Easy
Nowadays we know the Honda Jazz as a somewhat aged model with a high seat, but it has a strong image and is also very practical. It came on the market in 2002 and since then there have been four generations. But did you know that the Jazz also has a distant predecessor? And yes, it was also very practical – and a lot less aged. There’s a handsome one for sale!
The original Honda Jazz was mainly intended for the Japanese city dweller and was therefore called Honda City in Japan. Its exterior dimensions had to remain compact for urban use and it is, but that does not mean that it is not a decently usable car. The Honda City is one of the notorious compact Japanese cars with a relatively high roof – just like the Daihatsu Move, among others. Due to the high roof, there is room for seats that are more upright, so that there is also sufficient legroom for passengers in the back. The reason that the Honda City was not called City in Europe is simple: Opel already had the rights to that name, so the name ‘Jazz’ was coined for this market.
The original Jazz was not built for very long. From the fall of 1981 to the fall of 1986. In 1985 the model was facelifted, giving it the asymmetrical nose you see in the photos. The copy offered for sale is therefore such a post-facelift version, which may look a bit more characteristic than the pre-facelift Jazz – although both had those cute round viewers. Furthermore, the advertised Jazz is a ‘Special’ and although that sounds like a lot, it was the basic version. An optional cassette player is included, but virtually nothing else.
A manual choke, a four-speed gearbox and certainly no things like an airbag or ABS: it is scant, but characteristic. And very nice, that relative practicality, but this car is now of an age that there is only one right buyer for it: the enthusiast who cherishes it. Travel great distances with it? You don’t want that – and certainly not regularly. The kilometers that the previous owners put on it also indicate that: the Honda covered only 84,000 kilometers in just under 40 years.
History
That left the car almost entirely in the hands of two owners. From 1985 to 1997 it was with its first and from 1997 to 2021 (!) with its second. The third and last one was already looking forward to it after two years, but given the very old tires that are still under it, he or she did not drive it much. And old tires or not, the car recently received a new MOT and seems to be fresh and ready for the next owner. The advertiser indicates that the Jazz is not in perfect condition, but at first glance it is good enough for years of enjoyment in the hands of an enthusiast.
He must raise €3,995. Certainly not nothing, but not exorbitant either. It is a mischievous thing with a solid history, an unspoiled condition and an original Dutch license plate. If, like us, you do see the charm of the model, then that must be enough reason to break the piggy bank. At sometime? Then hurry to Lelystad, because it’s for sale there. We’re betting it will be a cinch for the seller to get rid of…
12-inch wheels and much smaller but just as round headlights.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl