6 months ago I was shopping for them, and while I ended up buying a 2015 Toyota RAV4 instead, I was trying to get a CRV. 3 of the 4 Hondas I've bought for my family (I'm the family car buyer) here reached 300,000 miles or more without major repairs - the fourth was totaled by a distracted driver crashing into it. My 2008 Acura is at 210,000 miles and runs like a clock.
Buying a used car is about figuring out its condition. If you aren't mechanical, you should ask a local to recommend you a shop that can perform a quality pre-purchase inspection. It's worth the cost given what the car will cost you. You can inspect the paint, body, and interior condition yourself, but if you don't know cars well, there are too many things that only a seasoned mechanic will catch, so that $150 or whatever is money well spent (assuming a good mechanic).
Even if you find problems, some problems are straightforward to fix and you can negotiate the price down to cover it. Other problems mean you walk away immediately, because some problems aren't worth fixing.
Anyway, Hondas are among the most reliable and best built, and CRVs are relatively simple by modern standards, which is what you want. That's why they hold their value so well, and why so many cars don't.
I should also mention that, unless you are in a snow state or otherwise KNOW that you need all-wheel drive, you should avoid those models and stick with a two-wheel drive version. They are lighter, mechanically simpler, and will be more reliable and cost less money over time.
If you ARE in a snow state, then paying more for AWD is a trade off that probably makes sense - but know going in that you WILL pay more with an AWD vehicle, especially if you need drive train repairs. Again, Hondas have a reputation for being very reliable, but it's always a possibility.
In general, it's a bad idea to buy a new car because depreciation is so steep, and it's a bad idea to buy a very old car because it may be unreliable - so 2015 is roughly in the sweetspot (provided you get a good price, of course!).
Hondas are generally reliable, but even the most reliable models of car have their problems. The best way to find them is usually by reading the owners' forums, and then at least you know what to look out for on a test drive. In the case of the 2015 CR-V, cars fitted with a continually variable transmission had vibration problems, for example: http://www.hondaproblems.com/cr-v-vibration/ With my model of Honda (an older Civic), the original clutch was too weak for the amount of torque the engine produces, and would commonly fail after as few as 30k miles; the display for the A/C often failed; and apparently the back door seals are prone to leaking too. It pays to do your homework.
with honda, I'm only concerned with reliability and if it doesn't look too girly. I have the 07 and it is doggy, but does the job well getting us around. Takes a licking and always starts (knock on plastic). The CVT tranny what I wonder about. It's not a toyota or a bmw, but that's by design.
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Opinion Owner
5 mo
@lightbulb27 the tranny on the toyota is much better then the honda i test drove the cr-v and didn't care for it. the toyota rav 4 seemed better
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In general, it's a bad idea to buy a new car because depreciation is so steep, and it's a bad idea to buy a very old car because it may be unreliable - so 2015 is roughly in the sweetspot (provided you get a good price, of course!).
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