Why?

[guest3895]

I am sure that this will stir up a hornets nest, but.....

I have had my Jazz 1.4 EX now for about 4 months now and have been extremely pleased with it. It is very frugal, reasonably comfortable and does everything that I require of it.  However, I have to admit that it is no greyhound and is probably the most sedate car that I have ever owned.

Having said that, it always surprises me the number of owners that seem to spend loads of money (and time) trying to make their Jazz look and sound sporty. Has anybody managed to modify their car so that it really lifts it into the 'performance car' class? Why not buy a higher performance car if that is what you want out of life? With the current state of Britain's roads I would have thought we should be raising the suspension, not lowering it.

Er.....Should I leave the Club now?

Geoff   

[peteo48]

A take on the Jazz that is not a million miles from my own. I see the car as one that fits my retired lifestyle. I do a low annual mileage, a lot of short journeys and like a vehicle that's easy to drive and park and is also reliable and cheapish to run.

I don't see it as a car that lends itself to modifications in the same way that the Civic does but, TBH, I don't see much evidence that many people DO modify their Jazz. I am still a member of the Civinfo forum which mainly covers the 8th Gen Civic. That is a very lively forum and if you don't visit it for a day or two, you will see nearly 1,000 posts have been added since you last visited. The cleaning and detailing section alone gets more hits than this entire forum on the Jazz.

I guess that reflects the prevailing view that the Jazz is an A to B car. A task it excels at BTW.

[guest3895]

Hi Pete,

My last car was a 2010 Civic and I too am a member of the Civinfo forum. I changed to a Jazz because it was a better car for my wife to drive and we wanted an auto gearbox - and the Jazz has one of the best in my opinion.

I agree with you about the Jazz being an excellent A to B vehicle. We haven't been able to do any long-distance drives, but if it is anywhere near as comfortable as the Civic on a trek I shall be very happy.

I check the Clubjazz forum every day and it just seemed to me that there were recently a lot of posts about modifying the car.

Cheers,

Geoff

[guest3858]

I already got with mods for my 2010 Honda Jazz i will fit disc and pads and brake fluid by tarox this in March 2014 and when i can i want to fit a supercharger...
I don't agree with you saying that the Jazz is a sedate car i found the Jazz the perfect sleeper can be quiet and take it easy attitude or little devil  going up 117 mph and feel confortable with that speed

[peteo48]

I guess the Jazz could be the perfect "Q" car. As you sat at the lights in your hot hatch, the sight of a Jazz beating you at the lights might have you wondering if you were hallucinating!

I did read somewhere on the internet that, in Thailand, the Jazz was seen as a boy racer's car.

But I also read that, in the UK, the average Jazz driver was 63!

[RichardA]

Personally I've never modified any of my cars other then simple touches like the OEM spolier and chrome exhaust trim. And I had a type-r gearknob on my 8th gen Civic only because the stock plastic item felt cheap. The reason is I know I'd never get the money back...but I understand why people do it...

There is the personalisation of making something unique and it's probably cheaper to insure a car like the Jazz with (declared) mods than insure a performance car. That and you can spread the cost by modifying the car in stages when time and money allow.

And by the time many people can afford to insure a performance car (roughly late 20s/early 30s) their focus sometimes shift to other priorities - mortgages, saving, etc. This is why you often see middle-aged people in sporty/performance cars (even in the likes of the Mazda MX-5) because it's only then they have the disposable income to buy one and can afford to run it. So some younger drivers get into the modifying scene as they have the cash but can't afford the running costs associated with something tasty.

[chrisc]

Modifying cars, even the low-key mods that Richard makes, is a hobby.  They make the car slightly more unique than one driven off the showroom floor. 

Although the only mods I have made is to fit LED lights where possible.  It makes a very tiny difference in energy consumption, using a 1 watt festoon lamp inside instead of a 5 watt and 4 watt brake-light lamps instead of 21 watts, but I import these from China with a friend and they are quite cheap.

I watched a TV program about Rolls-Royce cars.  There, for a tidy sum, you can have any colour paint job and upholstery you want, and RR have a system to cater for these needs.  So if RR customers want their cars to look different from standard, why should not Jazz owners want the same?

[culzean]

Never modified bodywork any car I have had, life is too short !

Would much rather have a standard looking car that is faster than standard,  than to have a car with standard performance that is fitted with spoilers and other gimmicky stuff (including a big noisy exhaust that annoys everyone).   The best place for useless wings is on a Ostrich or a Dodo.

modified cars tend to attract the attention of plod,  which is never a good thing.

