Hi Guys, me plan to buy an old Honda CRV year from 1997 - 2001, just wonder any Guru or Sifu here driving this car? Any common problem on this car? And do this car still able to get accessories replacement?

Why I buy this car? It is because I like the design and also I love this car when I was kid back then. Any comments is welcome.

Thanks 😊

what is the daily commute mileage? and will it be city driving or mountainous road?

By today's standard, the first gen CRV is a fuel guzzle.

Not to mention the repairs needed to get this car running in a fine condition.

Unless you're getting it from family members with known track record of maintaining this car, else it's better to avoid it.

You may be better off getting the 3rd gen CRV.

Will be drive around town, 15-20 km everyday to work and bak.

Thanks for the comment, I most probably know the 3rd gen CRV is newer and better vehicle 😁 but I don't wanna invest too much into a car, 8-10k (and reserve 2-3k for recond bak the car) plus I like the 90's retro car with minimum electronic control the car. Btw I really don't like the current new car, all the additional features adding into the car is to make the car more isssue. I like 'less is more' style 😁

This post has been edited by garycheow: May 9 2020, 06:09 PM

Better get the 3rd gen... Gen1&2 really drink petrol. A well maintained one is hard to find. I know the shape and size is very likeable. Still, the 3rd gen is a better bet... Its on the market for more than 5yrs... I think almost 7yrs before it got replaced... Parts will be plenty. The 7sp auto gearbox is really smooth and save petrol but at a cost, its not very spirited.

Thanks bro 👌

Avoid modern CRV that comes with 1.5 Turbo engine , IMO .

are older gen crv having better nvh? TS may need to check if like comfort driving.
im driving 4th gen 2.4l and feel that the nvh is really poor especially driving in taman with those uneven n bump road, the suspension is stiff. Highway cruising is comfort.
the old 1st gen harrier is much more better in term of nvh.

Ya is true, the latest 5th gen CRV have problem on gasoline and engine oil mixture problem. It is a very common problems on most Honda new EarthDream 1.5 Turbo engine. Btw I'm like the classic design of CRV, is a timeless design. Many other countries have use some modernization part to modify it. It look charming 😍

How long have you been using this 4th gen CRV ?

who doesnt know 3rd generation is better than 1st generation? the cost of the vehicle also different la.

TS only has 8K budget, you ask him to get 3rd Generation CRV? haha

dont think the 1.5L turbo engine is problematic.
It is used in Civic, CRV and the latest Accord
if problematic, wont see so many of them on the road.

If you want to buy the 1st gen CRV, is better you go find Rav4 which proven to be less problematic. Some similar age Rav4 can get around RM10~15k only and if lucky can get the 2 door version which is even rare.

To be honest, my cousin work in one of the Honda dealer center at PJ, he told me that to avoid this 1.5 turbo engine for now. He say the engine spec look promising but the engine actually still new and not mature yet, so reliablity still a question mark. He say let wait the Honda engine evolve 1-2 more generations b4 we commit.

Thanks for recommendation bro, btw my house already have 2nd gen 4 door RAV4, this car really bullet proof car. Therefore would like to get a 1st gen CRV, 2nd gen CRV design I don’t really like it.

FYI, a lot of people is searching for the 1st gen 2 door Rav4.
If lucky some of the rav4 engine already custom fitted with the celica turbo engine 3S-GTE with AWD.

1st gen CRV is prone to encounter engine overheat issue, just becarefull of getting a used 1 without a trusted mechanic to help check it up.
As overheat issue will cause the engine loss power and always need to fill up water or oil if not done right.

eh.. this is so different from what you mentioned above.

there are so many civic, crv out there, never see they face issue with their engine
please dont bad mouth other manufacturers unless you have evidence.
honda have new technology because they are creative and have the technology, not like T badge that is always conventional and old fashion.

Just google about oil dilution honda engine, carbon buildup intake valve issue.

BTW, just receive some insider new from Honda SC that already got a lot of claim of ABS pump failure lately from City to Accord mostly around 2~3 years the electrical board behind the ABS pump still start to fail. After claim, some personally take out the fail ABS pump to fix and resale as recon units. Honda quality been in the drop these few years.

Bro, please do some research if you talk like you know so much of Honda. You can try to google about oil dilution honda engine, carbon buildup intake valve issue. 😅 BTW I will not bad mouth Honda cos I open this post is that I want to buy a Honda CRV, so why I wanna bad mouth Honda when I want to buy a Honda car?? 🤔🤔 I have drive a old Honda Civic EG and a 2009 Honda City B4, both a nice car to be honest. That why now I still wanna go bak to Honda car.

This post has been edited by garycheow: May 13 2020, 04:41 PM

Ya, bro you are right 👍, thanks for the comment.

i am a fan too. also wanted to get
too bad it dont have VSC.

Ya, 90s- early 2000 Japanese car, some of them don't have VSC, so we the driver have to be careful when driving. 😁

This post has been edited by garycheow: May 13 2020, 04:45 PM

TS only got 8-10k budget, what car you want with so many gadgets?
even if have safety gadgets such as VSC, more concerns for repair because it is old. 1st Gen CRV is about 15-20 years old

I got 2nd gen 2004 still going strong till today. Only changed waterpump, air con compressor, alternater and regular service. But eat engine oil, so have to use 20-50W. Still able to do 130-140km/hr on highway with no rattling or shaking. Average 10L/100km. I always service my car on time or earlier.

