623GSi Nice car?
Discussion
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Edited by jimminy cricket on Wednesday 3rd January 13:01
I had one for three years and by and large it is the best 600 for a number of reasons.
They tightened up the handling compared to other 600s. The main criticism of the 600 (and there weren't many) was that the steering was vague and the ride was 'floaty'. This was much improved on the 623. I owned a 620 previously and could easily feel the difference, you could throw the 623 around a fair bit, the steering is much more consistent.
The Honda 2.3 (H23 variant) has plenty of poke (about 180bhp) and turned the car into a bit of a beastie. 0-60 is around 7 seconds and fuel consumption is around 25mpg. The H23 engine has non-hydraulic tappets and these do need occasional adjustment also the oil filter has to have a non-return valve to get oil pressure up quickly. Any tappet noise on start is normal but should go after a few seconds.
DO NOT run this engine on any kind of synthetic oil, the H23 is prone to crack its cylinder head on the stuff. I'd personally run it on a very good quality mineral 'for older engines' oil, check the owner's manual and follow the oil changes religiously. Never heard of a H23 HGF, the H23 powered the Prelude and as such was 'beefed' up by enthusiasts. The oil tip was from a friend with a Prelude and he got well over 200,000 miles out of it.
However, the 623 goes through front pads, they are FWD and there is a lot of weight up front, autos seem to wear through them pretty quick (every 20,000 is common).
The auto box is different to the very good one fitted to the 620s and are a little slushy and prone to the odd rough change. I put some Forte gearbox conditioner in mine after an auto box oil change and it smoothed out the changes fine. At 107,000 miles, I'd put it in for an Auto box oil change as a matter of course.
Personally, if you can find one, I'd go for a 623GSi manual but the auto is still a fine barge. They had enough toys including cruise control, electric everything and a simple but effective air-con fitted. The leather is very robust too and it's a very comfortable place to be.
They tightened up the handling compared to other 600s. The main criticism of the 600 (and there weren't many) was that the steering was vague and the ride was 'floaty'. This was much improved on the 623. I owned a 620 previously and could easily feel the difference, you could throw the 623 around a fair bit, the steering is much more consistent.
The Honda 2.3 (H23 variant) has plenty of poke (about 180bhp) and turned the car into a bit of a beastie. 0-60 is around 7 seconds and fuel consumption is around 25mpg. The H23 engine has non-hydraulic tappets and these do need occasional adjustment also the oil filter has to have a non-return valve to get oil pressure up quickly. Any tappet noise on start is normal but should go after a few seconds.
DO NOT run this engine on any kind of synthetic oil, the H23 is prone to crack its cylinder head on the stuff. I'd personally run it on a very good quality mineral 'for older engines' oil, check the owner's manual and follow the oil changes religiously. Never heard of a H23 HGF, the H23 powered the Prelude and as such was 'beefed' up by enthusiasts. The oil tip was from a friend with a Prelude and he got well over 200,000 miles out of it.
However, the 623 goes through front pads, they are FWD and there is a lot of weight up front, autos seem to wear through them pretty quick (every 20,000 is common).
The auto box is different to the very good one fitted to the 620s and are a little slushy and prone to the odd rough change. I put some Forte gearbox conditioner in mine after an auto box oil change and it smoothed out the changes fine. At 107,000 miles, I'd put it in for an Auto box oil change as a matter of course.
Personally, if you can find one, I'd go for a 623GSi manual but the auto is still a fine barge. They had enough toys including cruise control, electric everything and a simple but effective air-con fitted. The leather is very robust too and it's a very comfortable place to be.
Thanks for the info,
This is the one that I have decided on, I got it for £500 for ebay what do you think
This is the one that I have decided on, I got it for £500 for ebay what do you think
Looks very tidy, well done.
One thing I did get that I didn't see on that car were the flexiglass headlamp protectors, they slot in under and to the side of those big lamps. They used to be expensive items (£140 each!). The protectors were £20 and took the cop for quite a few stone chips better than the lamps though.
Also, check the meshing on the valence that lets air in for the rad just under the reg plate, this needs to be intact. Got a holed rad once, stone got in and went through the rad!
Other than that, it's a steal. Congrats.
One thing I did get that I didn't see on that car were the flexiglass headlamp protectors, they slot in under and to the side of those big lamps. They used to be expensive items (£140 each!). The protectors were £20 and took the cop for quite a few stone chips better than the lamps though.
Also, check the meshing on the valence that lets air in for the rad just under the reg plate, this needs to be intact. Got a holed rad once, stone got in and went through the rad!
Other than that, it's a steal. Congrats.
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