Honda Jazz ownership
Discussion
I am hoping to replace my ageing Polo soon, and I think i have narrowed the choice down to an early Honda Jazz(Don't want to spend more than £3000). Just after some opinions from owners, are they as reliable as I imagine hondas to be? Good to live with? I'm not after an exciting car, I've got my Westie for that, just want something cheap and reliable to run.
Quite fancy getting the auto (CVT 7), are they any good, or should I stick to the manual?
Quite fancy getting the auto (CVT 7), are they any good, or should I stick to the manual?
Edited by .Adam. on Thursday 17th February 10:21
Hi. I found my self in the same situation as you a couple of years ago. I wanted a cheap run around on a similar budget. I sounded out the guy who services and MOTs all my cars and he was adamant I should stick to 'something Japanese'.
I ended up with a 52 plate Jazz. I careful owner and really low mileage. I think the biggest known issue with earlier models is the EGR valve. It gets stuck and causes jerky running on light throttle. There are two solutions. Firstly, take it off and give it a thorough clean with carb cleaner (worked for me twice). Secondly, replace it. I ended up replacing mine when the last cleaning session didn't last very long. Sadly it's a £250 part that can only be sourced from Honda! I tried arguing with Honda UK that it's a know issue (they've since remedied it) and a gesture of goodwill would be nice but they didn't want to know! Since fitting the new valve I've had no other issues.
Apart from the above issue the car is great. It's reliable and cheap to run. It's massive inside and has lots of room. 40+ mpg is easy even with a heavy foot and I've seen as high as 48MPG on one tank of petrol.
I have since bought a second Jazz for my wife. I have a 1.4, the wife a 1.2. I'd say the later car (my wife's) rides better (slightly less jiggly) but the older car steers better (some sort of electric power steering change, the newer one wants to understeer much, much more.
All in all I think it's a good buy. Boring reputation but boringly reliable
EDIT: BTW mine are both manual, was tempted by the CVT as they get good reviews but IF it does go wrong I believe it's a very expensive fix. I seemed to look at a lot of CVTs that had been 'fixed'.
I ended up with a 52 plate Jazz. I careful owner and really low mileage. I think the biggest known issue with earlier models is the EGR valve. It gets stuck and causes jerky running on light throttle. There are two solutions. Firstly, take it off and give it a thorough clean with carb cleaner (worked for me twice). Secondly, replace it. I ended up replacing mine when the last cleaning session didn't last very long. Sadly it's a £250 part that can only be sourced from Honda! I tried arguing with Honda UK that it's a know issue (they've since remedied it) and a gesture of goodwill would be nice but they didn't want to know! Since fitting the new valve I've had no other issues.
Apart from the above issue the car is great. It's reliable and cheap to run. It's massive inside and has lots of room. 40+ mpg is easy even with a heavy foot and I've seen as high as 48MPG on one tank of petrol.
I have since bought a second Jazz for my wife. I have a 1.4, the wife a 1.2. I'd say the later car (my wife's) rides better (slightly less jiggly) but the older car steers better (some sort of electric power steering change, the newer one wants to understeer much, much more.
All in all I think it's a good buy. Boring reputation but boringly reliable
EDIT: BTW mine are both manual, was tempted by the CVT as they get good reviews but IF it does go wrong I believe it's a very expensive fix. I seemed to look at a lot of CVTs that had been 'fixed'.
We have a 07 1,4 Jazz CVT.
Great little car with loads of room inside and those magic seats are very clever and useful.
Firm ride is at odds with the rest of the car but makes it quite chuckable if you drive one up - not advised with kids and wife...
Everything else is typical Honda- light but well built and a bit low on sound insulation, especially compared with an equivalent Polo say (doesn't rattle like Polo though..).
Re CVT - I would keep away from the early ones as they had some issues that were sorted on the post facelift model after 07 (facelift has a bigger wing mirror and usually climate, not AC and steering paddles, not buttons).
The problem is mainly around the start up clutch getting worn out requiring a gearbox change (it has a clutch that works until 8km/h to allow for creeping and pull away before using the CVT belt).
The CVT is great for town use and relaxed driving though.
Only other issue is that wheel bearings can wear out quite early (40k miles) and there can be water ingress from a seal on the roof (easy fix).
Oh and the Jazz has twin spark plugs that are changed every 40k miles or so I think. It also needs the valves adjusting at some point too which I believe is an expensive service so check for one that still has plenty to go or has already had it done. I will have to check my service book and get back to you with the exact mileages these must be done.
Easy to find a good one - not usually bought by people who don't look after their cars but may have been kerbed a fair bit!
I would also look at what Civics you can get for the same money too...
Great little car with loads of room inside and those magic seats are very clever and useful.
