Our first cars typically strike a special chord with us, even if the vehicle in question wasn’t particularly memorable. Mine was a 1987 Honda Accord LX-i, similar to this preserved specimen but in sedan form. The hatchbacks are even harder to find, and this example wears impressively low mileage of just over 53,000. While I don’t necessarily want to own another one, it’s hard not to look at the photos and have feelings of nostalgia wash over you. Find this Accord here on eBay with a $6,900 Buy-It-Now.
These were just inherently good cars, from what some would call the golden era of Honda as their product line became more diversified and their reputation in the U.S. marketplace began to take hold. From the sporty CRX to the fuel-sipping Civic, Honda (and Acura’s) U.S. lineup at the time is still looked upon by enthusiasts as one of the best. Honda even offered a decent grand touring coupe in the form of the Prelude, extra points if it was yellow and featured four-wheel steering.
The Accord of this generation firmly established it as a class leading vehicle with impressive durability and decent driving dynamics, even if not particularly sporty (at first). This hatchback shows us that they can remain in highly preserved condition if maintained, shattering the image that these were fragile Japanese vehicles that couldn’t survive decades after introduction. The previous era of vehicles, sure – they rotted out if you looked at them wrong. But Accords like these combined world-beating engineering with bodies that didn’t rust after a few winter seasons.
The seller notes this Accord benefits from long-term one-family ownership, exclusively in Arizona. That helps explain its impressive condition and obvious care lavished upon it during those years. The seller will include several years’ worth of service records, and notes that the A/C blows cold and the original cassette stereo still works. While you could rack up another 300,000 miles on this Accord with ease, you really shouldn’t – just keep the mileage under 80,000 and enjoy vintage car ownership that won’t bleed you dry.
I could see using this for a dependable back and forth to work car.
$6900 seems expensive for an 80’s econobox, but when you consider they are proven to go 300K, giving this well maintained one a remaining life of 250K, this looks pretty cheap.
Had an ’86 sedan we bought new. One of the best cars I’ve ever owned. To poor people we thought we had a luxury car. Got hit in the rear on the way home from work, but the rust started at the welds and ate it up the rear fairly quickly. Sold it to a guy at work for his son to drive.
These are very fun, dependable cars. Too bad it’s an automatic – performance is night & day when compared to a manual. I’ve owned a bunch of Accords, though none of them were the hatchback – still have an ’05 Coupe. Rare? Low production numbers perhaps, but when I think “rare” Duesenbergs & Pierce Arrows come to mind. Back in the day, the hatchback wasn’t that uncommon to see – though not nearly as common as the 4-door sedan. Buyers always opted for the sedan over the coupe – one of the reasons Honda dropped the coupe for the 2018 model year. I’d be tempted to purchase this over a new Honda – there’s nothing in their current line-up that interests me.
Awesome car. Too bad it’s a slushbox.
Theses were wonderful cars. Fun to drive, great gas mileage and easy to park. This was built nefore Honda got into the big buttitis game that everyone else did. I’m talking about fatter, heavier cars that maneuver like a Buick. It was a great age for Honda. The current Fit that I own harkens back to that era.
Lovely looking Honda Accord. I remember when the Accord looked like this. I was too young to drive at the time, but I remember these cars. My brother and sister-in-law had one. They still have it, although it’s not driven as often as it used to be. I find them more attractive than they were at the time.
A lot of sellers like to claim their Japanese econoboxes are good for 250k-300k miles, but these really are. They’re practically indestructible, especially the LXi interior materials. I’ve had several. Even if the timing belt goes, it’s a non-interference engine.
It’s nice to see one of these that’s not the carbureted DX model– it seems like most of the well-preserved low mileage “grandma” Accords from this generation are. The automatic isn’t as bad as it sounds, and if there’s a shortcoming in these, it’s that 5th gear tends to fail in the manual transmission versions.
U are very wrong about the timing belt! These ARE interference engines and tb can ruin the motor if not changed as per schedule!!
My aunt bought a brand new 88 gray sedan. I was 8 and I thought that was the nicest and most futuristic car I had ever had a ride in. The new car smell in that one was one of the best ever. It took a few hard hits front and rear, was repaired and kept on going trouble free. A drunk driver finally sent it out to pasture while it was parked.