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View Full Version : SOMEONE BUY THIS CAR on eBAY!!



81vintyminty
09-29-2008, 07:38 PM
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda-Accord-1981-Honda-Accord-Pristine-worth-its-weight-in-Gold_W0QQitemZ200257715458QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item 200257715458&_trkparms=72%3A727%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1308&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245

Civic Accord Honda
09-29-2008, 08:30 PM
sex!

Hazwan
09-29-2008, 10:08 PM
Clean, but not 64k miles clean. Yet another 'low miles' 1g :rolleyes:

2ndGenGuy
09-29-2008, 10:22 PM
If that thing sells for $4000 like the other ones I've seen, I'm going to start scooping up all of the local ones, putting on fresh paint, tuning them up and flipping them. I swear to god a $500 + $300 in paint and materials, a good scrub inside, seat covers, and a tune up, flip for $4000 = PROFIT. Plus fixing up the cars I love the most.

Hazwan
09-29-2008, 10:34 PM
If that thing sells for $4000 like the other ones I've seen, I'm going to start scooping up all of the local ones, putting on fresh paint, tuning them up and flipping them. I swear to god a $500 + $300 in paint and materials, a good scrub inside, seat covers, and a tune up, flip for $4000 = PROFIT. Plus fixing up the cars I love the most.

Don't forget to mention the original low miles!

LxAcc510
09-29-2008, 11:08 PM
wow that thing's mint

A18A
09-29-2008, 11:53 PM
Don't forget to mention the original low miles!

whats that? drive till the odometer goes back to 0? lol

81vintyminty
10-03-2008, 01:07 PM
$5000!!!! thats banana's.

2ndGenGuy
10-03-2008, 01:29 PM
Jesus! That's what I was talking about! Why do these things get bid up so high on eBay? That's it, I am quitting my job and going to just start restoring 1st gen Accords...

2oodoor
10-03-2008, 01:35 PM
I saw that yesterday, I like it and would be nice to find one in a garage somewhere.
there is a decent looking prelude in miami too, hard to say what that deal is though cuz it show a bunch of parts on the ground too.

81vintyminty
10-03-2008, 04:33 PM
Jesus! That's what I was talking about! Why do these things get bid up so high on eBay? That's it, I am quitting my job and going to just start restoring 1st gen Accords...
haha serious!! i bought one from pick a part for 700 (the one i got my interior from) and it was in about the same original condition as this one..a/c worked, no leaks,ran awesome etc etc..the only reason it was at the junkyard was bcus of a bad clutch.. so i replaced the clutch and swapped out the int and misc chrome into my car then sold it within 2 weeks for 1400... think i should have put it on ebay!!

nswst8
10-03-2008, 04:44 PM
Thats insane.

Hazwan
10-03-2008, 05:22 PM
Jesus! That's what I was talking about! Why do these things get bid up so high on eBay? That's it, I am quitting my job and going to just start restoring 1st gen Accords...

Do it, please! And post bunch of pics!

Dr_Snooz
10-03-2008, 06:03 PM
Ha! We'll be hearing from the new owner soon enough. He'll be like "I just bought this awesome car for ONLY $5,000. It's original low miles. Even came with a car cover & stereo!!!

"Only problem is that it blows blue smoke. Anyone have any suggestions?"

2ndGenGuy
10-03-2008, 10:09 PM
^^ Hahaha!

Jess
10-04-2008, 11:02 AM
Hello everyone.

I am friends with the girl who won the auction for this Accord. This will be her first car and she does not know a lot about cars. Money is not an issue for her, so it's not a huge problem that the car is overpriced -- she loves the car. HOWEVER, after finding and reading through this thread, I am worried for her. If there are actually problems with the car, then that is really not ok. My father was car scammed once before in his life and it is not enjoyable whatsoever, and I don't want this to happen to my friend.

What makes you guys think that the miles are not truly original? If they're not the original low miles, then what are they? Is there anything we should know about the car? Do you think the seller is lying about the description he put up, and that it really does not drive as if brand new, etc.? Are there any questions she should be asking the seller before she pays the rest of the money? She has paid the deposit, but can still pull out and lose $125 (which is better than paying $5000 + shipping on a car that isn't what it's supposed to be). She has to get the car shipped to her from Kentucky and therefore can't test drive it or personally inspect it. Please help. Thanks so much.

81vintyminty
10-04-2008, 01:50 PM
i dont think your gonna get scammed, but definatley think the car is overpriced.. dont get me wrong the car is clean but like hazwan said, its clean but not 60k miles clean.. ive seen cleaner go for cheaper on ebay and elsewhere.. but if money is not an issue i dont see what the problem is. . i dont know how good of an idea an 1981 accord is for a 1st car though.. a prestine cond 81 accord is more of a collecter or weekend car, not to mention up keeping on the running condition and maintanece on a 27 y/o car is very important and somtimes tedious.. as an example the seller just did $1300 on brake repairs? which seems a little strange and high for a low mileage car, but goes to show your going to run into issue's driving an all original 27 y/o/ car... i purchased my accord in 2003 and has been my daily driver and to tell you its been HIGH MAINTENANCE would be an understatment.. almost EVERYTHING has needed attention or repair of some sort at onetime or another i can write a lOOOOOOOOng list!!,.. if i were not a mechanic doing all the work myself i doubt i would have paid someone to do all the repairs that has been needed to keep my car in top running condtion... thats probably why most of these cars are junked and not repaired.

81vintyminty
10-04-2008, 02:01 PM
keep us posted on the sale of the accord... if things dont work out with this car and she still would like to purchase an 81 accord drop me an offer for mine!!!! i might even hook up the shipping=)

http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/2568845002.jpg

2ndGenGuy
10-04-2008, 02:23 PM
Hello everyone.

I am friends with the girl who won the auction for this Accord. This will be her first car and she does not know a lot about cars. Money is not an issue for her, so it's not a huge problem that the car is overpriced -- she loves the car. HOWEVER, after finding and reading through this thread, I am worried for her. If there are actually problems with the car, then that is really not ok. My father was car scammed once before in his life and it is not enjoyable whatsoever, and I don't want this to happen to my friend.

What makes you guys think that the miles are not truly original? If they're not the original low miles, then what are they? Is there anything we should know about the car? Do you think the seller is lying about the description he put up, and that it really does not drive as if brand new, etc.? Are there any questions she should be asking the seller before she pays the rest of the money? She has paid the deposit, but can still pull out and lose $125 (which is better than paying $5000 + shipping on a car that isn't what it's supposed to be). She has to get the car shipped to her from Kentucky and therefore can't test drive it or personally inspect it. Please help. Thanks so much.

Don't get us wrong. It's a great looking car and obviously there were other people looking to get it as well. It actually is hard trying to find one of those cars in good condition, and your friend is very lucky to get it... We're just blown away at how much people really are willing to pay. Most of us didn't pay nearly that, but we like seeing the value of our cars go up!

I don't think the car is a scam. Honestly though, I think people put too much value into what mileage on a car means. If it's low mileage, then sometimes it means that it's sat a lot, and things have had time to rot. While it usually leaves the car looking great cosmetically, mechanically it can be bad... It doesn't ALWAYS mean that though. If the car has been meticulously maintained and drives and runs great, then there's no problem. If you have any problems with the car, they will show up right away. It's not like it will be patched up and start falling apart down the road. You'll know right away if it was a rip off or not.

Like with the brakes for instance. Why were the brakes done? Good chance that it's from sitting. But the fact that they took care of the problem is a good sign, I think!

We just get skeptical, because it's eBay, and all too often you hear the stories about how someone talks their cars up, fudges the mileage. And it looks great in the pics then when you go see it, it turns out to be a pile. Don't mind our cynicism about the milage though, we see so many Accords with under 100,000 miles, and we're pretty sure that's because the odometer resets after 99,999.9 miles.

We hope you enjoy the car, and that it proves to be a great car for you guys. Just remember to keep up the maintenance. It is a Honda, but it's not a new Honda. It will last you a long time if you keep on top of things. Keep the coolant flushed and topped up, check the oil once a week, and change it regularly. Good luck and keep us updated on how it goes!

offthahook
10-04-2008, 02:32 PM
I saw that listing and was surprised that it was actually in the midwest (Northern Kentucky). I would guess it is legit. Sam Swope is an old Honda dealer and the dealer sticker on the bumper looked original. $5000 is way too much unless you seriously LOVE the old Hondas. Then, it's just too much at $5000. If it's her first car, she will be highly disappointed unless (again) she loves the old Hondas. It has little pep compared to the 90's ish cars and it will seem "no frills". Again, if she takes it for what it is-- a groundbreaking "luxury" car 28 years ago-- then she will love it. I am going to agree with these other guys that it will take a lot of ongoing upkeep just because it is so old and the miles are so low. These cars have NO room for abuse, misuse, neglect, underfilled fluids, etc. If you baby them and keep them out of rush hour traffic, then they are a true joy. A timepiece dare I say...

offthahook
10-04-2008, 02:42 PM
i dont think your gonna get scammed, but definatley think the car is overpriced.. dont get me wrong the car is clean but like hazwan said, its clean but not 60k miles clean.. ive seen cleaner go for cheaper on ebay and elsewhere.. but if money is not an issue i dont see what the problem is. . i dont know how good of an idea an 1981 accord is for a 1st car though.. a prestine cond 81 accord is more of a collecter or weekend car, not to mention up keeping on the running condition and maintanece on a 27 y/o car is very important and somtimes tedious.. as an example the seller just did $1300 on brake repairs? which seems a little strange and high for a low mileage car, but goes to show your going to run into issue's driving an all original 27 y/o/ car... i purchased my accord in 2003 and has been my daily driver and to tell you its been HIGH MAINTENANCE would be an understatment.. almost EVERYTHING has needed attention or repair of some sort at onetime or another i can write a lOOOOOOOOng list!!,.. if i were not a mechanic doing all the work myself i doubt i would have paid someone to do all the repairs that has been needed to keep my car in top running condtion... thats probably why most of these cars are junked and not repaired.


