New to me - Honda CR-Z
Discussion
Hi all, I've not posted of these threads before but thought I'd create one for this somewhat rare car which might be of interest. I've been running Mercedes for the last few years but recently sold my SL55 making a healthy profit due to appreciation. I've got a deposit down on a GR Yaris but that may not arrive until the summer next year. Due to my wifes car suffering engine failure I had to give her my E320 CDI Estate as a family car. This left me briefly carless which caused me a lot of anxiety!
I did what anyone sensible would do and spent a lunch hour looking for and then buying a 'stop gap' car. After spending 10 minutes on gumtree I choose a 144k Honda Civic ES GT in 'dog dick red' colour. When I got there to be fair the car was as listed but was clearly not in good cosmetic shape. It needed a replacement wing as the one fitted looked to have been knocked out with a hammer. Also the A/C was not working. Long story short I bought the car for £1k, replaced the wing with one from a scrappy for £30, replaced the A/C condenser and then drove the car around discovering it's sloppy gear change, blown shock absorbers etc. It was clear this stop gap car would not keep me happy for six months, but it did remind me how good Hondas can be.
I then decided to look for Honda CR-Zs. I had a CRX SiR when I was younger and it was a fantastic car. They are worth a ton now and very rare. I've always been curious about the CR-Z as I know it was never very fast, or hugely economical. I considered buying one from BCA directly, looked at a ropey CAT S car before eventually persuading a dealer up north to offer me a trade sale (no warranty etc) for a CRZ GT which had just been listed. It has the Nav option which is quite rare and really sets off the car IMO. I'm happy to spanner on older cars myself but these Honda seem super reliable so I was more concerned about cosmetics and paintwork which a warranty would not cover anyway.
It arrived last night, and as a bonus I also managed to sell the Civic for a healthy profit (for a change). I was buying this blind somewhat so I was really pleased to see it's clearly been really well looked after by it's previous owner. The interior is really in fantastic condition which is really important to me.
Initial impressions are really good. The car is faster than I expected, though still not fast. The gearbox is an absolute joy to use. The car feels lovely and smooth but needs worked to keep momentum which is quite rewarding. The Civic would be likely crashed if I pushed it and the SL55 was likely twice the weight. The interior feels really premium. Finally the kids can just about fit in... sort of. I'm sure it will keep me entertained until next year. The added benefit is the GR Yaris will be an upgrade in terms of practicality so the family cannot complain
I did what anyone sensible would do and spent a lunch hour looking for and then buying a 'stop gap' car. After spending 10 minutes on gumtree I choose a 144k Honda Civic ES GT in 'dog dick red' colour. When I got there to be fair the car was as listed but was clearly not in good cosmetic shape. It needed a replacement wing as the one fitted looked to have been knocked out with a hammer. Also the A/C was not working. Long story short I bought the car for £1k, replaced the wing with one from a scrappy for £30, replaced the A/C condenser and then drove the car around discovering it's sloppy gear change, blown shock absorbers etc. It was clear this stop gap car would not keep me happy for six months, but it did remind me how good Hondas can be.
I then decided to look for Honda CR-Zs. I had a CRX SiR when I was younger and it was a fantastic car. They are worth a ton now and very rare. I've always been curious about the CR-Z as I know it was never very fast, or hugely economical. I considered buying one from BCA directly, looked at a ropey CAT S car before eventually persuading a dealer up north to offer me a trade sale (no warranty etc) for a CRZ GT which had just been listed. It has the Nav option which is quite rare and really sets off the car IMO. I'm happy to spanner on older cars myself but these Honda seem super reliable so I was more concerned about cosmetics and paintwork which a warranty would not cover anyway.
It arrived last night, and as a bonus I also managed to sell the Civic for a healthy profit (for a change). I was buying this blind somewhat so I was really pleased to see it's clearly been really well looked after by it's previous owner. The interior is really in fantastic condition which is really important to me.
Initial impressions are really good. The car is faster than I expected, though still not fast. The gearbox is an absolute joy to use. The car feels lovely and smooth but needs worked to keep momentum which is quite rewarding. The Civic would be likely crashed if I pushed it and the SL55 was likely twice the weight. The interior feels really premium. Finally the kids can just about fit in... sort of. I'm sure it will keep me entertained until next year. The added benefit is the GR Yaris will be an upgrade in terms of practicality so the family cannot complain
Edited by Rawhide on Friday 3rd September 13:12
Om said:
I really like the CRZ - they remind me of my old CRX (also in white). Good luck with the back seats. I only ever had complaints in the CRX...
Thanks - My daughter (7) fits like a glove, my son (11) can still fit head wise but won't enjoy long distance for sure. My wife works weekends mostly so it's generally the three of us so we will fit. We're buying a Leaf for family duty so hope this will do for a while.Great little cars, I think it's still one of the nicest looking hatchbacks of the last decade or so. Over the summer I needed to shift some large items so I removed my rear seats and the passenger front seat (bypassed the SRS with a 2.2 ohm resistor to keep the ABS light off), both seats combined
I found were incredibly heavy and with them out the extra power was remarkable, so much so I still haven't fitted them back in!.
I hope you never need to replace a headlight, they are ridiculously expensive.
