This 1984 Honda Accord LX hatchback has under 40,000 original miles and looks like one of the best ones left in existence. The seller is well known for tracking down survivor-grade specimens of otherwise ordinary cars that simply don’t exist in this state anymore, so for fans of the “golden era” of Honda products, this time-warp Accord is a sight for sore eyes. The Accord wears what is believed to be original paint and comes with records and manuals. Find it here on eBay with an asking price of $13,890.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Jeff for the find. The Accord is the hatchback model, which is seen slightly less frequently than the standard four-door model. This is an Accord generation that is near and dear to my heart, as my first car was a 1987 Accord LX-i sedan wearing the same colors as this specimen, handed down to me from my mother. Exciting? Not at all. Astoundingly reliable and cheap to own? Absolutely. Look at the bumper trim – no signs of fading, and no rust in the wheel arches.
The interior is stunningly clean, with light gray cloth upholstery and carpets offset by the darker gray dashboard and top level of the door panels. The cabins of these Accords were surprisingly driver-focused and simple, certainly a far cry from what modern-day interiors look like. The Accord interiors of this era were a step in the right direction in terms of build quality, feeling much less tinny than its forebears. The seller notes the air conditioning works, as does the factory radio and cassette.
Lots of vacuum lines in this era of automobile, and Honda was not immune to this pile of spaghetti under the hood. The seller notes the timing belt has been replaced as of 1,500 miles ago, and the finnicky carburetor rebuilt 800 miles ago. Service records from new are included, along with new car delivery paperwork and owner’s manuals. The Accord is certainly nice enough that you won’t want to use it every day, but for a Japanese car collector, it will make a very nice centerpiece to a collection.
Where else but BF’s can you go from a Caddy powered Allard, to a Honda Accord? Say what you will, Honda turned a major corner with this car. The 600 was a toy, and the Civic, while game changing, it was the Accord that really got things going. It was a car you weren’t ashamed to show up at gatherings with. While southern folks enjoyed them for years, they didn’t do well in the salt bath, and turned many owners off. Accords with no front fenders were not uncommon, still chugging away as the front shock towers collapsed, deeming the car junkyard bound. Most looked like this within a couple years and this was in Cal.!! Nice find, except those Asian engine compartments give me the heebie-jeebies. Vacuum leak anyone?.
https://ranwhenparked.net/2013/08/22/driven-daily-honda-accord-mk1/
I had Hondas and Toyotas during this time, and one of the most used items in my toolbox was the set of rubber caps for isolating vacuum leaks. But that problem, like most others that might occur on these cars, was always a relatively simple fix for home mechanics.
I had a Civic Si for 14 years from new, and had no vacuum leaks. That said, I wouldn’t want one with a carb… Injection only.
That didn’t happen in California. My mom had a nearly identical 84 Accord that never spent a night in a garage. There wasn’t a spec or rust on it when my parents sold it in 2015 with 28,000 miles. Unless cars are parked long term on dirt or are within one or two miles of the ocean, often less, the rust you describe doesn’t happen.
Steve R
Exactly what I was thinking. I lived in the FL panhandle back then, and saw Vegas and Fiats rust in the first couple of years. I remember these cars as being several steps ahead rust wise, and by the early 90’s no longer an issue.
Actually, it doesn’t matter if you live near the ocean or not ,if you live in the snow belt and they use salt on the roads, they are going to get rusty.
Bought my first new car in 1985, an Accord with 5 speed stick. Never a problem and certainly better built than all American stuff that year. We ordered air cond and it had to be dealer installed. The cars came set up for air, but dealers had to install it. The burgundy paint was beautiful. I kept it out of the snow and after 3 years sold it for $8,000. I kept impeccable records and the buyer knew it. Over time, the carb went bad and yes” Honda’s rust, but do all cars today as stupid Pennsylvania sprays liquid salt on the roads in winter. Great cars.
True, but here in Ohio, they gspray brine constantly, and more often than not it is washed off in the rain.
Constant salt bath for your car, not just when it snows.
The last gasp of this generation of Accord was the 1985 SE-i sedan, which had fuel injection, leather interior, and alloy wheels. It’s too bad they didn’t make a hatchback version too. This was one of the colors the SE-i was available in. And it’s too bad this one isn’t a stick. I had one of these, and 86 HP just doesn’t do much with an auto tranny connected.
The odd year Special Edition cars were always a little different than the other models, which is why they were limited on what body style they used.
