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Hi there,

Looking at buying one as a second car. Interested in manuals but wondering whether Hondas are any good as a high mileage car, older car. I have an Accord Euro and the parts seem a bit more expensive than Toyota/Nissan and they seem to be precision engineered so a bit less tolerant of neglectful servicing etc. I like the versatility of the CRV and HRV but wondering if I'm better of going for an XL Corolla wagon, Primera or Mazda 626

Thanks in Advance
Josh

Sorry, I don't buy your theory about Honda being "precision engineered so a bit less tolerant of neglectful serviceing", but like all cars, servicing is important and shouldn't be neglected. And yes, Honda parts do seem to be on the pricey side.
You don't say what age and mileage of CRV/HRV you are considering, but again, like all cars with increasing age and mileage, the risk increases. Having said that, they're probably on a par with most.
You could be right that an aging Corolla could be a better option in terms of reliability and cost of maintenance, and perhaps this is the least risky.
The Mazda 626 could be a good option too, although it is a larger car than the Corolla so it depends on your needs. The Primera should be OK if it doesn't have the CVT transmission, although as you say you're mainly considering a manual, this could also be a good option.
In all, most of these cars should be fine, but condition, service history, mileage and age all need to be considered. So while the Corolla may be the least risky, if all things are considered, try to find the best kept, best serviced, lowest mileage car you can find.