Inventory Listing

Rare and hard-to-find 2011 Honda CR-V Special Edition (SE) All-Wheel-Drive with only 130k original miles. Single owner since new, that has spent its whole life in the Palm Springs, CA area. Finished in Alabaster Silver Metallic with a light gray cloth interior. Powered by the bulletproof 2.4-liter 4-cylinder VTEC (with a metal timing chain you never have to replace) paired with a 5-speed automatic transmission. Options include 17″ alloy wheels, dual front/side curtain airbags/ AUX input, steering wheel audio controls, fold-flat seats, keyless entry, traction control, and much more. This is the last and final year of production for the popular third-generation CR-V produced from 2007-2011. One of Honda’s best compact SUVs, with great looks, reliability, and low maintenance that you can expect from the CR-V! Come by for  atest drive before it sells!

Essentials

• Year/model / trim: 2011 Honda CR-V SE Special Edition, last year of the third generation
• Drivetrain: Real Time AWD · 5-speed automatic · 2.4-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder
• Miles: 130,000 — low for age and class
• Ownership: One owner · clean title
• Carfax: Clean history · eight service records · minor left-side / left-front cosmetic damage only · no structural damage reported
• Climate history: Lived its whole life in the Idyllwild / Palm Springs area of California — dry mountain air, no road salt
• Tires: Michelin Defender (current top-tier touring all-season)
• Color / interior: Alabaster Silver Metallic · light gray cloth
• Safety (NHTSA, 2011 protocol): Overall ★★★★☆
• Why it matters: Last-year 3rd-gen AWD SE — alloy wheels, six-speaker 6-disc audio, steering-wheel controls, and privacy glass without the sunroof/leather of EX / EX-L

This Vehicle’s History

One owner. Clean title. Eight service records on the Carfax. The only reported incident is minor damage to the left side / left front. That is described as cosmetic, not structural. Ask to see the repair photos and the shop invoice so you can judge the work in person, but this is not a rebuilt title or a frame hit.

The truck has spent its life in Idyllwild, above the Palm Springs desert. That is one of the better climates you can hope for on a 2011 unibody SUV: almost no salt, low humidity, and very little rust. Idyllwild does see winter weather, which is why AWD on this example is the right spec. 130,000 miles in that setting usually means highway and mountain miles, not 15 years of Northeast slush.

Michelin Defender tires are a proper touring all-season — long tread-life compound, quiet, and a step above house-brand rubber. Confirm remaining tread at inspection; the brand itself is a plus.

Generation History

Honda launched the CR-V in 1997 as a car-based compact SUV when that idea was still new. The third generation (factory code RE) ran model years 2007 through 2011. It was a clean-sheet redesign: lower, wider, more car-like on the road, with a two-row cabin and a side-swinging tailgate replaced by a conventional liftgate. U.S. models used the 2.4-liter four and a five-speed automatic. Real Time AWD sent power rearward only when the front tires slipped — simple, light, and adequate for rain, snow, and dirt roads.

2011 is the last year of that body. For 2012 Honda moved to the fourth generation (more rounded, different dash, still a 2.4 in the U.S. at first). If you want the boxier 3rd-gen look, the 60/40 sliding rear bench, and the older interior that is cheap to keep alive, 2011 is the end of the line. Pair that with AWD and the one-year-only SE trim and the truck is a thinner slice of the market than a generic “2011 CR-V.”

Engine, Output, and Fuel Economy

Every 2011 CR-V — LX, SE, EX, and EX-L — uses the same powertrain.

• Engine: 2.4-liter (2,354 cc) aluminum inline-four, DOHC, i-VTEC
• Output: 180 horsepower at 6,800 rpm · 161 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm
• Transmission: 5-speed automatic
• AWD curb weight (SE): about 3,503 lb
• Towing: 1,500 lb
• EPA (AWD): 21 city / 27 highway / 23 combined
• EPA (FWD, for reference): 21 / 28 / 24

The 2.4 i-VTEC — Why People Buy These Used

The K-series 2.4 has been the CR-V’s heart since the second generation (2002). First-gen trucks used a 2.0. From 2002 forward, this family of four-cylinders is what made the CR-V a 250,000-mile appliance.

What you are buying is not peak power. You are buying:

• A timing chain, not a belt
• Honda parts availability everywhere
• A five-speed automatic that is simpler than later CVTs

How It Stacked Up in 2011

In 2011 the compact-SUV class was the Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Chevrolet Equinox, Nissan Rogue, Subaru Forester, Hyundai Tucson, and Kia Sportage. The CR-V was the sales leader and the default “just buy it” recommendation.

Against that group, it won on resale, cabin packaging (especially the sliding rear seat and flat-fold cargo floor), and predicted reliability. It gave up a bit of highway hush and horsepower to the Equinox’s four-cylinder, and it gave up Forester visibility and snow manners to Subaru. It did not try to be sporty. Reviewers kept sending families to the Honda because it did the ordinary things — visibility, controls, durability, trade-in value — better than almost anything else at the price. U.S. News named the 2011 CR-V its Best Affordable Compact SUV for Families. That ranking still reads as the character of this truck.

What the Experts Said

Edmunds
Praised the CR-V as a benchmark compact SUV: roomy, thoughtful interior, strong predicted reliability, and easy daily manners. Typical knock was a cabin that felt plain next to newer rivals, and a four-cylinder that was adequate rather than eager. The verdict was still “buy this if you want the safe used-Honda choice.”

Kelley Blue Book
Called out the new-for-2011 SE trim by name and treated the CR-V as a high-value, high-resale hold. KBB’s long-running theme on this generation is cost of ownership and the fact that shoppers come back to it because the truck does not surprise them. The SE was framed as the sweet spot: LX money, alloy wheels and a better stereo, without EX leather and a sunroof to leak later.

MotorTrend
Respected the CR-V as the segment’s default — composed ride, car-like driving position, and cargo flexibility from the sliding 60/40 bench. MotorTrend never called it exciting. They called it finished. For a used buyer that is the point: this generation was already a mature product by 2011, which is what you want at 130,000 miles.

Last Year, AWD, and What “SE Special Edition” Actually Means

2011 is the final 3rd-gen year. After that the sheet metal, dash, and a lot of the interior pieces change. If you like this generation’s look and the simpler cabin, you do not get another model year of it.

Honda added the SE as a fourth trim for 2011 only in this generation (LX, SE, EX, EX-L). It sits above the LX and below the EX.

SE adds to the LX:

• 17-inch alloy wheels (LX used 17-inch styled steel)
• 160-watt AM/FM stereo with in-dash 6-disc CD and six speakers (LX: single-CD, four speakers)
• Steering-wheel audio controls
• Rear privacy glass

So the SE is the 3rd-gen CR-V for someone who wants alloys, a real stereo, and privacy glass — and does not want a 15-year-old sunroof or leather. On an AWD truck that lived in the mountains, that is a sensible spec: less to leak, less to crack, same 180-hp 2.4 and the same Real Time AWD as the EX-L.

Original MSRP on an SE AWD was about $23,845 before destination. You are looking at the last year of that body, in the one-year SE trim, with AWD, California dry-climate history, one owner, and miles that are low for the calendar.

NHTSA Safety Ratings (2011 CR-V)

Honda built the 2011 CR-V with front airbags, front side airbags, side curtains, ABS, Brake Assist, and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with traction control. NHTSA’s 2011 star program was stricter than the pre-2011 tests, which is why a “4-star” 2011 score is not the same as a 4-star score from 2006.