(first posted 1/18/2014) The 1980s are not remembered as a time of subtlety, and after nearly fifteen years characterized by social consciousness and morality, overindulgence was back in. It usually takes a few years for car design to catch up with buyers’ expectations, making product planning more difficult than in other industries. Honda, however, managed to cook up a new Accord for 1986 that appealed to sobered-up flower children and cut-throat yuppies alike.
The late production coupe pictured here is a well-loved example, as evidenced by the OEM replacement exhaust and fresh attempts to halt the spread of rust. An early production hatchback or sedan would be closer to the designers’ original intent, but the difficulty in finding any after multiple attempts to do so highlights the rarity of these nearly thirty-year-old cars in states where salt is used.
Occurring at the height of the decade’s zeitgeist, the launch of the third generation of Honda’s biggest US market seller occurred at the best possible time. While the high end of the market was full of rationally conceived cars designed with some extra flair, low to middle priced offerings of the day were often coldly utilitarian or crude and gimmicky. The success of cars like the Celica and GTI exploited this gap to good effect, and Honda sought to apply a similar philosophy toward its own product design. The new Accord was therefore the product of a very smart as well as bold company.
A smaller player in Japan than its domestic rivals, Honda made a name for itself in the US by selling cars which combined shrewd engineering and high quality with good value. But despite a reputation for a satisfying driving experience, sex appeal was never a part of the equation. That began to change in 1983 when the second generation of the Prelude debuted with low-slung, wedge shaped styling. The successful third-generation Civic, which followed a year later, brought the same look to one of the company’s biggest sellers, justifying the risk of peddling sportiness in a conservative segment.
As the best seller in its biggest market, Honda had even more riding on the Accord’s shoulders. With its design fully locked-in well before the NHTSA repealed its ban on composite headlights, Honda chose to ignore the imposed styling limitations by using retractable headlights, as they had done on the Prelude.
Double-wishbone front suspension, also seen on the Prelude, both enabled and fulfilled the promises put forth by the lithe sheet metal. For the first time, it was accompanied by an unequal-length control arm set up at the rear (patent here), making the new Accord the first front wheel drive car with control arms locating the wheels at all four corners.
The result was a four-door sedan with a height of 53 inches and the nose of a sports car; the 3-door hatchback, now in its final generation, was even lower. With a long wheelbase of 102.4 inches, a radically low cowl, slim pillars and wrap-around rear window, it was a presentation of optimism that completely ignored the postmodern disillusionment of the prior decade and a half.
The gamble paid off: while the Accord was the seventh best selling car in the US in 1985, it held the number one spot four years later. Styled in-house, the shape was less successful in predicting the future than Ford’s Taurus, but its crisp edges and lean proportions conveyed sportiness in a way no sedan on the market did. In 1986, this was paydirt, and the looks were functional as well. With a Cd of .32, the four-door was more aerodynamic than all other US market sedans, bar the Audi 5000 and Mercury Sable.
Success in design was also evident in the interior, which continued the theme of the first and second-generation cars. Unlike the Japanese and American competition, the Accord’s interior avoided questionable filigree in the form of metallic-finish surfaces, digital readouts, faux stitching or woodgrain, or tufted upholstery. And unlike VW, the only significant European competition (unless one includes the Renault Medallion), the excellent ergonomics didn’t suffer austere presentation. Dense fabric lined the bottoms of the doors, each with their own puddle light, along with felt on the backs of front seats (and on the roof pillars of LX-i models before 1988), and plush upholstery covering all seating surfaces and most of the door trim. Combined with an excellent HVAC system, the overall effect was one of warmth and quality, long synonymous with the nameplate.
Auto manufacturers would do well to study this nearly thirty-year-old interior design today. Ignoring the expansive glass area, which is a product of the car’s overall architecture, and the generous use of materials, one significant and favorable difference is seen in the arrangement of controls. The opening between the center console and the bottom of the dashboard benefited both knee room and perception of space. Today’s intrusive center consoles, on the other hand, restrict movement and force some drivers’ right knee out of the way (this in spite of today’s cars’ enormous widths).
There were, of course, trade-offs for all the money spent on styling, chassis design and the interior. A major one was the use of a 2-barrel carburetor on most models. While a twelve-valve cylinder head was standard on all Hondas beginning in 1984, the 1986 Accord’s iron-block engine, now upsized to a full two-liters, did without vestigial CVCC hardware for the first time. That, unfortunately, was not enough to keep up with competitors, many of which had fuel injection systems, such as the Mazda 626, Toyota Camry, Nissan Stanza and VW Golf/Jetta. Accord owners who didn’t spring for the new top of the line LX-i trim level had to pump their accelerators and wait while their cold engines warmed up at 2500 rpm. With 98-horsepower, the standard engine initially generated more power than competitors, but they quickly leapt ahead. The LX-i’s fuel injected engine, shared with the Prelude Si, made a full 110-hp, without embarrassing fast idling.
With their focus on solid midrange power, engines punched above their weight at the expense of effortless pull from a standstill and when hooked to the maker’s typically excellent five-speed transmission, sixty miles an hour was delivered in the low nine-second range. When the harsh, hydraulically controlled four-speed automatic was ordered, this increased to about twelve seconds. It’s worth remembering that the glowing praise heaped upon the car was because test subjects were generally equipped with manual transmissions. Fortunately, this was also how many were ordered.
The driving experience was largely positive. Visibility was excellent, as was the driving position. The beltline was two inches lower than before, seemingly at waist height, and the long wheelbase ensured no intrusion into the front footwells. As far as front wheel drive cars were concerned, both these traits were unique to Honda. Also helping matters were long seat cushions with a pronounced angle, eliminating the lack of thigh support that would otherwise accompany such an unusually low driving position.
Engines were quiet by the standards of the era, maintaining their signature metallic roar. A symmetrical exhaust manifold eliminated the low-rpm throb common in other designs, which grouped all the headers off to the side. As was characteristic of the company’s engines, throttle response was sharp, even with the carburetor, and despite very mild tuning, high-rpm running was also eager, sounding enthusiastic rather than strained. This was a good thing, as cars equipped with the automatic demanded abusive treatment from the driver when passing on two-lane roads.
The front suspension was adapted almost directly from the Prelude, which placed second only to Porsche’s 944 in a Car and Driver handling comparison. The Accord’s handling was also commendable, with minimal body lean, abundant feel through the controls and easily exploited grip. Understeer was less evident than in later model Accords, but this was still not a throttle adjustable car, in the manner of VW’s Golf and Jetta or Mazda’s 323 and 626. Further limitations were imposed by small, thirteen-inch wheels, which failed to fully take advantage of the excellent handling characteristics.
A much bigger problem was a fundamental absence of body control, combined with extremely limited suspension travel. Honda bragged that their advanced suspension design freed the shock absorbers, no longer housed inside a strut, from the burden of maintaining suspension geometries. While this was true, it was a poor justification for an under-damped chassis. The result was that, on smooth surfaces, minor road imperfections were absorbed well. Big bumps taken at low speed–such as potholes or speed bumps–caused the suspension to crash through very easily, because unlike other cars with similarly soft suspensions, the Accord’s wheels simply had no place to go.
Another issue affecting the car since its first generation was power steering that was comically light at low speeds, seemingly detached from any hardware. Fortunately, feel through the wheel was restored as assist rapidly, and abruptly, tapered off above approximately twenty miles per hour. At higher speeds, undulations in the road surface could cause noticeable bounce, but as small ripples were well managed, the highway ride remained comfortable. Effective geometries also meant that available grip was retained over mid-corner bumps. Still, the inadequate damping conspired with the small tires and brakes (limited by the size of the thirteen inch wheels) to create long stopping distances. This, as well as significant fade, were typical issues with the company’s brakes. Honda did have its own two-channel anti-lock braking system, but this was not available in North America.
Honda was presumably aware of all these complaints because all models built after 1988 received additional structural reinforcements and sound deadening, helping address the car’s fragile feel over large bumps taken at low speed, as well as enhanced corrosion protection. Further improvements on the LX-i included upsized front brakes rotors, now housed in appropriately larger fourteen-inch wheels, along with firmer springs and dampers. A variable intake manifold, increased compression ratio and a hotter cam brought horsepower up to 120 while achieving peak torque at lower speeds. These late production fuel-injected models remain desirable today.
Lower trim levels retained their 98 horsepower engine, but despite its now uncompetitive output and increasingly embarrassing carburetor, the last year of production was the most successful, with the Accord outselling all cars, foreign or domestic, including models with fleet sales.
The rising yen, and competition with Acura, prevented Honda from putting the aluminum twin cam B-block (confusingly, not the same B-block as used in the Civic, CRV and Integra) engines in the US market Accords. Further indications of the less favorable exchange rate included a vinyl headliner and the irresponsible deletion of the car’s flash-to-pass facility. Now, unless drivers used the button meant to raise the retractable units for maintenance, pulling back the headlight stalk merely illuminated the ground beneath the car.
One benefit of the stronger yen was the Ohio-only production of the two-door coupe, introduced in 1988 and exported to Japan. This was the second major milestone for the US auto industry achieved during the third generation Accord’s production. The first occurred upon its introduction, which happened at the same time the final second-generation car rolled off the assembly line. Usually, a full model change required a months-long shutdown; Marysville achieved it in one day.
The coupe’s introduction sadly foretold the three-door’s demise. Despite beginning life as a hatchback (or fast-back, if you prefer), the third-generation’s incredible popularity firmly established the Accord as an American motoring institution. The decreasing proportion of units sold by this variant, now the least popular of the three, no longer justified the expense in developing a successor model. To drive the point home, 1989’s limited edition SE-i, which came with leather, rear disc brakes and a twin-outlet exhaust, was restricted to the two and four-door body styles. Reflecting its maker’s pursuit of further mainstream success, the next generation car would be significantly larger and more conservative.
However, while the new car capitalized on the third generation’s success, continuing its status as a best seller through 1991, sales were down over twenty-five percent by 1993. The age of the average buyer also went up by five years. Despite eliminating a number of its predecessor’s flaws, the fourth generation was not as fresh by its final year of production. Blandness has similarly afflicted each of its successors, although the legacy of solid engineering in the ’80s and early ’90s managed to keep the company’s products up-to-date through the millennium while others caught up.
Honda is frequently cited as an engineering-led company, with engineers rising through the ranks to join management. Ironically, Nobuhiko Kawamoto, who was chief engineer when this car, and a number of Honda’s other highly successful models were conceived, put an end to this approach when he became CEO in late 1990. The company has since become increasingly financialized and market-driven, relying more on diversification and market research than it had since its founding.
The company’s sales presence today is much larger today than in the 1980s, but along with the increase in volume have come a number of critical, if not commercial, failures. Worse, the company has increasingly begun doing the unimaginable by moving metal with incentives, leases and discounts. Products have become more well-rounded, but also softer and more generic. The past several years have seen some of Honda’s cars panned out-right, with many correctly observing that they seemingly come from a different company than that which engineered such characterful best-sellers decades ago. The situation is even worse at Acura, whose cars compete in a segment where volume is less important than distinction and critical success.
None of this should suggest that Honda’s current crop of cars is in any way bad or that the changes which took place at the company were illogical. The Japanese economy changed and cost overruns became a concern, especially with the Yen’s rapid appreciation in the ’80s and ’90s. With that said, the most successful companies are often those which have a clear idea of what they believe a good product should be and those who are not afraid to challenge their customers. The 1986 Accord had some flaws, but its sophistication set it apart, even among Japanese competitors.
As Ford has now learned by selling almost the exact same cars as in Europe, buyers are willing to pay extra for a car which distinguishes itself from rivals. BMW and Mercedes are further examples. Like Honda, they have been widely admired and copied, and have shifted their focus toward expanding volume, with their latest cars often met with indifference (Mercedes in the ’90s, and BMW more so recently). As marketers like to say, sex sells. Remembering the role of confidence and character within that framework seems to be a greater challenge.
Widely copied and sold in large numbers, it’s easy to forget that Hondas had genuine personality and as their cars enjoyed a higher average transaction price than rivals, Honda was in a good position to move upmarket. The same year this Accord was introduced, of course, Acura was also launched. Just as the new brand kept the company’s best technology out of the Accord’s reach, a limited development budget meant competing with Germany’s finest was also out of the question. By the mid 1990s, without enough room to continue distinguishing itself as a more sophisticated alternative, Honda began to make its mainstream sedan bigger and more conventional. That makes the third generation an Accord unlike any other.
Honda: prime target to be taken over by either Korean or Chinese outfits.
It’s been years since I can recall seeing a third gen Accord here here in MN. Oddly enough, it’s not that hard at all to spot fourth gen Accords. Did rustproofing really improve that much from one generation to another? I guess the same could be said about the transition from the second generation Toyota Camry to the third…
I’ll never forget my 87 Integra. *sniff*
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/stories/how-my-dream-car-killed-my-dream-car/
The fourth-generation Accord was certainly bigger (Car and Driver pointed out at the time that its size target appeared to have been GM’s FWD A-bodies), but it was a very slick piece of work and I would be hard-pressed to call it stodgy. It wasn’t perfect (for instance, the rear seat backrest was set at an awkward angle and it took Honda a frustratingly long time to add airbags and ABS in the U.S.), but it drove really well and it was one of those cars that impressed a lot more on the road than it did on paper.
I’ll agree that the fourth-generation cars are better, with solidity, road feel and power the third-generation can’t match. Materials were also much improved, and the mechanicals are some of the most durable out there. These are 400,000 mile cars. The only thing they don’t do as well is resist under steer.
My point was that it wasn’t as fresh in its last year of production and generally not as innovative, even if it was better engineered.
The fourth gen car was one of the models that cost too much for the company to develop. I believe that, if it were available with, say, ABS as standard from the beginning and with the 2.3 liter twin-cam, they’d have been able to charge more for the car and make more profit. The Prelude’s growth potential was similarly constrained.
Twenty-eight years later, it seems to me that Acura shouldn’t have been launched and that Honda should have moved at least some of its products slightly upmarket.
That’s a good point (if no Acura). Honda could’ve positioned the Legend as their Maxima competitor, and it could still have been a sensible alternative to a BMW or other European repair bill. The Honda brand name had considerable value in that era. People waited on the Honda they wanted. Nissan needed something to differ itself from its upmarket cars. Obviously Toyota’s efforts were successful, but Honda could’ve done without another brand and slipped the Integra and Legend into it’s lineup exactly as it had done elsewhere. A Honda Integra, Honda Legend or Honda NSX would be just as cherished today as the Acura branded cars we got are.
P.s. I have a disdain for flip up headlights, which is why I have ignored this car previously despite loving how it drives. I wonder if I could adapt the Euro front end to a 1989 SE-i coupe I found?
Thank you for a comprehensive and well-written article. It answered a number of questions.
Thank you Perry! Easily one of Honda’s greatest hits. Even here in the rust mecca that is Central Canada, these are still seen at regular intervals. People love them, and keep them on the road.
They still look good. Such an intelligently designed and engineered car.
I have a 86 Honda Accord this was very encouraging. Made it clear on what I need to eliminate and what to fix.
Dang. It has been so long since I have seen this-gen Accord coupe that I forgot it came in a coupe.
came to appreciate 3rd generation accords much later. Today I have the 86 LXI and the 89 SEI, both still amazing. today manufactures think feeling every little irregularity in the road is sporty? Not so as my old Honda’s ride better and corner. Interior still more effective and attractive than today’s offerings. 170,000 on 86′ and 40,000 on 89 SEI both having no rattles over the railroad tracks. Simply amazing cars to this day. Half throttle in my 3rd generation accords requires 3/4 throttle in new cars to keep up. Newer cars think I’m always challenging them when I’m just driving normal. they spend allot of gas to prove they are faster? Faster to the junk yard, ha ha!
I’m surprised low mileage LXI isn’t highly sought after. Guess we took them for granted? And SEI in 89′, what a way to finish out the 3rd generation. Wow
Over-engineered like a Mercedes but in a different way. The doors didn’t close with a thunk they closed with a whisper. The steering was precise, quick and super light, the Mercedes precise, slow and super heavy. Both, and everything else back then, had such a unique flavor.
I loved the 80s, best decade ever for cars!
You nearly made me ruin a keyboard with that line. The 80’s were a sad time for cars, and that’s being nice.
The 80s were a sad time for most American cars – second half of the 80s were an excellent time for cars.
I share these exhibits below:
Prelude
Integra
Accord
MX-6
626
W126
W124
E34
Taurus/Sable
and probably many others.
Excellent post! I, for one, have hope for the automotive industry if consumers’ expectations are tinted by experiences of late eighties and nineties Honda products.
@Toffee: Please elaborate.
This first Accord coupe was a real turning point, as if the gen3 Accord wasn’t already. But now it had truly broken out of the mold that most Japanese cars came from. And being made in the US only added to that.
This was almost undoubtedly the car I would have bought for myself with my own money if I didn’t have the perk of a company car (W124) at the time. Fab looks, great performance (in LX-i form), quality, handling; one of my co-workers did buy one, and I used to almost be jealous of him. Such a profoundly appealing car for the time.
This car still profoundly appeals to me.
And I’ll add there there’s quite a slew of these still on the roads here…and many still look to be in rude good health.
There are still a bunch of them on the streets of San Diego, which is remarkable considering our CARB testing regiment. Practically any car from ’76 to the late ’90s is shredder-fodder the first time it needs an emissions related component. There are plenty of cars from the ’80s stored in driveways, but old Hondas are seen moving under their own power daily.
Very few left here now they’ve been cheap bombs for many years and are all but gone
Anybody who doesn’t appreciate flip up headlights, doesn’t appreciate a front end that is aerodynamic, and unmarred by disfiguring clear plastic obscenities born of necessity and a lack of creativity.
There is nothing as consistent and stylish as a front end with hidden/flip up headlights to create a seamless composition: you appreciate the front end composition of the car during the day to see why obscenities like headlights should be hidden.
My first experience with an 1989 Honda Sedan….was beyond words. I couldn’t quite figure it out and my vocabulary wasn’t capable of expressing a very good feeling about a car that seemed miraculous and way ahead of it’s time. Nothing offered by Detroit came close. It was a car from outer space made by superior alien life forms.
That Honda handled and turned on a dime…a lithe sports car in a mid sized Sedan? That Honda remained quiet and comfortable when gazing through that glorious front windshield that afforded great visibility over the hood as you sat low to the ground (cab forward design). That car made no engine noise and got 32 mpg. Every aspect of the car was refined and thought out. There were no surprises or complaints or whining.
When pushed to accelerate, that crazy respectable quiet Japanese gentleman turned into a howling wild eyed Colt.
It was the absolutely best experience and surprise I’ve ever experienced driving a new model car (The C5 Corvette was very close as an education in “how the better half lives and drives).