EXACTLY RIGHT. Have her register at this site ASAP and we can help her out. There are not, I repeat, not a lot of people who are at all familiar with these cars. This site has a few peeps who have been there/done that and that's a few more than most cities have. A regular Honda tech. would struggle with these cars and repairing them. Now, if you find an old timer who actually remembers these cars, then you're golden. 2ndgenguy is an example of a younger fella who did it right and learned along the way. He made a couple mistakes that we all made, but he followed the advice to a "T" and took a $200 Accord to a whole other level. If he would have taken ONE shortcut, his Accord might not be anywhere near what it is today. He spent a lot of time getting it 100%, not 95%, right.

I'm just worried she'll expect too much out of the old 81, not respect it (no offense-- who really would?), and it'll end up in a pile of " to do" projects for the racetrack... in an alley... with gunshots through the glass... water damaged.

Dr_Snooz
10-04-2008, 09:48 PM
Hello everyone.

I am friends with the girl who won the auction for this Accord.

Oh for crying out loud. Me and my big mouth. Serves me right for talking trash.


Money is not an issue for her, so it's not a huge problem that the car is overpriced -- she loves the car. HOWEVER, after finding and reading through this thread, I am worried for her. If there are actually problems with the car, then that is really not ok. My father was car scammed once before in his life and it is not enjoyable whatsoever, and I don't want this to happen to my friend.

What makes you guys think that the miles are not truly original? If they're not the original low miles, then what are they? Is there anything we should know about the car? Do you think the seller is lying about the description he put up, and that it really does not drive as if brand new, etc.? Are there any questions she should be asking the seller before she pays the rest of the money? She has paid the deposit, but can still pull out and lose $125 (which is better than paying $5000 + shipping on a car that isn't what it's supposed to be). She has to get the car shipped to her from Kentucky and therefore can't test drive it or personally inspect it. Please help. Thanks so much.

We don't know anything special. We're probably just grumping because we've worked so hard on our cars and your friend is buying it off eBay with a simple mouse-click.

We are kinda jaded though by of all the ads for "low-mileage" thirty year old Hondas. The odometer lacks a sixth digit to indicate hundreds of thousands of miles. Once it rolls over, who's to say that mile 100,001 isn't mile 1? Your friend's car looks fantastic from the photos. Nor does it looks like it's been through a detail shop where a thorough cleaning and a lot of shiny spray covers a multitude of evil. It looks like it's been very well kept, but beautiful photos do not a running car make.

You never really know whether the used car you buy is a heap or not until you've driven it for a few thousand miles. You just do the best you can and hope your karma holds up for the rest. One thing you should do is get a CarFax report pronto. CarFax is careful to make sure that mileage is being reported properly, so it's worth checking out. If you want, you can post it here and we'll be happy to look it over for you too. The next step might be a little more involved, but take it to a good shop for a pre-sale inspection. It runs about $100 or so and helps to identify potential problem areas before you sign the check. If your friend wants to post that report as well, we're happy to weigh in more helpfully this time.

Anyway, keep us posted on the car. If it is what it claims to be, we'll all be stoked that an old Honda finds a good home.

Jess
10-05-2008, 01:03 AM
My friend is going to be writing this post from my account.




Don't get us wrong. It's a great looking car and obviously there were other people looking to get it as well. It actually is hard trying to find one of those cars in good condition, and your friend is very lucky to get it... We're just blown away at how much people really are willing to pay. Most of us didn't pay nearly that, but we like seeing the value of our cars go up!
Basically, my older sister totaled her MINI and insurance gave our family around $21k for it. My parents let us split that money to get two used cars, so my "budget" was around $8000 for my first car. My dad wanted me to spend that on a newer model Ford Focus or something for gas efficiency and overall practicality, but I've always loved the look of old Honda Accords and am really passionate about getting a car I will genuinely love and care about. I was originally looking for a 1987-1989 accord (my boyfriend's first car was an '87 accord, and although I didn't know him while he drove it so I've personally never actually been a passenger in an old Accord, he was in love with it), but then I stumbled upon this car on eBay and fell in love.

As a little background, I'm not going to be driving the car a lot after this year. I am 18 and am currently taking a year off before heading to the east coast to study at New York University for my undergraduate degree... so I'm going to be driving the car every day until next September, and then it will stay at home for me to drive on my winter and summer breaks when I come back to LA. Once I'm done with college, it will probably become my daily car again.

I sort of know what I'm in for in terms of getting a car this old; I know it's not going to be super powerful or flashy or anything, and I'm fine with that. I personally love the way the car looks and it would be a dream for me to drive it. However, I honestly do not want to encounter a lot of problems driving the car this year and I am guessing that might be an issue with a 27 year old car. I am not much of a mechanic (read: I have never opened the hood of a car in my life) and although I'm not adverse to learning how to take care of my car, I just would prefer it to not fail on me repeatedly. My parents would also feel pretty upset about me putting down $5000 on a car for it to break throughout this year. The reason why I am willing to pay so much when it's clearly overpriced is that I unfortunately don't have the skill or time to do all this stuff on my own. So if I can find a car that I am in love with that falls within my budget, it's worth it to me.


. I am going to agree with these other guys that it will take a lot of ongoing upkeep just because it is so old and the miles are so low. These cars have NO room for abuse, misuse, neglect, underfilled fluids, etc. If you baby them and keep them out of rush hour traffic, then they are a true joy. A timepiece dare I say...
This is kind of scary to me because although I plan to treat my car well, I am depending on it to commute to work daily, etc. and living in Los Angeles, there is A LOT of rush hour traffic and non-ideal driving conditions. I won't abuse it, but I also can't put in a ridiculous amount of upkeep to keep it running. There will be a lot of freeway driving... will it not be able to handle that?


You never really know whether the used car you buy is a heap or not until you've driven it for a few thousand miles. You just do the best you can and hope your karma holds up for the rest. One thing you should do is get a CarFax report pronto. CarFax is careful to make sure that mileage is being reported properly, so it's worth checking out. If you want, you can post it here and we'll be happy to look it over for you too.
Thank you for your advice. I went to CarFax and got the report, and you're right, it does look like the odometer was rolled back so the miles really aren't "original." This is kind of upsetting since the seller was being dishonest about that. But once again, my number one priority is to have a car that will not die on me, and I always thought Accords (and Hondas in general) lasted forever. If I can own a beautiful '81 accord and not have to constantly worry about it not starting or something, I would be the happiest person in the world.

Here is the CarFax report:
http://i37.tinypic.com/jzy2hu.png


Thank you everyone. I appreciate this so much.

haridev
10-05-2008, 07:54 AM
hey jess... i havent been that active for the last week but from what i see you are worried about the purchase of the 'mint' 1gen accord. well as what everyone here mentioned, the accords are loveable cars and it would take good care of you if you treat them right. yes maintainence has to be on the nose as what 2genguy has mentioned. however this is not too difficult, simple changes of fluids and filters would keep the accord happy. =) even my accord has had a an odometer roleback i think twice in its its life but she still starts on first crank and she has NEVER failed me. also the engine has never been rebuilt in any way. hazwan, another guy on this site has mentioned the same, stating that his car still purrs even though around 300k clocked. both our cars do not give out any sort of smoke, apart from the little cloud during morning starts. also my car still starts on first crank anytime and has never overheated in rush hour traffic. what i am trying to say is dont worry, we are all here to help you in any way. 1g accords would be amongst the best japanese luxury cars in its day. respect it and it would take u far with little hassle.

the only reason why most of us were commenting on the your car is because of the 'low mileage' comment posted by the owner. almost all the cars listed lately has this comment making it very hard to believe. also the fact that the price of the car was simply too high for a 1gee....as some of us got ours for far less than what you paid for. however most of us had to do lots of work to get ours to look pretty. u could ask 2genguy about this. since you paid a lot, i do hope you could crank her and run her crosscountry with ease...heh!

well good luck and god bless, dev......

Dr_Snooz
10-05-2008, 11:27 AM
I stumbled upon this car on eBay and fell in love.

I have never opened the hood of a car in my life

I went to CarFax and got the report, and you're right, it does look like the odometer was rolled back so the miles really aren't "original."

There's a lot here that's setting off alarms and flashing lights in my head. First and foremost, the seller is verifiably untruthful in the claims he makes about the car. That's a deal breaker for me. You still haven't driven or even seen the car yet, which means all you have is the seller's word for the car. That is proven to be unreliable for even the most basic facts, so you have no good reason to buy the car now. Even the upholstery is covered in the photos. You already way overpaid for the "low-mileage" version of this car. Now you're way, way, way overpaying. This is a bad direction for things to be heading.

Second, you're making this purchase decision based on emotion. That's a real bad way to buy a used car. Don't get me wrong, it's good when you love your car, but when the emotion overrides your rational faculties, you're going to overpay (like you've already done) and continue to shovel money at it until you're out of either money or love. Again, not a good road to be on.

Third, you're a woman who knows nothing about engines. I don't mean this to sound sexist, but it is. Even with a newer car, you'd be chum in the water for every dishonest mechanic out there (which is all of them). Imagine how much worse it's going to be when you roll up in a 30 year old car that you're scared of because it's not what it was supposed to be. Trust me, you'll be putting their kids through college.

I would counsel you to walk away from this car as fast as you possibly can. These are delightful cars, but if you don't know what you're doing, they can be an absolute nightmare. I hope you paid your deposit via PayPal, because you can explain the situation to eBay/PayPal and most likely get it back. If I were you, I'd also log a complaint with eBay against the seller detailing the blatant dishonesty. I don't think you'll have any trouble getting out of this unscathed, but even if you lose your deposit, it's a small price to pay for a valuable lesson learned.

We here will try to watch when this car gets re-listed an ensure that the seller doesn't pull the same stunt again.

