SOMEONE BUY THIS CAR on eBAY!!

[81vintyminty]

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]

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]

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/searc...=1989%20accord
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/ctd/865026075.html
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/ctd/865026075.html

[81vintyminty]

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]

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]

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]

Had to go & grab the pictures of it again:




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]

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: https://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]

your car somehow reminds me of my car before my it got rebuilt. guess its coz of the second door rubber belt/lining.

[Jess]

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:

[carotman]

I would love to buy this car but I'm in eastern Canada...

I guess the car is still in Cali right?

[Jess]

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]

Come on Carotman! You know you wanna fly to Cali to pick it up!

[Jess]

Here are the pictures from when I first got the car. It looks the same now.

[SZfiftyfour]

oh man, i love that car.

[frantik]

i hope someone on here buys it.. it's beatiful

[1GCustomAccord]

Wow, that car looks new, almost a museum piece! Beautiful!
Can we see the engine?

[frantik]

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

[Jess]

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]

Why can't I see pictures?

[Jess]

Why can't I see pictures?

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

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

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

[frantik]

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]

Want

[King Peetis]

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]

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?