The 1989 Honda Sedan should only be experienced within the context of how bad Detroit’s Sedans were to the point that inequity and incompetent engineering had become normalized and internalized by drivers.
It just occurred to me now they also made a different 3 door model other markets got called the Aero Deck. I don’t know much about these myself, but it reminds me of a Shooting Break more than a Hatchback.
Yes we have these two door wagons some NZ new some ex JDM.
One of the cars that marked beginning of Honda’s peak, which ended IMO when the millennium came. These are still a common sight here in Southern California though I say 8 out of 10 are beat to hell yet they still continue to soldier on. One of the earliest cars I remember we had in our household growing up in the mid-90’s was a manual white couple, the concealed headlamps always fascinated me. My dad got rid of it around the same time to buy a Ram pickup he needed for work. I wouldn’t be hesitant to drive it if we still had it when I got my license years ago.
That last picture is the 86 DX model. My first new car. It had a stick and and, as my only added option, AC. As solid a car as I’ve ever owned.
Notice that Honda shows the driver’s side because, on the DX, the passenger side mirror was an *option*.
Complete with Bloomingfoods mafia sticker.
These have been getting pretty rare here in the last few years
When this Accord came out, my dad was a manager at a Honda dealership, so this CC rekindled memories of the various examples that he had as demos.
I was in elementary school then, so I don’t have any first-hand experience driving these, but I do recall some of the nice interior details: the well-damped action of the pushbutton controls; the velvet-lined coin bin; the hinged plastic cover next to the digital clock display that concealed the buttons used to set the time but would light up the clock if you pushed it when the ignition was off. And the first car cupholder that I used (other than the pointless 1/4″ deep molded depressions on the inside of the glovebox door of my mom’s Volvo) was a pull-out tray in the center console of a 1989 SEi sedan demo. (I realize that Honda was probably a bit slow on the uptake with that feature compared to the domestics. As an aside, it might be interesting to see a CC on the history of car cupholders… or not).
Occasionally, dad would take home a late-model, non-Honda used car instead of his usual demo and it was always enlightening to see how the feel of various minor controls and details invariably didn’t measure up to the standard of these Accords. This was further reinforced whenever we made our annual pilgrimage to the New York auto show and I climbed into virtually every car on the floor.
As Calibrick alluded to in his comment, there was just a certain quality to the Accords (more so than the Civics of the time) that set them apart at the time. Their “look and feel” or UX (to use a more recent term) really set a benchmark for mass-market automobiles.
During a family vacation in California, we rented a G-body Cutlass Supreme coupe, and as an 8 year-old car geek, I was excited because it had the new composite “aero” headlights instead of sealed beams. It was also equipped with cool color-matched Super Stock wheels (if I recall, it was quadruple blue– paint, vinyl roof, velour interior, and wheels). But I remember being appalled (as much as an 8 year-old could be, I guess) by the interior detailing and fit and finish. And who ever heard of a car without reclining front seats!?
Of course, within two Accord generations, Honda would begin to succumb to the industry-wide siren call of decontenting. Meanwhile, other manufacturers, particularly the Big 3, made improvements by leaps and bounds in their quality and attention to detail. These days, there is no longer the stark difference in UX between different makes that I recall from my childhood.
After having little personal experience with Hondas for nearly a decade, I climbed into an eighth-generation Accord LX at the auto show a few years ago and was pretty disappointed. It wasn’t noticeably worse than any of its competitors, but it sure wasn’t really any nicer than them either. And what happened to the slick velvet-lined coin bin? Gone, replaced by a hard plastic tray that was prominently (and somewhat insultingly) labeled, “Not an Ashtray.”
The velvet-lined compartment was still around in 2005. My Acura TSX has one. The TSX is essentially the Accord for the world (except the US) re-badged as an Acura. The car has been a satisfying one to drive for 100k miles – 6-speed manual of course.
Still see a fair number here in Tucson; rust isn’t a problem, but the sun destroys paint and plastics. I even see (very rarely) the occasional first-generation Accord.
I had a 1985 Prelude 5-speed, what a great car.
I upgraded the 13″ wheels and 185-70-13 tires to the 14″ wheels and 195-60-14 tires from a 1988 Prelude and it improved the handling to go-kart status.
I had so much fun and loved the car a lot.
Unfortunately, after 12 years and 200,000 problem-free miles (the only thing that broke was air-conditioning compressors) the radiator became clogged and I had it replaced. The guy who did the replacement introduced a leak into the cooling system. The engine lost all it’s coolant and melted down while I was driving to work. Too bad the temp gauge never registered above normal.
Too bad, that was a great car.
Over priced when new in Aussie these Hondas were never common to me when new imagine my surprise in NZ in 2000 finding them to be $50 beaters and still good runners just with no value what so ever.
Competition from Acura where do you get these stories Acura is the most blatant badge engineering ever the badge only exists in North America glued to regular Hondas.
Honda will go down in history as the greatest badge engineering company Japan is yet to produce they even put Isuzu in the shade, you guys dont get their JDM offerings made originally by Rover, Isuzu, Mazda and others but we do.
It has been been pointed out to you before, but bears pointing out again, it seems, is that in NA Acura is a completely separate sales outlet, and they generally sell for higher prices. I’m sure there are many buyers who don’t even know that Acura is Honda built. So yes, in that sense, yes it is a competitor. WRT to the Rover & Isuzu vehicles, I’m sure that most on this board are well aware of those products, and knowledgeable enough to keep the scope of their discussions to products that Honda actually ENGINEERED and BUILT. And just what Honda-badged model was ever made by Mazda? Do tell.
Honda Orthia uses a Mazda 626 body Honda didnt have the money to engineer a civic wagon so used an already available body. this is largely unknown but Honda Orthia body spare parts are supplied through Ford Mazda dealers as are the body spares for certain Nissan vans, but thats another story.
Don’t think so, Bryce. The Honda Orthia is the ’96-’02 Civic Wagon, based on the sixth generation Civic platform. The body looks like a sixth-gen Civic with a wagon back added. It’s nothing like any Mazda 626 wagon. And Honda’s never been short of cash. Where did you get your information from? I think someone’s pulling your leg.
You’re definitely mistaken there, Bryce. Having owned two Orthias, and driven 626s regularly, I can tell you with 100% certainty that the Orthia and 626/Capella have nothing in common. They are EK Civic (Domani to be exact) through and through. Perhaps you’re thinking of the Nissan AD/Wingroad/Sunny/Sentra/Pulsar Wagon that was also badged as a Mazda Familia Wagon, and even, rarely, a Subaru Leone!