Anyway, let us know what you decide and good luck.

AccordB20A
10-05-2008, 11:41 AM
in that image up one, why does the milage have 138,674?? remembering 1g accords have a 5 digit odometer. it may have been around once without the owner knowing, but personally i think whoever noted the milage fucked up and its actually 38,674.
WOF people over here allways muck up millages when noting them down

2ndGenGuy
10-05-2008, 11:53 AM
Woah now.... The odometer looks legit to me. Aaron is right, that was a mistype in that CarFax report. Whoever took that reading probably just assumed it was 138,000 miles due to it's age. How do they know it was 138,000 and 238,000 or even 338,000? They just going to take the owner's word for it?

You can tell the car didn't get driven a whole lot, look at the mileage between 1996 and 2007. 11 years and only 17,000 miles. Take it's age, divide it by the mileage, and the amount the car was driven per year looks pretty consistent to me.

The reason I say that reading looks goofed to me, is because the reading should not be taken with the ASSUMPTION that the car has 138,000 miles on it. The only thing that should be written down is the actual reading on the odometer. That's how it's always written on the title, the DMV doesn't want you to guess, they just want what it says.

I say look at the car, drive the car, check for major leaks or smoke after you drive it. If it runs, drives, and looks good, go for it. Don't back out because of some odometer reading. The thing with old cars is that you NEVER know what really happened to it. For all you know, the car could have been totaled 10 times and repaired and it was never reported (ask me how I know about fixing totaled cars without reporting it). The history of the car doesn't really matter all that much. What matters with an old car is the condition the car is in NOW.

Jess
10-05-2008, 12:13 PM
Hmmm. Well, now I'm confused. If the miles are indeed original and that was a mistake on CarFax's part, then the seller isn't lying and he might not be lying about the other things listed in the description, right?


Third, you're a woman who knows nothing about engines. I don't mean this to sound sexist, but it is. Even with a newer car, you'd be chum in the water for every dishonest mechanic out there (which is all of them). Imagine how much worse it's going to be when you roll up in a 30 year old car that you're scared of because it's not what it was supposed to be. Trust me, you'll be putting their kids through college.
Luckily, I do have a 60-year-old uncle who knows about engines. I don't know how familiar he is with Honda Accords specifically, but he stayed with my family for about 4-5 months and I know he was constantly out front working on his car. So I think he would be able to help me out in that respect if really necessary.

I don't know if I should walk away from this car or go for it.

I would love to go to Kentucky and look at and drive the car in person, but I am literally across the country and even if I were to fly out there, I wouldn't be able to drive it back to LA by myself. Is there any way I can get someone else to look at it for me so I don't have to take the seller's word?

offthahook
10-05-2008, 12:32 PM
Hmmm. Well, now I'm confused. If the miles are indeed original and that was a mistake on CarFax's part, then the seller isn't lying and he might not be lying about the other things listed in the description, right?


Luckily, I do have an uncle who knows about engines. I don't know how familiar he is with Honda Accords specifically, but he stayed with my family for about 4-5 months and I know he was constantly out front working on his car. So I think he would be able to help me out in that respect if really necessary.

I don't know if I should walk away from this car or go for it.

I would love to go to Kentucky and look at and drive the car in person, but I am literally across the country and even if I were to fly out there, I wouldn't be able to drive it back to LA by myself. Is there any way I can get someone else to look at it for me so I don't have to take the seller's word?


I have bought cars online before and have had cars looked at by a dealer before I bought. Then, I called the dealer MYSELF to get the results of the checkout. Problem is, that car is so old that the mechanics will fall in love with how it looks and there may not even be an old timer around to really go through it. A Honda dealer, with a tech. who has platinum status and remembers these cars is the only way to get an objective opinion. That will be hard! Maybe ask for a maintenance history, but that may or may not be available. Every tech. who sees that car is most likely going to say it looks great for a 1981 Accord.

I would agree that the 138K odometer reading is someone assuming the odometer had rolled. I run into all the time with my 5 digit odometers and people trying to read mileages. That car should have sold for about $2500 even in wonderful condition; they're just such a niche car that takes a lot of patience/TLC to operate. If you're going to be in LA rush hour traffic, this was a horrible car to buy. People pull out in front of me all the time when I'm in my 81 Accord. I assume they assume the car is a junker and they can just basically ignore me. If you're on the open road, these are fun little cars. They have outlived their usefulness in traffic situations for the most part. Every now and then, I take mine in a traffic situation, but it isn't pretty the way people assume it is a disposable litttle car.

Go to autocheck.com and get a report there. Sometimes, their info. is different than Carfax. The covers on the seats are a red flag as well. I'd want to see the seats without the covers. It's possible, the seats are spotless. Then again, they may be in bad shape. With 64K and that clean paint, the seats should look really good. In the end, you did overpay and I would not think that car is ready to be driven from KY to LA. Good luck and do keep us posted on what you do. In any case, I think it will need some work to make it run as well as it can...

And whoever owned this car last is clueless about old Hondas; that cassette stereo will never fit in the dash properly. The dash opening for the radio is shallow and narrow. The "newer" size radios just won't fit. And I just saw the covers are on the upholstery to protect it. Hopefully, the upholstery is really nice.

2ndGenGuy
10-05-2008, 12:38 PM
Oh yeah... I guess I didn't take into consideration the fact that the car is across the country. Not so easy to just go drive it and turn it down when you get out there.

81vintyminty
10-05-2008, 03:10 PM
.. this is def. a tight situation, especially buying the car site unseen for top dollar that your spending.. your emotion and love for the car might have got you in an impulse buy before actually researching and weighing in all the facts. (this thread might have been alot more helpful before a purchase!!) but it happens to all of us at one time or another!! you really need to get an older honda mechanic/specialist to verify the actual mileage and condition based on a thorough inspection top to bottom, an experience mech/specialist will be able to tell you whether the mileage is true and accurate... .... .. we can say this and that about the mileage but without actually putting hands and visually seeing the car in person..we are just adding our personal opinion based on pictures...

81vintyminty
10-05-2008, 03:42 PM
another thing you need to take into consideration is that if you plan to drive the car cross country and in L.A. traffic its going to need a decent service (all fliuds changed,fuel filter,cap,rotor,wires,plugs,timing belt,w-pump and radiator checked).. if the mileage is accurate and you do the maintenance your classic accord will be just fine. i drive my accord EVERYWHERE and she's never left me stranded...... i live outside L.A... wish i could have been a help before your purchase, ive seen a handfull of clean 80-81 4 dr accords here within our area....

Dr_Snooz
10-05-2008, 04:34 PM
You really need to find a reliable daily driver car. Under the best of circumstances, a thirty year old car does not fit that bill, much less one that is under a cloud of suspicion. Find yourself something better.

This could be a wonderful car, but the likelihood is not especially great as it stands now.

Jess
10-05-2008, 04:57 PM
.. this is def. a tight situation, especially buying the car site unseen for top dollar that your spending.. your emotion and love for the car might have got you in an impulse buy before actually researching and weighing in all the facts. (this thread might have been alot more helpful before a purchase!!) but it happens to all of us at one time or another!! you really need to get an older honda mechanic/specialist to verify the actual mileage and condition based on a thorough inspection top to bottom, an experience mech/specialist will be able to tell you whether the mileage is true and accurate... .... .. we can say this and that about the mileage but without actually putting hands and visually seeing the car in person..we are just adding our personal opinion based on pictures...


You really need to find a reliable daily driver car. Under the best of circumstances, a thirty year old car does not fit that bill, much less one that is under a cloud of suspicion. Find yourself something better.

This could be a wonderful car, but the likelihood is not especially great as it stands now.
I'm going to have to agree with both of you and look for a different car. I really should have come here before I made the purchase, but I didn't know this forum existed until my friend (whose account I'm using) showed it to me. I suppose you're right in that I was very blinded by my emotions and how beautiful the car looked to me. Thank you for saving me from possibly making a huge mistake; I will probably start looking for a newer Accord, maybe an '88 or something. Now the question is, how can I get my $500 deposit back? I paid through PayPal. The seller sent me a message 24 hours after I won the auction and said I needed to pay the deposit, and since I paid it, I haven't heard a word from him. I know in other listings I've seen, the seller has stated in the description that if the deal does not go through, he/she will take $125 in listing fees. However, I didn't see that in this description. Is it possible that I'll lose the entire $500?

forrest89sei
10-05-2008, 05:04 PM
I'm going to have to agree with both of you and look for a different car. I really should have come here before I made the purchase, but I didn't know this forum existed until my friend (whose account I'm using) showed it to me. I suppose you're right in that I was very blinded by my emotions and how beautiful the car looked to me. Thank you for saving me from possibly making a huge mistake; I will probably start looking for a newer Accord, maybe an '88 or something. Now the question is, how can I get my $500 deposit back? I paid through PayPal. The seller sent me a message 24 hours after I won the auction and said I needed to pay the deposit, and since I paid it, I haven't heard a word from him. I know in other listings I've seen, the seller has stated in the description that if the deal does not go through, he/she will take $125 in listing fees. However, I didn't see that in this description. Is it possible that I'll lose the entire $500?

you could open a fraud thing with ebay, just show them the carfax and i'm sure you;ll get your money back

2ndGenGuy
10-05-2008, 10:06 PM
That would be pretty lame to open a fraud case against the guy if it's CarFax that's wrong and the guy is being truthful. You kinda did agree to buy the car already by bidding on it. That's usually the reason for a quick deposit, to keep people from never picking the car up... In all fairness, I think you're out the $500, unless he is a really nice guy and will refund it.

