Faults:

At purchase (issues that were fixed before taking the vehicle home):

- Rear brakes (drums and rotors).

- Rear control arm.

- Driver's seat belt connector.

- Battery.

- Timing belt (as a precaution).

- Water pump.

- Lower engine seal.

- Rubber gasket between engine and transmission.

- Coolant flush.

- Brake fluid flush.

After purchase (4 years of ownership):

- Front bushings.

- Trunk latch sticks sometimes and needs to be lubricated once in a while.

- Clock died - found one at a local pick your part (apparently it's a common problem).

General Comments:

My wife and I both love the first generation CR-V, so when it was time to upgrade from her 1992 Accord, it was the perfect time to look for one.

The vehicle had some rust at purchase, which I cut out and redid and it has not returned. There was rust at the rear fenders, a bit on the front of the hood, and where the radiator connects to the frame. All were easy to access and fix.

The original gold paint still looks great.

All electrical components work, but the windows do take some time to open and close. The A/C is still ice cold. Power door locks work great as does the cruise control.

The interior has held up very well with no cracks or tears. The quality of materials is good, as is the fit and finish. There are soft touch plastics where you would typically keep your arms. There are nice features as well - like the picnic table. Cup holders are not the greatest as they don't hold larger drinks well, but they do the trick for the most part. Space inside is well used with lots of storage compartments. One interior gripe - there is no power door lock button on the passenger side and some plastics seem to scratch easily.

Visibility is amazing!

The little engine gets noisy at high speeds, but is peppy for the amount of weight it hauls (I think it's out of a Civic). Gas mileage is not that good. We get about 450km out of a full tank (I think it takes 60L). This is why I gave running costs an 8 out of 10. It does not burn any oil.

Steering is pure Honda - tight with great feedback and good on center feel. Handling is fairly good for a tall SUV. Body roll seems well controlled - though not recommended for spirited cornering.

The 4 speed transmission works well. It's typical Honda, not the smoothest but not jerky either.

The all-wheel drive feature is great and works when it's needed. We live in a city with harsh winters and lots of snow and it has done the job every time.

We upgraded the radio to an MP3 player, but kept the original speakers. It even has a subwoofer in the back! Sounds great!

There is ample hauling space (lengthwise) in the back with the seats folded down. However the floor is high and the roof is low so you don't get much in that aspect. Although even with the seats up you can still store a stroller and groceries in the back.

Overall we love the vehicle and intend on keeping it for years to come!

Well done Honda!

Faults:

Bought the car used, 1 previous owner. It was 16 years old already, so obviously there is some standard maintenance that happened oil/filters/tires/battery/fluid drain and fill... not worth detailing. Additional disclaimer, I live in the rust belt, so factor that in...

Previous owner:

Replaced radiator and hoses (known problem for this car).

Power steering pump and hose lines replaced.

Tie rod ends replaced.

Dealership replaced all the sway bar links (very common/frequent maintenance item on this vehicle).

My repairs/maintenance: I do almost all my own work.

125,000 - replaced PCV valve ~$15?

127,000 - rear transfer case making noise during turns, so did the 4x drain and fill recommended on forums, noise went away, ~$50 for fluid.

130,000 - hole in exhaust near muffler, entire system replaced, ~$500 in parts.

132,000 - installed hitch - cheap and easy to do, ~$150 including accessories/locks.

135,000 - timing belt/water pump/idler pulley/tensioner/drive belts (way overdue, this is a MUST on this vehicle), also mechanic checked valve lash (should be done every 20-40k based on what people say on the repair forums). ~900 well spent.

136,000 - rear struts - lower strut bolt snapped when I tried to remove, very common problem as Honda does not lubricate the bolt as it passes through the metal sleeve in the strut. Will have to cut the bolt on both sides of the strut with sawzall, drill out the hardened bolt (screw extractor would just break)... working on this right now, hope the other side isn't as bad. Some just remove the lower control arms and replace when they do the struts. ~$200 for complete struts, another $30 invested into hardened drill bits I need to get the bolt out so far.

Overall I'm not complaining, for a 17 year old car there are gonna be some things that need repair/maintenance. Still much cheaper than a car payment =)

General Comments:

Gas mileage ~24 MPG combined, the car is not fast, but moves OK even with 4 adults inside.

The car has very poor noise insulation.

Only rated to tow 1000 lbs.

Great traction in snow with the real-time AWD, heat works great.

Fits four average sized adults (all less than 6' tall) and 2 dogs with fair comfort for 3-4 hour trips. Roof rack and hitch cargo shelf come in handy.

Seats are average comfort, not great (my wife's Lexus has us spoiled).

Stick shift is pretty comfy/easy.

Able to fit a new front-load washer and pedestal inside with the rear door closed.

Haven't towed with it yet, but wiring was super easy as the vehicle is pre-wired, no splicing necessary, just remove rear speaker and plug into connector.

Great little daily driver, expect to get another 5-10 years out of it.