There are two generations of Orthia the first predates the EX Civic the other was current with it and uses Honda front sheetmetal to make the two alike, the first generation is unmistakeably a Capella/626 front to back the second gen only from the A pillars back, Crash repair panels for a 2nd gen one were supplied by local Ford/Mazda agent via their panel parts rep who was as sceptical as you are when sent to write up the claim.
The cars that are branded as Acuras in the US generally aren’t available here as Hondas or anything else. There are but two exceptions I can think of – the current Acura ILX (Honda Civic) and the rarely ever seen Acura SLX (Isuzu Trooper) of the late 90s. The Rover 800 (Honda/Acura Legend) was also sold here as a Sterling 825/827, but I doubt many people remember it – and with good reason. The only badge engineered Honda ever sold in the US was the Honda Passport (Isuzu Rodeo), which would be an Isuzu Wizard or Holden Frontera to you – also not extremely popular here.
So how do you figure this is blatant when most Americans have no idea that such things as a Honda Inspire or Honda Integra were sold on the other side of the world? Every auto manufacturer that sells cars on a global scale has different sales channels and brands for different continents, and this is hardly “badge engineering” in the Rootes, BMC or Button Plan sense of the term.
Is Wikipedia blocked in New Zealand or something?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Acura
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Honda_vehicles_timeline_%28North_America%29
Wheels July 87 compared this to a Fairmont Ghia and surprisingly the Honda Won.So you don’t have 4.1 L 6 cylinders AND 121 KW on hand.the instruments were easier to read than on the Ford it was more sophisticated and unless you really need to carry three kids in the back or you are really large with a beer belly or needed all those acres of space makes one thing if buying Australian was worth it considering that design was months away from being replaced by the EA and had been in production since Early 1979.People in this end of the market cross shopped Accord against Mazda,Saab or BMW at that time.I sat in my uncles 86 Accord in Singapore and it wasn’t bad but rather squished if you put three adults in the back but just me and him on outings no problems.It wasn’t till I got home to Australia and had this fourth generation 1988 or 1989 Fairlane limo to take me home from the Airport did I really see how small the Honda really was.
My parents ended up with a 1988 LXi (Canada market, Japan built)
after the Acura dealer wouldn’t take my dad’s Audi 5000 on trade. That car was nothing but 5 years of pure grief, expensive grief after the “Audi Card” expired. I was in sales myself so I did the negotiating. The problem with wanting to have an incredibly popular product is that often you have to deal with pond scum dealers. The litany of complaints against the Honda sales organization during the salad years is legendary, inspiring even a book about the rampant corruption at the head office level. At any rate, one of the fast ones this dealer pulled was registering the cars as sold the minute they hit the lot so that the warranty was ticking away. The one we bought had 4 months elapsed already. We were told that this they, they “would get more cars”.
The good news is that it was the last sour car buying experience my parents had to endure, because the Accord outlasted them both. Unfortunately for it, it was pressed back into DD service after my mom quit driving. After living a pampered, indoor stored, seldom used life for many years, it was exposed to the daily realities of prairie life at the hands of my brother, so it’s not so mint anymore.
It went thru two automatics early in life, both replaced under warranty. The main complaint was the suspension. While the Double Wishbone layout might be a geometric delight, it was, IMHO ill-suited to the rigors of poorly maintained Saskatchewan roads. It was far from robust, requiring a constant round-robin regimen of new control arms and ball joints over the life of the car. Start at one corner, and keep replacing parts until you went all around, then do it again.
Other than that, I can pretty much echo the above sentiments. This car personified the salad days of Honda, a time when they were noticeably ahead of the competition in so many ways. The car is still soldiering along. On my final and poignant visit to Saskatoon after my moms passing, my last act of ministering on it was replacing the one-piece, levers and-all, turn signal-light-4-way flasher-wiper switch assembly with a used one (still cost 90 bucks, dealer wanted 250!), a b….ch of a job that involved removing the wheel, stripping the column down to the bare steering post and removing the drivers seat so I could crawl under the dash to unplug the connectors.
The time machine in my mind took me back so far, from the break-in drive I was tasked with taking while mom and dad took off for Florida,
to all the trips they took their Grandkids on, the Tyrel Museum, Great Sand Hills and so many others. My eyes began to tear up while lying under that dash. Long may you run.
Great story!
My parents owned an ’84 Audi 5000 and an ’86 Accord LX concurrently (and today, I’m still obsessed with sunroofs as the Honda didn’t have one). One of the control arms in the rear collapsed after ten years, but that was it (as far as the suspension).
But you’re right, the cars definitely felt fragile over rough pavement. I’ll always associate that car with my mother and I’ll never feel like any other car since has suited her intelligent, tasteful, forward thinking but somewhat delicate and prissy persona quite as fully as her Accord. That may somewhat explain why I’m so attached to these cars. But then again, it could just be because they look good and sound cool.
Speaking of sunroofs Mercedes and Honda both put the switch on the dash where it was was easier to reach. I loved that.
A bit unusual but if it’s better why not? Wouldn’t surprise me if one or both have gone mainstream on newer models with the switch in the headliner.
They have >: ( ! The Civic beginning in ’06, I think, and Benz in the late ’90s. It makes more sense on the dash. Who wants to stare at the ceiling while driving?
Volvo used to do that too. My ’91 940 and ’99 S70 had the dash sunroof switch and I loved it. My ’06 V50s has it above the windshield. I do not like the new location!
I loved my accord. I had a Monterey Green 89 LX-i sedan with an automatic. It was certainly no speed demon, but I never felt it to be dangerously slow – 2 lane road passing and merging did require you to ask deliberately though. The transmission did change rather… briskly, but using Honda fluid softened the shifts somewhat while still keeping them snappy. Honda automatics are pretty amazing, quite a technical marvel – but I digress. The Accord had the best small car highway ride I have ever experienced, bar none.
All I did to it in those 2 years, aside from regular maintenance, while I owned it was remove the plugs from the sunroof drains (why they did that I will never know), and fix the bypass solenoid. This solenoid controlled the aforementioned variable intake manifold, the problem is the way it was designed. It was supposed to open an extra butterfly above 5000 rpm to shorten the intake runners – the only problem is that the solenoid was set up so the no-power state left the butterflies open – thus 95% of the time you were driving the car the circuit was energized to keep the extra path closed. Replacing this solenoid greatly improves the torque characteristics of the car, very important when you only have 120lb-ft of it to go around!