[peteo48]

There's always the argument about keeping a car "original" or modifying but, interestingly enough, many Morris Minor enthusiasts will have modified their cars over time. Charles Ware, the Morris Minor guru, fits Ford Sierra gearboxes to restored Morris Minors along with a range of other things like more sculpted seats for greater comfort and driveability.

It's each to his own I guess although when the footballer Mario Balotelli had his Bentley done in camouflage paint it was a bit like drawing a moustache on the Mona Lisa.

[madasafish]

I guess the Jazz could be the perfect "Q" car. As you sat at the lights in your hot hatch, the sight of a Jazz beating you at the lights might have you wondering if you were hallucinating!

I did read somewhere on the internet that, in Thailand, the Jazz was seen as a boy racer's car.

But I also read that, in the UK, the average Jazz driver was 63!

63?

Rubbish

Far too young.... 

[guest3469]

One mans meat is anothers poison i suppose.  Having owned in the past, much higher performance petrol and diesel cars with the corresponding higher running, maintenance and insurance costs, the enhancements ive made have surprisingly, improved the ride quality through lowering and stiffening the suspension.  Increasing tyre width whilst maintaining rolling radius has had a slightly detrimental effect in fuel economy due to increased tyre width no doubt but made a noticeable difference on grip levels, particularly in the wet, providing greater margins of safety should something unplanned occur  Plus i prefer the look of the alloys over the standard ones.  Privacy glass is there for reasons of privacy and the fitment of a stainless steel aftermarket exhaust whilst an asthetic choice, appears to have released more mid range torque than standard, however there may be some placebo effect!
Personally, i prefer the look and feel of my Jazz now. 
Choosing a car is a very personal thing and peoples attitudes to them and why they drive them are equally diverse. Personallisation starts when choosing your colour, the choice to make further changes can be driven by aesthetic, performance and or any one of a number of reasons, thankfully, or its beige trousers for us all! Oh i also wear a nice belt with mine and its reversible.
I view my car as more than just a means of getting from A to B

[stiggysawdust]

I am sure that this will stir up a hornets nest, but.....

I have had my Jazz 1.4 EX now for about 4 months now and have been extremely pleased with it. It is very frugal, reasonably comfortable and does everything that I require of it.  However, I have to admit that it is no greyhound and is probably the most sedate car that I have ever owned.

Having said that, it always surprises me the number of owners that seem to spend loads of money (and time) trying to make their Jazz look and sound sporty. Has anybody managed to modify their car so that it really lifts it into the 'performance car' class? Why not buy a higher performance car if that is what you want out of life? With the current state of Britain's roads I would have thought we should be raising the suspension, not lowering it.

Er.....Should I leave the Club now?

Geoff   

Is your Jazz the CVT gearbox? I test drove one and found it felt slow of the mark. When I test drove the I-Shift There was a big difference in acceleration, so this is the one I went for and must say that I am very happy with it. I bought it with only 3700 miles on the clock so it was as new and a good compromise rather than buying a new one with CVT.
it is also good when Dealership try to sell me a new car. they can't get me anything I would prefer so they then go very quiet.

[guest3895]

Hi,

Yes, it is a CVT. I have driven quite a lot of automatic cars (mostly overseas though), but I do find it the best of any I have driven. I just don't feel any gearchange at all, except when faced with a very steep hill - they are silky smooth.

The Jazz is the slowest car I have ever owned, but I am now 68, so well past my 'boy racer' days, and find the car is fast enough for me and my wife. But that is why I have been somewhat surprised by the number of owners carrying out sporty modifications.

Cheers,  Geoff

[Garyman]

Pretty much what Richard said 

For me old habits die hard I guess but its nice to see some personal touches and individualism on the forum.

The Honda Jazz does have this stigma attached that its an "old person's car" and everyone's is pretty much the same (ie standard) and thats fine, but for those of us who wants to add a little personalisation, then why not?

And why is it that if we do some modification, we're classed as "boy racers" ??

I know the limits of the Jazz and dont go round racing anyone and everyone- I've modded mine as its now pretty much exactly how i want it styling and comfort wise but I dont consider myself as a boy racer does it?

[peteo48]

On the subject of mods etc etc I found this on the detailing world website.

I think there's a vauxhall astra under there somewhere!

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=302460