Firm ride is at odds with the rest of the car but makes it quite chuckable if you drive one up - not advised with kids and wife...
Everything else is typical Honda- light but well built and a bit low on sound insulation, especially compared with an equivalent Polo say (doesn't rattle like Polo though..).
Re CVT - I would keep away from the early ones as they had some issues that were sorted on the post facelift model after 07 (facelift has a bigger wing mirror and usually climate, not AC and steering paddles, not buttons).
The problem is mainly around the start up clutch getting worn out requiring a gearbox change (it has a clutch that works until 8km/h to allow for creeping and pull away before using the CVT belt).
The CVT is great for town use and relaxed driving though.
Only other issue is that wheel bearings can wear out quite early (40k miles) and there can be water ingress from a seal on the roof (easy fix).
Oh and the Jazz has twin spark plugs that are changed every 40k miles or so I think. It also needs the valves adjusting at some point too which I believe is an expensive service so check for one that still has plenty to go or has already had it done. I will have to check my service book and get back to you with the exact mileages these must be done.
Easy to find a good one - not usually bought by people who don't look after their cars but may have been kerbed a fair bit!
I would also look at what Civics you can get for the same money too...
What sort of mileages do the Jazz and Civics you looked at have on them by the way?
You will be happy with a Jazz - it is an easy car to like and contrary to PH an Top Gear you don't feel like an OAP driving it - I feel quite smug driving it as it is a clever little car that just works well.
I mention the Civic (new space age shape) as I love the interior, feels much more refined and it also has the 'magic rear' seats. Not sure if they in your budget yet though (I'm in Greece so prices different here). If it is the older shape Civic then I wouldn't bother with it too much.
Re the CVT - if you find one that has recently had a new box (Honda did them under warranty in many cases) it should be fine as long you change the oil annually with the correct CVT oil - the original cars had normal AT fluid which could not cope and broke down - later on they devised CVT only oil.
Most of the cars you will look at should have Honda only history too - it's amazing the amount of old Hondas you see at the dealerships for services!
PS: Apparently the pink was a special order colour and very rare so could be valuable collectors item in time to come...
You will be happy with a Jazz - it is an easy car to like and contrary to PH an Top Gear you don't feel like an OAP driving it - I feel quite smug driving it as it is a clever little car that just works well.
I mention the Civic (new space age shape) as I love the interior, feels much more refined and it also has the 'magic rear' seats. Not sure if they in your budget yet though (I'm in Greece so prices different here). If it is the older shape Civic then I wouldn't bother with it too much.
Re the CVT - if you find one that has recently had a new box (Honda did them under warranty in many cases) it should be fine as long you change the oil annually with the correct CVT oil - the original cars had normal AT fluid which could not cope and broke down - later on they devised CVT only oil.
Most of the cars you will look at should have Honda only history too - it's amazing the amount of old Hondas you see at the dealerships for services!
PS: Apparently the pink was a special order colour and very rare so could be valuable collectors item in time to come...
I owned a Jazz 1.4 SE Sport 2005 reg manual for 3 years and they're excellent for their design and packaging. Fuel economy was around 42mpg, the only part that needed replacing was the battery. As long as you don't expect Type R or S2000 challenging performance, they're a very good buy. Replaced with an CRZ now for extra fun!
Dear .Adam.,
Reliable.
Expensive to buy, hold their value well despite there being lots around 2nd hand.
Reliable.
(Esp 1.2) very cheap to run - Mrs Noise managed a staggering 72mpg once, holiday bimbling will see you approaching 60, normally high 40s. Economy surprisingly proportional to temperature.
Reliable.
Original fit tyres appalling and they were Yokohamas too. We've been fitting Conti Eco Contacts since and (expensive but) they wear less and grip better.
Boring.
Seats can be uncomfortable until you get used to 'em.
Standard base audio is poor and difficult to change.
The (extended) Noisy family has five!
3 1.4s - my mother, Mrs Noise since a week ago & eldest brother in law, 1 1.2 - ex Mrs Noise now mine and 1 new Model - Mrs Noise's sister,
regards,
Jet
Reliable.
Expensive to buy, hold their value well despite there being lots around 2nd hand.
Reliable.
(Esp 1.2) very cheap to run - Mrs Noise managed a staggering 72mpg once, holiday bimbling will see you approaching 60, normally high 40s. Economy surprisingly proportional to temperature.
Reliable.
Original fit tyres appalling and they were Yokohamas too. We've been fitting Conti Eco Contacts since and (expensive but) they wear less and grip better.
Boring.
Seats can be uncomfortable until you get used to 'em.
Standard base audio is poor and difficult to change.
The (extended) Noisy family has five!
