Honda Problems

You don’t say what makes it hard to get in and out for you, so I’m taking a stab in the dark. There are a couple of possibilities, one being that the doors are too short and don't open wide enough, another is that it’s too low. A move to a mid-size hatch like a Mazda6, Honda Accord or Subaru Liberty would probably address the first, while a high-riding SUV such as a Kia Sportage, Hyundai iX35 or Mitsubishi ASX would help with the second.

Honda's Neil McDonald says: "The dealership tested the vehicle and no fault was found with the Passenger Side Airbag. They did, however, find the SRS light illuminated due to an internal failure in the seat belt pre-tensioner. Although this is unrelated to any previous concerns raised by the customer, Honda is covering the cost of this repair for the customer as a goodwill gesture."

Buying on-line requires the same careful consideration as buying from anywhere else. You certainly don't buy sight unseen; always see the car for yourself. Be wary if the seller suggests meeting in a public place, or at night, or somewhere that might make you suspicious. It's always worth having someone else with you at the time. If you want something a little more exciting you could look at various European brands, Like VW, Renault, Skoda, but in saying that I need to add that the Asian brands like Honda will generally be cheaper to run and maintain than the Europeans.

Don't blame Honda, as most Japanese carmakers now have constantly-variable transmissions as their solution to balancing performance with fuel economy and emissions. Yours sounds particularly bad, but they're not good — in my experience — in most conditions and are subject to all sorts of vagaries in city running and hilly conditions.

Before you make an expensive car switch, try changing to a quieter tyre. You don't say which model Mazda3 you have, but some sportier versions have aggressive tread for grip and they can generate quite a lot of noise including drumming from the rear. Otherwise, I've just driven the all-new Honda Civic and it's very quiet and comfy.