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Could you advise your opinion on suitability of a 2001 2ltr Honda Stream with 112K. I need it for reasonably efficient all round everyday use, plus towing a 5mtr alloy boat generally short distances. Are there any things that you know of that are likely to result major service issues & overall reliability ? How can I tell if it has a CVT transmission ? How long would you expect it to run with regular servicing without major work / failure ? It is a used import & owner of last two years is known & reliable. 2001 - 20010 History unknown. It wwill be checked by AA. Thanks

Our information tells us that the 2001 Stream 2.0litre has a CVT transmission. Therefore, apart from the usual nervousness we have around CVTs, they aren't really suitable for towing.
As to your question about how to tell if it's a CVT, you will notice when you drive it that there are no discernable gear shifts. Also, when you accelerate hard from standstill, the transmission flares causing the engine to rev high, sounding much like a manual car with a slipping clutch.

Hi - what do you mean by "the usual nervousness we have around CVTs"

Many CVT transmissions from this era, which were primarily used by Honda and Nissan, proved to be less than reliable and very expensive to repair. Today, a faulty CVT transmission on a vehicle of this age often proves to cost more than the value of the vehicle to repair. Therefore, we understandably have some "nervousness" regarding them.

Thanks. what sort of date range are you talking about? 2001 and earlier, or 2001 and until 20??. What sort of things would I be looking for in terms of a faulty CVT transmission - how would I tell it was faulty if I were driving it?

Firstly, ask if it is a CVT, because it may not be. As the Stream was not sold new in New Zealand, like many imports, the spec varies so we can't say for sure which transmission it may have. As far as we're aware, Honda didn't start using CVTs until around 2001.
We know that the Honda Jazz/Fit and some imported Civics also used a CVT. As the Jazz was sold new in NZ, we have a better idea of it's reliability, and the CVT was a problem. Hence, although the CVT remained available in Japan, Honda NZ chose to drop it in late 2008 in favour of the old 4 speed auto.
One indication that a CVT is starting to fail is a shuddering on take-off, but any strange noises would be concerning. We've also heard of sudden failure without warning.
Just to complicate things, most of the Japanese manufacturers now use later generation CVTs (from around 2010/2011 on), and to our knowledge, these are proving to be reliable.

It looks like Honda started to introduce CVT transmissions to the Stream from 2003 onwards, those chassis codes are either RN5 or RN8.