High mileage CR-V vs. Chevrolet?

bigbird58

I have a chance to buy a crv which had the valves adjusted and the timing belt and water pump replaced at 180000, plus all belts replaced then. It now has 200000 miles on it. I was afraid at first but a relative who drives Hondas said it ought to go 300000 miles without major problems. The dealer wants $4000 for it , which seems high for a car that could be on its last legs. It is extremely clean, free of rust, everything works on it and the engine sounds great, with no leaks anywhere. The previous owner was a mechanic at a dealership and says he preformed regular maintenance on it. I normally have bought Chevys and it seems incredible that this thing should have ANY miles left in it. My chevys were pretty well spent by the time they had 200000 miles on them. Should I pass on this crv, crv owners?

blueiedgod

What year is it?

Plug the model year and mielage into Edmund's estimator and see what it says. $4000 seems high for any vehicle with that many miles.

My first Honda, after an 83 Chevy that died at 90,000 miles, was a 1985 Honda Civic. It ran to 350,000 miles on the origiinal engine and transmission. When the engine mount broke, it just gave me a reason to sell it and buy another one. The kid I sold it to, fixed the engine mount for under $200 and is still driving it. It probably has over 500,000 miles.

bigbird58

It's a 1998 crv lx. Edmunds lists dealer price as $3947. Dealer I'm talking to wants $3995. It's in immaculate condition. Looks and runs great.

conkm44

I purchased a 98 CR-v with 137,000 miles a couple of years ago, and it has been one of the best of the 30-40 cars I have owned. It did lack a little power in 4th and 5th gears, but no biggie. I was talking to my mechanic and he suggested running mid-grade gas in it. I have run the cheap stuff in all my cars for the 50 years I have been driving. He explained that the percentage of ethanol goes down as the octane goes up and that the car would run better and get better mileage. He was completely right. The can runs up hillsin 5th that I had bogged down on previously. The miles per gallon has gone up. The cost element is pretty much a wash, but the pleasure factor is well worth any tiny cost. Live and learn.

motoguy128

He explained that the percentage of ethanol goes down as the octane goes up and that the car would run better and get better mileage. He was completely right.

Depends on there you live. In Iowa at least, the E10 is often ONLY offered in midgrade, and regular has no ethanol and premium is hit & miss. Depending on what mood I'm in and how much of a discount they are offering for E10 over regular... I might buy it.

Sometimes it's hard even finding premium without ethanol for my motorcycle or lawnmowers. It runs fine either way, but I don't ride a lot of miles and the lawnmower uses botu 2 gallons for hte whole season, so if the fuel is going to sit a few weeks or months, I don't want ethanol in it, because it attracts moisture.

As for that CR-V. 200k+ in any vehcile, even a Honda or Toyota is a crap shoot. There are plenty of components that will wear out. The fact that it's in good condition, is a good sign. People that clean and wash their cars usually do regular maintenance too. Look for how much wear is on the pedals and armrest. IF they arent too worn, it's likely it has lower operating hours, meaning mostly highway miles. 1 city mile is probably equal to 3-4 highway miles in terms of overall drivetrain wear.

mjb56

A year ago we bought a 2000 CRV that had 113K mi on it. It was well maintained throughout it's life so I had no reservations. A year later, it's been a fantastic vehicle. We've taken it on long road trips of 2,000 mi and had a great experience. We paid $6,000 for ours. I look forward to at least another 100K if not more. Uses no oil, runs like a clock. Love it.

motoguy128

In most of the midwest, E10 is most commonly sold as midgrade 89 octane, which 87 octane does not contain ethanol. If the cost different is only 5% (~$0.10), I stick with gas without ethanol because it's more stable for longer storage. We don't drive a lot of miles, so a tank of fuel could sit in the car for 3-4 weeks at times. The ethanol will absorb moisture. On top of that, E10 fuel will likely get 5% lower mileage as well.

Also consider that the reason that ethanol is cheaper, is because there are tax subsidies for it. So it's really NOT cheaper, YOU ARE still paying for it through your taxes.

The CR-V isn't tuned for premium or midgrade, so it's unlikely you will actually see any performance increase over regular unleaded. If there is a performance increase, there will likely be an associated drop in mileage as well.

kyfdx

That isn't the case where I live.... All grades have up to 10% ethanol...

Of course, one has no way of knowing exactly how much ethanol the fuel contains... just that it might...

motoguy128

That's true. I forgot that Missouri does not require labeling at the pump, and even in Iowa, sometiems all grades do have E10. But it is common to sometimes find E10 as 89 octane and 87 without ethanol...at least in Iowa and I believe Illinois.

Again, my major concern is the stability of the fuel, more than the fuel economy. Water in the fuel system is not a good thing. I suspect a significant amount could cause misfires or a lean condition. Both of which aren't good for the engine.

Oh...and then there's that little issue of subsidies for ethanol and it's impact on food prices. Overall, ethanol is a false economy, and a poor energy strategy.

isellhondas

I sold it new to a guy who by concidence grew up oin my home town in California.

We struck up a friendship so he always stops by my desk when he's in for service which is pretty often. We talk about people wh knew in common, old teachers etc.

As of a month ago he had 324,000 miles on it. he drives a TON.

Other than normal scheduled maintenance, he's on his 3rd or 4th set of brake pads. He had to replace his front brake calipers at 250,000 plus miles and an AC compressor at 278,000 miles.

It looks and runs like it did when it was new.