When I visited the large car and truck collection we’re currently selling off a few years ago, one of the cars I “earmarked” for future inspection as a first generation Honda CRX. Now, my interests have changed for a variety of reasons, but I still love to check out these early, simple hot hatches as they’ve become increasingly hard to find. This clean 1986 model isn’t the desirable Si spec, but it is still a preserved survivor that will be cheap to run and fun to own. Find it here on eBay with a $4,500 Buy-It-Now.

The seller notes that this CRX retains its original paint and is an “A/C car,” but stops short of saying whether it still works. The ashtray and cigarette lighter are claimed to be in un-used condition, which isn’t much of a feat considering your typical CRX HF owner was more than likely not the type to be smoking a pack a day from the cabin. The CRX HF models like this one were capable of impressive fuel economy numbers, upwards of 45 MPGs on a single tank.

The seller says the CRX retains its original interior, but it appears the driver’s seat has a cover over it. Preserving seat fabric or hiding nasty rips and tears? We’ll never know until that cover comes off. The interior does look highly original, complete with the now-rare OEM Honda floormats. The dash is also uncracked and the spartan center console doesn’t show any obvious signs of damage. The original warranty and A/C cards are said to still be in the glovebox, too.

The engine bay is surprisingly neat, despite the miles of vacuum hoses. While the engines will live forever, one of the bigger issues with the early CRXs is the tendency of the front fascias to crack due to being plastic. This car is said to have one crack, which is incredible considering how many have outright shattered. There’s a lot to like here, and aside from holding out for the slightly hotter Si model, there’s no reason not to give it a closer look. I suspect the day is coming when fewer and fewer of these will be up for grabs.