81vintyminty
10-05-2008, 10:27 PM
you could open a fraud thing with ebay, just show them the carfax and i'm sure you;ll get your money back

most auctions state the deposit amount and if it is refundable or not..just be honest with the seller and see what he says?? try to work your deposit or maybe a partial deposit back.?( thought you guys only put a $150 deposit?). if all fails i would definately report the carfax report to ebay... ebay will not "investigate" if the mileage is true or not. ebay is way to big and carfax is well respected in the u.s. carfax reports determine (in most cases) whether a car will sell or not... in other words thier word is as good as gold....... if you dont mind me asking, how much is shipping??

81vintyminty
10-05-2008, 10:49 PM
...... if you get your deposit back and your still interseted in a 1st gen accord let me know!!.. if time permits, i will find and prepare you a clean classic accord and make it bulletproof.. L.A. to N.Y no problem... i'll deliver a CLEAN all ORIGINAL. smogged, reg. and up to date maintained 1st gen accord. (not my 81!!)..................... if your interested let me know... i'll show you my honda resume.

offthahook
10-06-2008, 09:33 AM
I've always run CarFax reports BEFORE I bid on a car. I would say the seller could technically say that CarFax is in error, but it is up to the buyer to do the due diligence (and call the seller on disputed info.).

Ichiban
10-06-2008, 04:40 PM
This has been an extremely interesting thread. I agree with your decision to not get the car. If you already have a vehicle, know/want to learn mechanics, and appreciate actually operating machinery, rather than "getting into a box and arriving somewhere sometime later", then the car is for you. If you're an enthusiast, all bets are off. I paid $350 too much for my Accord, which after about a $10 000 sheetmetal restoration, is driveable. (i did all the work myself, of course.) However I went into the situation expecting this, and already had the tools and know how to make it happen.

In your case, as a student and first-time car owner, you should be finding an inexpensive, economical vehicle that is relatively late model so that when it does fail, parts are readily available, and a mechanic doesn't have to come out of retirement to fix it properly. Parts for even my car (a 2nd gen) are almost impossible to find, and most people that work at the dealership have never seen one like it before. Expect things like rad hoses, relays, seals, coils, etc to fail on this car simply due to age. Also expect a simple repair task to become a nightmare because of one bolt that hasn't been turned in 27 years.

I'm also a machinist, which helps me with a lot of the "repair parts" problems.

On the flip side, these cars offer potential for (custom) modification, endless tinkering, great handling, and a "je ne sais quoi" that a new car just doesn't have. People on this board stick by them for a reason, mine is a great commuter car for short distances, and up to the task of long trips, in rebuilt trim.

Then:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/guyhatesmycar/100_0483.jpg

Now:

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j263/guyhatesmycar/100_0934.jpg

Dr_Snooz
10-06-2008, 05:00 PM
You will need to communicate with the seller first. Indicate that there is a very compelling reason to believe the car is not as advertised. Request a full refund of your deposit. You don't have to be a hardass. He might genuinely be in the dark, so you don't need to pick a fight. If you have to, mention in an off-hand way that this could be a fraud issue, but you don't want to see it come to that.

If the seller is unwilling to refund, then you should take it up with eBay. Here are the relevant details for disputing eBay auctions:

eBay rules (http://pages.ebay.com/help/buy/item-not-received.html)

PayPal's details are here:

PayPal rules (https://www.paypal.com/helpcenter/main.jsp;jsessionid=LqzC0sJH1s1bDDQTfRjwdj9rl2qQ7P mG6tz1yF00Y5vL3JTPxMjg!964416863?locale=en_US&_dyncharset=UTF-8&countrycode=US&cmd=_help&serverInstance=9003&t=solutionTab&ft=searchTab&ps=solutionPanels&solutionId=11941&isSrch=Yes)

A CarFax report is about the best evidence you can get that mileage is being reported inaccurately. I suspect that eBay will be very activist in your cause and get you a refund promptly.

Keep us posted on the outcome and good luck!

Jess
10-07-2008, 01:49 PM
So, I've tried to communicate with the seller. I sent him a message through eBay on 10/5 requesting a refund of my deposit and stating that I had an issue with the odometer reading. I offered that he could keep $125 for the listing price. That was two days ago and I haven't heard back from him... I haven't heard a word from him since Saturday morning when he told me to send the deposit, actually, so I'm not sure what's up. I suppose I'll wait a few more days before opening up a dispute.


Now, I have a question about another possible purchase, since all of you are so helpful and well-informed about these cars (although I know I'm straying out of 1geez territory right now). I am looking at an '89 Accord LXi sedan located in Seattle, WA (the location isn't a problem because my dad offered to fly me and my boyfriend up there to drive it back down to LA, which will be a really fun road trip for us). I emailed one of the guys at the dealership asking a few questions and he wrote:

All of our cars are tradeins from new car stores, and we sell 100 or so a month. It fires right up, doesn't smoke.
Sunroof works fine. Tried all the power windows, the driver's side rear doesn't work. Turned on the a/c, I'm not
sure it's working because it's chilly out today. Heat works, the dash fan knob won't go to the highest setting but
functions otherwise. Outside body in good shape, straight, good paint. It's missing a small piece of trim just back
the passenger rear door, and there's a small (3"?) or so rust area that's been touched up also on pass. rear. Tires
are not bald, but average at best. The seats and interior look real good. Small piece of dash just above glove box
is missing, but not unsightly. All in all, in very good shape considering the year. Tried to be detail concscious
considering you don't live here. Sorry to be so long winded. Let me know what I can do.
http://www.cdmdata.com/cdmdigitallot/VehicleDetails.aspx?DealerID=5619&vin=1HGCA5641KA125282&dID=5619

How does this sound? It's ok that it's imperfect. Are many of the problems repairable? How much would it cost to get a new set of tires and to fix the A/C if it doesn't work? Again, seeing as how that car is about $6000 below the budget my parent's gave me, I can afford to spend some money for repairs. Should I negotiate down the price if it turns out the A/C is broken? Also, would it be possible to find someone in Seattle to make these repairs so the car would be in great condition to drive down to LA? The fact that it's in Seattle is actually a plus for me, because my boyfriend and I have always wanted to drive down the coast. Thanks.

edit: I should add that though I've read that manuals are much better for these cars, I need to drive an automatic.

Here's the CarFax report (http://i38.tinypic.com/akhemb.png). I have no idea what the theft thing is about, since it was "stolen" and "recovered" on the same day (12/21/07).

edit2: A/C does not work.

offthahook
10-07-2008, 02:46 PM
Once again I would steer clear... $2000 is way too much for that car; the dealer has probably $500 in it. It started in Pittsburgh and made it's way out west. Not a huge deal, but I would definitely want to see the maintenance history. It's probably never been in a Honda dealer for service because most dealers are now in bed with CarFax and their services show up on the report. Someone traded that car in, the little guy bought it and cleaned it up, and is trying to make a profit. Goes on all the time when dealers take in trades that they can't put on their own lot. Now, do you think someone traded in that car in great condition? Well maintained? No, because the dealer probably gave them $100 "trade in" value for it. Then, the dealer sent the car to an auction or disposed of it with their own wholesale "death row" car auction. The salesguy at the small lot is used to dealing with people who need temporary cars and he knows nothing about these cars at all (or any of his inventory). Sure, he cleaned it up and gave it the quick walkaround tour... People with really nice, well maintained older cars sell them to family members or sell them on their own most times. The used car lot lot is just a guy who buys up beater local trades at auctions and tries to resell them at a markup. Trust me, that car is not for you. I doubt it would make it from Seattle to LA. I could be wrong, but I've worked in detail and at a Honda dealership. The cherry cars, even this old, get snagged up by the techs, the salespeople at the dealership, etc. Every now and then one will slip through, but each Honda salesguy has a list of people looking for cheap/decent old cars; that's where some of the older Hondas end up. This one you're looking at ended up on some little guy's lot..

2ndGenGuy
10-07-2008, 02:47 PM
That, again is way too much to pay for a 3rd gen Accord up here. Compare prices to these:

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/870189387.html
http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/cto/869271006.html
http://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/cto/869271006.html
http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/cto/863846925.html
http://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/ctd/866197354.html
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/865565583.html
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/865024814.html
http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/cto/864935739.html
http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/cto/864549447.html
http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/cto/864448825.html

This took me about 20 seconds to find on Craigslist. Not to mention there were about a bajillion 4th gen Accords listed at those prices as well.

How come you don't look for a car in your area? There have to be millions of them running around down there in the land that rust has forgotten. Then you can at least go take a look at the car in person. Unless there's something super-particular you're looking for in a 3rd gen?

offthahook
10-07-2008, 02:49 PM
And please... stop looking at it as "I have $X to spend so I can overpay for an older car and fix it up." Think what the car is WORTH, not that you have a lot more than that to SPEND...

2ndGenGuy
10-07-2008, 03:03 PM
Oh also, our cars up here have a tendency to smell musty all the time. Usually because of all the rain in combination with leaky seals that happen to old cars. Febreeze only lasts so long before the smell comes back.

Jess
10-07-2008, 03:23 PM
I'm sorry, I'm just really frustrated with finding a car that will be right for me. I am really (probably irrationally) picky about color, and that makes it impossible for me to find the "perfect" car. There is an '89 Accord in my area that has around 145k miles and seems to be in good condition (and I could go in for a test drive), but I don't like the color. It's really stupid, I know. I wish someone on this forum was selling an '87-89 Accord that I could trust. Thank you for the advice, everyone.

2ndGenGuy
10-07-2008, 03:32 PM
Well there's really nothing wrong with wanting a particular color. It is your choice. I wouldn't buy a pink Accord, probably ever, no matter how nice it was. Yes, you might pay a bit more or wait longer to find a cherry one in your favorite color, but probably both. So you'll either have to be more patient, or get a color that you're not terribly fond of.

I just think you should take your time a bit more and look for one in your area, it really is the best part of the country to find a clean car. Not only that, but you can look at it, and drive it before you make your decision... Everybody wants a California car! People up here boast when their car was from California!

offthahook
10-07-2008, 04:45 PM
Well there's really nothing wrong with wanting a particular color. It is your choice. I wouldn't buy a pink Accord, probably ever, no matter how nice it was. Yes, you might pay a bit more or wait longer to find a cherry one in your favorite color, but probably both. So you'll either have to be more patient, or get a color that you're not terribly fond of.

