SMX questions.

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SMX questions.

Postby jimmy99 » Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:00 pm

Hi everyone,

I am looking to buy a used 1997 SMX; they look awesome! But I am a
little worried about the problems I may face with them as they are an
import car. Will I experience difficulties when dealing with garages
for servicing and obtaining spare parts?

I have been told that many garages get scared off as soon as they
realise it is an import car.

This is my first car purchase so I have very little experience of
what's involved with car ownership. Because of this my family is
advising me not to get an SMX, they think it will cause too many
problems and recommend buying a more standard and much more common
hatchback car like a Clio or Fiesta. They also say it will cost a lot
more to insure ,tax and to get work done to it. But I really love the
look of the SMX, the camper capabilities, the affordable price of them
as used cars, and what I have heard about Honda reliability.

I will be relying on this car to get me to and from my place of work,
so waiting around for spare parts would be a big problem for me. I
have read that it is pretty much a CRV with a different shell, so
engine parts and the like shouldn't be too hard to come by. However,
is it not extremely difficult to get hold of replacement body panels
and anything else that is unique to the SMX?

The one I am looking to buy is an automatic LowDown version for £2300.

PS. Do the LowDown models experience problems with going over speed
bumps and dealing with dodgy country roads?

Thanks very much.
J
jimmy99
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2010 2:57 pm

Re: SMX questions.

Postby hondahead » Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:49 pm

Well - to anyone feeling nervous about buying an SMX- don't. I asked my mechanic at Hondatec before I brought mine about potential difficulties and he said "No problem Sir": so far he has proved right, though I have yet to find out how easy it is to get the windscreen replaced. Remember, it is not a sports car, and ones driving style needs to take account of this. Visibility is great. I brought it because of a house move as I had to move a lot of boxes and it has proved very versatile. though it is a few inches too short to accommodate an uncut length of Unistrut which may not be a problem for most people. The upside of this is that it easy to get in tight parking slots. It is not the most economical proposition on 4 wheels but given that you are unlikely that you will driving round with it full of bags of cement its engine will remained unstressed and last that much longer AS LONG AS YOU CHANGE THE OIL EVERY 6 MONTHS. Mine came with AirCon which is a real luxury. You won't have to spend a lot of time reading the Owners Manual as there isn't one!

The only real downside is the location of the spare wheel, which is sufficiently near the road surface to scrape on some speed bumps. The lack of a rear driver side door could be a minus but I know I would have loved to have this option when my children were young.

If I could change one thing I would love a split tailgate but such an arrangement is rarely found in spite of its obvious usefulness. This is not a vehicle for pretending you are Jason Button in the outside lane on the motorway, though I did find I got to Oxford and back from Camden Town in quite a respectable time last week.

If you like a manual box you are going to be disappointed as all the ones I have seen for sale are automatic, ditto for diesel. I find its width a bit difficult to be sure about in spite of once owning a Bedford CF, having said that I have not had any scrapes yet. On balance I would make the same decision again.
hondahead
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:56 pm

Re: SMX questions.

Postby ri-ley » Thu Sep 30, 2010 1:50 pm

Hey guys..can you heLp me?

I am having a problem with my Honda SMX (imported From Japan) Year Model 1997 Engine 2.0 AT

When I put my gear to D4 It won't shift to lower gear. For example if I drive to a steep road, normally the transmission will shift to a lower gear like maybe 2nd gear or first gear so it can climb the steep road. But mine won't shift to lower gears. i don't know what's wrong..can you help me? maybe tell me what to do or repair or maybe replace? I tried experts but they can't give me definite answers. So I use my honda smx only flat roads.

Help please!
Thank you very much and God Bless You!
any help would be very much appreciated!

sincerely yours,
ri-Ley
ri-ley
 
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 1:38 pm


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