1999 Honda CRV, adventure machine!
Discussion
I picked up this great example of a first generation CRV today, I've been looking for a rust free one for a while and this gem came up for a little under £700 with full service history and belts / brakes freshly replaced. Two owners since new.
I've wanted a CRV since I bought a 2003 Civic as a stop gap car and loved it. I camped in it regularly, threw mountain bikes in it and it was lovely to drive long distance, but it was always a little cramped for sleeping in with the low roof and slanting rear window. As soon as I read that the CRV is effectively an AWD Civic with a larger engine, I've been looking for one in good condition that I can love and have some pride in, unlike my last few cars which were all very much bangernomics, <£400 boring cars that I don't have much interest in keeping long term.
This is the ES model which means it comes with some toys such as AC, alloys and a sunroof. It drives very similar to my Civic, although the Gen 1 CRV is based on the previous generation Civic platform to the one I owned. Everything works and the AC is colder than most new cars I've been in. There is no rust at all on the bodywork, but there are a couple of tiny scratches on the left wheel arches which I plan to sand and paint to make sure that they don't turn into the rust problems that these cars are known for.
I love these little cars so I plan on restoring it to great condition and doing plenty of preventative maintenance. I'm considering lowering it slightly as I rarely need the ground clearance and I'd like it to be a little less wallowy and a bit more Civic like, although I'm considering trying some slightly bigger wheels with smaller tyres and seeing how that effects the ride and then see if I still want to drop it a little. I'm looking for comfort and half decent handling, not a sports car with tyres so narrow that the smallest pothole gives you a concussion.
Here's a picture of the green machine just after driving home in it. Complete coincidence but I have a bit of a thing for metallic green cars. This is my third, the first being the MK4 Golf I learned to drive in, the second a Lexus IS200 that I loved but it was utterly impractical.
I've wanted a CRV since I bought a 2003 Civic as a stop gap car and loved it. I camped in it regularly, threw mountain bikes in it and it was lovely to drive long distance, but it was always a little cramped for sleeping in with the low roof and slanting rear window. As soon as I read that the CRV is effectively an AWD Civic with a larger engine, I've been looking for one in good condition that I can love and have some pride in, unlike my last few cars which were all very much bangernomics, <£400 boring cars that I don't have much interest in keeping long term.
This is the ES model which means it comes with some toys such as AC, alloys and a sunroof. It drives very similar to my Civic, although the Gen 1 CRV is based on the previous generation Civic platform to the one I owned. Everything works and the AC is colder than most new cars I've been in. There is no rust at all on the bodywork, but there are a couple of tiny scratches on the left wheel arches which I plan to sand and paint to make sure that they don't turn into the rust problems that these cars are known for.
I love these little cars so I plan on restoring it to great condition and doing plenty of preventative maintenance. I'm considering lowering it slightly as I rarely need the ground clearance and I'd like it to be a little less wallowy and a bit more Civic like, although I'm considering trying some slightly bigger wheels with smaller tyres and seeing how that effects the ride and then see if I still want to drop it a little. I'm looking for comfort and half decent handling, not a sports car with tyres so narrow that the smallest pothole gives you a concussion.
Here's a picture of the green machine just after driving home in it. Complete coincidence but I have a bit of a thing for metallic green cars. This is my third, the first being the MK4 Golf I learned to drive in, the second a Lexus IS200 that I loved but it was utterly impractical.
Edited by fooby on Saturday 26th May 18:18
Clayed and waxed it today as well as an engine clean and interior detail. No paint correction as it's in fairly good condition and let's face it this isn't a show car. Just some protection.
After driving some distance in the dark last night, the headlights are definitely not cutting it. My civics bulbs were so ancient that just changing them out for cheap Halfords bulbs made a big difference so maybe it's the same case here.
I've polished the foggy lenses and ordered some night breakers which were great in my last car.
