Any horror stories?

[marge602]

Hi folks

I've got to the point where i'm almost ready to buy my Beat. I've got a sensible insurance quote, enough cash together and a Beat to go and view and hopefully buy. However, one of my mates is in the motor trade and one of his customers is an import specialist. Apparently he's heard of some really expensive repair bills for Beats, mostly concerning suspension, bushes and shocks. Most of these stories stem from the fact that the Beat doesn't share parts with any other Honda(apparently), apart from the engine. I haven't been put off the idea, cos it really fits the bill for a second car, and i think i can tell a good car from a bad one. I also realise it's both rare and relatively old, and some parts may be scarce. Just so i know what i might be getting myself into, does anyone have any horror stories to tell and, more importantly, is there anything i really, really should look out for?

Regards

Marge :help:

[adrianp]

Hi Marge,

1stly, treat it as you would any other 2nd hand car when looking around it, that will pick up most things without even trying. (paintwork, dents, accident repair etc)

As for suspension, haven't heard that one myself and I've owned mine for almost 5 yrs (actually only just sold it :( )

Actually, the engine isn't really shared either... it just shares a few of it's parts with other small engined hondas (mostly still in Japan)

The main thing I'd be worried about is 'when was the cambelt last changed ??' Honda suggests 100,000 Km BUT they have been known to go at not much more than about 50,000 Km.

Mine, when I bought it, came with a receipt for a £1200 engine repair bill...

Also, ask if the distributor has been changed, early batch ones had suspect bearings on them and have been known to sieze resulting in either a busted camshaft cog ( not as bad as it seems) or a snapped timing belt which normally results in bent valves etc.

Most parts can still be got via Honda and we have Steve M on here who works for a dealership in Kent who can get parts for people fairly easily.

You might want to also make sure the car revs properly, once it's warmed up and you take it for a drive, don't be afraid to rev it to 8000 or so... if it won't rev past 7250 then there is a problem and even after almost 5yrs, we still didn't work out what it was on mine...lol

Oh yeah... And make sure the roof is in fairly good condition... (see below)

Since I bought mine, the major expenses have been:

Change distributor.
Change timing belt.
New roof (£650 from Honda but are available from Oxted Trimming cheaper)
New brake discs F & R (Due to wear, not distortion etc)
And a set of tyres (Due to me enjoying playing in it around country roads...lol)

Hope this lot helps

Ady.

[jcs]

Hi Marge,

Agree with all that Ade has said - haven't heard of any suspension problems either. It's fair to say that it is a relatively rare car over here, but there are a lot of Beats in Japan, where it's a bit of a cult car. Most parts can still be obtained from Honda as Ade has said.

Make sure you check it over well and query cam-belt change and distributor status. Otherwise, not much to be scared of.

John