Am I the only one? -- 100% Honda Stock 1989 Honda Accord LX

[TNTumbler]

Am I the only one here that is trying to preserve history by keeping my 1989 Honda Accord LX 100% Honda Stock? Part of my reason is because I'm a member of an International Car Club and some of the events we attend are judged and I like to enter my Honda as its different. Living in Memphis, I've counted on one hand how many Accords like mine are still on the road. 2 Coupes, 2 Sedans, and Hatchback and there could be more I'm not seeing. You just don't see them on the road near as much as you used to. Everyone in the club has fallen in love with it and tells me they wouldn't change a thing.

Specs:
1989 Honda Accord LX Sedan
A20A1 2.0L Carbureted Engine
5 speed manual
AM/FM Cassette Premium High Powered Radio
B49-M Laurel Blue Exterior
Type C Interior Color - Blue LX Cloth
152,000 miles

All Denso or Made for Honda Parts go on this car. Yes the parts are sometimes higher but worth it as it scores big with the judges. :rockon:

[redneck]

looks like you could use some rare oem parts

[charliekuney]

You should have seen HONDUH's 40k mile '89 Laruel Blue LX.

[TNTumbler]

Charlie, from my understanding this isn't a common color for these cars. The most common was White, next was Silver, then a Gold/Beige color. I have been keeping my eye out for some rare parts for this car like the window vent guards. Fogs would be awesome, but not a must. I'm still learning on the optional parts that the dealers installed on these cars. The other thing I'd love to find is the rear mud guards. Those seem to be the hardest to find. Every time I find them they are split, dried out, or scraped. Maybe one day. LoL I was rather impressed that this car isn't rusted apart as it spent a couple of years in New Jersey. I keep it extremely clean. Radio is starting to act up (factory head unit) and on the hunt for another unit. Not spending $150.00 for one! OH NO!

[HON-DUH]

TNTumbler,

Check out my OEM pristine cassette deck

http://www.3geez.com/forum/classic-accords-preludes/93721-fs-honda-accord-1989-stereo-cassete-deck.html

Came out of a 40k Honda Accord 89 LX Laurel Blue time capsule

PM me with an offer

P.S.

I also have all 4 OEM Original speakers, they all work, except the black foam around the paper cones are gone...nonetheless they'd compliment your all OEM goal

[charliekuney]

I don't know about where you are but I live in the Seattle area and blue is by far one of the most common colors I see. Laurel Blue was only available for the 1989 model year (1986-1988 had Montreal Blue; close but not the same) but I don't think Laurel was all that uncommon as it was available on five of the seven trim levels - all but the LX-i coupe and hatch - as most colors are only available on one, two or three trim levels. Polar White, Misty Beige, Seattle Silver, Champagne Beige, Laguna Gold, Graphite Gray and Chateau Red are also pretty common in this area. If you see a blue face-lifted sedan it's most likely a Laurel '89. I think rear mud flaps were a factory-installed option as all cars that do not have them have a small rubber insert where the rear mud flaps would be (all trim levels of all years came standard with front mud flaps). Also, take a look at the dealer- versus factory-installed arm rests; they are very different. There was also a factory slave equalizer and a dealer version. Floor mats, window vents, fog lights, slave compact disc player, lug locks, front bra, leather steering wheel cover, certain wheels and a few other things are rare OEM factory-installed options. The fender and door guards are pretty worthless to me. There are a few dealer-installed options, but not a lot and most of them are common and not worth much.

Get the rear mud flaps, locking lugs, front bra, cup holders or slave equalizer, floor mats and window vents and you will have a sedan loaded with rare USDM OEM goodies. Any interest in JDM options?

[gyates93]

I try to keep my LX as close to original as possible. Mine has original paint and I haven't really seen many others this colour, and I haven't seen any more in this kind of shape around here except one that Krown was using for publicity. I've got 190 000km on it right now and its a daily driver, and I use parts that are good quality and will last. The Honda dealer here in Kingston knows me well. The only option this one really has is cruise control.

(Those are the original 13" steelies from 1989, unfortunately the hubcaps didn't make it.:P)

[TNTumbler]

I live in Memphis, TN (the land of Hell-vis ............ err I mean ELVIS! Uh-Huh, Thank ya very much! LmAo). I've only spotted one other Laurel Blue Metallic Honda Accord here and it was in the salvage yard and the sad part is ...... IT WAS MY FIRST LAUREL BLUE ACCORD! :( She lived a good life and had 477,000 miles on the clock (she had 297k when I got rid of her and running like a champ). The ones I've seen running on around are 2 Gold (1-LX yr unknown, 1 89 DX Sedan) not champagne, 1 LX-I hatch in Dark Blue, and 1 DX Hatch painted rattle can white over brown. Other than that you don't see these cars often except in salvage yards. Then you better be quick because the eBay scavengers will be on them like white on rice.

