I see an 04 HCH w/ 193k miles for 3000 and a 05 HCH w/ 230k miles for 3300.


both said they do regular checkups and it's still their daily driver.


Here are the links:
05 HCH http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/5024901447.html


04 HCH http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/5017364507.html


any feedback is greatly appreciated. I am looking to purchase this for my mom and I don't want to make a wrong decision.


Thank you for your help in advance.

 

They are both manuals, so that eliminates any concern with a CVT. Neither ad mentions anything about the hybrid battery, so I think it's safe to assume they are on their originals, or on replacements that are outside the warranty period.

They are essentially the same car, but of the two, I would choose the lower mileage one.

That said, you must be prepared to spend another $2,000 for a new IMA battery in the near future.

During your test drive (at least 20 minutes), look for battery recalibrations. Go here for an explanation of recalibrations. For one cycle, try to drive it a bit aggressively on accels and pop it into neutral on decels. Do this until it stops assisting or does a recal. If the battery is inclined to generate a recal, it will probably do so at time time. If the battery charges normally and then resumes assist, it would appear to be pretty healthy.

It might also be worth taking to a dealership for a diagnostic. The diagnostic tool can report battery capacity remaining. The downside is I think they charge around $120 for this.

 

I think they are both too high mileage and too much money. I also think your insane to consider a hybrid at all for your mom. Get a regular Honda, fix what was neglected and give it to her. Should last 50k or better and for that price range that is a good deal. Anything more just makes it better.