Honda Problems

AS YOU rightly say, the Accord is generally a good car, and I wouldn't expect any major problems, as long as it has been serviced according to the Honda recommendations, and you continue to do so. The most significant thing is to make sure the cam belt has been changed at the recommended time. If it hasn't, think about having it changed.

UNDER normal circumstances you should change auto oil every 20,000km or so, leaving it no longer than a year. Use Honda-recommended oil. If you're towing or doing some hard high-speed running, think about changing it more regularly. It's a good idea to regularly check the oil; it should be clean. If it isn't, get it changed.

SIT down and make a list of the musts and the wants for your car, then look at each. The first and most important thing is to decide how often you will go camping and how far off the beaten track you plan to go, if at all. I would choose the Subaru and I'm assuming here that you're talking about the Outback. It isn't as high as the others, but it's a much better road car than any of the four-wheel-drive wagons you list and it has good ground clearance, which means it is surprisingly adept at beating around the bush.

BEFORE doing anything I would try to confirm with the dealer what has been done to the car. Because it has done such low mileage it should have been serviced on the basis of time, not distance, so it should still have been regularly serviced despite the low km. If that's the case I wouldn't worry about doing anything extra now. The same goes for the timing belt, which should have been changed on the basis of time not km, so it may well have been changed. If not, I'd change it now for safety's sake.

THERE really isn't much to separate these two -- they're the class acts in the compact all-wheel-drive category. The CR-V offers a little more interior room, and it's a more flexible interior set-up as well, but the Forester is a little better equipped, with four-wheel disc brakes and cruise control. Both will perform well around town and have limited ability to go bush, but I'm assuming you won't be doing any heavy-duty bush bashing anyway. Look underneath for battle scars, scrapes and bumps on suspension parts, underbody and other bits and pieces of exposed hardware. It's also hard to get sand and dust out of cars, so look for evidence of dust build-up in door openings, under carpets and elsewhere.

WHEN you say Supra and Skyline, I take it you mean imported models rather than the older models sold here when new. If so, I recommend you don't buy either of these unless you are car-minded and have a friendly mechanic who can fix them if they break down. Go for a Prelude or Celica -- both are stylish coupes, well built, making the sort of statement you want. If you want a real sports car then you can't go past a Mazda MX5.

THE rate of wear on the rear tyres on all-wheel-drive cars will be higher because they're driving when the rear tyres on a front-wheel-drive car aren't. That said, the front tyres of both all-wheel-drives and front-wheel-drives wear at about the same rate, so the added wear is related to the rear tyres of the all-wheel-drive cars which will wear out at about the same rate as the front tyres.

I WOULD ask the opinion of some auto trans specialists and compare their diagnoses. It would also be worth getting the opinion of a Honda specialist such as Adam Kovarik of In-N-Out Motors (9544 9986). Based on your report, Adam thinks the shaft probably is broken, and he recommends finding a low-mileage transmission to fit. The Honda auto is generally reliable if properly serviced. The broken hub could affect braking, probably by pulling to one side. I'd recommend you make the repairs before deciding whether to sell it or keep it. The Probe is a decent car, but I wouldn't recommend it for a young driver. It needs careful maintenance.

WITHOUT actually seeing the car, I can't give you an absolute price, but the value put on it by the dealer is pretty much on the money. It has the average odometer reading for its age, and isn't in pristine condition.