Thanx for the info of items I'll keep my eyes peeled for.

Hon-Duh, I've seen the radio you have, it doesn't match the one I have in my car. As far as speakers, I thought they were blown, but it turns out to be the head unit is dying. Those were the first to be replaced as I found a 1989 LX-I Sedan w/ 19k miles on it that was totaled at a young age with pristine speakers sitting in a garage. Radio deck was another story as the gear selector was smashed through it's faceplate.

['A20A3']

Super clean. Glad to see minty accords are still out there. I, like you, also prefer genuine Honda parts and have no problem paying more for them. And I might just have a set of rear mud guards somewhere in my garage for ya. I believe at one point I have 4 complete sets including the ones on my coupe. I only run the fronts now tho. Having parts becomes a space issue when youve had 5 different 3G's over the years haha

[Dr_Snooz]

These cars were huge with tuners for many decades. I remember well the days when you couldn't park a 3g on the street overnight, lest your emblems, hubcaps or the entire car disappear. As the aftermarket supply pooped out, tuner interest waned. Now the collectors and restorers are discovering the 3g. Unlike the tuners, restorers want the cars to be factory original. We have a few members currently doing factory restorations to varying degrees and I think it's wonderful.

Factory restorations are getting harder though. We just finished going through a long period where you could throw a rock at any wrecking yard and hit a 3g. That's pretty much over now, so cheap and abundant, used OE parts are a thing of the past. I expect these cars to keep appreciating in value as they become more rare. Fortunately, the aftermarket has rediscovered us and it's possible to get aftermarket performance parts and a number of aftermarket replacement parts for OE parts that just haven't stood the test of time very well (like the distributors).

I had hoped to keep mine as a numbers matching original car, but I realized that having a 3g with an auto transmission is a lot like putting an Olympian sprinter in wooden clogs. So I swapped in a stickshift and now my numbers don't match. Along the way, some SE-i rear brakes got swapped in as well.

Now, I've pretty much given up on the whole numbers matching, pristine factory original thing. And I'm cool with it. To be a real OEM collector snob, you have to put the car in storage, so it doesn't wear out. That is, of course, completely missing the point of our cars, and Soichiro, if he were still alive, would slap you for doing so. These cars are meant to be driven, enjoyed, delighted in and ultimately loved. As that process unfolds, things happen that push you off the OEM rails. You run the car into the back end of something heavy and an aftermarket hood and bumper end up on the car, because Honda doesn't make those parts anymore. You get tired of the sun scorched paint so you repaint with a closely matching, but not perfect, aftermarket color, because you can't have your baby looking shabby. You decide that the car is more than worthy of the finest leather interior, so you swap in SE-i door panels and make plans to replace the cloth upholstery with the finest leather, when and if the factory cloth ever wears out. You realize that the only thing that could make your car handle better is a set of high-dollar German racing rims, so you put them on your wish list, even though they are anything but factory original.

I don't really have a point here other than that I simply can't imagine not driving my 3g, so I've had to accept that the car will not and cannot remain factory original. It is a part of me and the longer I have it, the more it comes to reflect me. The more I drive it, the more it wears out and gets replaced with what's available. It is ultimately a compromise, yet an aspiration at the same time. It is an assemblage of aftermarket and OE parts, yet entirely suffused with my determination to reach far into the murky haze of future time and ensure that this car is still a part of my life even then.





Anyhoo, glad to see more collector/restorer interest on the board. Tell us more about the kinds of competitions you are in. What is it like? What is the scoring based on? etc. How long before we see these cars going for millions at Christie's Auction House? LOL

[TNTumbler]

I just had my car appraised by an appraiser. This guy is thorough on his appraisals by going all over the car, through receipts, and paperwork of work done on the car and where it was performed. Since I have every last document from Honda, every last receipt (even down to a $.29 fuse LoL), so on, I got high marks for that. The only downfall he said the car has at the moment was the passenger side hubcaps. So the appraisal value of my Accord came to around $7,000 to $7,500. He said to get those two hubcaps replaced with identical matches as on the driver side and the value would be around $7500 to $8500.00. So, 152,000 miles isn't bad, but what limits my mileage going up on the car is the fact I have Antique Tags on the car (to avoid inspection as it being carbureted. Memphis makes it harder for cars 20 yrs old and older to pass).

I've put her through two judging shows already. The judges look for originality (nothing aftermarket like cold air intakes, high performance spark plug wires, etc), body condition (crash repairs, panel fitment and alignment), paint condition (any runs, over spray from repaints, etc), the original engine and transmission (rebuilt is acceptable), and interior (no racing buckets, they want the original cloth or leather if possible - some fabric replacements are acceptable but do detract the points), and wheels and tires (no aftermarket rims, original rims and/or hubcaps if equipped).
One thing I found interesting was a guy had chrome valve stems and air caps on his 1958 Chevrolet Impala. They deducted 10 points because they were not black rubber w/ OEM style air caps.

