Faults:

Needed new tyres, because the alignment can go funky quickly and it then chews through the rubber.

Steering shake, took 3 wheel balances before a technician was able to stop it.

Leak around the distributor cap when I first bought it.

Water leaks into the boot of the car because of the design.

Radiator had to be replaced (this is probably my fault because there was a crack in the plastic reservoir, likely from me banging the hood closed).

Driver's door handle on the inside.

Thermostat replaced.

General Comments:

Excellent car, but just getting a bit old.

Cracker of an engine! Highly underrated effort from Honda.

Passing, gradients, loaded vehicle... nothing seemed to make it stress. Put your foot down and it just went (but you had to remember that with a spirited foot, the 2.5L engine could be accordingly thirsty).

A fair bit of the work done on the car was done on warranty from the dealer I bought it second-hand. The dealer had not made an effort to do much work on it or drive it enough to find its faults, so I had all the small things done within the first 2 months of ownership. Annoying for me, but not the car's fault.

This car served me faithfully and without much maintenance costs for about 2 years. It's traveled the length of New Zealand on long trips as well as a daily driver in my student days in Christchurch. Then after my partner & I graduated, it took the majority of our belongings all the way to Auckland, and then served as a daily driver there for another year and a half.

One of the most reliable cars I've ever owned, and my old faithful!

We named it Jean (after Jean Grey of the X-men); unassuming on the outside, but an exceptional all rounder within.

I even test drove a 2014 Accord and didn't feel it had the same transmission smoothness or engine response of the old Inspire!

Faults:

Tyres wore out - general wear and tear!

Radiator reservoir hose fell into the reservoir - reattached.

That's all that has gone wrong..

General Comments:

Very well built car, which is great for traveling, looks good and handles very well for a front wheel drive.

Auto is slow in the manual mode, but the gear box is pretty good at knowing what gear to be in ie holding gears on hills when you take your foot off, or downshifting while braking.

Gas consumption is amazing on the open road; getting 800+kms out of 65L. Not so good around town. ie BAD.

Good performance - can really get moving, quicker than my previous 99 twin turbo Legacy, which it eats for breakfast. Good nice "sleeper" car if you may.

Downfall, they only come in auto's.

Faults:

Replaced rubber bushes in the front suspension.

Am replacing air con evaporator under dashboard.

All these faults came with the car, and I was aware of them.

General Comments:

Bought car from a caring owner, and the condition of the car is a testimony to the care that some people have with their cars. All repairs documented and no expense spared when needed

The motor was replaced at 80000 kms in 2004 as a noise developed. The replacement motor was second hand, but had only 35000 kms on it.

Handles well for a biggish car, and the ride is almost excellent, but average tyres are its downfall. Needs Michelins, which is on the next change.

Replaced front suspension bushes, and was surprised to find that new bushes are not expensive.

This car is in a time warp as there's no wear on upholstery, and the paintwork is in almost new condition. Notice that other Inspires though also have good interiors.

Good gearbox with good ratios, and excellent economy with 7.5 L/100 kms on a trip, and about 10 L/100kms around town.

Faults:

Radiator top tank leaked after a month of driving. Easily fixed, and no other problem in last ten months.

General Comments:

After driving super reliable Toyota Camry's in my taxi business for five years, I wanted to buy a Honda to see what all the fuss is about Honda brand. I bought this Honda Inspire on Trade Me auction website for just NZ$1850. Now after driving the car for 39000 kilometers in eleven months, I am amazed by the reliability of car. It is very well built, with a very comfortable and quite ride, very nimble acceleration. I simply love driving this car.

What I don’t like about the car, the interior space is cramped for the length of the car, also it is bit thirsty on fuel. Other than that, no problems.

If all Honda cars are this much fun to drive and this much reliable, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another Honda.