There are certain vehicles that used to be practically everywhere and then one day, simply disappeared. You usually notice this with economy cars that were used by commuters and high school students alike but that were quickly scrapped once the first big repair bill came. Sports and luxury models usually fare a bit a better because they either become more valuable and eventually snatched up by enthusiasts, but in the case of high-end vehicles like the Acura Legend, it’s likely due to unflappable reliability that this 1993 sedan listed here on craigslist has survived to such an impressive degree.
As someone who has spent far too many years defending the less-than-sterling reputations of older European vehicles, it’s impossible to deny that the Japanese figured out how to make a luxury sedan that just kept working even after the neighbor with the old 5-Series gave up servicing it. The Legend was the bedrock of the Acura name for many years, effectively the model that helped the company establish itself as much more than just a more expensive sibling to Honda (even though it more or less was.) Fortunately, the quality of the Acura products was so good, customers truly felt like they owned a car that was much more than a gussied-up Accord.
Powered by a SOHC V6 with about 200 horsepower, the Legend was well-equipped to go head-to-head with most other mid-size luxury sedans of the era. A later “Type 2” version increased performance to 230 horsepower and could be paired with a manual transmission. Sadly, not long after this higher horsepower engine was introduced, Acura was realizing it couldn’t compete without a V8 engine – and a V8 would undermine the NSX as the company’s high-performance offering. It was indeed between a rock and a hard place, and the Legend was ultimately retired and replaced by the Acura RL.
My favorite detail about this Legend is that it was still being dealer serviced up until the last few months. This is not uncommon among Honda / Acura products, which seems to benefit from a dealer network willing to help dedicated owners keep these older models on the road. The seller reports that a service exceeding $5,000 included replacement of the timing belt, tensioner, drive belt, coolant, and water pump, along with several other routine services. The Legend appears to have excellent cosmetics as well, and for a daily driver classic that will be cheap to maintain, you can’t go wrong with a clean flagship like this. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Curvette for the tip.
Another resounding example of pride in workmanship especially when comparing this to its Brit twin the Sterling 800.
That’s a nice service 🔧 This beauty will probably cruise around for alot more miles.
The Rover Sterling 800 was the “twin” of the first generation Legend, not this one, but you have a valid point anyway.
Gone, what was the seller asking?
Steve R
I’m wondering too. It was removed before I saw it. Any idea of price and miles?
I always thought these were great looking and driving cars.
I had a new 1986 Acura Legend and LOVED that car! It was wonderful!
I would not mind having a Legend Coupe, even in 2025 they look sharp.
Yeah me too, wondering the milage and price.
These were great cars. I was a service dept foreman at Acura of Boston in the early 90s. This one in the ad was an LS version looking at the bumpers, polished rims and Bose stereo. The Type II engine was only available with the GS models. This 2nd Gen V6 felt a lot more powerful then the 1st gen Lengend engines, although the 1st gen engines were silky smooth. The 1991 (first year 2nd gen Legend) cars could chirp the tires on the 1-2 shift with enough gas. Customers felt a luxury car should shift so harshly so they toned the car down, possibly less throttle pressure for the ‘92 cars. Felt like they robbed the car of power. They were great cars. Only issue was really the differential seal which would leak.