I’m sure Honda’s recent falterings also have a lot to do with the fact that they’re built and engineered solely for the American market. In terms of sales and profits, Honda’s more an American automaker than a Japanese one now, and American Hondas are mostly American-made for American tastes. Some of the specialness of their past cars has been homogenized out to make them more acceptable to the middle-of-the-road buyer.
To play devil’s advocate, what you’re essentially suggesting in your last couple of paragraphs is that Honda turn into Mazda: an independent, engineering-led company which makes excellent mass-market vehicles while maintaining its distinct character, and asks for a small premium in sales price in order to keep doing so. The result has been accolades from the press (and Mazda loyalists) coupled with a small market share and low sales. I think Honda would be in a better place than Mazda is today because of its size and name recognition, but I don’t think Honda fans would enjoy wondering whether there was enough R&D money left over for a new generation Civic Si, for instance, or whether the new Accord would ever get more than one engine choice.
This was the last car I bought new. My brother and I each owned one of this model, and are in agreement that if Honda still made them we would buy another one. Mine ate mufflers and cv joints (remember when cars ate cv joints?), and all those vacuum hoses were fun, but how often do you get to drive a four door sedan that is so light on its feet? And take a really good look at the hood line in that last picture. A truly beautiful car; equally beautiful to drive.
This was the last Accord that was a trend-setter. I remember the styling being almost shocking when it came out, as it really did look like a sports car, and that was such a huge contrast to the super-box family cars of the era. A friend had one, unfortunately in the ultra-drab maroon interior and exterior color, and there were so many solid, simple details in it that no other company could match.
The note about the variable steering is interesting. I test drove both the Accord and Prelude and ultimately decided against them because of the steering feel. It was so, so light at parking lot speeds and would then suddenly and noticeably tighten as you picked up velocity. I liked so much about them, but that feature bugged me.
This write up and most of the comments posted mirror my experience with my 1987 Accord LX. It was a 5 speed manual and the first car I bought new. I sold it in 2007 after putting 375,000 miles on it. I doubt that I will be able to duplicate that ever again in any vehicle.
Thanks for the fantastic, comprehensive writeup on one of my favorite cars. I hope to own a pristine original someday. I still remember the first time I saw one — it was shocking to see that sports car front on a four-door. My favorite is the hatchback, though — I came close to buying one last year, but it wasn’t quite up to my standards. For now, I’ll have to be content with my ’79 Accord sedan, which I love, but the 3rd generation is the one that really made me want a Honda.
how would you like to own my pristine original 89′ SEI. As of 8-26-19 still having 40,000 original miles. Needs nothing. I’m thinking of selling but don’t want to give it away. Storage is free so not in a hurry.
best you will ever see from this date fwd.
Well, I’d be interested in your SE-I! It’s been a few years, but hey, if you’re reading this, Mike…
Our third-generation Accord was a pale metallic blue 4-door with 5-speed. The only problem we ever had with it was that if you dropped a screw while replacing the headlight, it would disappear into some nether region from which it was almost impossible to retrieve it, rather than simply fall through to the ground. I soon learned to let the service station guy (remember those?) do that job.
We didn’t sell it because it was having any problems at all, but because we ran across a sweet deal on a new 92 EX 5-speed car, the last one on the dealer’s lot in November of that year.
The first car that I ever bought w/more than 100K, was my ’89 Honda LXi. Previously, I would have NEVER bought a car, and definitely not a US model with that high mileage. It was a one owner, and now has 250K+, and is on its’ second 5 speed transmission. And I still LOVE it!! 🙂
>>Styled in-house, the shape was less successful in predicting the future than Ford’s Taurus,<<
The Taurus was cribbed from the Audi 100/5000. Audi lead, the Ford followed.
I have a great love for these, and this excellent piece tells me more about them than I knew. My first exposure was an older lawyer I worked with who bought an 86 as an antidote to a disappointing Cadillac. He drove Honda Accords for the rest of his life.
After that, when I met the future Mrs. JPC, she had just purchased a new 88. I later married the girl and the car. Not sure that we ever had a non-maintenance repair on it.
I had previously owned an 85 VW GTI. The VW gave you the feel of a great road car. I red the car mags later, and reluctantly concluded that the Accord did everything the VW did, and with equal or better test results. It just didn’t let you know it. It was more powerful, faster, had a better cd, and aced the handling tests. Like some others, if these were still made, I would buy another.
Perry – Outstanding, thoughtful and well-researched article on a car that certainly deserved that treatment.
As much as I am an enormous fan of the earlier Hondas, I think this generation of the Accord was likely the best all-around car they ever built and probably the closest in spirit to what Soichiro Honda envisioned the company being back when he was designing the 1300 sedan. Like this article points out, they were not without their flaws, but in terms of pure driving enjoyment, there was simply nothing else in this class that even came close. Not in America, anyway. I had an ’86 Prelude (which I loved) and have driven many 3rd gen Accords – the Accord is 95% the “sports car” that the Prelude was, while being considerably more comfortable and infinitely more practical. And it was every model, from the DX up to the SEi, that fit that description. Maybe a Jetta GLI could match it’s manners (not sure, never drove one) but the lower-spec VWs certainly couldn’t.
It’s always said that Americans will never appreciate a car that handles well if it’s at the expense of the slightest amount of comfort, but I think this car is a strong counterpoint to that. Everything from Ford, GM and Toyota was softer and happier crashing through potholes, quieter at speed and at least as adept at pulling away from a stoplight. Yet the Accord was the best selling midsize sedan of it’s day (a feat Honda has yet to match) and it also seems to be the one most fondly remembered by people who owned them. It’s descendents were great cars as well, but with each generation they have lost a little bit of that uncompromising “Honda-ness” that I believe is what attracted so many to the brand in the first place. It seems as if the chances they’re willing to take these days are only on niche cars, most of which are confusing, have a strong hint of focus-group planning and – unsurprisingly – have been received poorly. IMO, the previous generation Civic was a step back in the right direction, but Honda doesn’t seem to see it that way. I do like the Accord PHEV a lot, but I can’t see people on CC 30 years from now getting misty eyed reminiscing over how great and fun a car their base model 2014 Honda Accord was.
