1992 Honda Concerto 1.6i 16v

Summary:

Reliable family car with a bit of punch for Dad

Faults:

Overall, the quality of the vehicle is quite high. It does have a few mysteries, however. The front brakes make a horrible grinding noise when the vehicle is driven below sea level, and when the car's sat unused for a few days, the ABS pump makes a deafening rattling noise as it brings the brake system back up to pressure. When the car is unlocked, the electric locking system makes sounds as if it is working, though the doors remain unlocked. I've had these problems checked, but the mechanics only shrug. I had the entire car checked last month and nothing wrong was found.

General Comments:

Good car. Easy to drive, holds the road well, and has plenty of horses under the hood to get places quickly. It is definitely a family car. The 130hp engine gets you over 100 mph, a must for the French autoroutes, but the car is very roomy, made to hold people and their belongings. I'm giving a 5 for comfort because the back seat is extremely hard, and my wife, who rides in back with my son, complains about having a sore back after long trips.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 23rd June, 2000

29th Sep 2006, 09:32

I wrote this review. I had to sell the car for various reasons. First, I was spending thousands of Euros a year trying to get the brakes fixed. I went to at least five different Honda garages and three Midas garages, but no one could repair the brakes. The front brakes kept grinding, and often I had trouble stopping the car. It was dangerous and scary. Then during a yearly revision, a new mechanic looked at my car and replaced a small valve in one of the back brakes, and the grinding stopped. Cost: about €2 for the part and €50 for the labor to install it! I immediately started looking for a new car. Other things were happening: parts were disappearing from the engine, the idle kept changing, etc. The car was probably good, but Honda's after-sale service is expensive and bad.