I bought a new 1993 2 door SE with a spoiler. I loved everything about that car with the exception of the headlights. They were just too dull.
My 89 SEi coupe was one of my favorite cars. Wish I still had it.
Those headlights are jogger proof.Ask how I know…
My ’85 Accord was a great car. After 13 years, I got hit by a taxi. Insurance company totaled the car, but let me keep it. A pal managed to get the front back on the car & I drove it for another year & a half. When the a/c exploded (it kinda did blow up) it was then that I said I was done. I got 500.00 for it. The gentleman said he was driving to Texas. If anyone ever saw a white ’85 with a British bumper sticker in the back window that read, “My Car’s Like a Tart, Your’s for a Fiver” that was mine!!
Whoever buys this car had better check the transmission really well.
When they don’t shift, it is expensive.
I had an 85 hatchback automatic just like this one too, except dark blue. The transmission always worked fine, but somehow the flywheel lost some teeth, so if the car stopped at a point where the flywheel was missing the teeth I couldn’t start it again.
Blast from the past for sure. When we were in our early 20’s in the mid 90’s my best friend had an 84 that was a bit of a beater, he traded it off for an 85 in similar condition as this one. So many memories that aren’t appropriate for this forum 😁. I can say that if one is properly motivated, you can swap brake pads on one of these in 20 minutes flat. That’s curbside, in the Oregon rain.
I thought this one looked familiar. It was offered for sale on Bring a Trailer back in August for $8000. $6k is a pretty steep markup for an old Accord.
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1984-honda-accord-3/
Agreed. I have 2 sons both whose video and photography skills have contributed (based on posted comments) to some well above average sales on BAT for cars (one record setting) being offered for sale for the first time.
IMO, no matter how it’s presented, to have this $8k car (based on the market having already spoken) jump to $13k by merely jumping auction sights is a bit of a stretch. But who knows, someone out there may be willing to pony up that much and ebay may be the means to make that happen. Nice flip if the market bites…but ebay will be taking its slice of the pie….
What a crack pipe!
Talk about cars of my misspent youth! I can hear the R to D shift…an eerily sloppy…kerrr…clack! And I too remember these regularly having missing flywheel teeth too. Was always best to avoid automatics. The five speeds were really great though! The kind of manual transmission you didn’t mind driving in rush hour traffic.
The cool thing, if you can say so, were the numbered vacuum lines. And being a Honda they generally held up decently.
The rusty silver one in the picture link is definitely a coastal car. The road salt and humidity cars were much worse, dissolving aggressively at the strut towers and fenders, then all the other usual spots, like that lift gate. The second generation held up considerably better in the “northern” south.
Odometer digits don’t line up. I have seen this with mileage rollback cars. It is in good shape but I would want the full car fax before bidding. Full emissions reports also!
My first new car was a 1994 Accord LX Hatchback ( burgundy) with factory louvers on the rear window. The 5 speed manual was the smoothest shifting
car I ever owned and it was so trouble free it was actually boring. One
of the biggest mistakes I ever made was selling it after two year and buying a Nissan 200SX Turbo… the Accord was a much better car.
Correction, was a 1984 Accord!, sorry it is hard to be old and forgetful!
That was my exact first car. My buddy’s ’88 CRX was more fun, but I tried to keep up. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Good luck to the seller.
Show of hands please. How many people would go to a museum where space was dedicated to this car???
Pretty much my thoughts. What museum features ‘84 Accords?
The museum of Mundane automobiles ?
I’d rather have the AMC Spirit or the MG Midget that the same seller has for sale on Ebay.
Actually, the Henry Ford Museum at Greenfield Village has a gray ‘82 Accord sedan! Think it was the first one built in the U.S.
Beware!!!!
The Odometer digits don’t line up!
This indicates rollback of mileage!
This car probably had 40k miles in 1985. I had an identical car, carbs are always needing work. No reason to do a timing belt unless dry rot due to age. Very rare to see a Commuter car Like this with low mileage.
So you’ve said. But old mechanical odometers rarely lined up perfectly. They get white lines between the digits if they’re rolled back though.
Back in ’95 thru ’97 I owned two of these, both light blue, one automatic and the other a 4 speed. Sometimes, in a hurry, I’d be driving the auto and forget which car I was driving, and would park on a hill, jump out locking the door quickly, only to turn back to see the car slowly drifting away, as I’d left it in drive. I’d have to chase it, get the key into the door lock, jump in and slam on the brakes, all while holding a pizza in one hand. Awesome cars, I wish they still made the hatchback Accord.