So when it comes to these shows I do make sure my Honda is vacuumed thoroughly (seats, floors, mats, trunk, around the spare tire, and inside the engine compartment [leaves mainly]). I detail everything (inside door jambs, trunk jambs, cowl cover panel, etc), wash and wax (again door jambs and trunk jambs included), Meguier's interior protectant on everything vinyl and plastic. It takes me at least 8 hours to get ready for a show, then once I get to the show I have to take a California Duster to get the fine dust off of her. The judges do give extra points if they see you drove your car to the show and not trailered it.
So far the best I have come in on is 2nd place in the Import Class - 1980 - 1989, and Honorable Mention for Best Import - 1970 - 1990. This year I vow to do better.

A20A3: Let me know on the Rear Mud Flaps. Price + shipping. I found another 3G around here with them in a salvage yard but some Hispanic guy (I saw him) tore them off getting to the aluminum rims. He tore up dash trim pieces as well, bent body panels and such. I did report him but they aren't going to do anything about it.

[Ayeobe]

My car is staying OEM. It wont be original, because im going to make it a pre-facelift (I dislike the facelift) and id love to put a manual transmission in because automatic makes me sick, but im one of the crazies that store it. Mr Honda can slap me all he wants but i'd prefer he slap the people who drop salt on the roads here like they're McDonald's fries...
I have added all-weather and carpet floor mats, an EQ, i have all my pre-facelift parts and an OEM lip for the front premie bumper, and i have 4-door window visors. I removed my wheel covers in favor of the lil metal hubcaps, and my original wheels are super clean still. The car is an original survivor with 115k miles (185k km) and it will stay clean for as long as i can keep it that way. There isnt a mark in the seats, but it has suffered a tiny bit from a few years of daily spring summer and fall driving...
However, not a single visible after-market part will go on it, (wheels, radio, intake, ext) and i shall try to keep the paint original.

I'm so hellbent on OEM, it's sitting under an OEM Honda car cover. It fits like a glove.

[Dr_Snooz]

Mr Honda can slap me all he wants

I'm referring to "collectors" who buy the new limited run Corvette or Benz or Ferrari or whatever, drain all the fluids and put the car up on blocks in a warehouse without ever driving it or even so much as removing the protective plastic on the seats or body panels. They lock the car away and let it rot for 25 years until it appreciates enough that they sell it, basically virgin. Mr. Honda (RIP) designed his cars to be enjoyed, not horded for profit by weenies.

Having said that, I'm stoked to see these cars already getting respect from the classic car scene, even if there are a lot of weenies. LOL

[Ayeobe]

I have yet to see 3rd gens at car shows aside for mine.. and they dont like mine too much..
Mr Honda would indeed slap someone who bought the car just to make profit off it heh.. My car was almost like that though. Guy bought it and drove it about 70k miles in 20 years..

[TNTumbler]

5911

With it now becoming spring here. I drug mine out of storage (as mine is another lucky one that hasn't seen salt except driving by the coast of New Jersey three times) and took it for a spin. I do start mine up at least once a week and if the weather is permitting (as well as temp) drive it even if a short distance. Mine had the OEM Honda Car Cover, OEM Bra, and OEM Honda Tag (Silver not black like the current one) when I bought it. The car cover and bra was trashed and when you picked them up they would fall apart literally. The tag was bent, faded, and severely scratched. So I purchased this tag from the local dealership. It is in an OEM Honda tag holster with the 4 screws that came with the car holding everything in place. I have my first big judging show coming up April 5th and I'm preregistered for the event! So April 4th this baby is getting prepped and dressed for the ball. LoL Mine being a factory 5 speed makes mine a blast to drive but my pampering the car drives people in traffic nutz. The speedometer is off by 5 miles (I'm going 35 when I'm doing 40) so that is something I have to look into. I'm so glad that I'm not the only one who keeps their Honda as OEM as possible. We're closing in on 152k miles on Lorelei's clock. :)

P.S. The oil spot under the car isn't mine!!!! It has been there going on 3.5 yrs now from some idiot blowing his engine in his Volvo showing off for some girls who did nothing but laugh. But that's what you get in Memphis' public parking areas at the local parks. LoL

[r4racin]

100% stock accord as well, such a reliable car and I'll never change it.

[Charlie5280]

Love these cars bone stock. Have had LOTS of good memories in high school with a buddies 1989 4 door EX accord. We hit 110 in it in the mountains downhill :P