1988 Honda Ballade 150 review from South Africa

The following went wrong with the Honda:

The timing belt snapped at about 190000 km and caused 2 exhaust valves to be crushed.

The resulting skim on the engine block caused tremendous oil usage. Having the rings replaced solved the problem for the most part.

The front right ball joint seems to have run dry and is now generating some unnerving noises.

Also, the gearbox synchro seems to be dying along with the clutch (usual wear and tear).

The most annoying failures were however not mechanical, but rather in the interior.

The roof lining came down at 100 000 km and had to be replaced.

A rather nasty series of rattles developed in the dashboard and to this date haven't been fixed (not for the lack of trying).

Somehow the doors developed a nasty thump sound when pulling away. It was discovered that the hinges somehow have worked loose and allow the door room for movement.

On the left outside panel rust has appeared, but this may be due to some old accident before I received the car.

For a student the car is great. It gets you where you need to go with tremendous reliability.

It is also not very quick, but it is extremely economical. When I bought it initially it easily got around 650 - 700 km per tank (around 15 km/l).

Unfortunately, reliability is not all that is required for a good car. Much of that car seems to be composed of cheap plastics that fall apart for no apparent reason. There are many unexplained rattles and tends to give the impression that the car is not very solid.

As well as it has served me, I will never buy a Honda again. Rather pay the extra money and buy a decent vehicle that won't fall apart if you sneeze in the wrong direction.