Things to check before buying a 2003 HCH
Created June 24, 2007, at 1:34 am by dandoble1
I have just put down a deposit to purchase a 2003 HCH. I will pay the bulk of the balance on Monday subject to a satisfactory mechanic's inspection at a Honda dealership. I am also posting to ask other readers if there are any particular items I should look out for.
The car has 76k miles, automatic transmission. You can see the ad for more details ([url]http://www.carweek.com/dealer_listings_details.cfm?Referrer=CraigsLists-TemplateCarweek_Generated&DealerID=378&szinventory_id=58268)[/url]. It appeared to be in fairly good shape and test-drove mostly well. I did have a couple of concerns however:
1. There was often a slight, but sudden jolt or lurch when first moving again after standing at lights for a while. The sales guy said this was normal in hybrids, for what his opinion is worth.
2. The dash board indicated that the battery was around 45 to 50%. Is this okay?
Anything to be concerned about here? Also, anything else I should pay attention to before buying. As I say, I will have them take it to a Honda dealership for inspection on Monday.
Also, is there a way I can check the computer to find historical fuel economy for this car?
Cheers
Dan
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4 years ago
Hi Dan;
Congratulations on your (almost) purchase!! Also, good move in making the purchase conditional on a successfull "qualified" inspection. ;)
Just for giggles, I would get a carfax report on the car as well. That will "confirm" the absence of anything major about the car, including its geographical area of operation.
The CVT transmission is a plus on this type of a car. My recommendation is to have Honda change the H-ATF fluid as soon as you get the car in your possession. I would recommend you get all other major fluids changed as well if you are OK with that.
Yes, he's not totally wrong. People who have never driven a hybrid before do notice a bit of that behavior. However, as most hybrid owners will tell you, you will very quickly learn to modulate those small jolts to the point that they will be imperceptible.
However, if those jolts and lurches are hard to modulate then it may be worthwhile to have a look at the CVT transmission. That is why I recommend you change the CVT fluid as soon as possible. In their service literature Honda advises against the use of alternate brand fluids. Also, more frequent ATF fluid changes is a perenial solution to Jolts and lurches.
Pretty much OK. Once you drive it for a while, you should see higher states of charge. The BCM system will control the charging process automatically if it falls below that level. The key is to give it a chance and not drive the car aggressively.
Remember, the hybrid car is broken in for sure but, you as the hybrid driver are not. If you learn to read the instruments properly I assure you you'll be in for a treat !!!
The best way to get a detailed history on the car is to know the area of operation for this car and hope that its owner serviced the car at a dealership. Then visiting that dealership should enable you to get an idea of any unique issues including adherence to most critical software updates. Some of these updates affect the life and operations of some pretty expensive hardware on the car (emmissions, CVT, and IMA). Ask your delalership SD about it.
Taking your car to the dealership for an inspection is a good move and that alone will tell you plenty. The extra detective work is the "assurance factor".
FE history is not stored in the vehicle for that lenght of time. However, swing over to greenhybrid.com and check out their mileage database for HCH-1 with CVT. That will give you a ballpark for what to expect out of the car provided that you have it setup properly and drive accordingly. This includes tire pressures, alignments, engine oil type, etc.
Take care;
MSantos
4 years ago
I bought my 04 HCH with about the same mileage. You will love it!
things to factor
* I would buy a extended warrenty through a 3rd party, if you can. 1st gen CVTs have some problems, but dont be worried. Just get it serviced as honda says. (I have a manual, so i dont know the full story)
* Battery is probably fine. Recharges to full with a constant speed.
* Check if the tires are hybrid specific "low reistance rating tires" - if not, it will hurt your FE by about 2 mpg. You can always replace them if need be
Have fun and enjoy your hybrid!
4 years ago
Thanks for the responses; they were very informative. Here's an update on a change to the thread from my original e-mail a week ago. The mechanic's inspection on the '03 HCH revealed a clicking sound from the transmission. He recommended I do do not buy it, so I didn't. I then had a few days trying to buy a used used LX civic, but the dealer was very flakey and I lost patience. Then, just yesterday, I accepted an absolutely superb deal on a brand new '07 HCH, and came to the conclusion that right now there is little point in buying used over new HCH's. I closed on the sale yesterday and am due to pick it up the car tomorrow after it is registered. So, now I have a couple more questions:
1. Tax credit: Since the sale closed on 06/30 (the last day of the quarter that the 60,000th car was probably sold), I assume I will qualify for the full $2100 tax credit?
2. Warranty: I am considering getting an extended warranty. I have been offered 7yr / 80k = $580 or 6yr / 120k = $785. Is this worth it? I'm not sure how long I'll keep the car. Ideally I'd defer the decision and consider extending the standard warranty in a couple of years time, if this is possible and if it doesn't cost too much more.
3. Driving in the new car: Anything special I should do? I'll primarily be using it for the 35 mile mostly highway work commute.
Cheers
Dan
4 years ago
Hi Dan;
Definite congratulations this time ! ;)
That was a very wise decision to dump the 2003 HCH given the observations of the mechanic I hope it was a no brainer.
The choice of an extended warranty depends on what you foresee your mileage and use to be. For the two HCH-II's that I have, I did not purchase an extended warranty mostly because I do not have a demanding driving regime for either car. Other folks may feel the same and not buy it either.
For folks who accumulate many miles/year and/or operate in mountains or other demanding terrain the warranty will make much sense.
Now that you have your 2007 HCH-II, I recommend that you read though the authoritative "biblical initiation" for your 2007 HCH. Tarabell's article will help you make sense of the unique features of your car as well as how to increase your enjoyment and fuel economy rewards.
Enjoy your new car :)
MSantos
4 years ago
I've had the new car 2 days now and love it. Fuel economy so far is only around 42mpg, but with only 80 miles on the clock that is probably not surprising.
There is one thing that did surprise me however: When I pryed off the hub-cap centers to check out the anti-theft wheel nuts that were installed for free, I noticed the central (axel?) ends were heavily rusted on all 4 wheels. Seems very strange to me for a brand new car to have any rust at all, and it ocurred to me it could be a deliberate sacraficial anode, as seen sometimes on boats. Can anyone tell me whether this rust is normal or whether I should be in any way concerned.
Cheers
Dan
4 years ago
That is pretty good mileage you're getting Dan. I'm sure you'll have even better as your skills and understanding of the car improves.
Yes, as far as I know all HCH-II's come with wheel lock nuts (the two I have did). All HCH-II's I've seen show signs of rust in the area you mentioned. It is pretty normal.
I do not know if the metal has been treated to behave like a sacrificial anode since the metal appears to be ferrous. A sacrificial anode would likely be made of aluminum or zinc to be truly effective and would also benefit from impressed current just to make sure - especially because of its location and small exposed area. Then again, no matter how much we think we know there's always an opportunity for surprises.
Cheers;
MSantos
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