My brother and I often discuss how tempting it is to specialize in restoring the favorite vehicles from our youth and selling them within a niche dealership environment. The tough part is making the venture profitable enough to be worthwhile, since margins on these future classic vehicles is pretty slim. Still, as you can see in this unusual listing here on eBay for your choice of one of two survivor-grade Honda CRXs, at least some people are making a go of restoring cars that have yet to become super valuable.
I’m not sure how the seller will control this listing, but effectively he is offering up your choice of either a low-mileage CRX HF or a nearly-stock CRX Si. These distinctions are important for two reasons: one, HFs were used for their impressive MPGs abilities, meaning the miles were often piled on as it endured a life as a cheap commuter car. With just over 72,000 original miles, it has been used sparingly. The seller has performed some bodywork so it’s not an original paint car, but it is still OEM correct – down to the Honda steel wheels and hatch spoiler. Although I dig the corner-carving Si, there’s a lot of appeal to an honest-to-God chuckable commuter car like the HF.
The next car is the one more enthusiasts will gravitate towards, as it’s the sportier Si variant that came with some extra power and handling improvements. The seller says he rescued this example from a body shop where the car was languishing despite only needing a simple bumper repair. Today, the car has been repainted with new or refurbished plastic components to replace the fragile bumpers and trim. It could be my eyes playing tricks, but I feel like I see a good deal of orange peel and some overspray. Of course, there’s a bit of that on all of my project cars so I’m not one to judge. No word on the vehicle mileage.
If there’s one thing I miss about old Hondas, it’s the blissfully simple cockpit and driver-oriented controls. Those A-pillars are the size of straws compared to modern vehicles stuffed with airbags and other “improvements.” We did quite well with just seat belts for many, many years. The interiors of both cars remain in great shape, with the exception of some deterioration to the driver’s seat in the HF. The seller is looking for $8,000 for either car, and I’m honestly not sure which one I’d pick. Neither is “original” but both remain in excellent condition. I’d pay the asking price for an original paint car, but I think $6,500 is closer to reality for either example. Which one would you take home?
Love the 1st Gen Si (prefer an ’85 to the 86/87), and I’ve been tracking values for these for a few years. The 2nd gen is better in most ways, but these 1st gen’s have certain flaws (i.e., primitive rear suspension, torsion bar front) that just make them so much fun to drive hard. When I was auto-xing my ’84 (non Si) back in the 80’s shod with A001R’s it could be balanced on a very steady, and fast, 4-wheel drift through open sweepers – – never could do that with another FWD car. These are starting to appreciate but this many miles on a resprayed Si is just not worth it to me. About $5K for this Si would seem more appropriate. But perhaps there’s someone else who values it more. Good luck to seller!
seller has 113 listing on ebay. looks like seller has about 10 different hondas listed in this 1 Ebay listing, not sure how that works. i do not like what i see on the underside photos of what i think is the gray car so these would need a PI then make an offer. great finds.
Lol $8000. Too much! I had the exact same si colour, wheels, and bought it for $1500 Canadian dollars. It only had 140,000kms on it. Very overpriced, the 1988 is the best looking anyways, 86,87 not as nice
I think you would go broke trying out that venture Jeff. I just don’t see the profit being enough on these cars. It’s like a Wheeler Dealer concept but that’s tv and they don’t make much money on those cars.
Tricky
I’ve been looking to buy a local CR-X Si, preferably a second gen though. They’ve almost all rusted away up here.
I had a 1988 DX and got 40 mpg.
I got annoyed with so many Honda 4cyl cars producing over 400 hp without boost or nos. And the body kits that fit like a cheep suit.
I considered replacing the hood with a Peterbuilt intercooler, a giant aluminum rear wing from said Peterbuilt, and Mickey Thompson 445 tires on the back.
How many 15″ woofers could you shoe horn in this thing?
Perhaps $8k for the pair of them. And that would be a stretch. I know the 87 CRX Si very well. I had two of them. One went 277,000 miles. The other got stolen. They were great cars in their day. Not so much today. I’d look at the Si at about $3k. No more.
I don’t think these so much rusted out but were the victim of juvenile improvement. Generally well kept by first owners but in the second hand the shameless customizing began.
victim of juvenile improvement. ..thats good
Had a Gen 1 HF that was fairly sporty for 40+ mpg. It had a really tall final drive so it was hard to drive up my dirt driveway without slipping the clutch or spinning the wheels