One last comment on the 3g Accord – the automatic transmission wasn’t as smooth-shifting as some others, but I always found that it shifted when I wanted it to and didn’t completely suck the life out of the engine. In regular day to day driving, I don’t think there was as much of a difference as the magazine 0-60 times would indicate. That said, I’d never want to own one with an automatic either!
Perry, great write-up! I was completely smitten with Honda during this era (my first new car was a 1988 Prelude), and I thought these Accords were amazing. My brother had an ’87 LXi sedan, and it was a fun-to-drive, thoughtfully designed, trouble free car. Just about as good as it got back then. Other than dealer price gouging, these were also good buys. I am saddened that Honda no longer makes anything quite as appealing and well done today. To me, this era of Honda cars represented a high water mark for high quality mass market designs.
My first new car was a blue 86 Accord Hatchback as picture above. I was a great car and a particularly nice feature was that the bottom of the hatch opening was 4′ wide, so it could accept a 4 by 8 sheet of building material with no problem. I later bought a 95 wagon which could not accept such a wide load.
My gf had one of these back in the day – I was amazed at how fling-able it was and the great view out the windshield.
I thought the 5th generation was pretty awesome as well….
The 5th gen took the 4th (and in turn, the 3rd) generations brilliance and sportiness, and added extra rigidity and sound insulation, but unfortunately some decontenting. So yes, a great Accord.
http://siouxfalls.craigslist.org/cto/4283246404.html
2500$ for a clean mysterious (mileage?) Honda Accord Dx (?) or LX (?).
I haven’t seen this style on the road in the last ten years.
Someone please buy this…..so I don’t torture myself with trying to fit it into my crowded barn.
It’s a DX from either ’89 or ’88. Although, it has a sidemarker light from ’87 or ’86 on the right side. I love that upholstery.
I’m thinking about buying this car…..for the hell of it. Love those hidden headlights…paint looks presentable for a car this age.
Are you a restorer? Make sure there’s no rust. Buy a spare carb while you can, and fit an OEM replacement exhaust because these cars are LOUD without them.
I loved the Article. A couple of things I didn’t know about these accords I just barely found out. Also a picture of my1987 Accord LXi sedan showing my love for the 3g accords
Take a look at a Honda Shuttle from the 80’s. That car can be modified rather well. Check out a Google image search for “Honda Shuttle”. The Shuttle was a small high ceiling small station wagon like van. Their is no other body style like it….ever.
Missed this article when it came out, but just enjoyed reading through it and the comments. My input: I bought a 1986 Accord 1800 EXL-S in 1999/2000ish. I’d wanted one since Dad brought one home from the Honda dealer he worked at back in 1986. A good mate then owned one through the late 90s (lowered with big wheels, bigger exhaust and biggest stereo). My mate’s was a manual and was fun to drive – albeit the suspension lowering made the ride choppy. Exhaust note was surprisingly good for a 4 cylinder too.
Mine was an auto, bought as a cheap runaround while I was between cars. It looked good inside and out, was comfy, had power everything, and the ergonomics were superb (especially the dash-mounted sunroof button noted by others above). I especially loved how the front of the sunroof was curved to match the top of the windscreen – it’s about the only non-rectangular sunroof I can think of.
Sadly it had appalling handling. It was a JDM-spec model, but even so it was terrible to drive with even the slightest bit of enthusiasm. Mid-corner bumps had it bouncing sideways while understeering, a fairly unpleasant feeling. I grew to loathe it, especially when it needed two engine replacements…
For the gen3 Accord, I give Honda an A++ for effort and a B+ for achievement, but my personal experience with mine rated an F.
Yes low speeds and smooth roads in Japan mean their cars are severely undertyred making them quite horrible on NZ roads but look at the aftermarket wheel tyre and suspension industry that problem has spawned its thriving in Aotearoa thanks to the love of ex JDM cars, A Mitsubishi I owned was difficult to keep on the road at the speed limit even after a wheel alignment 165×13 tyres are just too small to offer any grip.
3geez.com if you wanna. This is the place for these cars. Alot of enthusiasts there. Me included
Thanks for bringing back so many memories. I had the same red ’89 5-speed LXi coupe in the first picture. I had the dealer add on factory fog lights and Prelude Si wheels.
It was my first new car and I remember the interest rate on the loan being almost 12%.
The most annoying thing on that car was the integrated seat belts. I never left them attached and then, since they didn’t retract for crap, I would slam them in the door, ripping the interior.
I put only 165,000 on mine before someone hit me in the driver’s side front quarter panel/wheel 10 years later. It did enough suspension damage for the insurance company to total it. The engine still ran perfectly, as I limped the car to the side of the road. I wish I had had a place to store it and get it running again.
I replaced it with a 5-speed ’88 LXi sedan that ran pretty daggone well, until the suspension rusted through the back. I remember the sunroof drains were plugged up and, until I cleared them out, the driver and passenger could be treated to an unexpected shower from water in the sunroof drain pan.
My ’89 was not without trouble, though. The timing belt, A/C condenser, and radiator were all replaced. I don’t know why the timing belt went, as I had replaced earlier.
i need the lights on the trunk.. i can find them anywhere! !!!! anybody know where?????!!!!
How I’d love to see the style of the 3rd generation come back! Today it is nearly impossible to see out of the new cars; small windows and deep seating are not the wonderful things the dealers would have you believe. I’d KILL for a new Honda I could see out of that was also classy, flashy, and NOT looking like it was extruded and then clamped in a Transformers mold. 🙁
I own two 1989 Accord LXi sedans and a third for parts; I still haven’t found a more recent vehicle I love anywhere near as much. But if you have one of these, guard it! They are the most stolen car ever for a reason.
So, Honda…when do we get to have REAL cars again? 😉
Great thread. I just bought an ’89 Accord…coupe…2 door…no spoiler, slushbox, cloth interior, 165xxxkms on it, rust free daily driver. Paid $1200 on the west coast.
Thing I cant figure out is it’s a fuel injected 2 litre, made in US, but doesn’t have an LX-i badge, or any badge, on the rear. Just says Accord.
The fact that I could drop cash for a new car but instead chose this, at age 45, I think speaks volumes about these things.
