Honda CRXs have long been staples of the import scene, desired for their light weight and lithe handling. Unfortunately, their sensitive Japanese sheetmetal and popularity among tuners means they are rarely left stock. This 1985 CRX here on craigslist has escaped that fate and has under 20,000 original miles to boot. It’s listed for a reasonable $5,250 and is likely one of the best ones left.
I’ve always liked these early CRXs, namely because they’re a bit more obscure and the design feels more detailed than the later, more streamlined cars. The chunky taillights, two-tone body cladding, and red pinstripe were all unique to the early model cars. This one also features some neat OEM accessories, like the rear decklid spoiler and the valuable Honda mudflaps. The car is said to be rust-free and used solely as a weekend vehicle.
Unfortunately for the seller, those weekends are few and far between. That’s why he’s selling it, as it doesn’t move from his storage unit enough to justify holding onto it. The interior certainly looks like a new car, with the seats still showing healthy bolsters and untorn fabrics. The door panels are starting to warp / wrinkle slightly, but that seems to be the biggest sin in the cockpit. This is an analog car – no power steering here.
With damage-free bodywork and some recent maintenance that includes a new timing belt within the last two years and fresh fluids within the last few weeks, this CRX has clearly lived with attentive owners. Given how many of these have been retired due to rot or the brittle plastic front-end components leading to a salvage title, this car is the epitome of a survivor. Hopefully, it doesn’t end up in the hands of a tuner or driver under the age of 25.
Great find. Has to be one of the few originals left. With the new timing belt this thing would be a drive anywhere car for the next few years to come,
The ad is gone. Where was the car located?
Steve R
From what I can see, it appears that the car WAS located in the Detroit (Macomb County?) Michigan area but is now heading to a new home. Congratulations to the buyer for scooping what looks like a really nice economical daily driver commuter car.
Thanks, I didn’t know location information was still visible after the listing was removed.
Someone got a good deal.
Steve R
Great car. I had an 86 HF. It had no passenger side mirror and a high rear end, so visibility was non existent when trying to move into the right lane. For that procedure I would get next to a car, speed up to get ahead than move over. Always know what kind of car is besides you because if you slowed down to go behind them, rest assured there was always another car behind him that you couldn’t see. Other then that it was a blast and a half to drive. Plus getting 50 plus MPG on the highway.
I had to do that with a Cadillac Hearse I drove for a year. No visibility to the right at all. It was a fun ride though.
A trip to a salvage yard for a mirror of a similar but higher trim level car and a few minutes with a drill for the install could have saved some road rage from the people you cut off…just sayin’!
Never cut anyone off in it. I always made sure I was ahead of them. Enough distance for me too see them in the rearview mirror. Definitely would add the mirror if I had the car now. Our town has quadrupled in size since I had that car.
If put into climate controlled storage, this one is money in the bank- no where to go but up!
Gone
Great cars. Had a 87 CRX Si, solid red, gray interior, 5 speed. Bought it for $900 with almost 200k on it. Regular maintenance plus a Pacesetter header, quiet muffler and removed the plastic restrictor plate under the air filter when I swapped in a K&N stock size filter. Was an absolute blast to drive! Put over 100k miles on it and sold it to a friend for $900. I need to look him up and see if he still has it. Miss that car.
Beautiful. I’m the proud owner of a black stock ’91 CRX Si that I bought 7 years ago. 130k and still in great shape.
Not an Si, but still a very fun car to drive. If it was rust-free, it was worth every penny of the asking price.
I bought a new Mercedes in 1984, 300D but was trouble from the start, all except the diesel engine. Then traded that in to the dealer for a 1987 300D. five cylinder diesel, smooth and quiet but the rest of the car broke down a lot , everything malfunctioned one thing at a time. Then after just a couple years and huge headaches I went total bonkers and bought a new Honda Accord V6. Am now on my fifth Accord, and so far have never spent a nickel on repairs, and high miles on all of them. Now the whole family, nothing but Accords. And now, the Honda V6 is no more. But the current four can be turbocharged to the same HP as the V6.
My ’85 CRX HF got 54 mpg on the highway but the body rusted in ’93 when I moved to FL.