In the summer of 1990, Bobbi and I had started officially dating. Our parents thought we were dating long before we started, so it was anticlimactic for them; meanwhile, our friends were thrilled at the official declaration. Those early days in a relationship are always so exciting: young love blossoming and the dates where you went for walks in the park, going to the movies, and finding out what each other liked. We had been friends for a long time, so starting to date felt natural to us. Bobbi was in graduate school and had started looking for a teaching job, which meant she would need a car. Her first car was the 1988 Honda Accord LX.
Her parents were both Honda Accord owners. Her dad had a 1990 Honda Accord LX, and her mom had a 1989 Accord LXi hatchback. Before that, they had a Buick Electra and a Pontiac Trans Am. The Trans Am looked just like the car from Smokey and the Bandit, and they liked it. Fast and sporty, it was certainly an interesting choice for school pickups and garden club meetings. They had owned two Buick Electras. The 1977 Electra was truly beloved by the family. It took them on many trips to Florida, Hilton Head, and on normal daily errands. Loyal like the family retainer or a faithful servant for over 100,000 miles, Electra served them well. When it was time to trade it, of course, they bought a new 1984 Buick Electra. Needless to say, it was a miserable ownership experience and was towed to the dealer on December 26, 1989, where it was traded for two new Accords.
Looking for any late model used or new Accord in 1990 meant you were paying top dollar. Pricing started at the window sticker, as they were very popular. Shopping started one Saturday at Bariel Honda in Wexford, not far from my parents. Bobbi and her mom asked me to come along. It was a nice Saturday morning, and the dealer had a nice selection of vehicles to peruse. It was decided that she would look at used cars from a pricing viewpoint, and the salesman walked us outside. The first car was, and I am foggy on the year, either a 1989 or 1990 Honda Civic EX. It had been a demo, was white, had a burgundy interior, a sunroof, and a 5-speed. It was priced well and certainly would be an excellent choice for a first car, except that it was a 5-speed and Bobbi did not know how to drive a stick. That didn’t stop her mom as she saw it as a bargain. When Bobbi objected, she said, “Well Kevin can test drive it and tell us what he thinks.” Bobbi wasn’t having that and objected vocally which helped refocus her mom.
The salesman then showed us a new trade: a 1988 Honda Accord. Bobbi liked it and she wanted to test drive it. The salesman grabbed the keys and off we went. It was a nice, well-equipped car with power windows, door locks, AC, automatic, cloth interior and those cool pop-up headlights. She liked it, and when we returned, she put a deposit on it to hold it, which prevented others from test-driving it. There was no negotiation on price; rather, her mom was able to negotiate an extended warranty, which came in handy for one repair. The deal was made, and Bobbi drove off in her Accord. It had 28,000 miles on it, and I recall she paid around $14,000 after taxes, tags, and fees.
The Accord was the perfect car. It was quite comfortable and pleasant to drive. The pop-up headlights were cool, and I can still hear the sound they made when they popped up. I drove it quite often when we went out, especially if we went with another couple. One night, we were out with friends, so we took her Accord. I was driving, and we were approaching a red light, so I started braking. My left foot, naturally, started feeling for the clutch as we were going to have to stop for the light. I found the pedal and pushed it straight to the floor as I would in the Tracer. Except, we weren’t in the Tracer. Had we been in a cartoon, the Accord would have been standing on its nose.
Life was pleasant for us. We were both in school. Bobbi finished her master’s degree in elementary education and I was pursuing my undergraduate degree. We traveled to New York to see her uncle, a long weekend to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg with a friend group, a trip to Lake Erie on a summer day, and normal dates. On May 25, 1991, we were out watching the 6th game of the Stanley Cup. The Penguins were playing in Minneapolis, and they were up by one game–3-2. Game 6 was a blowout. The Penguins won, and we went crazy celebrating. We hopped in the car and went downtown just to celebrate. Driving back, we were in the Fort Pitt tunnel, and people were blasting their car horns. I did the same and broke the horn. Bobbi took it to the dealer as she had the extended warranty, and it was repaired. The service manager said he’d never seen a horn fail. I would have paid for it if the claim had been denied.
Bobbi kept looking for a teaching job in Western Pennsylvania, but they were hard to come by. She had a couple of permanent substitute jobs that lasted a year, but nothing permanent. She was also a daily substitute and took a traveling job teaching computers. She finally found a full-time position in Prince George’s County, Maryland. It was just outside Washington, DC, and so trips between DC and Pittsburgh increased. Her school was on the DC/PG line, and while the surrounding neighborhood was nice, it was plagued by car thefts. Four other teachers drove Honda Accords as well, but Bobbi’s was the only one that wasn’t stolen. She had the club and used it to protect her car from theft, so we were lucky.
By the fall of 1995, her Accord had passed 100,000 miles. Today, a car is just broken in at 100,000 miles, but our parents’ cars were ready for the scrap yard at 100,000 miles. Bobbi did want something sporty, and so she wanted to look. I had just moved down to Washington, DC, so we did that together. Her Accord was a great car, and I have come to appreciate it even more as I reflect on our experience with it. Her new car, which became my car, is in two weeks. Next week, however, is what replaced the Tracer.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1986-1989 Honda Accord – Ignoring The Future In Favor Of The Present
manual Accords can easily last 300,000 miles – her car was just broken in rather than into rust was the thing that got them back then
didn’t see it was an auto, still that Accord likely had plenty of life left in it
Well hey! That car looks familiar!
An 88 Accord LX was the first new car my wife bought (as a single girl) that was what she wanted, rather than what she had to settle for because of the cost. It was just a few months old when we met and was the car that made me a Honda fan. You are right that these were really comfortable and drove great.
Marianne still misses that car.
I’ll always think first of the Gen 5 Accord– I owned a 94 LX Coupe and it seemed to be “Everything a Thunderbird wished it was”; but these Gen 3 Accords are always a close second. Other kids may age have spoken of their first encounter with a Japanese car where the penny dropped and it was suddenly “This is an actual CAR, not some little penalty box.” Had a friend whose Mom owned a gray one – one of those times I kinda wished I’d been taught to drive a stick being the “responsible friend” who could be trusted.
An ’89 5 speed Accord LXi was my first Honda, and it was also the first time I purchased a car with more than 100,000 miles on it. It had 148K on it and now has 215K+/- and is on its second transmission, as 5th gear went out on the original! 🙂
An ’89 Accord LX was my second Accord, the first being an ’84. Both 5 speeds, both company cars. Loved them both.