I bought an ’87 LX-i sedan with a 5 speed to use as a commuter car back in 2004. Paid all of $500 for it and absolutely drove the wheels off it. It gave great mileage, and great service for the 3 years I had it. It was fun to drive, visibility was excellent, it was comfortable and something inside me stirred when I drove that car. Yes, it had it’s problems, as any quarter of a million mile car will have, but they were minor and easily remedied. Particularly since my neighbor across the street was the local Honda dealer parts department manager. I loved that car with it’s oxidized slate grey paint and passenger seat shower when it rained. About the only thing I did to it was replace a rear upper control arm when it rusted through on the freeway going to work one day. Eventually we moved and I no longer needed a commuter, so I sold it. It was the last car I owned that I truly loved, and when I sold it, something inside me died. My ’14 Accord does nothing for me but make me long for the days of my old ’87.
I’m now looking for a clean ’88 coupe 5 speed LX-I, but they’re getting hard to find these days….
The 3rd gen Accords were definitely a progressive step for 80’s automobiles, with good performance, economy and build-quality in an attractive, affordable package. The downside is one of the most horrific and complicated cars to work on for the home mechanic. The packaging requires specialty tools and a contortionist body to access even some of the simpler items. As a Honda certified mechanic, I had access to those tools… and saw the escalating repair costs, (after warranty) as a good thing for dealers. All manufacturers struggled to meet tightening EPA regs within the packaging limitations of smaller cars, but Honda engineers constantly tried to “outsmart” each other, with seemingly no respect for mechanics. If you have patience and a great toolbox, these can be rewarding cars. But if you pay others, you’d be wiser to find an early Toyota, Subaru or even a Mercedes diesel.
Great post and pictures. We bought an 87 LX 4 door brand new for $12,800. Sonic Blue was the color. Both my wife and I enjoyed putting 11X,XXX miles on it until a 20 yr old Pontiac stoved in the trunk for me at a red light. I can remember that it was a PITA to change the oil filter as it was on the backside of the motor. The interior switches and such operated with solid precise clicks. The front suspension did not like Michigan snow and ice rutted roads.
I believe designers must have read this or come to the same conclusions. I am driving a 2020 Toyota Corolla and was struck by how much the interior seems to derive in form and function from these old Accords (I had an ’86 hatchback). Now if they’d just bring back the flip-up headlights…
I had an ’89 EXI (top of the line, Canadian nomenclature). I drove it for 9 years and about 200K. After thirty years and a bunch of Accords that followed it, that was the best damn car I’ve owned in sixty years of driving. I still miss it.
I had one too, red LXi 5 speed 2 dr just like in the picture, bought new, kept for 12 years. Sold at about 170,000 mi to a friend who kept it about 5 more years and 100,000 more mi, and he sold it to someone he knew who drove it a long time after that.
When new, one of the brake discs was badly out of balance, and I was unsuccessful getting the dealer to replace under warranty. As a result, didn’t consider Honda for my next car. Had occasional trouble with the front calipers hanging up. Probably an issue of maintenance. I don’t do much myself beyond oil changes, so I was not aware of how simple it probably was to solve that.
Maintenance issues I recall besides the brakes were ball joints and one AC compressor, and the fuel pump. Those engines needed periodic (90k mi?) valve adjustment and, what was the timing belt interval, 60k or 90k mi?
Yes, jiggly and crashy over potholes. Passenger exiting slammed the seat belt buckle in the door, tore the padding on the door. I just learned to make a sweeping motion with my arm when entering & exiting, and used the seatbelt as designed.
The engine and transmission, my gosh, what a lovely machine. Coming from American cars, it took me some time to realize that it wouldn’t break if I pushed it. Sang a fine melody when winding it out.
Fuel economy wasn’t great, though. EPA was 25/30, and I got around 30 most of the time iirc. I’m a pretty conservative driver, usually meet or exceeded the highway rating, so I’d say the EPA number is pretty accurate. Maybe that’s just as good as it got in the era.
AC condenser was the problem I had with my Accord. Mentioned ‘compressor’ by error, never needed a compressor.
One of my aunt’s owned a 1987 Accord LX for many years. I think she got in the early 90’s and drove it until the mid 2000’s. It had over 300k, original automatic trans too!
She’s still pissed that her now ex-husband drove it when it developed an oil leak but didn’t check the oil and caused it to start knocking. It still ranks as her favorite car.
It amazing that Japanese cars don’t ever rust unlike the junk American cars that are full of rust holes after 2 years.
As an original owner of an ‘87 LXi hatchback I’m encouraged by these types of articles to keep it going. Mine has seen some neglect but I keep doing what I can to keep it on the road and functioning well. It may sit in my driveway broken occasionally but when I get it going again it amazes me of what a wonderful running and driving car it is. At 32 years old it sometimes has more issue than I have time to attend to. I’ll keep trying to keep up!!
What a GREAT FORUM! I’ve owned my 1988 Honda Accord LX (Carburetor and Automatic Transmission) sedan since March 1997. It’s truly a member of the family and I still get lots of compliments on it and offers to sell it. Odometer reads 183,000. It’s had its tranny rebuilt in 2003, 2 distributors, 2 water pump replacements, 2 timing belts, rebuilt carb, CV joint replacement and various other maintenance over the years. I get regular oil changes.
My Honda has had 2 major “Should I just junk the old gal and cut my losses?” moments. It sat in my driveway for nearly 4 years with bad brakes because I was having financial woes. After lots of brake work in 2016, she started up fine and ran like a top! SO happy to be on the road again. 🙂
She just died on me suddenly in July 2021. Stalled and would not restart. She had also begun to smoke a lot under the hood because of valve cover gasket problems and power steering leaks from the high pressure hose. She needed the entire cover replacement with a junkyard part. Her non-start was solved with a new distributor.
Because my Honda had the infamous “clear coat” problem, I ended up sanding her down to the original basic Graphite Grey paint base coat in 2019. I spray painted her with Royal Blue Duplicolor and plan to give the car another spray job ASAP. Because of my tight budget, I cannot afford a proper repaint. 🙁 Strictly do-it-yourself. But I put rust retardant and Bondo on the back fenders and added some vinyl trim and stripes and she looks OK. Her interior is in good shape with Honda Seat Covers I ordered from Amazon. I drive my Honda every day. Her headlights are still retractable! My other car is a 2003 Dodge Neon SXT that sits in my driveway, awaiting tranny repairs.
My 1989 Lxi Coupe has had many parts replaced through the years. Things wear out, but my engine and 5 speed remain untouched other than a valve job as of late.
It’s never been in a garage, so the patina is priceless!
350,000 on it now and still running strong! I am the only owner.
I have several videos with it on my YouTube “Sagina1999”, just search Accord on my channels search bar.