Honda CRV? September 01, 2005, 12:40:12 pm Yahoo Message Number: 57537Hi all, I know the Honda CRV is a popular toad, at least with LD owners. Since my wife has come to the realization that her Odyssey isn't such a good snow car, and that 4WD is the thing to have where we live, we're selling the Ody to a relative and buying her some new wheels. I currently have no plan to "toad it", but would like to have the option later. So, which is best for towing, the auto tranny or a manual?? Since the CRV doesn't have a granny low on the manual, the auto may be better for starting on steep hills. Comments please?all the best,bumper
Re: Honda CRV? Reply #1 – September 01, 2005, 01:57:24 pm Yahoo Message Number: 57540QuoteSo, which is best for towing, the auto tranny or a manual?? Since the CRV doesn't have a granny low on the manual, the auto may be better for starting on steep hills. Comments please? Bumper, After looking at a variety of options in all wheel and 4 wheel drive vehicles to tow, I bought the CR-V with a manual transmission. Both the auto and manual versions are easy to tow but with the automatic you need to spend 5 minutes or so going thru all the gears in the proper sequence every day or 8 hours of towing. With the manual you just put it in neutral, release the parking brake and place the ignition switch in the accessory position.Honda apparently thinks towing the automatic does put stress on the transmission because they state that the transmission fluid must be changed every two years or 30,000 miles rather than the usual 120,000 miles when you tow it.One significant difference I found was with installation of an auxillary brake system. I purchased the SMI Stay-in-Play and then found that there was no way to mount the cylinder on the brake pedal without it being in the way of one of my feet or having it bump something on either end. That system would work fine on the automatic transmission version since you don't need to worry about a left foot hitting it when you use the clutch. I ended up with the SMI Plug-and-Play which works fine.Monti
Re: Honda CRV? Reply #2 – September 02, 2005, 04:30:40 am Yahoo Message Number: 57577QuoteHi all,I know the Honda CRV is a popular toad, at least with LD owners. I'm also in the market for a new "toad". Consumers Report gives the Subaru Forester its highest rating closely followed by the Honda CRV. The Subaru is only towable 4 down with standard transmission. The CRV as you pointed out, can also be towed with the auto. transmission. Can't go wrong with either choice.Ed
Re: Honda CRV? Reply #3 – September 02, 2005, 11:05:30 am Yahoo Message Number: 57580Ed,I also go by what Consumer Reports says. However, and you may consider this anecdotal, I have a friend with an older Subaru and have not been impressed with its long-term reliability, both
Honda CRV? Reply #4 – September 02, 2005, 12:02:08 pm Yahoo Message Number: 57582Bumper -Do you get a lot of snow in Minden? I thought the weather thereabouts was much more moderate.Virtual hugs,Judie On the road in - Mount Vernon, Washington
Re: Honda CRV? Reply #5 – September 02, 2005, 12:45:27 pm Yahoo Message Number: 57583QuoteBumper -Do you get a lot of snow in Minden? I thought the weather thereabouts was much more moderate.Virtual hugs,Judie Judie, I'll take that virtual hug . . . heck, I'll take *any* kind of hug! The license plate on my little Honda sports car is "HUUUG" and the frame says, "I think I need a HUUUG!". This was inspired by Donkey in the movie Shrek.Oh, okay, back to the question. Yes, the Carson Valley is fairly moderate in terms of snow, rarely getting more than a few inches at a time on the valley floor. Then, it typically melts off in a few days etc. Last year we had more than average with 2 to 3 feet in some places.My house is at the base of Job's Peak, so we get lake effect snow due to Tahoe and usually have more that the valley. Ours also is the last to melt.all the best,bumper
Re: Honda CRV? Reply #6 – September 02, 2005, 01:23:37 pm Yahoo Message Number: 57584Bumper,One thing that might help is to go to carpoint.msn dot com and do a side-by-side comparison of the CR-V and Forrester to see if there are any "show stoppers". Intellichoice dot com also provides 5 year overall cost to own.We have the automatic trans. CR-V. It's also Steve's daily driver. We love the car. As another data point, way back when I had a 1986 Subaru GL 3-door, put 130K on it, gave it to my dad and he put another 20K on it before surface rust (upstate New York car) on the frame wouldn't let it pass inspection. Other than the master cylinder and oil pump, both of which failed after 100K miles, everything was original, including the clutch.Best bet, since this is for your wife, let her drive both and see which she prefers. Their carpoint data suggests they are very similar in all criteria - economy, warranty, power, safety (a slight nod to the CR-V, but only slight), except for 6" more rear legroom in the CR-V. Being so close, you can't go wrong with either and it probably comes down to personal preference.Michelle
Re: Honda CRV? Reply #7 – September 02, 2005, 01:50:33 pm Yahoo Message Number: 57586stcook wrote: One thing that might help is to go to carpoint.msn dot com and do a side-by-side comparison of the CR-V and Forrester.... ----Edmunds.com also offers comprehensive vehicle information; this is the "start page" for the CRV: http://www.edmunds.com/new/2005/honda/crv/index.htmlFor purposes of comparison, there's a link to the Subaru Forester at the bottom of the above page.Joan
Re: Honda CRV? Reply #8 – September 03, 2005, 05:51:59 pm Yahoo Message Number: 57634"I also go by what Consumer Reports says. However, and you may consider this anecdotal, I have a friend with an older Subaru and have not been impressed with its long-term reliability, both in terms of body integrity and various fluid leaks. Maybe they've changed (hopefully a bunch)." They have. The first Subarus imported into the US (back in the sixties) were simply appalling--bad enough that CU rated the car "not acceptable." They've gradually improved, but it's only in the past couple of years that Subaru's reliability in CU's annual owner survey has actually surpassed that of long-time champions Honda and Toyota. Frankly, I was surprised myself. ;-)Andy Baird Langhorne, PA
Re: more on Subaru Reply #9 – September 03, 2005, 11:44:30 pm Yahoo Message Number: 57644When I liquidated my worldly belongings to start fulltiming two years ago, one legacy to a former employee was my 1987 Subaru wagon with 364,000 miles on the odometer. Admittedly, there had been an engine replacement in that time span, but she was still going strong -- and oh! the stories she could tell!! The car I chose for a toad (that hasn't been towed yet)? Why a Subara Imprezda of course. Zoom-Zoom!Lorna, in cloudy, cool Oregon.