They seem to go cheaper in Edmonton, although prices of everything used seem to be going up lately. See Kijiji lists these first gens currently as asking between 1800 and 3800
Mines a base standard at 220,000. I guess I could ask 3000 and get 2500. Still not a lot to gain for a known good beater
The auto/1.8 version is indeed bulletproof, one company here buys them for delivery vehicles. Saw one advertised on Kijiji with 500,000 km!
The CRV has made a growly noise for the about 4 years since we replaced the CV axle, could be just an issue with non-honda replacements, or it could be something more serious. Was thinking if that goes bang this is a good backup, but yeah, there is the extra insurance