Honda Jazz - To replace or not to replace?

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Thu 22 Jun 2017 12:40
Honda Jazz - To replace or not to replace? - iFocus
Hi all,

My dad currently owns a 2003 Honda Jazz and he's owned it for around 10 years now.

It's been reliable to a point, but recently all the locks on it have started failing; most recently the ignition lock has jammed. It's done 90,000 miles.

I've suggested to him to repair the ignition lock and get rid of it (one of the door locks is also on its way out too!)

He's not sure what to do though. Does anyone agree with me due to the age of the vehicle it's time to get rid before anything major fails?

Thanks

Craig
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Thu 22 Jun 2017 12:43
Honda Jazz - To replace or not to replace? - madf

My wife runs a 2003 Toyota Yaris. She expects to die before it does.

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Thu 22 Jun 2017 12:54
Honda Jazz - To replace or not to replace? - iFocus
I don't expect the Jazz to die but if the incidence of faults increases I believe there is a time that enough is enough and the cost of repair outweighs what the car is worth.

Honda wanted nearly £400 for a new ignition lock but I've managed to source a used one For £80 for him; there is no saying how long the replacement will last in my opinion.

Cheers

Craig
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Thu 22 Jun 2017 21:58
Honda Jazz - To replace or not to replace? - Andrew-T
.... if the incidence of faults increases I believe there is a time that enough is enough and the cost of repair outweighs what the car is worth.

This is the wrong comparison to make. You should choose between what it will cost to fix the car, and what it will cost to swap it for another - hopefully more reliable, but not necessarily.

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Thu 22 Jun 2017 22:15
Honda Jazz - To replace or not to replace? - iFocus
.... if the incidence of faults increases I believe there is a time that enough is enough and the cost of repair outweighs what the car is worth.

This is the wrong comparison to make. You should choose between what it will cost to fix the car, and what it will cost to swap it for another - hopefully more reliable, but not necessarily.

I'm not sure I am making that comparison; the Jazz's parts prices are extortionate compared to some makes. Like to replace all 8 spark plugs and coils you're looking at upwards of £700.

2 doors locks have already failed and been replaced at a price of £120 each in the past. Now the ignition lock has gone too.

I believe the boot lock is also a bit sticky too!

I might be wrong about replacing it and spending £1500 on a new car (bearing in mind my Dad would probably get about £500+ for the Jazz at the moment as its got 12 months MOT too.

He's obviously going to have to have a long hard think about what to do; he is 69 now and does about 3000 miles a year so reliability isn't the key really, he just wants a car where he doesn't have to keep throwing several hundred pounds at it every month or 2.

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Fri 23 Jun 2017 12:06
Honda Jazz - To replace or not to replace? - Andrew-T

<< You should choose between what it will cost to fix the car, and what it will cost to swap it for another - hopefully more reliable, but not necessarily.

I'm not sure I am making that comparison; the Jazz's parts prices are extortionate compared to some makes >>

The car (any car) is 'worth' what someone will pay you for it, or what it will fetch as a part-ex, or what the insurers offer as a write-off. That is not the same as what it will cost to fix, which clearly depends on how often it fails, and the cost of parts.

The toss-up is always between the reliability of a car you know, and a 'new' one that you don't. With old cars there's a lot of guesswork.

Edited by Andrew-T on 23/06/2017 at 12:08

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Thu 22 Jun 2017 13:19
Honda Jazz - To replace or not to replace? - SLO76
It's an old car now and despite the good reputation the Jazz has instances such as this will only increase and Honda parts prices can be scandalous. Add in the fact that the earlier Jazz is known to suffer thrust bearing and gearbox bearing issues around 100k and yes it could well be time to update particularly if said owner isn't mechanically minded and requires total reliability. But this is very dependent on budget. There's no point on replacing one cheap car you know with another cheap motor you don't. Unless there's a worthwhile amount of money being talked about here like £5k or so then I'd just keep it til it dies.

Edited by SLO76 on 22/06/2017 at 13:21

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Thu 22 Jun 2017 16:28
Honda Jazz - To replace or not to replace? - iFocus
At what point do you stop throwing money at a car you know though?

He has around £1500 to spend on a new one so not much. But I think my suggestion would be a ford of some sorts with cheaper parts prices.

He's recently had to pay to replace the master cylinder, 2 wheel bearings, a door lock and now the ignition lock.

I've seen a 2008 Focus for him in his price range too and this is 5 years newer with lower mileage.
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Thu 22 Jun 2017 18:33
Honda Jazz - To replace or not to replace? - Avant

If he's got only £1,500, any replacement car will be as much of a gamble as keeping the Jazz. A 2008 Focus is newer, certainly, but you have no way of knowing how it's been treated by previous owners.

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Thu 22 Jun 2017 20:19
Honda Jazz - To replace or not to replace? - daveyK_UK
At your price point, I would rather invest in keeping the Jazz going and save up a larger amount of funds to buy a replacement


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Thu 22 Jun 2017 20:32
Honda Jazz - To replace or not to replace? - SLO76
Any £1,500 car is a risk and unless you've a friendly mechanic or motoring know it all to take with you, you could be pouring it down the drain. I'd fix the Jazz with the intention of offloading it when something expensive fails but you'll still get regular faults and minor repairs with any other £1,500 car.

If you absolutely must have something newer then a low mileage 2008/09 Kia Picanto is easy to come by at £1,500. Little goes wrong with them but watch for rot underneath. A cheap Focus can be good or it could be a money pit plus it'll cost noticeably more than the Jazz to tax and fuel.

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