Honda CR-V thoughts?

My wife (oh yeah did I forget to mention while I was away from iboats I got married) currently has a 2004 Kia Optima with 120k on it. The shocks and struts will need to be replaced soon as the tires are wearing pretty unevenly.....making the ride rough. I am not a fan of this car....has the V6 which to me is a waste of gas in this thing, and it is a little small and uncomfortable for me to drive. I have been kicking around the idea of getting a small/mid size SUV so that when we start a family we have more room, and so that she has something with 4wd for the winter (assuming we have a normal winter next year)

I am looking at a 2007 Honda CR-V with the 4cyl and 4wd with 89k on it. It is super clean and would probably be a considerable upgrade. For the most part everything I have seen/read would suggest this vehichle is very reliable and would probably be a solid investment. The dealer is asking $17,900.....I know I can get them down to at least $16000. I would think I could get $2500 (maybe more) on a trade in of the Kia. Thoughts on this trade??

Re: Honda CR-V thoughts?

The CR-V is a very good car, like all Hondas, but both the Toyota RAV-4 and the Subaru Forester are rated higher by Consumer Reports.

I have owned a Forester and it is bulletproof. I parted with it to get more power (Toyota Highlander Hybrid AWD). Daughter #1 and her partner each have '06 Foresters with well over 100K that simply won't break and deliver high 20s in mpg.

Take a look at the Toyotas and Subarus before you commit.

Good luck.

Re: Honda CR-V thoughts?

2007 CRV is a good choice. No spare tire on the back anymore like the Rav4 has. The engine doesn't have a timing belt that needs to be replaced. Isn't the most fuel efficient engine but is very reliable.(no need for extended warranty )

Re: Honda CR-V thoughts?

It's hard to go wrong with any of the small SUV's. They're handy as hell around town and for carrying a lot of (light) stuff.

I bought a 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander last year. If I'd had the extra money (like $4K for a comparable Honda) I'd have bought a CR-V in a heartbeat. They're solid cars.

As JB said, though, from what I've seen the Subaru Forester is the one to beat for longevity.

My.02

Re: Honda CR-V thoughts?

JB said:

The CR-V is a very good car, like all Hondas, but both the Toyota RAV-4 and the Subaru Forester are rated higher by Consumer Reports.

I have owned a Forester and it is bulletproof. I parted with it to get more power (Toyota Highlander Hybrid AWD). Daughter #1 and her partner each have '06 Foresters with well over 100K that simply won't break and deliver high 20s in mpg.

Take a look at the Toyotas and Subarus before you commit.

Good luck.

Click to expand...

I will definately have to look at those two. I don't need this thing to have power.....I have the truck for that. Just something that can carry more gear and get some good gas mileage.

My wife bought this well before the marriage so I really wasn't sure what she still owed on it. Roughly 4k or so. KBB would give 3k at best with a trade in.....probably looking more like the $2500. I would prefer to not go in there backwards. Right now after some thought, I think my best option may be to just run this Kia until it dies since it still is running fine. No car payments would be nice too and fixing the few problems it has now shouldn't be too bad.

Wish the Kia's value was more like my truck. I KKB'd and the trade in is 10k, can sell it for 13k. I bought it 4yrs ago for about 14k. Crazy..............

Re: Honda CR-V thoughts?

I'm a bit late to the party, Pony but just wanted to tell you our CR-V is about the best car experience I've ever had. I'm closing in on 370,000 km on little more than gas, oil, and tires. It's a '99 tho so a much older first gen vehicle than what you are looking for.

In the time we've owned it it's been driven hard and put away wet, towed stuff it had no business towing, hauled the family across the country on vacation, slogged through some nasty northern roads, been run into, run into stuff - all on the original clutch and with nary a complaint. She's getting kind of ratty now, and the power door locks are starting to fail, but she keeps on trucking.

I'd run out and get another in a heartbeat but they don't make them with manual trannies anymore for the Canadian market. So my next cute ute will probably be a Sub Forester. Glad to hear they've been good for your family JB!

Re: Honda CR-V thoughts?

mine is a 2002 and is a great vehicle, regular maintenance and no issues other then the clock quit working but found how to fix it on a you tube video. One of my buddies pulls his 14 ft aluminum boat with his and he also loves it another fishing buddy his wife just got her 2nd new one an sold the older one to her mom. A decent riding car, very stable in snow an slush, no issues mechanically wise, an solid gas mileage for a awd vehicle. I am just about to turn 2 hundred thousand on mine.