Faults:

Drive shaft.

Master cylinder.

Broken wires at driver's door hinge (disabling the electric windows, rear window release and the power locks).

General Comments:

Pros:

Very affordable, comfortable, rides nice and is economical and extremely fun to drive.

Warms up very fast in our Montana winters.

Safety reviews are pretty good.

MPGs range from 20-27 MPG, but mine averages to about 24 MPG. It seems to prefer the cheapest gas I can find for it, making it even more economical.

Steering, suspension, brakes and seating configuration seem perfect.

Ideal size for hauling a dog or carrying lots of cargo. It holds much more than you would expect with the back seats down but the seats also configure in different ways and work very well for carrying 4 passengers or laying backwards flat if you want to sleep in the car.

It turns very sharp and fits into almost any parking spot, and is very easy to see out of with no noticeable blind spots.

The AWD works very well in the winter.

Cons:

It can be a little noisy on the highway; it sometimes shifts up a little too fast in the city and down too fast on the highway (especially towing a trailer or on cruise control). Its little engine usually has enough power for me even on the highway at 80 mph, but pulling a 500 lb trailer limits my speed to about 65 mph because you can't tow in overdrive, but it's happy to tow all day long if I don't go too fast, but it will burn a little oil when it's towing.

The only mechanical problems I've had are far is a master cylinder that went bad at 155,000 miles and caused the brakes on two wheels (one front and one rear) to fail, but the master cylinder was very easy to replace and only cost $75. Mine had no driveshaft when I bought it, but I got an aftermarket one for $180 that has worked perfectly so far.

The only other major problem I've had was at 160,000 miles when the wires at the hinge point in the driver's door became brittle and started breaking off at the point of connection into the modular connector at the door, causing all the electric window controls, electric locks, lift gate release and the remote entry to fail. No replacement parts were available (without buying the whole wiring harness from the dealer), so I found that part of the wiring at a wrecking yard and soldered in the 23 replacement wires to replace the old brittle ones and never had another problem.

I'm told the CRVs are known for lasting 200,000 to 300,000 miles easily if the maintenance is kept up on the timing belt, valve adjustments, and transmission fluid flush. The transmission oil change is easier to do than changing the engine oil and only takes 3 quarts so it's pretty cheap and easy if you do it yourself. I'm also told these engines are prone to having the valves slowly push into the valve seat, eventually eliminating the required valve clearance and causing a burned valve that's very expensive to fix, but it's avoidable if you do the valve adjustment often. My dealer recommends setting the clearance every 15,000 miles to avoid the problem. I've done it twice now. It's pretty easy, and takes about an hour and requires just basic hand tools and a feeler gauge that can measure .005 and .008 thousands of an inch clearance. I've reused the valve cover gasket twice and still have no leaks, so it has cost me nothing to adjust them so far. Adjusting the valves also gives you a perfect view of the timing belt, so it's nice to inspect the belt every 15,000 miles to avoid running with a belt that should be replaced. Maintenance and repairs have been easy and affordable so far. I would definitely recommend the CRV.

Faults:

Nothing, I am amazed by it.

General Comments:

Wasn't looking for a Honda, but I surely am glad I bought it. Whoever had it prior to me took excellent care of this miniature SUV. It wants to cruise at 70 mph down the highway, and does this very well without breaking a sweat. Starts right up, and purrs like a kitten. I am truly impressed with Honda.

Would I buy another? You bet, in a New York minute.

If you are lucky enough to find one in the condition I did... buy it, you will not regret it... Love my CR-V.