I just think you should take your time a bit more and look for one in your area, it really is the best part of the country to find a clean car. Not only that, but you can look at it, and drive it before you make your decision... Everybody wants a California car! People up here boast when their car was from California!

Amen my brotha. The south and west/southwest are the best areas for older import cars. If you're not in a hurry for a car, slow down and find the one you want at a fair price. It'll come through or you'll expand your parameters. Nothing wrong with expanding your options, but do NOT buy in a hurry or impulse (I know, too late). If you need a car tomorrow, your options are limited and your parents will not be happy with the car you bring home. Craigslist probably has the best crop of private sellers, but always carfax VIN's and beware of guys posing as individuals, but who are just flipping cars. A Honda dealer would be a longshot, but if they had an older Accord on their lot, it probably would be decent. The laws are fairly strict about what shape of a car a franchised dealer can sell, even if it is an older car. They would want a hefty sum for 3G because they probably serviced it and they just don't like to deal in old cars. The little lots can be a goldmine, but usually are not. Again, they buy the misfits from auctions and maybe change the oil and mark it up

This site might not be too bad if someone has an Accord you really like and they've been on here awhile. If it's someone's first post and they're bragging about their Accord, take a pass. In your case, you want either an "lx-i" or "se-i" trim; they are both fuel injected and you do not want to mess with that carb. mess. I've seen quite a few people take the badges from an "i" and stick them on an LX/DX trimmed car and try to pass it off as the higher end trim. Educate yourself on what a carb'd motor and a FI motor look like under the hood. Carfax should tell you what motor is in the Accords you look at since you carfax them all. Keep us informed and don't think none of us hasn't been exactly where you are. Some of us were in your place with NO Internet. No shame.

cubert
10-07-2008, 05:39 PM
keep us posted on the sale of the accord... if things dont work out with this car and she still would like to purchase an 81 accord drop me an offer for mine!!!! i might even hook up the shipping=)

http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/2568845002.jpg




this is 100% off topic...but this picture is now my computer background...shit i love your car

81vintyminty
10-07-2008, 09:35 PM
Well there's really nothing wrong with wanting a particular color. It is your choice. I wouldn't buy a pink Accord, probably ever, no matter how nice it was. Yes, you might pay a bit more or wait longer to find a cherry one in your favorite color, but probably both. So you'll either have to be more patient, or get a color that you're not terribly fond of.

I just think you should take your time a bit more and look for one in your area, it really is the best part of the country to find a clean car. Not only that, but you can look at it, and drive it before you make your decision... Everybody wants a California car! People up here boast when their car was from California!


100% agree 2Gguy..... im not really understanding your method on the purchase of your new honda?.. we live in so.cal and there are many super clean well taken care of survivor H cars out here if you take your time to find one. like he said, you can see it, drive, inspect it etc.... why would you fly to seattle to buy a 160k "average" condition car when theres so many of those out here?? seems like alot of money is being wasted and im starting to get confused! what yr/color/model are you looking for and whats your budget?

Jess
10-07-2008, 09:50 PM
100% agree 2Gguy..... im not really understanding your method on the purchase of your new honda?.. we live in so.cal and there are many super clean well taken care of survivor H cars out here if you take your time to find one. like he said, you can see it, drive, inspect it etc.... why would you fly to seattle to buy a 160k "average" condition car when theres so many of those out here?? seems like alot of money is being wasted and im starting to get confused! what yr/color/model are you looking for and whats your budget?

As of right now, I'm looking for an '87-89 Accord. I can go "earlier" than that in terms of the year, but my biggest priority is reliability, as it will be my daily driver. It needs to be automatic, not manual (parents' rule). It has to have A/C because I'm in the San Fernando Valley and it is incredibly hot. Ideally, it should get good gas mileage (which is why I'm looking at Accords in the first place). I don't know where all these cars you're talking about are... I've been checking the LA craigslist daily as well as autotrader, yahoo cars and ebay and I can't find what I want. :( I am not a fan of silver, grey or white cars (I actually hate white cars with a passion, don't ask why). I liked the light blue of the car in Seattle, but the paint obviously wasn't in the best condition. My budget for a used car is $8000, but I expect to pay much less than that since these cars are so old.

81vintyminty
10-07-2008, 10:02 PM
did some searches locally... you should also check out autotrader.com

http://recycler.com/details.aspx?adid=31485051
http://recycler.com/details.aspx?adid=31293983




http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/cto/862936238.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/862434486.html
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/search/sss?query=1989%20accord
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/ctd/865026075.html
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/ctd/865026075.html

81vintyminty
10-07-2008, 10:23 PM
there're out there.. the key is patience!!


this looks like a decent 91 for around the price that you were going to fly for an 89.. these are great cars compared to the 88-89.. esp if you dont mind more room, more power, and upgrading to 90's styling and technology!!? =P..
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/cto/870301533.html

heres a great deal for the money. you could probably get this one for 1500.. a deal for a 92....
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/cto/862982314.html

Civic Accord Honda
10-07-2008, 10:50 PM
id look for a 88-89 accord LX-i hatchback if i were you there my fav accord styles
also the best 86-89 accords are LX-i and SE-i for reliable the DX and LX have carbs which can be reliable but will take more work to keep them up ( no offense to carb owners i love carb accords too:) )

Jess
11-04-2008, 11:37 PM
So, as an update on this...

I ended up buying the '81 Accord. I know, I know... you all advised against it, but after ordering an independent inspection report and talking to the owner (and my family) at length, we decided to take the risk and spend the money.

The car arrived last Wednesday (shipped to Los Angeles from Kentucky) and I've driven it every day since then. The seller was honest about almost everything -- the miles are original, it looks beautiful both inside and outside and it drives smoothly. The only annoying issue I can think of is that the seat covers DID cover some pretty significant tears (that weren't just on the passenger seat as stated), which he was totally dishonest about. But I'm currently leaving the fuzzy covers on and it doesn't really bother me at the moment. I suppose if I ever want to remove the covers, I can get the seats reupholstered, but they've grown on me.

I took the car to my local mechanic this morning to check to see if everything was running well and as it should. A problem I've noticed while driving it is that it will sometimes idle really low at stop lights/stop signs, which causes a lot of vibration and shaking, but this seems to happen randomly and not all the time. Another "problem" is that the car acts weird for the first 5 minutes of driving (idles at 3RPM in park when the car is started and sort of jerks around when I shift from park to drive to reverse, etc), but I'm assuming it's because it's an old car and needs to warm up in the morning, as it drives fine afterwards and for the rest of the day.

So when I took it to my mechanic, I was looking to fix three things. Firstly, the low setting on the A/C doesn't work (medium and high are fine), which she said she can fix. Secondly, it's sometimes extremely difficult to shift from D to P or R, which apparently is just an issue with the plastic transmission shifter itself and has nothing to do with the mechanics of the car. She said she would look for a replacement for me, but I'm kind of doubtful that she'll be able to find one (although I wouldn't really know). And finally, I told her about the low idle issue, and she said she could adjust the idle but that it probably wouldn't be a good idea and that if I can live with the vibration then I should since it's not worth it to find someone who can rebuild the carburetor etc. As long as I'm not hurting the car, I can live with the vibration, since it's honestly not a big deal and happens pretty infrequently.

Overall, I'm really happy with the car. It was my "dream" car (kind of a weird dream car I guess, but I'm in love with the way it looks) and I'm happy it's my first. I've received a lot of compliments in the past week I've been driving it and the guy at the car wash even asked if he could buy it. I love driving it and my boyfriend thinks it fits me perfectly.

I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping it'll remain reliable for as long as I need it to.

79cord
11-05-2008, 01:04 AM
Had to go & grab the pictures of it again:

http://i17.ebayimg.com/05/i/001/0f/8a/37fc_3.JPG
http://i14.ebayimg.com/08/i/001/0f/8a/9435_12.JPG

Congratulations upon the purchase regardless, you know we thought it had the potential to be special if a frightening buy.

Regarding the low-speed heater fan I think 2ndgenguy had a thread somewhere regarding replacing the failed resistor that caused that upon his car (& is also something I should do on mine)

As you suggest the Automatic choke would normally increase the idle speed until the car warms up... though I can't really comment having a manual choke "EL" model.
Sometimes leaking Power Brake boosters can affect the idle when the brakes are applied...
But I don't want to sound pessimistic, teething problems are always likely buying any 2nd hand car.

Welcome & glad you are enjoying the nicely preserved car

haridev
11-05-2008, 02:20 AM
So, as an update on this...

The only annoying issue I can think of is that the seat covers DID cover some pretty significant tears (that weren't just on the passenger seat as stated), I can get the seats reupholstered, but they've grown on me.

IA problem I've noticed while driving it is that it will sometimes idle really low at stop lights/stop signs, which causes a lot of vibration and shaking, but this seems to happen randomly and not all the time.

Another "problem" is that the car acts weird for the first 5 minutes of driving (idles at 3RPM in park when the car is started and sort of jerks around when I shift from park to drive to reverse, etc), but I'm assuming it's because it's an old car and needs to warm up in the morning, as it drives fine afterwards and for the rest of the day.

Firstly, the low setting on the A/C doesn't work (medium and high are fine), which she said she can fix.

Secondly, it's sometimes extremely difficult to shift from D to P or R, which apparently is just an issue with the plastic transmission shifter itself and has nothing to do with the mechanics of the car. She said she would look for a replacement for me, but I'm kind of doubtful that she'll be able to find one (although I wouldn't really know).

As long as I'm not hurting the car, I can live with the vibration, since it's honestly not a big deal and happens pretty infrequently.


I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping it'll remain reliable for as long as I need it to.

hie jess, well first i would like to congratulate you on your recent perchase and welcome you as a 1geezer....lol..

ok now for the facts. the seats could be re-upholstered. however i wish the owner had told you about it. anyway, judging by the rest of the interior, she seems to be in real great shape. but you could see how i did my interior as a guide. i did mine to an almost original state. but for a more radical interior, check out hazwan's ride. that guy spent a lot of time on his interior. mine looks rather economical when compared to him....link to the page for my interior project is below:

URL: http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=66452

as for your idle issue, i suspect it has something to do with a vacuum related issue. a good mechanic familiar with hondas would easily trace it. it shouldnt idle so high. but since its only occuring in the morning, as what 79cord mentioned it could just as well be the automatic choke being over zealous...lol.. i wonder if the auto choke could be adjusted. the jerk from P to D or to R could be also due to this high idle but may as well be the torque converter showing signs of age. but if it is the t.converter... it should be there all the time and not just when the idle is high...(not to sure with HONDAMATICS...more familiar with the simple ol merc autobox) if i were you i would check the rpm issue first then look into the others.

a/c button...ahhh..small issue. easy fix...

as for the plastic shifter... i have never heard of this part giving issues but i bet you could find a replacement from guys ere... else you could always go to this site to look for such hard to find parts...you could also post a wanted add as well...

URL[URL="http://www.thisoldhonda.org"]http://www.thisoldhonda.org/ads.php[URL]

the vibration might not cause any serious issues just yet. but in time it might cause certain parts like engine mounts and such to get worn... also the vibration is an indication of engine strain...may i ask what the how low is the rpm when it vibrates...

another thing i just cant help but ask, your mechanic. is she (i believe she is a girl/lady) use to old honda's? hondas are not like just your regular datsun or such. they were built rather complex and needs someone with more knowledge in hondas who could diagnose these issues. many issues here we cant diagnose coz we have never physically seen the car. try to ask around ecs others who run older hondas, where they take their cars to. that would solve a lot of issues. if you do have issues, we would try our best to give some input. like john (2genguy), hazwan and I have MSN messenger and YM. if you ever need quick answers.

however, sadly my car uses a 5 speed. and from what i have read a lot of you issues have a lot to do with your hondamatic. not the gearbox itself but the vacuum related to its idle...high idle in the morning, low in the afternoon. etc... i bet there are many others on this site who could help you as per issues regarding this.

i really hope your new baby would keep a smile on your face rather than make ur hair go all grey..... lol..regards, dev

haridev
11-05-2008, 02:32 AM
your car somehow reminds me of my car before my it got rebuilt. guess its coz of the second door rubber belt/lining.

http://i524.photobucket.com/albums/cc329/haridev/100_0776.jpg

Jess
03-28-2010, 07:25 PM
Hi everyone,

I thought I would bump this thread instead of creating a new one. As you may (or may not) remember, I bought the 1981 Honda Accord in this thread on eBay in 2008. Two years later, I have now moved to New York for college and my parents want me to get rid of my car because they don't have room for it.

I wanted to check and see if anyone here is interested in buying it. I don't intend to get anywhere near as much as I paid for it, and despite the way it may look, I absolutely love that car and don't regret buying it. It was my first car ever and I drove it daily for a year and a half; my boyfriend at the time was equally in love with it and even though some people didn't understand and thought it was just an old car, a lot of people appreciated it as well. The car still has less than 70,000 miles on it because I mostly drove it around the city. We figured out in this thread that the low miles are original and not a rollback.

Anyway, there are a few issues with it that I honestly don't know the severity of, but since all of you guys are experts, I'll just list everything I can think of here:

- The plastic shifter sometimes gets stuck when you try to put it into park (from D to P or R). Other times it moves easily. This problem appeared within the first few months of my driving the car and my parents thought it was unsafe, but I dealt with it and still drove it.

- The low setting for the A/C doesn't work.

- The car vibrates a lot when it idles and is not warmed up; I don't know if this is really a problem or if all cars this old do this.

- There is a leak in the power steering.

- The seats are somewhat torn up in places that the original seller hid with seat covers. I just left the seat covers on.

That's all I can think of right now. I know everyone here adores these cars, and I don't want it to end up in a junkyard. If I can't sell it, hopefully my parents will just let me keep it, but I figured if there's one place where people care about my car, it's here. I apologize if this post sounds at all naive (I'm a 20 year old female), but I trust people here.

I live in Los Angeles, California. The car looks like this:

http://i40.tinypic.com/5yuj2w.png
http://i40.tinypic.com/c5kbs.png

carotman
03-28-2010, 07:40 PM
I would love to buy this car but I'm in eastern Canada...

I guess the car is still in Cali right? :(

Jess
03-28-2010, 08:16 PM
I would love to buy this car but I'm in eastern Canada...

I guess the car is still in Cali right? :(

Yeah, it currently resides in the San Fernando Valley. :( I don't know how it could get to you... I originally had it shipped from Kentucky because I wanted it so desperately. I think this car could probably be driven anywhere as I've never had it break down on me and I drove it almost daily for a year and a half, but I'm not the car expert.

2ndGenGuy
03-29-2010, 07:21 AM
Come on Carotman! You know you wanna fly to Cali to pick it up! :)

Jess
03-29-2010, 03:06 PM
Here are the pictures from when I first got the car. It looks the same now.

http://i44.tinypic.com/9vfdzl.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/205pppw.jpg

http://i43.tinypic.com/2z6t8yd.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/14aiuu0.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/t7h937.jpg

http://i41.tinypic.com/2hd341w.jpg

http://i42.tinypic.com/357kom0.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/2usam2f.jpg

http://i44.tinypic.com/fz9895.jpg

http://i40.tinypic.com/2me5lyu.jpg

SZfiftyfour
03-29-2010, 03:45 PM
oh man, i love that car.

frantik
03-29-2010, 03:46 PM
i hope someone on here buys it.. it's beatiful

1GCustomAccord
03-29-2010, 04:31 PM
Wow, that car looks new, almost a museum piece! Beautiful!
Can we see the engine?

frantik
03-29-2010, 04:38 PM
you might want to post in the actual 'for sale' section as well

Jess
03-29-2010, 04:39 PM
Wow, that car looks new, almost a museum piece! Beautiful!
Can we see the engine?

The engine is really clean. I had a picture of it from when I had an inspection done of the car, but those files are on my computer at home (which is across the country). I can try and get a family member to take a new picture, though knowing them the quality will probably be poor.


you might want to post in the actual 'for sale' section as well

thanks, I'll do that now...

Ichiban
03-29-2010, 05:12 PM
Why can't I see pictures?

Jess
03-29-2010, 05:26 PM
Why can't I see pictures?

I'm not sure... I uploaded them to tinypic.

Here's the thread in the other forum:
http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1011166

if you think I need to add anything, please let me know.

frantik
03-29-2010, 05:59 PM
thanks, I'll do that now...

no problem.. you might also want to put a link in that thread to this thread lol, just so people can get more info and also there is discussion allowed here, but not in the for sale area

Civic Accord Honda
03-29-2010, 06:04 PM
Want

King Peetis
03-30-2010, 12:32 AM
I had a 1980 Accord that was green w/ tan interior and a five speed trans. I wrapped it around a tree when I was 18 years. Alcohol and black ice dont mix very well. But anyway, maybe I missed it but how much do you want for your fresh little ride????

Jess
03-30-2010, 11:32 AM
I had a 1980 Accord that was green w/ tan interior and a five speed trans. I wrapped it around a tree when I was 18 years. Alcohol and black ice dont mix very well. But anyway, maybe I missed it but how much do you want for your fresh little ride????

I didn't list a price here. Just make a reasonable offer, I guess, and we can go from there?

lostscotiaguy
04-03-2010, 10:20 PM
WOW!
You stole my baby and made her look even better! LOL My project car is an 81 in almost the same condition (Obviously not as good though) and it's the same color too, I wish I had your stereo though, strangely enough! Mine is a 5 speed and she's around "200,000 miles old". People don't understand why I love mine but you just gotta drive one to really know the charm of this little car! Anyhow I live in the Sacramento area and I happen to know someone who might be interested (I would jump on this opportunity in a heart beat if I had the cashflow, but I'm a "poor student" right now.) Anyhow I am going to show this person as soon as I can and see if they'll make you an offer, and trust me your sweet old ride would be "going to a good home with someone who'll love her" :bow::thumbup:

Accordian88
04-03-2010, 10:31 PM
Old Honda's rule !!:rockon:

Jess
04-04-2010, 09:29 PM
WOW!
You stole my baby and made her look even better! LOL My project car is an 81 in almost the same condition (Obviously not as good though) and it's the same color too, I wish I had your stereo though, strangely enough! Mine is a 5 speed and she's around "200,000 miles old". People don't understand why I love mine but you just gotta drive one to really know the charm of this little car! Anyhow I live in the Sacramento area and I happen to know someone who might be interested (I would jump on this opportunity in a heart beat if I had the cashflow, but I'm a "poor student" right now.) Anyhow I am going to show this person as soon as I can and see if they'll make you an offer, and trust me your sweet old ride would be "going to a good home with someone who'll love her" :bow::thumbup:

You should post pictures of your car! I've actually seen my car's twin on the road in LA, well not personally but my sister and mother have sent me photos of another beige '81 accord on the 101 highway. Let me know if your friend is interested.

lostscotiaguy
04-05-2010, 12:56 PM
Let me know if your friend is interested.

Definitely! I do have some OLD pics of "Goldie" and I keep meaning to take some pics of her but she's badly in need of a bath right now. I haven't had her out on the road for a while due to our lovely cali smog laws but I think I'm pretty close to remedying the problem.

As for my friend (I lied, it's actually my mother! LOL) but she needs a "new" car and she loves "Goldie" but obviously that's just not an option for her, plus she wants an automatic! I am going to see what I can do in terms of getting her interested in your car. I would hate to see such a pristine example go to waste, it really is in amazing condition! I will ask 1 question though: Have you had any trouble with smog? LOL

lostscotiaguy
04-05-2010, 01:31 PM
Posted for Jess... I don't wanna crowd your thread with unrelated stuff!.....
Although one of these is funny cause I still had a 1st gen civic rim on the front! :D
Thankfully I think it's my spare tire now!

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/4788/accy.jpg (http://img706.imageshack.us/i/accy.jpg/)


http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/2226/babyd.jpg (http://img706.imageshack.us/i/babyd.jpg/)

lostscotiaguy
04-06-2010, 02:58 PM
:facepalm:

Jess
04-06-2010, 08:42 PM
Posted for Jess... I don't wanna crowd your thread with unrelated stuff!.....
Although one of these is funny cause I still had a 1st gen civic rim on the front! :D
Thankfully I think it's my spare tire now!

http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/4788/accy.jpg (http://img706.imageshack.us/i/accy.jpg/)

edit: Noooo I'm posting from my phone and my reply didn't go through. I'll try again...

Thanks for the pictures! I don't mind them being in this thread at all. Wow, your car really is related to mine. Our cars are so cute... It would be adorable if you and your mother ended up driving the same car! Where/when did you find yours?

Re: smog, I bought my accord in 2008 and had it inspected then. It passed, and I don't think my car has gotten particularly worse over the past year and a half but I can get it checked out. The car drives really well. My sister and I loove driving it. But did you see my first post where I talk about the problems with it? Namely, the plastic shifter may need be replaced (it gets stuck, and although I dealt with it, I don't think your mother will want to), there seems to be a leak in the power steering (I took it in to get the fluid replaced every time it drained, which occurred every few months and was quick and cheap, but since you're car savvy you can probably either repair it or refill it yourself at home), and the lowest AC control doesn't work (med/high work well). I heard that's an easy fix. As someone who doesn't know anything about cars, I lived with these issues but I think you'll want to work them out before giving the car to your mother.

Hazwan
04-07-2010, 02:49 AM
Posted for Jess... I don't wanna crowd your thread with unrelated stuff!.....
Although one of these is funny cause I still had a 1st gen civic rim on the front! :D
Thankfully I think it's my spare tire now!

Need more PICS!

lostscotiaguy
04-07-2010, 02:01 PM
:sad2:

Well after much effort on my part I was unfortunately able to "get anywhere" in terms of convincing her. She DID fall in love with it but unfortunately she's just too nervous about "Old car" issues despite all my assurances.
I realise that all of the issues it has are small potatoes and easily fixable, so that's not a problem (Heck, I even have a new steering rack waiting to be installed, mine was leaking too and I got a new one for only $150 on Ebay!). I think it's just that she has seen me working to restore mine and it's pretty much been a constant affair for over 4 years now, the last 2 it's been off the road due to smog issues.

To be honest though a lot of that time was spent either without the money or the means to do the work (No garage, wrong tools, etc.) she needs a lot, but it's all "little things". Heck, I can go outside right now and start it on the first turn, and drive it anywhere! (If it was legal).

So, I know i'm being overdramatic, but I write this with some sadness as I was hoping I'd be able to help 2 people out AND save a beautiful car at the same time! I guess I'll close by saying please don't let your parents just "get rid" of this car and I hope it goes to a good home, it deserves an owner that appreciates what they have!

I wish you the best of luck and Take Care! I know the right buyer will come along!

lostscotiaguy
04-07-2010, 02:49 PM
OK Hazwan, here ya go! The lighting is bad and the car IS dirty but you asked, so I will oblige....Your car and pics are much better though! :bow:

I don't know if you remember me but I've seen your car and talked to you on car domain AND youtube, in fact I actually have 2 pics of your car on my computer!

http://img535.imageshack.us/img535/1561/exterior1p.jpg (http://img535.imageshack.us/i/exterior1p.jpg/)

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/6712/rear1t.jpg
By lostscotiaguy (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/lostscotiaguy), shot with DSC-P72 (http://profile.imageshack.us/camerabuy.php?model=DSC-P72&make=SONY) at 2010-04-07

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/5083/interior2p.jpg (http://img192.imageshack.us/i/interior2p.jpg/)

http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/6929/interiortk.jpg (http://img192.imageshack.us/i/interiortk.jpg/)


http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/78/front1mjp.jpg (http://img192.imageshack.us/i/front1mjp.jpg/)


And one pic I call "Why I hate Keihin"
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/7189/ihatekeihin.jpg (http://img192.imageshack.us/i/ihatekeihin.jpg/)

1GCustomAccord
04-08-2010, 04:31 PM
Lostscotiaguy, your car is lovely! :wave: Very nice really, i wonder why it didnt pass smog test.
Is that Keihin involved?
EDIT: I hate to say but that carb cause me a lot of troubles, now EFI is in the close future. :rockon:

Hazwan
04-08-2010, 08:55 PM
Yes I remember you! I knew that car looked familiar haha

lostscotiaguy
04-11-2010, 10:41 AM
:facepalm:

lostscotiaguy
04-11-2010, 11:44 AM
Lostscotiaguy, your car is lovely! :wave: Very nice really, i wonder why it didnt pass smog test.
Is that Keihin involved?
EDIT: I hate to say but that carb cause me a lot of troubles, now EFI is in the close future. :rockon:

Yeah, I was only failing on NOx so I thought it was just my EGR (My cat conv. is only 3 years old). Thankfully I'm presently going to school for my ASE and I finally got into a class with the guy that teaches smog cert. courses. He told me that Fuel/air mix DOES effect NOx, as NOx is directly related to heat in the comb. chamber, and running lean will cause higher temps.

SO (Sorry I talk too much! :rolleyes: LOL) I have pretty much rebuilt my carb and re-tweaked it, as it was worked on a few years ago and never adjusted properly. I ended up doing my float adjustment and both my Idle Mixture adjustments, turns out my Aux. screw was ALL the way in. So, after I change the oil and maybe take out my thermostat (Hoping to run cooler and hedge my bets) I'm gonna take her in for another test. :nervous: She's been off the road for too long!

Oh, and Re: "now EFI is in the close future"E
EFI?, how are you doing that?

Side Note: Some Douche egged her last night but thankfully I got it off quickly enough. I live in a crappy/ghetto apt. complex... :rant:

2ndGenGuy
04-11-2010, 12:10 PM
Kill eggers! Eggs will put nice spiderweb shaped cracks in your paint and cause some $$$ damage. The yolk won't do anything, you can leave that on the paint for days.

1GCustomAccord
04-12-2010, 06:58 AM
THIS:
http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/ll144/collomps/Imagen0355.jpg
Is a mono-port or single-port injector.
It features a built-in TPS sensor,air temperature sensor,idle control actuator,fuel pressure regulator and a single injector. In this case a Magneti Marelli 40MB25 unit from a Renault 19.
To complete the combo, a R-19 ECM and wiring harness will be installed in the car, along with a lambda (or O2 sensor) in the exhaust, a MAP sensor and a 7 bar external fuel pump.

lostscotiaguy
04-13-2010, 06:51 PM
Wow! That's quite the trick! Looks like Throttle body injection instead of fuel injection, either way VERY cool... so are you able to bolt this directly to your intake manifold or do you need an adapter plate...AND....
I would assume you have to drill and weld your own bung onto the exhaust manifold for the O2 sensor (I'm assuming you'd use the same type that was used on the Renault) or would you place it AFTER the catalytic converter?
I wish I had the skills/tools do to stuff like this! Thanks for posting, it's good to know these options exist.

ecogabriel
04-13-2010, 08:04 PM
Yes, it is TBI; some Civics from the late 1980s have a similar system (but I think with two injectors in the throttle body). I saw them in the junkyard.
The O2 sensor goes straight in the exhaust mani BEFORE the cat converter.

1G: why TBI from a R-19? It is a bolt-on where the carburetor sits? Are VWs more common over there, or it is easier to adapt the one you got than one from a VW? Just curious.

1GCustomAccord
04-14-2010, 07:20 AM
Thread BUMP! :flash:


Hi everyone,

I thought I would bump this thread instead of creating a new one. As you may (or may not) remember, I bought the 1981 Honda Accord in this thread on eBay in 2008. Two years later, I have now moved to New York for college and my parents want me to get rid of my car because they don't have room for it.

I wanted to check and see if anyone here is interested in buying it. I don't intend to get anywhere near as much as I paid for it, and despite the way it may look, I absolutely love that car and don't regret buying it. It was my first car ever and I drove it daily for a year and a half; my boyfriend at the time was equally in love with it and even though some people didn't understand and thought it was just an old car, a lot of people appreciated it as well. The car still has less than 70,000 miles on it because I mostly drove it around the city. We figured out in this thread that the low miles are original and not a rollback.

Anyway, there are a few issues with it that I honestly don't know the severity of, but since all of you guys are experts, I'll just list everything I can think of here:

- The plastic shifter sometimes gets stuck when you try to put it into park (from D to P or R). Other times it moves easily. This problem appeared within the first few months of my driving the car and my parents thought it was unsafe, but I dealt with it and still drove it.

- The low setting for the A/C doesn't work.

- The car vibrates a lot when it idles and is not warmed up; I don't know if this is really a problem or if all cars this old do this.

- There is a leak in the power steering.

- The seats are somewhat torn up in places that the original seller hid with seat covers. I just left the seat covers on.

That's all I can think of right now. I know everyone here adores these cars, and I don't want it to end up in a junkyard. If I can't sell it, hopefully my parents will just let me keep it, but I figured if there's one place where people care about my car, it's here. I apologize if this post sounds at all naive (I'm a 20 year old female), but I trust people here.

I live in Los Angeles, California. The car looks like this:

http://i40.tinypic.com/5yuj2w.png
http://i40.tinypic.com/c5kbs.png

Jess
06-17-2010, 03:05 PM
Sorry for vanishing, but real life took over and I haven't had internet access for a while. My dad told me on the phone yesterday that he wants to use the garage space and is thinking about sending my car to the junkyard. :( I would really like to sell it, though.