Can sifus here throw some light on whether this 4th gen CRV engine is Direct Injection type , in 2.4L version ??
Or it is still multiport (manifold) injection type in prior gen ?

The RM-series CR-V 2.4L uses the K24Z, its the multipoint FI type, if ayam not mistaken.
I have this SUV, its damn reliable and comfy. A tad under-powered though. Can't imagine driving the 2.0L variant.

Yes, a K24Z should be a multiport fuel injection engine .
Thank you bro for the clarification .
Cheers .

This post has been edited by zeng: May 20 2020, 07:47 PM

Second Gen CRV seem also quite reliable, how about fuel consumption? And is the spare parts expensive?

Earlier this year bought a 2005 second gen facelift crv....21k with 210,000km full service record at Honda SC

Damn love that suv, better ride than my 2018 city except wind noise and high speed stability. So I only drive that car unker style. Parts cheap like wira. Fuel consumption more or less same like my exora bold, 10-11km/l

The first model is okay too but too old ler, chassis rigidity way softer, and NVH cannot tahan for me. And too hard to find mint condition interior

Just to add, if my budget 25-30k i will choose 2010-2011 suzuki grand vitara over crv 2nd gen

This post has been edited by arza04: May 21 2020, 08:51 PM

A bit surprise to hear that the RM series CR-V 2.4 still a bit underpower. To me that's the best looking CR-V so far. The latest one I tak suka

Haha...maybe becoz my other car is 2.0L turbocharged.
When swapping cars, inadvertently the 2.4 NA will feel somewhat lesser, and the 5-sp auto 'box seems a bit lazy too.
As a haiway cruiser, it does a good job nonetheless.

Yes the 4G CRV is a pretty lookin' SUV, I have the facelifted one.
The current CRV looks nice from certain angles, but mostly macam seekor gajah yang gemuk

As an owner of the 16 years old 2nd Gen CR-V with 2.0 i-VTEC K20 DOHC engine, I would say it is a better choice compared to 1st Gen. 1st Gen has an old B20B VTEC engine without Valve Lifting, so the engine performance and fuel consumption figure is below the par compare to other 2.0 liter engine. 2nd Gen meanwhile is using the famous 2.0 K20 i-VTEC DOHC engine which has a respectable 156 HorsePower and 190 NM of torque at 4000 RPM. During that time, competitor SUV horsepower is not even close to it (Nissan X-Trail with QR20DE 2.0L @ 140hp, Ford Escape 2.0 @ 134 hp). The figure is still respectable in today's world where current Subaru XV, Honda CRV 2.0, Nissan X-Trail 2.0 is also producing 155hp thereabout.

To those who commented that 1st and 2nd Gen CRV are fuel guzzler and expect SUV to have fuel consumption of a Myvi or Vios, they are most likely never own a C segment SUV or D Segment Sedan (built in 2000-2010s).
First of all, any 2.0 liter engine car with the weight of 1500 - 1600 kg will have the fuel consumption of 9-11 km/liter. You must accept this if you want to jump ship from the current A/B segment car (weight is below 1200 kg) to any C-Segment SUV or D-Segment Sedan.

For an SUV like 2nd Gen CR-V which weighs around 1550kg with a Naturally Aspirated non-turbo 2.0 engine, you are looking at fuel consumption of 7-8 km/liter for town/city driving with heavy jam. For highway drive cruising at 110-120kmh, you are looking at 10-12 km/liter. For mixed driving, the average fuel consumption is around 9-10km/liter. It is thereabout the same whether you are looking at 2.0 liter Honda Accord, Toyota Camry or Nissan Cefiro. Now you are getting a 4WD advantage while still enjoying the same fuel consumption. The main reason for people to complain 2nd Gen CRV for the "high" consumption is due to the small fuel tank which is around 50 liters (very small compared to other SUV or D Segment Saloon which usually have 70 liters fuel tank). You will get the illusion of a fuel guzzler if you happen to visit the petrol station more often than the other car.

Even for the current Proton X70 which weighs 1650kg, the fuel consumption is thereabout 9-11km/liter too even with a powerful 1.8 Turbo engine with 184 HP and the latest Direct Injection technology etc. X70 is also having the small fuel tank issue (60 liters) with low fuel warning came out much earlier than other car. That is why you still see many owners complained their X70 is not fuel efficient because they come from a background of owning a A/B segment car for a long time and used to the "normal fuel consumption of 13-15 km/liter" figure.

The spare parts are very reasonable as it share most of its part with the Honda Civic at that period. Though you must be alert of many FAKE Honda label parts sold by spare parts shop widely in our country which will have shorter life and cause you to feel that Honda car is not reliable.

People are recommending 3rd Gen Honda CR-V which are more fuel efficient due to the SOHC R20 engine where the priority is more on to fuel saving instead of power. You lost the VTEC sound also.

You can read the old article by clicking the link below.

http://asia.vtec.net/article/2002CRV/

Thanks for the details comments, much appreciated. 3rd Gen CRV quite nice too, but over my budget now...haha..now I looking at Pajero io that my friend recommended me to test. Need to do some research on it too. 😁