The Winter Jazz Club
Discussion
As has become normality, I find winter approaching, the thought of driving my normal daily car (360bhp Supercharged Civic Type R - here if you haven’t seen it - https://tinyurl.com/y6g242lz ) becomes less and less fun as the rain batters down and I have to load wet dogs in and out of the boot twice a week (when they come to work with me) so the search starts for a daily car.
I love the Honda Jazz, yes, really. I very nearly bought one earlier in the year but it had an ABS fault and TBH it wasn’t the nicest car overall so I let it go.
A few weeks ago I got a call from a colleague saying he had a Jazz coming in as PX, he sent me some pictures and I waited....
Apart from the terrible pictures, it was what I was after, Sport spec (check out those side skirts innit!) and in a decent colour. I said I’d have it and waited.
So it arrived, and tbh it’s a little rough, stank of smoke inside and had literally no oil. Bugger.
So some oil went it, it’s been for a run and apart from a subtle top end rattle at 3k rpm (which will either kill it or just carry on forever) it seems alright.
I managed to convince our Valeters that they should clean/polish it for me and hopefully they will give the headlights some loving too.
Bodywork is generally ok, but if lacquer peel on the OSF wing (which I’ll likely replace)
There’s a scrape on the NSR arch which I’ll touch in/tidy up a bit.
Wheels are in surprisingly nice condition under the years of brake dust!
All interior being cleaned/wet vac done too and we’ll see how it comes up!
Plans are -
Mats
Bootliner
Maybe some lowering springs
Maybe some tints on the rear
Maybe some Type R seats
Maybe a Type R steering wheel
All the maybes depend on parts/cost as I’m not planning on throwing much at it!
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
I love the Honda Jazz, yes, really. I very nearly bought one earlier in the year but it had an ABS fault and TBH it wasn’t the nicest car overall so I let it go.
A few weeks ago I got a call from a colleague saying he had a Jazz coming in as PX, he sent me some pictures and I waited....
Apart from the terrible pictures, it was what I was after, Sport spec (check out those side skirts innit!) and in a decent colour. I said I’d have it and waited.
So it arrived, and tbh it’s a little rough, stank of smoke inside and had literally no oil. Bugger.
So some oil went it, it’s been for a run and apart from a subtle top end rattle at 3k rpm (which will either kill it or just carry on forever) it seems alright.
I managed to convince our Valeters that they should clean/polish it for me and hopefully they will give the headlights some loving too.
Bodywork is generally ok, but if lacquer peel on the OSF wing (which I’ll likely replace)
There’s a scrape on the NSR arch which I’ll touch in/tidy up a bit.
Wheels are in surprisingly nice condition under the years of brake dust!
All interior being cleaned/wet vac done too and we’ll see how it comes up!
Plans are -
Mats
Bootliner
Maybe some lowering springs
Maybe some tints on the rear
Maybe some Type R seats
Maybe a Type R steering wheel
All the maybes depend on parts/cost as I’m not planning on throwing much at it!
Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.
Great reliable boring cars these. Used as the daily workhorse rather than 500bhp Imprezas. Have owned mine since 2002 as a 10 month old import from Japan. Based in Cyprus and have racked up 287000 klms which as a lot for a small country and the only issues have been consumables. Brakes discs at 200000, various bushes etc started going from about 150,000, new shocks at 250,000. Tyres every few years at about 40,000 klms each time. Gave it a refresh with new hoses and radiator at 200,000 which was my choice.
The only thing that has broken was the motor for the passenger side mirror about 10 years ago and last night the drivers mirror started its death rattle.
Paint is an issue with these and being red it has faded to a pinkish colour and that was despite proper paint maintenance over the years. However as it is the daily driver and the missus drives it, it is covered in dings and scratches and not worth repainting based on Cypriot driving and parking standard . She says she is not responsible, and it s others that hit her.
I am actually looking for a second hand one for my daughter as she is moving back from the UK.
Good luck with the mods.
The only thing that has broken was the motor for the passenger side mirror about 10 years ago and last night the drivers mirror started its death rattle.
Paint is an issue with these and being red it has faded to a pinkish colour and that was despite proper paint maintenance over the years. However as it is the daily driver and the missus drives it, it is covered in dings and scratches and not worth repainting based on Cypriot driving and parking standard . She says she is not responsible, and it s others that hit her.
I am actually looking for a second hand one for my daughter as she is moving back from the UK.
Good luck with the mods.
chris4652009 said:
Other than a set of winters tires (or all season) I'd run it as is tbh, cracking little cars those
I agree; they're a tardis too 
My wife's Nana had to give up driving 3 years ago; she gave us her 1.4 08 plate Jazz, as we wanted to replace the wife's aging Focus and seeing as my wife only does 8miles a day, it was ideal. It's been a belter since. Faultless (bar rear squealing brakes as the calipers are usual Honda crap). It's a superb car for carrying lots to the top; the folding rear seats make it into a little racing van
Butter Face said:
So some oil went it, it’s been for a run and apart from a subtle top end rattle at 3k rpm (which will either kill it or just carry on forever) it seems alright.
Might be the tappets - it's an awkward job and they rarely get done. Gearbox bearings get rattly too, although at that age they might have been done.Is there any water in the spare wheel well?
RicksAlfas said:
spreadsheet monkey said:
Love the pink seatbelt pads and all the crap on the dashboard in the top photo.
I thought Butter Face had fitted those!Unfortunately they didn’t come in the car when it arrived.
Thanks for the all replies, didn’t think anyone would be the slightest interested tbh
My parents had a silver VTi-S (or whatever the top-spec in Oz was) in the same silver but with CVT. Excellent car, apart from that shïtty CVT which needed rebuilding as a goodwill gesture and even after continued to be a liability. Really ruined what would’ve been a good ownership experience because it was a nippy, relatively fun mini-minivan. I’d have one now if I could find a tidy 1.5 facelift manual, but they’re mostly (all?) the 1.3.
carinaman said:
I'm interested and would have one as a shed if they were £30 per annum tax.
Are they ePas or hydraulic PAS?
My mum had the mark 1 Jazz, and while it was the perfect car for her I never liked driving it. Always felt the steering felt detached from what the wheels where doing. Are they ePas or hydraulic PAS?
Fantastic little car though, it did 80k miles with only servicing and consumables required. Loved them so much she bought a Mark 2, but it doesn't feel as well built.
Challo said:
carinaman said:
I'm interested and would have one as a shed if they were £30 per annum tax.
Are they ePas or hydraulic PAS?
My mum had the mark 1 Jazz, and while it was the perfect car for her I never liked driving it. Always felt the steering felt detached from what the wheels where doing. Are they ePas or hydraulic PAS?
Fantastic little car though, it did 80k miles with only servicing and consumables required. Loved them so much she bought a Mark 2, but it doesn't feel as well built.
Like your Mum, she liked the mk1 so much she didn't want to look at anything else when it came to changing it, which made life easy for me, so she got a mk2. She then moved to a VW Tiguan, which she loves, but does miss being able to park the Jazz in the smallest of spaces.
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