I'm also looking for a pair of arm rests for the front seats to make the driving position a little more relaxing. I'm not sure which models had them from the factory, the EX was leather only but I've seen plenty of lower models with them. Maybe an optional extra?
After driving some distance in the dark last night, the headlights are definitely not cutting it. My civics bulbs were so ancient that just changing them out for cheap Halfords bulbs made a big difference so maybe it's the same case here.
I've polished the foggy lenses and ordered some night breakers which were great in my last car.
I'm also looking for a pair of arm rests for the front seats to make the driving position a little more relaxing. I'm not sure which models had them from the factory, the EX was leather only but I've seen plenty of lower models with them. Maybe an optional extra?
Edited by fooby on Sunday 27th May 15:41
Edited by fooby on Sunday 27th May 15:44
Loving the CRV! Was recently trying to get a mk2 for less than a grand. Ended up with a mazda tribute instead. Just put a readers cars on for it this morning. Not done anything yet except take it to the local car wash... Will need to address the headlight bulbs too. Would you recommend the night breakers then? Do they give a more modern, white light?
mickyc79 said:
Loving the CRV! Was recently trying to get a mk2 for less than a grand. Ended up with a mazda tribute instead. Just put a readers cars on for it this morning. Not done anything yet except take it to the local car wash... Will need to address the headlight bulbs too. Would you recommend the night breakers then? Do they give a more modern, white light?
Nice! Yeah finding a good gen 2 for under a grand is a task. I was looking for the same as finding a rust free gen 1 seemed to be an impossible task. Got the one I wanted though, something a bit more special about it. The night breakers are great, don't expect HIDs but they're noticeably brighter. Slightly whiter light but not obvious, with the standard ones at least.
Edited by fooby on Monday 28th May 03:10
Since my last update I've been bonding with the car plenty, I spent my first night in it and to my surprise, the rear and front seats recline to make a sleeping platform the perfect length for my 5' 7" self, leaving tons of space in the boot for gear which is nice. The front seat also folds forward right into the foot well giving you space to spread out in the back. The flat floor is also a big plus for camping.
Some minor things have come up that I want to do to improve the comfort and usability a little. First of all, I'd like to add some centre console storage. The flat floor lends itself to building some kind of storage box which could I could potentially fit my 150w inverter into and build into for charging laptops etc. I also have two DIN units to play with so I've ordered a single din cup holder similar to the ones on the MK4 Golf gen VW's as the stock cup holders are a bit crap. Not deep enough and useless for anything other than standard size coffee cups. I'd also like to try tinting the rear windows myself as a cleaner solution than velcroing pre-cut pieces of plastic over the windows.
The final thing I'm looking for is a pair of OEM arm rests. I can feel the bolt holes under the fabric and after a search of the CRV forums, it looks like a simple bolt on job. I've just got back from a trip down to Sheffield, 400 miles round trip and this is by far the most relaxing car I've driven. Relaxed driving position, the seats aren't too high but demanding enough that motorway driving in the pouring rain is a lot less stress inducing than in a lower car.
Some minor things have come up that I want to do to improve the comfort and usability a little. First of all, I'd like to add some centre console storage. The flat floor lends itself to building some kind of storage box which could I could potentially fit my 150w inverter into and build into for charging laptops etc. I also have two DIN units to play with so I've ordered a single din cup holder similar to the ones on the MK4 Golf gen VW's as the stock cup holders are a bit crap. Not deep enough and useless for anything other than standard size coffee cups. I'd also like to try tinting the rear windows myself as a cleaner solution than velcroing pre-cut pieces of plastic over the windows.
The final thing I'm looking for is a pair of OEM arm rests. I can feel the bolt holes under the fabric and after a search of the CRV forums, it looks like a simple bolt on job. I've just got back from a trip down to Sheffield, 400 miles round trip and this is by far the most relaxing car I've driven. Relaxed driving position, the seats aren't too high but demanding enough that motorway driving in the pouring rain is a lot less stress inducing than in a lower car.
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