Honda Orthia

thedairyfarmers, Jul 19, 9:30pm
What are these station-wagon's like!
I know of someone that is selling one, and it appears to be well looked after and in good condition. (Was a Mechanic)
Anything has got to be better than a Holden Vectra station-wagon.right!
stevexc, Jul 19, 10:43pm
My wife's car is a 1999 Honda Orthia 2.0S.I really like it, given us no problems so far.We've had it for 4 years, but it's only done 86,000km.

I have heard that the wiring loom to the drivers door breaks, so check that the electric windows and central locking etc work ok.

Check that the automatic transmission is smooth.
mugenb20b, Jul 20, 12:19am
I used to have a 2 litre one with an auto box. Very nice on the road, good power and reasonable amount of room (Orthia is basically a Civic wagon).

As above, the wiring loom is known to break off in the driver's door, but nothing that can't be fixed.

Automatic transmissions are weak, give it beans when it's cold and if it flares between the gear changes, walk away. Also, avoid 4WD models.

Is it better than a Vectra! Yes, but the Vectra is larger.
friendly_prawn, Jul 20, 12:27am
whats wrong with the 4WD models. funny enough I was just looking at one. Quite well priced and we need another family type wagon.
Why dont you like the 4WD ones!
thedairyfarmers, Jul 20, 1:08am
The Orthia I am looking at is a 1996 model. What is the fuel consumption like for the 2.0L! The Vectra seems to guzzle fuel and it's only a 2.2
bastardsquad, Jul 20, 3:41am
I've got one, had it 9 years and done 130,000 km in it(odo now 230,000km). Been very reliable over that period. Honda auto boxes are a bit clunky when K's get up, but other than that , would recommend. Approx 42L 91 octane gives me 520km travel. I'm looking at upgrading , and i'll struggle to replace it with similar at what it cost when I bought it(cost me $7K with 100km in 2004).
stevexc, Jul 20, 5:12am
Ours gets just over 10km per litre around town.Never taken it on a long trip so I have no idea what highway mileage is like.
mugenb20b, Jul 20, 6:26am
I've seen one that had a problem with its rear diff.so that kind of put me off 4WD models.
tfc3, Jul 20, 8:15am
Hi, We had a 1998 Orthia wagon for 7 years.never missed a beat. We towed a trailer load of camping gear from Dunedin to Wanaka every new year,plus many trips to Hanmer and Christchurch. We had the auto serviced as per manufactures instructions and normal services once a year. This car was extremely reliable, in the time we owned it I had to replace one lamp over and above normal maintenance. No wiring harness issues or any thing else My daughter now owns this car and it is still going strong. I regret replacing this car.
gunhand, Jul 20, 8:22am
We also had a 96 AWD one. Good car in general. Bit tinny feeling but was reliable. Had a small prob with central locking but easy fix. It was the wire in the drivers door as said above. And wasn't as economical as I would have thought but that maybe due to being AWD. I always felt the auto trans was odd but had it looked at and they said no probs. Sold it on and its still givin no issue to new owner several years on.