3 1.4s - my mother, Mrs Noise since a week ago & eldest brother in law, 1 1.2 - ex Mrs Noise now mine and 1 new Model - Mrs Noise's sister,
regards,
Jet
I go to Thailand quite a lot and out there the "Jazz" is badged "Fit", and there are millions of them.
Our friend has one and they look fantastic. I dont know why but they look so much better than the usual OAP style ones the UK gets. There is even a 3 door version that can look like a mini Type R Civic.
They are aimed at the younger market out there, and even things like light surrounds are carbon fibre, from Honda.
Our friends has a flappy paddle gearshift on the steering wheel too.
Why dont we get the good stuff in the UK?
Our friend has one and they look fantastic. I dont know why but they look so much better than the usual OAP style ones the UK gets. There is even a 3 door version that can look like a mini Type R Civic.
They are aimed at the younger market out there, and even things like light surrounds are carbon fibre, from Honda.
Our friends has a flappy paddle gearshift on the steering wheel too.
Why dont we get the good stuff in the UK?
Is a SE Sport worth £300 over a SE, assuming condition is similar? Seen a couple of cars I like the look of, going to view one tomorrow, a 54 plate SE Sport, 58k miles, £4295, the other is a 54 plate SE, 55k miles and £3995.
Hoping if I like it I can get the Sport down to £4000, but not sure if it is worth the extra?
Hoping if I like it I can get the Sport down to £4000, but not sure if it is worth the extra?
Had a look at two cars today, the SE Sport I mentioned, and another SE that I found locally(53 plate, 61k, £3995). Was impressed with the SE, seemed in excellent condition, not so impressed with the Sport, scratches on the dash, brake disks looked quite worn. Both had leaking boots, which I gather is a common problem, but the Sport was worse than the SE, with some rust around where the jack mounts to the floor.
So, the Sport is discounted, just need to see what the other SE is like, on paper it sounds like the best car, but we shall see!
So, the Sport is discounted, just need to see what the other SE is like, on paper it sounds like the best car, but we shall see!
We got one as my g/f's first car - she wanted a small auto and the only one I could find that didn't suffer in (relative) performance or economy by having an auto attached to a small engine was the Jazz.
Fab wee car - loved the interior, big car feel to the drivetrain, very smooth but slightly odd sounding CVT. She managed 41/42 mpg average - I liked playing with the paddles and confusion people who had never seen a Jazz overtake on a back road
After 20k miles and 18 months we only lost £1k which compared to alternatives was very low depreciation. It's was a 06 plate btw - I'd recommend it to anyone
Fab wee car - loved the interior, big car feel to the drivetrain, very smooth but slightly odd sounding CVT. She managed 41/42 mpg average - I liked playing with the paddles and confusion people who had never seen a Jazz overtake on a back road
After 20k miles and 18 months we only lost £1k which compared to alternatives was very low depreciation. It's was a 06 plate btw - I'd recommend it to anyone
PKLD said:
Forgot to add:
It's costs the same as an NSX to service at a main dealer!!
Much more expensive than an equivalent civic/accord etc something to do with it having many spark plugs?!
It has 8 long life plugs (every 40k miles I believe) so yes, expensive if you use a dealer for this.It's costs the same as an NSX to service at a main dealer!!
Much more expensive than an equivalent civic/accord etc something to do with it having many spark plugs?!
Edited by PKLD on Tuesday 22 February 08:12
The dealers also have ridiculous prices for the brake pads - 180 euros in my case for rear pads!! Bought them at a parts store (Nisin brand which is what Honda use) for 70 and paid a mte 30 to fit. They pads are around 20 quid in UK!
For the rest of the stuff I found the Deealer ok - if you have the CVT model I suggest changing the oil early too - makes a big difference, pulls allot better after an oil change. Mine is 07 with only 35k miles but even at that mileage it made a difference - the Honda book recommends frequent changes in heavy conditions like stop start and high heat/extreme cold (the car is in Athens). Also it seems to help the gearbox life and the problems I have read about seem to come from not changing the oil or using the incorrect oil - It needs CVT oil from Honda - I would only let Honda do this so warranty remains intact - they were not expensive for this - about 50euro for the oil and a bit of labour.
It also needs a Valve clearance adjusting at high mileage - cannot remember when though.
With the low depreciation and lack of things going wrong it still makes great financial sense, even with these service items (especially compared with my previous clio which cost me 50% of it purchase price in repairs).
Have not really chucked our one about but it does feel like it could be very good on tight road - steering light and direct, suspension firm enough so it doesn't roll to much. The eco tyres and the fact that ours has a bit full of baby gear puts me off any enthusiastic cornering like I used to do in my Civic and Prelude. The wife and kids moan a bit too....
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