I found were incredibly heavy and with them out the extra power was remarkable, so much so I still haven't fitted them back in!.
I hope you never need to replace a headlight, they are ridiculously expensive.
IntriguedUser said:
Really like these!
How "Slow" do they feel? thats my only gripe, theyre roughly 130bhp?
Its quicker than the Civic with 140hp but that car was certainly no sports car anyway. I did a maiden voyage of 70 miles of mostly motorway and then tried the sports mode which boosts to a massive 120hp but provides assist at low revs. Its really not fast but makes impressive noises and does it all in a smooth way. I think its trick is pretending its fast whilst actually your just keeping up with traffic.How "Slow" do they feel? thats my only gripe, theyre roughly 130bhp?
If you want to go fast, you need to swap down two gears, press sports mode and then wait a second or so for the momentum to build up. However there is some conscious thought about this which Im warming too.. however its early days so I might be seeing things with rose tinted specs!
Edited by Rawhide on Friday 3rd September 19:13
Looks great, the GT spec is the one to have. I tested a black GT Nav a few years ago but while I really liked the car couldn’t do a deal with the arrogant main dealer. They drive very nicely though, superb gear change and they feel sprightly to a point. If these had 200bhp like a Scirocco of the time maybe they’d have done better…hard to know.
Ilovejapcrap said:
Never understood why thy didn’t do a type r
There are a few CRZs which have been fitted with the K20 Civic Type R engine giving them 200+ HP & these are very appealing. Sadly it would never have happened from the factory as the K20 engine had to be killed off by 2010 the year the CRZ was released. MattsCar said:
I am intrigued by these.
Can anyone comment on how these handle in comparison to hot hatches. Are they genuinely entertaining fun cars through the bends?
Honda got the handling on the CR-Z absolutely spot on, there isn't many hot hatches I haven't owned but I can tell you this..not many of themCan anyone comment on how these handle in comparison to hot hatches. Are they genuinely entertaining fun cars through the bends?
made me smile every time I got on some bendy back roads like the CR-Z does, it's no speedster but in Sport mode it's enough to have a bit of fun. The gearchange is lovely and slick.
The most noticeable thing is when you have been driving in Sport mode and then switch back to Normal or Eco the loss of power is quite profound, but driving in Eco mode for a while then hitting Sport in certain situations can make it feel like you just switched on the turbo!.
Cant imagine ever selling mine.
Everything you could ever want to know about these cars is on here.
https://www.crzforum.com/whats-new/posts/415957/
I have two..
One early 2010 model with Nimh battery. (Lots of IMA mods done) See above forum for details.
One later 2013 model with Lithium battery.
The early Nimh cars are pretty cheap now and the IMA pack etc can be rejuvenated or fairly easily fixed.
The later Lithium cars are a bit nicer with slightly more power and a higher red line, but the IMA pack is much less fixable and they are expensive.
Engines are bullet proof and handling is sharp.
Fit some A+ rated quality tyres and over 50mpg is easily achievable.
They are also cheap to tax and have a decent sound system.
https://www.crzforum.com/whats-new/posts/415957/
I have two..
One early 2010 model with Nimh battery. (Lots of IMA mods done) See above forum for details.
One later 2013 model with Lithium battery.
The early Nimh cars are pretty cheap now and the IMA pack etc can be rejuvenated or fairly easily fixed.
The later Lithium cars are a bit nicer with slightly more power and a higher red line, but the IMA pack is much less fixable and they are expensive.
Engines are bullet proof and handling is sharp.
Fit some A+ rated quality tyres and over 50mpg is easily achievable.
They are also cheap to tax and have a decent sound system.
Really enjoyed mine had it for 15 months or so did 19k miles and sold it for £100 more than I paid. Great fun and frugal enough. I have a 1.8 Civic before though and that enough probably my would have been better in terms of economy but this L15 with the IMA is more compact I guess.
It sits nicely between my previous integra DC2 and the Insight i still have. Felt like a bit of an event and mine lowered with rear spacers side improve its stance.
Would like to try a later lithium one and I really like the dynamic kit you can get with the carbon look rear diffuser to finish off the back.
It sits nicely between my previous integra DC2 and the Insight i still have. Felt like a bit of an event and mine lowered with rear spacers side improve its stance.
Would like to try a later lithium one and I really like the dynamic kit you can get with the carbon look rear diffuser to finish off the back.
Edited by JonnyVTEC on Saturday 4th September 14:18
I really like these and looked at them a year or so ago when I was in the market. Sadly even the cheapest where out of my price range. Maybe next car...Anyway I think they've aged very well, outside and in. Rear window kind of reminds me of an MX3. The only thing I don't like about them is the rear bench doesn't get any leather at all, which looks very odd. I would still have one though of course! Enjoy.
SilverShamrock said:
I really like these and looked at them a year or so ago when I was in the market. Sadly even the cheapest where out of my price range. Maybe next car...Anyway I think they've aged very well, outside and in. Rear window kind of reminds me of an MX3. The only thing I don't like about them is the rear bench doesn't get any leather at all, which looks very odd. I would still have one though of course! Enjoy.
I believe those optioned with red leather from the factory got leather rears seats Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff