Notable eco-cars (old & new) spotted in the wild: post your pics!

[Arragonis]

One of these was parked outside J. K. Rowling's place which is round the corner from me for a couple of weeks.

Unfortunately whenever it was there I didn't have time to grab a pic - and as she is quite paranoid about security anyway I think me taking photos outside her house might cause an incident, especially as she has peed off her neighbours...

[benphyr]

I took the scenic route (because I missed my turn) and spotted a 1996 Honda Odyssey in a driveway.

It is leaking oil and has a gasoline leak, owner says it is in the return line because it only starts leaking when the engine is running not when the key is turned on. Also said it is the best vehicle ever, but he bought it to fix and never got around to it, said the newer generations had too strong of engines for the transmission so they had issues.

Anyway, any thoughts for things to look out for in this vehicle? expected problems to check before purchasing (saving) from the parts/scrap pile?

Cheers,
Benphyr

[War_Wagon]

Back away slowly from the van. They ALL had weak transmissions. I love my Honda products, but the V6 Accord and those vans just failed horribly in the transmission department. I have seen more of them get towed through the auction than drive through. Please do yourself a favor and leave it alone, unless the seller has a receipt from a transmission shop saying it has been done in the last while.

[Joggernot]

Originally Posted by War_Wagon

Back away slowly from the van. They ALL had weak transmissions. I love my Honda products, but the V6 Accord and those vans just failed horribly in the transmission department. I have seen more of them get towed through the auction than drive through. Please do yourself a favor and leave it alone, unless the seller has a receipt from a transmission shop saying it has been done in the last while.

Just a note: I have one of those Accord V6s and it is on its third transmission. The first was under warranty; the second wasn't. To its credit, the rest of the car (except shocks) has made it to 275k without a problem.

[benphyr]

@Back away slowly from the van. @V6 Accords transmission issues.
(Agreed that the V6 and its accompanying transmission had issues. According to all that I have read the 1st generation did not have any of these issues and was possibly the best minivan (and one of the only MINI-vans) created in the 90s or since.)

Note: this is the first generation Odyssey which has the 4 cylinder Accord engine/transmission. Like in the below picture:

1998 Honda Odyssey for $1,100 in ETOBICOKE | autoTRADER.ca

So now that we know which generation we are talking about (4 cylinder, not-sliding doors, no point on the front of the bumper). Are there any further suggestions, or is it still the same advice?

Cheers,
Benphyr

[freebeard]

No advice—your on you own; but this is the best minivan:



No automatic transmission, no power brakes, no power steering, no waterpump. And yet it gets along just fine.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

The good old Kombi, still among my favorite cars ever.

[benphyr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

No advice—your on you own; but this is the best minivan:



No automatic transmission, no power brakes, no power steering, no waterpump. And yet it gets along just fine.

..Ahh, but where to find one that is in good condition, in Canada without rust, for a price that I can afford. There's the rub!

[War_Wagon]

A 4 cylinder helps it's cause. But it's still a heavy vehicle with a car transmission in it. Same as the old Caravans. But there isn't much point on debating the merits of a particular, 15+ year old vehicle. You might get lucky, and you might not, I've had cars that were terrible on paper but never let me down, and had things like 4Runners that "never die" die in traffic, right in front of an oncoming bus! The fact that the current owner bought it broken and never got around to fixing it makes me wonder if he found some other things wrong that made it not worth fixing. But as always, buyer beware, make sure you look it over before you make an offer.

And my vote for best minivan from the '90s is the Previa with a 5 speed. From the '80s, Caravan with a 5 speed. But seeing as you live where stuff rusts, I doubt you'd find either of those. Sometimes, given budget and availability, you can't hold out for something "good", you just have to go for whatever is the least bad ha ha

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Brazilian Ford Escort MK3 with a Renault-designed engine, not sure if it's the 1.3L or the 1.6L.


The versions fitted with the 1.3L engine were often quoted as the most fuel-efficient car available in Brazil during the 80s, until the release of the Gurgel BR-800.