman drove a Honda in that had a documented 500K miles on it and was still gong strong. They are very well made vehicles, especially the engines.
Change the oil and the timing belt and you can drive them practically forever. Talked to a Honda rep that worked at the Marysville, OH assembly plant, during her time there a gentleman drove a Honda in that had a documented 500K miles on it and was still gong strong. They are very well made vehicles, especially the engines.
The CR-V's no longer have a timing belt, they use a timing chain. I believe this started in 2002.
My mother has an older (2005?) CRV, likes it a lot. I have driven it a few hundred miles, most annoying thins I find are the tire noise, and those darn headlights that you have to turn on and off manually.
Son has a 2012. Daughter has a 2013. Both suffer from wind and tire noise. 4 banger is buzzy, underpowered and interior looks cheap. However, they never break.
