Opinions on Honda FR-V

Arciphel

Hi lads,

Am thinking of changing our second car for a Honda FR-V 6 seater due to imminent new arrival we want something with a bigger cabin and more boot space.

The 3 + 3 seating arrangement is what we really want as grandparents are getting on and mobility is becoming an issue so would be nice to pack everyone into one car and head off.

Anyway, I drove this FR-V this evening in Long Mile Motors, it's a 08 with the newer 1.8L VTEC petrol engine (with timing chain not belt). NCT'd till August 2016, looks in good nick inside & out. I thought the engine was a bit rev-y compared to other ones I drove - but maybe that's a good sign?

When I ran the Motorcheck it is tell me that the car was untaxed for three of the previous six years which is very strange. Could this just be a problem with access to the taxation record system?

I got the name of the previous owner from the receipts on the service history (which was all present & correct) and thought I was being a bit cheeky but rang them and got the rundown on the car, they had no issues with it and only sold it because they needed a 7 seater.

So just wondering if anyone has any experience with the FR-V in terms of ownership, what to look for when buying etc? If anyone can recommend a mechanic that would know Honda's and be willing to have a look at this one for me that'd be great... and also, what would you offer for the car? Cheers.

colm_mcm

There's 3 owners already on it. How long did the last owner have it for?

Dealer has it since May by the looks of it.
Seems very cheap, maybe the €750 a year tax is a factor.


Comes up here
http://carstock.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Copy-of-Car-list-for-tender2.xls

Arciphel

Cheers Colm, yeah the first owner was the Honda garage as it was a demo car for 6 months. Then they sold it to a garage in Thurles which was where the previous owner bought it and had it for almost 5 years. They traded it in in Wexford and I am guessing that was how it ended up on that carstock place and in Dublin - the guy in the garage told me he bought it down the country.

To be honest, I am only interested as I rang the owner and he said they had no problems. The dealer on the Long Mile Road is not SIMI registered and is operating out of a portakabin, looks like a very rough & ready operation. Now maybe I am wrong but I am treating it like a private sale - as in I am assuming if something goes wrong that I will be on the hook for it. He has offered it to me for €7,250 in a straight sale, including 3 months engine & gearbox warranty.

I also drove a 07 FR-V today at Motorvation just down the road, it had a few dents on the outside but I think it drove better even though I can't put my finger on it. It has lower mileage too by 5,000 miles and only 1 previous owner. Also, as it's a '07 the road tax is lower at 636 a year. I am guessing that's a better deal than getting one a year newer, as I am assuming I will be driving this until it pretty much dies. It also has the 1.8l engine and the six speed box. They'll sell for maybe a bit under €6,900 with a three month, bumper to bumper warranty.

colm_mcm

There's 3 owners on the car, you've missed one (garages that trade the car in don't count)
I'd be very concerned over the car not getting taxed for 3 years.

Exactly what dates of changes of ownership did the report give you?

Arciphel

This is what I got from the report...

NIMAN

I own an 08 petrol, and am very happy with it. Only downside for me is the tax, but thats Ireland for you.
I like the fact that it can seat 6 comfortably yet isn't a big car like some of the 7 seaters are.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

colm_mcm

Can't see the tax issue tbh.
It all seems legit tbh. One owner only had it a fortnight when the car was very new.

I don't think the clutches on these are particularly robust, do you think the clutch might be slipping?

Arciphel

Cheers NIMAN, did you buy it from new or second hand? Do you notice any issues with it pulling to the left slightly, I know this is supposedly a thing with all Hondas where they are very sensitive to camber on the road but I have never noticed it on my other car (2012 Civic). I have read the engine has a timing chain as opposed to a belt, I am assuming that this doesn't need to be changed after 8 years or 150,000 KMs as the 1.7l petrol engine with the belt does?

Arciphel

colm_mcm wrote: »

Can't see the tax issue tbh.
It all seems legit tbh. One owner only had it a fortnight when the car was very new.

I don't think the clutches on these are particularly robust, do you think the clutch might be slipping?

The thing is it is saying that the car was untaxed since the end of 2013, so how would I go about taxing it without having to pay those arrears?

It could be the clutch, I thought that the clutch was catching very high up on it's travel, so much so I actually adjusted my seat to see if that helped. It just seemed like the engine was revving but that not all those revs were being transferred to the wheels if that makes sense, which would sound like a slipping clutch all right...

colm_mcm

You're only liable for tax from the month you get it, so any back tax isn't an issue for you.

If you've driven another frv - you'll see what the clutch should feel like, its likely that its worn.

NIMAN

No never found it pulling, perhaps the tyre pressures were off?

I bought mine 2nd hand, only last summer from a small Dublin based dealer. No issues so far, touch wood. I bought it in August and I think the NCT was up before the end of last year, I did nothing to it, gave it a wash just, and it passed fine.

Mine also the timing chain.

Find it perfect, as we had 3 small kids under 4 when it was bought. Suits a family perfectly.

I probably would have preferred the 2.2 Diesel but none around in my price range at the time of buying. Pay big premium for those. Plus the car would always be doing short journeys so maybe petrol suited us better anyway.

Arciphel

Would ye be concerned buying from a delaer who isn't SIMI registered? And would cars that are on that carstock.ie thing normally be fairly rough & ready?

bazz26

When it comes to the consumer the SIMI add absolutely no value. All they are is a country club made of member dealers who pay an annual subscription with an agenda of their own.