2002 Honda Jazz SE review from UK and Ireland

Replaced a worn rear wheel bearing at 40k miles. Parts: ~€170.

The paintwork is very soft and prone to chipping quite badly (bonnet especially). The car colour is flat Milano Red.

Paint fading to pink on bonnet edges and roofline and would requires respray to fix - the red paint is beneath a coat of lacquer.

The rear axle is rusting quite badly at either end. It will need to be removed, treated and repainted.

Replacing front pads and worn discs at 54k miles from normal wear and tear I expect. Parts ~€200.

The wheel well in the boot is now filling up with water quite frequently. Apparently it is an issue with sealant in a joint in or near the roofline, water gets in and trickles down. It will require some of the interior to be removed to access and reseal the joint.

Steel wheels corroding badly, likely due to brake dust.

Battery needed replacing after 5 years.

Not happened to me but there were reports of gearbox bearing failing on early models, I expect if it hasn't happened now, it probably won't but if it does, it'll be another expensive bill.

At 54k miles and seven years old the car has passed two NCT (MOT) tests. No issues with brakes, suspension or exhaust emissions.

Fuel economy was/is outstanding for its time with an average 47mpg, capable of over 50mpg if driven with economy in mind.

At odds with the great fuel economy is that the servicing will be quite expensive if you are doing high mileage. ~Engine valve checks required at 24k mile intervals and need a lot of mechanic time/hours. 24k mile service could well be in excess of €400 at a main dealer! On the plus side, the engine uses a timing chain so there is no expensive timing belt replacement required.

12k service - oil and filter.

24k service - oil, filter, spark plugs x8, air filter, valve check and adjustment.

Love the flexible interior layout, and the rear seats can be folded up in seconds to create a storage space behind the front seats, or folded down in a minute to create a massive estate like load area.

The stereo radio is an integrated design, non-theft and non-replaceable. A point worth noting as my 2002 model Jazz came with a pretty redundant cassette player and no CD or audio input for an MP3 player! Yes, in 2002!

S spec came with the above stereo as well as front electric windows and electric mirrors(heated). Mine also came with some pretty useful bump or rubbing strips on the sides and bumper corners, and also fitted mudflaps.