www.hondaclassiccars.co.uk
|
|
|
|
Where to find a classic Honda These cars rarely appear for sale in the mainstream classic car magazines. If you are looking for an older Honda then you will need to broaden your search to include classified advertisements in local newspapers and second-hand goods magazines like Loot, Autotrader and other ‘modern’ car magazines. Of course eBay is also a good place to look as well. Whilst not specifically dealing with cars from this period S800 club members tend to be interested in other Honda cars and do occasionally offer them for sale. Look in the for sale section of this website. The advertisements are taken direct from sellers and are also copied from a variety of other sources. Honda cars have always had a reputation of appealing to older people. The quality and reliability of the vehicles perhaps drew people whose judgment was honed by experience! This may also be a bonus for the present enthusiast because many of the nicer cars appear for sale as a result of elderly drivers no longer needing them. What to look for - see also individual model listings The cars were well built by contemporary standards but they are not perfect. Early cars were imported to the UK with little regard for the north European climate and were given minimal rust proofing treatment. In many respects the design of the cars and principles of manufacture are similar for all Honda models of the period. The Accord was in many respects like a large Civic and the Prelude is based on the platform of the Accord. It is therefore no surprise that the cars tend to corrode in the same places. Corrosion is the real threat and is the reason why the majority have already been scrapped. Look carefully at the floors, wings, wheel arches and valances for signs of serious corrosion. The sills and rear wheel arches are a particular weak point and may have been ‘repaired’ with filler. Many UK cars were under-sealed by aftermarket companies such as 'Dinatrol' and 'Ziebart' or by the dealers themselves. These processes have contributed to the survival of many of cars left on the road. Look for the unobtrusive plugs used to inject box sections with these treatments.
Look carefully for rust... Interiors vary considerably. Some cars have only been used very carefully and this is reflected in the condition of the interiors. (Many Civics for example appear for sale with the original clear plastic protective covering on the doors intact!). Do not assume that trim items are available new, or are available from car dismantlers – quite the opposite is the case. As a general guide car manufacturers allow a 10-year period of availability of spare parts for discontinued models but as these models are now over 20 years old the supplies of new parts cannot be relied upon. Honda dealers hold microfiche and CD-ROM parts records for cars from the early 1980’s onwards but for older cars dealers often have to refer to Honda UK for more information. They will usually ask for the VIN (chassis number) to perform this search. Haynes And Autobooks workshop manuals were produced for UK versions of the Civic, Accord and Prelude and these are still available second-hand. None was published for the Jazz but copies of the Honda CD-ROM's are quite widely available which cover this model. Mechanically the vehicles are straightforward, reliable and beautifully built. Normal checks should be made for leaks, smoke and abuse but there are no specific weak point in Honda engines or drive train. All the engines should run sweetly and almost silently at idle. It is worth enquiring about cam belt changes (a rubber belt drives the SOHC) although failure does not usually lead to valve or head damage. The Hondamatic transmission is a ‘halfway house’ design between a manual and a fully automatic gearbox. It was well received and praised by road testers at the time for its ease of use and effectiveness and many of the principles involved in the design follow the practice of a convention manual gearbox. The system uses a torque converter to eliminate the need for a clutch but the gears are shifted manually using a shifter as in a conventional automatic. Early versions featured 2 forward speeds but a 3-speed unit was developed for later Accords and Preludes. Hondamatic was available on all contemporary UK Hondas and in practice works very well. As with automatic systems there is a slight penalty in performance and fuel consumption but this must be balanced against convenience and ease of use. For some markets a fully automatic gearbox was available on the Accord and Prelude.
|
Sell your Honda Classic Car free! Need advice or information? email mail@hondaclassiccars.co.uk
|
