What to look for in a used Beat...

[astroboy]

Hi everybody me be new boy here!

Ive loved the beat eversince i found one on the net and am saving my reddis like crazy to buy one.
Are there any aussies here?? im finding it hard to find places to buy a beat in australia as there not considered cool as it isnt a crapadore or over 1litre. Also from all owners what should i look for when i do find one, are there any inherent problems to look for?. Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers all.

[Jason]

Hey Astroboy,

Where abouts in Australia are you? I'm in Melbourne. I know of a only a few Honda Beats for sale here. As for problems to look for... There arn't any as far as I am aware of. I would suggest to assess it like any other car. One word of advise. GET THE CAM BELT CHANGED!

Hope this helps

Jason

[astroboy]

Im in land of the gray suit, canberra :( .
As far as importing one through svi, awsome imports etc ive heard 6grand to 15grand price wise! can you tell me how much the couple you saw were so can get a better idea.
cheers.
Ps: as far as the engine goes i was going to treat it like a motorbike with good oil, regular belts and err revs. So as far as the bodys concerned there are no problems?

[Jason]

Hey Astroboy,

The going rate down here is between $10,000 and $15,000. There is one Advertised in the Melbourne Trading Post at Tokyo Motors. There is also one at European Auto. If you broaden your search there are a few in Brisbane in the T.P.

As for oil, the club recomends Castrol Magnatec for the engine. Oil filters can obtained from friendly Honda Dealerships. The engine can cope with reving so don't be affraid there. I drove the other week to Bright along the Hume with Tacho sitting on 5500 to 6000 RPM all the way. I think it loved it.

The body on them seems to be fine. I'd watch for dodgy resprays. Check what options are on the car ie spoiler, chrome tip on exaust, radio. These things are near impossible to get if they arn't there.

Hope this helps

Jason

[Dion]

Hi you 2,

I travel 120 miles a day, to and from work in my Beat. It's mainly on dual carriageways & motorways. Around 105 miles.

I do 70 - 80 mph for the whole jouney. (Approximately 6200 - 7000 rpm) Averaging 41 -45 mpg

I was initially concerned about how high the engine was revving, but you soon realise the Beat can handle it. So don't be afraid to rev it.

There are lots of options available. e.g alloy wheels, cigarette lighter & ashtray, front fog lights, interior lights, elbow pad for centre console, exhaust tip, CD multichanger, lockable map case, Momo steering wheel, leather gear knob, mud flaps/ splash guards. And probably a few that I've forgotten.

What to look for:

Usual used car checks, check body panels and gaps for accident damage, check a/c works, check ALL the dash lights come on when ignition is turned on. The engine warning light should go out after a few seconds.

If engine warning light doesn't come on at all, then get them to fix it before you buy it. As the seller maybe trying to hide an engine problem by removing the engine warning lamp.

If the engine light comes on when the engine's running, then there's a problem with a sensor in the engine, or the ECU could be faulty.

After a warm up, the car should rev to it's redline, if it doesn't then there's a problem. Again, get them to fix it before you buy it.

IMPORTANT - check the distributor (see elsewhere on this site for details)

Hope that helps,

Dion.