Buyer's guide
6 min read
Buyer's guide & specs
Quick answer
The Honda Beat is a Japanese-market, two-seat, mid-engine kei convertible announced on 15 May 1991 and listed by Honda as ending in 1996. Its 656 cc three-cylinder makes 64 PS net and only a five-speed manual was offered. Before buying, check belt records, the distributor, the ECU, sill drainage and the A/C and radiator-fan circuit.
Background
The Honda Beat is a two-seat, mid-engine, rear-drive kei convertible that Honda announced on 15 May 1991 and put on sale in Japan the next day. It has one chassis, the PP1, with a 656 cc three-cylinder making 64 PS net and a five-speed manual only. Honda's archive lists the model as ending in 1996.
Editorial notes
Quick read
Constants
Chassis history
The Beat has a single generation, the PP1. Dates are Honda's Japanese announcement and sale dates; Honda's archive gives only a year for the end of the model.
PP1 (656 cc E07A kei convertible; on sale from 16 May 1991, Honda archive ends 1996)
Identification
Generation names are broad families. The factory chassis codes below identify the variants represented in JDMBUYSELL's current Honda Beat guide data.
Confirm the complete code on the vehicle's frame or VIN plate; drivetrain, body, and market variants can use different prefixes within one generation family.
Buyer's call
Reliability
These items come from a May 2024 interview with a Japanese Beat specialist and from Octane's 2024 buying guide. Neither gives a Honda-prescribed service interval.
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Timing-belt age | A specialist reports some belts failing at 50,000-60,000 km. Honda's prescribed interval was not located. | Get the latest belt replacement record before buying. |
| ECU capacitor leakage | The ECU is mounted on the engine bulkhead and a specialist reports heat leading to capacitor leaks. | Ask for repair history and have the board inspected by an electronics specialist. |
| Distributor wear | A specialist says early cars were covered by a distributor service campaign and that the part is weaker under heat. The campaign number and range were not found. | Verify when the distributor was last replaced. |
| Hidden sill corrosion | Dirt can block the drains in the double-structure sills, letting them rust from the inside, according to a specialist. | Inspect the drains and any sill repairs; do not rely on the outer paint. |
| A/C fault stopping the radiator fan | A specialist says the A/C compressor circuit shares a fuse with the radiator fan, so a failed compressor coil can blow it. | Check fan operation and the green mode lamp; seek diagnosis if the lamp does not light. |
| Oil consumption | Octane links heavy oil use on abused or higher-mileage engines to piston-ring wear. | Ask for oil-use history and look for smoke; a specialist says regularly oiled cars show it less. |
Market
Everything on this page is Japanese-market specification. Honda announced the Beat on 15 May 1991 and sold it from 16 May through its Primo dealerships across Japan. Power is given in PS, a metric rating: 64 PS net is about 63.1 mechanical hp by unit conversion. A Beat found abroad is an individual import, and eligibility depends on that car's own age and engine; see the import section of the Beat PP1 page.
Specs
Figures are Honda's Japanese specifications. PS is a metric rating, and conversions are marked as approximate.
Water-cooled transverse inline-three; belt-driven SOHC, 12 valves; PGM-FI; 66.0 x 64.0 mm; 10.0:1 compression; unleaded regular; 760 kg.
| Type | Ratios | Availability | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-speed manual | 3.428 / 2.166 / 1.576 / 1.172 / 0.941; reverse 4.300 | All cars; Honda offered a five-speed manual only | Final reduction 5.714 (Honda's 1996 specification). Honda set the shift stroke at 40 mm, the same as the NSX. |
Lineup
Honda announced Version F and Version C in 1992 as limited domestic sales and dates Version Z to 1993. The 800 and 500 figures are sales plans, not build counts.
| Generation | Trim | Engine | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| PP1 (Japan) | Beat (launch, 16 May 1991) | E07A, 656 cc, 64 PS net | Five-speed manual only. Manual soft top, manual A/C, power windows and steel wheels (front 13 x 4½J, rear 14 x 5J) as standard; a driver SRS airbag was available for ¥80,000 extra. Announced 15 May 1991; list price ¥1,388,000 excluding consumption tax. |
| PP1 (Japan) | Version F (18 February 1992) | E07A, 656 cc, 64 PS net | Limited edition announced 17 February 1992. Aztec Green Pearl exterior and standard alloy wheels. Domestic limited sales plan of 800 cars; the final build count was not established. |
| PP1 (Japan) | Version C (28 May 1992) | E07A, 656 cc, 64 PS net | Limited edition announced 27 May 1992. Captiva Blue Pearl exterior and dedicated white alloy wheels. Domestic limited sales plan of 500 cars; the final build count was not established. |
| PP1 (Japan) | Version Z (1993) | E07A, 656 cc, 64 PS net | Listed by Honda's archive as a 1993 special specification, with no month or sale-start day. Honda's photographs show Everglade Green Metallic and Blade Silver Metallic. |
Pricing
Original MSRP: ¥1,388,000 at launch in 1991. Honda's launch list price for the Japanese market, excluding consumption tax. Cars with the driver SRS airbag were ¥80,000 more.
Live listing and sold-price figures for this model appear in the market panel on the Beat PP1 page.
Inspect
The list covers the items the specialist and Octane flag, plus the age and engine rules that decide whether a car can be imported.
Cross-shop
The Beat, Suzuki Cappuccino and Autozam AZ-1 are the kei sports cars Japanese press groups together.
Front-engine, rear-drive kei sports car from 1991; turbocharged where the Beat is not
Third member of the 'Heisei ABC' kei trio with the Beat and Cappuccino
Compare
| Feature | Honda Beat | Suzuki Cappuccino EA11R |
|---|---|---|
| Engine position | Behind the seats, rear-wheel drive | In front of the occupants, rear-wheel drive |
| Aspiration | Naturally aspirated | Turbocharged |
Gallery
Editorial
Start with the paperwork: match the chassis number and build date to the papers, and check the engine's model and configuration against the original specification. Before importing, verify the applicable age and engine requirements, including EPA's requirements for replacement engines and emission-control systems.
Next, ask for the timing-belt record, the distributor history and any ECU repairs. A Japanese specialist interviewed in May 2024 said some belts fail at 50,000-60,000 km, that early cars were covered by a distributor service campaign, and that the ECU's capacitors can leak because it sits on the engine bulkhead. Honda's own intervals were not found, so treat these as warnings from one shop.
Then look at the body. The sills are a double structure, and the specialist says blocked drains let them rust from inside. If the car has factory A/C, check the fan and the green mode lamp: a blown A/C-circuit fuse can also stop the radiator fan. Octane adds that heavy oil use on abused or high-mileage engines usually means piston-ring wear.
Finally, identify the edition from Honda's colour and wheel descriptions, and check the equipment on the car itself. A Version Z, for example, is dated only to 1993, and ABS or a limited-slip differential cannot be assumed on any particular car.
FAQ
Citations
Sources last verified: