86 LXI Sedan Manual - what do do?

[kw_da]

Hi All,

Long time lurker, thanks for all the help keeping my LXi going.

I'm wondering what I should do with my baby. I'm the original owner of a 1986 LXI Sedan Manual Transmission. I have 270,000+ miles and may be it's time to get a new car. The engine & transmission are original, the a/c still works. It still passes CA smog and burns no oil. No rust or big dings (California car :)) I still get about 28 mpg in town and drive it to work everyday.

The bad - interior is shot (sun & time damage), but no cracks in dash, paint is shot (left outside).

Should I sell it, or spend some more $ to keep it going? Probably should do a timing belt/water pump change about now. What do you thing I can get for it if I wanted to sell it?

Thanks

[A18A]

if its currently giving you trouble free transportation, i would just keep using it until major problems occur :)

[w261w261]

The interior and exterior are cosmetic issues, only you can decide whether you want to sit in a nicer environment or have a better paint job. As far as the mechanical stuff goes, you've had the car for all its life, so you probably have a pretty good idea of what needs to be done and when. Maybe now is the time to take stock - make a list of everything that should be done and total it up. See how that feels money-wise.

I'd say you could get $300-$600 for it.

Maybe another way to look at things is to consider your own mortality. If you've had the car for 23 years, you're not getting any younger. Unless you have a strong emotional attachment to it (like a lot of people here, including me, do) it could be time to say goodbye, and treat yourself to something new and fresh. Shiny paint, nice new leather, more horsepower, 15" or 16" wheels, equivalent gas mileage, etc. It will cost some incremental amount more money, but maybe not too much on a monthly basis when you consider how much you'll have to put into your present car to keep it going.

Your general status on the road will go up with a new or newer car. If you're married, your wife will probably be relieved not to have to ride with you. If you're single, definitely the quality of your dates will increase. But your headlights won't flip any more.

[Joay]

But your headlights won't flip any more.
Enough said. :)

[kw_da]

[QUOTE=w261w261;1001639]If you're married, your wife will probably be relieved not to have to ride with you.QUOTE]

Thanks for the feedback -this is exactly what happened. I actually have another accord that I can use - but I think I'll try to keep this one running just to drive to work & leave in parking lot all day.

[w261w261]

OK, sounds like a plan. You can also fix the interior pretty easily by a visit to the JY. You can find interiors that look pretty good for not much money.

Wait until your local spray-and-go like Maaco offers one of their half-price specials. For a couple of hundred bucks, particularly if you tape it up yourself, your car will look surprisingly good.

I'd say for $300 and the right timing, you can spiff up the ride. Maybe you'll get a promotion at work as a result.

[MessyHonda]

OK, sounds like a plan. You can also fix the interior pretty easily by a visit to the JY. You can find interiors that look pretty good for not much money.

Wait until your local spray-and-go like Maaco offers one of their half-price specials. For a couple of hundred bucks, particularly if you tape it up yourself, your car will look surprisingly good.

I'd say for $300 and the right timing, you can spiff up the ride. Maybe you'll get a promotion at work as a result.

lol...thats funny...i work at a bank and i drive the oldest car...park next to bmws, mercedes and lexus...but i still get props for driving the lowered 2 door coupe...some guy wanted to buy it off me...but yeah...my car is a daily driver...cali sun beats on the paint..

[paul]

Assuming you've maintained the car well, as the original owner, I'd keep it. It's worth it just for the $ it'll save (e.g. no collision insurance, cheap wear/tear parts) etc.

Then again, I've had two people come up to me on job sites asking if I'd be willing to sell the car, for close to the price I paid over 40k miles ago; apparently both were avid older honda fans...

[hammer3rd]

BS to letting it go. It has served you this well for this long. Spend a couple 3 grand fresh the motor up paint some new suspension mabey even a set of wheels. A junk yard interior and drive it another 23 years. And the good thing is no 3 4 or 5 hundred dollar a month car payments. And if you want something a little different you can always hop it up a little. And best of all you get to keep them flip up headlighrs.