What do I do?

bryan42688
06-17-2010, 03:56 PM
what si wrong with the car , does it have tags on it , what area do you live in, you cant hide it some where or put a fake tag on it and park it, or sell it to me

Jess
06-17-2010, 04:43 PM
what si wrong with the car , does it have tags on it , what area do you live in, you cant hide it some where or put a fake tag on it and park it, or sell it to me

I live in Los Angeles, California. The car has tags on it. I think we could park it on the street at the bottom of our driveway, but my parents just don't want it sitting around anymore, as I won't be living at home for the next three years. :( I think my sister's boyfriend is going to talk to some people about selling it... I just really hope it doesn't come down to it being sent to a junkyard, because it's beautiful.

I'll copy and paste what is wrong with the car from earlier in the thread:


Anyway, there are a few issues with it that I honestly don't know the severity of, but since all of you guys are experts, I'll just list everything I can think of here:

- The plastic shifter sometimes gets stuck when you try to put it into park (from D to P or R). Other times it moves easily. This problem appeared within the first few months of my driving the car and my parents thought it was unsafe, but I dealt with it and still drove it.

- The low setting for the A/C doesn't work.

- The car vibrates a lot when it idles and is not warmed up; I don't know if this is really a problem or if all cars this old do this.

- There is a leak in the power steering.

- The seats are somewhat torn up in places that the original seller hid with seat covers. I just left the seat covers on.

2ndGenGuy
06-18-2010, 07:39 AM
Gah! Don't junk it! At least give it to someone who could use a classic Honda and do a little fixin' up on it...

GLICIOUS21
06-21-2010, 07:42 PM
wow that thing's mint

U AINT LYING. ITS LIKE A JDM GHOST. BEIN EXTINT LIKE THE DINOSAURS N PERFECT COND I THINK IT IS WELL WORTH THE PRICE. http://s893.photobucket.com/albums/ac132/GLICIOUS21/MY%20HONDA/

81vintyminty
07-22-2010, 07:35 AM
Hey everybody, where the hell have i been!?! Jess i hope this beauty is still available and not scrapped.. contact me LMK!!! Jay.

2ndGenGuy
07-22-2010, 02:16 PM
Yeah where the hell have you been? :D

1GCustomAccord
08-08-2010, 05:28 PM
Dont junk it!! Please, give it away or something, but dont junk that beauty! ( Or sell it to 81Vintyminty ) :deal:

81vintyminty
03-13-2011, 07:49 PM
This car finally has a new home as of today=) car did not want to start so it was towed home. seems to have some sort of wiring/ignition issue. got the car started by powering up the starter direct. the car needs some minor work and maintenance to whip here into shape but WOW i cant believe how tight and smooth an original 69k mile 1st gen rides, im in love once again!! this things as smoooth as a cadillac esp when compared to my green cut spring kidney killer!!

Hazwan
03-14-2011, 05:24 AM
HOLY SHIT you bought that!! PICS NOW!

And do side by side pic of your green cut spring kidney killer, I wanna see how bad the stock height is compared to what you have LOL

79cord
03-15-2011, 02:31 AM
Wow. Congratulations.
It's always interesting to drive another example of your car to show up imperfections you never even realized it had... & remind you of all the ones you have been ignoring..

Also good to see the thread again & the history it gives the car for you.
It's well worth helping people out.. or at least trying... you never know what the results might be!

& ^ he's right those comparison shots will be great!

HON-DUH
03-15-2011, 07:00 AM
Post pics of it!

Congrats!

2ndGenGuy
03-15-2011, 08:59 AM
Man that's rad! Cool that another member picked it up, and a 1st gen enthusiast to boot! What are the plans for it?

81vintyminty
03-21-2011, 02:53 PM
took some quick pics using somone elses camera. my camera is broken and my cell camera doesnt work =/ sorry for the quality, i promise good detailed pics once the car is completed. finished up all the maintenance last week and worked out all the little bugs the car has aquired..
ENGINE/ENGINE BAY.. i replaced the battery and both battery cables as well as added a couple more ground wires. replaced all the fuilds, fuel filter, the dist cap/rotor and spark plugs. the wires are original sumitomo pieces dated "1980", this car has all the original hoses, clips, clamps, etc in place since new, except for the hideous air tube to the air cleaner this car is truely an unmolested survivor. the carb was was also rebuilt and now idles and purrs like new.. engine bay also recieved a much needed cleaning.. i need to source a factory air tube to the air cleaner assembly, i visited all the local self serve yards this weekend with no luck. i also sent out a valve cover and the battery hold down bracket to get powdercoated black (the battery bracket had some corrosion and the valve cover lost some paint when i detailed it)
INTERIOR... as for the interior there was an issue with the light switch and it was a little sloppy, nothing a couple tightened screws couldnt fix. there was also an issue with the shifter it just didnt feel right and the indicator on the dash was not working properly. i inspected the shifter mechanism and sure enough there was badly bent pieces. i picked up a complete shifter assembly off an older civic and it was exactly the same. it now shifts from PRND2 with ease and the indicator on the dash is now working.. the seats are completely dried out under the sheepskin seat covers, the car is going to the interior shop tomorrow to get the front and rear seats recovered as close to factory as possible. interior carpet got a much needed cleaning.
EXTERIOR.. the paint is in amazing condition and just needs a good wax to bring the original shine back. there is not one dent or even a scratch on the body. the driver door side molding looks like its contacted a few things in its lifetime but nothing big. i painted the fenderwells black and also painted the steel wheels black and it looks awesome!! as far as ext parts go the rubber end caps in the bumpers are all cracked where the bolt/nut goes through but i dont think i'lll have much luck finding cleaner ones. im also going to be on the lookout for an original stanley headlight, it has 1 original low beam and both original stanley highbeams.
HERES THE PICS OF HOW I GOT HER, UPDATED PICS TO FOLLOW!!
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/1981-11.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/1981-1.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/1981-8.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/1981-9.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/1981-10.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/1981-12.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/1981-13.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/1981-4-1.jpg

81vintyminty
03-21-2011, 02:59 PM
i also got the original window sticker and sales reciept.

http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/1981-6-1.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/1981-7.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/1981-5-1.jpg

87roach
03-21-2011, 05:39 PM
Wow man, you're taking the time an effort for real. A soon to be museum piece! Glad she got into the right hands :D

2ndGenGuy
03-21-2011, 06:22 PM
That's super rad man! Glad to see you taking good care of her!

When I was at B&R Auto Wrecking in Corvallis, OR they had an 81 there, and I'm pretty sure they had the Stanley headlights in it. All 4 of them, I think. Might give them a call and see if they'll ship em to ya. Might even get some spares. :)

1GCustomAccord
03-23-2011, 02:34 PM
Finally!!! Great news, congrats!! :D

Hazwan
03-23-2011, 02:54 PM
More PICS!

81vintyminty
04-02-2011, 11:51 AM
.......

81vintyminty
04-02-2011, 11:53 AM
OUTSIDE.
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0873.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0972.jpg

NOSE TO NOSE w/ MY SON JOHNNY IN THE MIDDLE
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0673.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0882.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0853.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0713.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0723.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0642.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0892.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0763.jpg[/QUOTE]

81vintyminty
04-02-2011, 11:54 AM
ENGINE BAY
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0593.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0502.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0532.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0572.jpg

NEW BATTERY, POWDER COATED BRACKET, AND NEW BATTERY CABLES
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0782.jpg

OEM "SUMITOMO 1981" SPARKPLUG WIRES.. all original hoses, clamps, etc..
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0522.jpg

POLISHED UP THE AC LINES
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0553.jpg

81vintyminty
04-02-2011, 11:58 AM
INTERIOR
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0772.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0732.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0743.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0753.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0633.jpg

81vintyminty
04-02-2011, 12:10 PM
RANDOM SHOTS
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0942.jpg

ORIGINAL STANLEY LIGHTS
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0813.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0603.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0612.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0913.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0863.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0962.jpg

81vintyminty
04-02-2011, 12:12 PM
TWINS
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0982.jpg
http://i449.photobucket.com/albums/qq211/b20vtec909/0992.jpg

HON-DUH
04-02-2011, 04:37 PM
Excellent, simply excellent condition

How much was the car?

Hazwan
04-02-2011, 07:12 PM
Fucking sexy cars :drool:

87roach
04-02-2011, 09:32 PM
Hot damn dude, so mint.

Beautiful cars!

YK86
04-03-2011, 02:22 AM
Sweet rides! Both are mint indeed. Good work!

MessyHonda
04-04-2011, 12:45 AM
wow...everyone already said but i will say it again. sexy cars

2ndGenGuy
04-04-2011, 09:56 AM
Ditto! Loving them so much!

79cord
04-05-2011, 02:35 AM
Beautiful, immaculate original.
Love the contrast with your green one to show the work that's gone into de-trimming & lowering that... & love the white tyre stripes with black rims... Must get around to painting some of mine dark grey.

Shame those additional dealer accessory side trims are probably riveted on though... enough is enough! Hood ornament?

81vintyminty
04-05-2011, 05:56 AM
Excellent, simply excellent condition

How much was the car?

thank you. i ended up getting it for $1000!

81vintyminty
04-05-2011, 06:25 AM
Beautiful, immaculate original.
Love the contrast with your green one to show the work that's gone into de-trimming & lowering that... & love the white tyre stripes with black rims... Must get around to painting some of mine dark grey.

Shame those additional dealer accessory side trims are probably riveted on though... enough is enough! Hood ornament?

yeah im not a fan off the addition side moldings either and yes they are riveted on =/

HON-DUH
04-05-2011, 08:48 AM
thank you. i ended up getting it for $1000!

Holy shit, that's a great price! :cheers: