Honda CRV with 178000 miles?

**Ken** · 05-14-2009, 05:16 PM

My friend is offering me his Honda CRV, and it has ~178,000 miles on it. He said his offer for me buying it is about 2000 dollars, and my parents have offered to cover a little over half of it for me. He's told me he kept good care of it. I took a look over the car myself and everything seemed to look fine, belts are good, engine runs fine, every feature looks to be in great shape. I'm still likely to get it checked out by a professional mechanic. But I need some feedback from others about this.

**Ultimate Programmer** · 05-14-2009, 05:17 PM

2k is good

**mycle1000** · 05-14-2009, 05:17 PM

all these answers are on the point- it is a reliable vehicle, but at that mileage, you can expect to need to repair some things. the belt for the overhead cam should be replaced about every 100,000 miles. the oil should have been changed about every 5000 miles since new. transmission oil and differential fluids need to be done about once a year. have your trusted mechanic check the vehicle over and prepare a budget for fuel, insurance and some repairs that do pop up. good luck.

**not 2 B fooled** · 05-14-2009, 05:18 PM

Ask your friend if he kept maintenance records; this will (or will not) give you an idea of what may be needed in the near future for repairs. If there's no records, you are taking a chance on a rebuilt motor soon, or at least things like timing belt, maybe cylinder head work, etc. You are wise to have a mechanic look at it - too many people make the mistake of not doing that

05-14-2009, 05:18 PM

Just keep in mind there is going to be a lot of wear on the moving parts like the brakes, transmission/differentials, wheel bearings, joints and other related items.

Even if the oil from the engine and transmission are good, the amount of time this vehicle has spent in service places it at the end of the expected life span.

If you can afford the gas, insurance, parts and repair costs (which won't be cheap), go ahead. But budget a lot for brake jobs, drive train parts, as well as things like the air conditioning/heating, radiator & hoses, belts. You know, the stuff that's always giving up the ghost when you need the thing running right.