My wife and I are looking at 1st gen CR-Vs, and the 1st gen Oddessy. We are looking for automatics, for city driving, and she can't drive a manual. I was wondering, when looking at these used vehicles, what trouble areas should I be aware of? Any costly issues? The CR-V will be AWD. The 1st gen has the B20, and Oddessy has a F22 or F23? How good/durable is the AWD system? We won't be rock crawling it though. What do you all get miles per gallon wise driving these? I know what the EPA guesstimates are, just looking for actual real world experience. I am looking for any info into these two vehicles you can enlighten me with. Thanks in advance.

 

Okay, I like the 1st gen Oddessey, but the wife doesn't. We are now looking at 2 sets of vehicles. 1st gen CR-Vs, and 2nd gen Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4s. I like the CR-V, and want to paint one to match my CR-X. She likes the Jeeps. I understand in my research, the CR-V gets better mpgs, easier to drive, park. The data says the CR-V is basically front wheel drive until the front wheels sllip, then it transfers some power to the back wheels until the fronts regain traction. This said, how well does a 1st gen CR-V do in the snow? We live up in a neighborhood at the rim of town, and when we get snow we are one of the last places to get plowed out. My wife's job hardley ever closes for snow. How well does the CR-V doin deeper snow? I assume great in light snow. We were also looking at a Volvo cross country whci looks nice, but the interior is all leather. Not really good with our destructive kids. Any input appreciated!

 

While i can't comment on the CRV awd system I did have the pleasure of driving a older 91 civic wagon with the real time awd and the car was a complete tank in the snow. Make sure it has good tires or if your very worried snow tires and you will have no problems. My co-worker has a 92 jeep and i could follow him any where in the snow. Got pics somewhere...

 

I have been looking for an AWD Civic, but there are none close by me. Plus we need the more room of the CR-V. Thanks.

 

We have a 99 (1st gen) CR-V auto and we recently got 26mpg on a road trip @ 85mph with the A/C on full blast. The car was stock except an intake and spare tire removed.

The AWD system is not really heavy-duty by any means, but it should help in semi-rough conditions. I have tried to get the fronts to slip before but I can't really tell if/when the rears kick in. I'm sure it would help in light snow...

Overall it's a really good car and I think the interior is better then the 2nd gen and they can be found for relatively cheap now. Plus the availability of B-series parts and information makes repairs/upgrades pretty easy.

 

crv all the way

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 85ZC &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I understand in my research, the CR-V gets better mpgs, easier to drive, park. The data says the CR-V is basically front wheel drive until the front wheels sllip, then it transfers some power to the back wheels until the fronts regain traction. This said, how well does a 1st gen CR-V do in the snow? We live up in a neighborhood at the rim of town, and when we get snow we are one of the last places to get plowed out. My wife's job hardley ever closes for snow. How well does the CR-V doin deeper snow? I assume great in light snow.</TD></TR></TABLE>
The RealTime 4WD system is bulletproof - all it requires is a $40 differential fluid change (using Honda Dual Pump fluid) every 30,000 miles.

My '03 CR-V does excellent in the snow. I live in a rural area of Pennsylvania near Pittsburgh, so I get the same snow conditions that you're seeing in MD. I have no problems whatsoever getting the CR-V going in any amount, even with all-season tires - it's never gotten stuck.

Stopping, on the other hand, is another matter. You can't rely on the ABS at all. As with any vehicle, you have to take your time and use caution in slippery conditions.

 

We found a couple CR-Vs we like. Now just to negotaite and finalize the decision.

 

Make sure that the crv you find has had valve adjustments done. The 1st gen has problems with burning valves from lack of a valve adjustment. If you want extra HP, then find a 99-01 version. ITs got 20HP more than the 97-98 from higher compression, better intake manifoldm and better cams.