3Geezer! - '88 Accord Coupe
Part 1 of ??? Love at first sight
This was the first car I could remember. An autumn red, 1989 Accord EX-i Canadian Spec sedan. 5-speed, fully
loaded. That was then, this is now. I had a $12,000 "inheritance," and decided to do some racing. First things
first, I had to get a car. I was wandering around some used showrooms, stopping first at a late 90's dealership.
A Civic or two, or eight, and an SHO Taurus. Nothing caught my eye. Second stop was the 80's showroom, which
initially didn't look promising. An old Volvo wagon, another 20 Civics, and then there it was.
It was midnight blue, tucked away in the back of the lot, and mint beyond belief. I hurried over to look it over. I immediately identified it as a 1989 Accord EX-i sedan, just from the amber turn signals. The leather was in pristine condition, CD player with steering audio and cruise controls, nothing had this back then! I turned to see a salesman approaching me, and asked him if I could get the keys. He quickly turned back and ran inside the showroom, emerging a short time later with the keyring. He tossed them to me and told me to start it up. Halfway through that sentence, I had gained access and was having the time of my life with the pop-up lights. Some time later, I popped the hood and looked over the engine. It was coded A20A4 on the plate, and semi-obnoxiously said PGM-FI on the intake. I started the car and listened. The salesman (I think his name was 'Dan'), told me to to go for a test drive, be back in thirty. I drove around town, simply amazed at how easy the steering was at low speed, and how surprisingly eager the aging engine was. An hour and a half later, I returned to the showroom and handed the panicking Dan a cheque for $900, signed the papers, and drove home.
It was when I was changing the tires that it became apparant, I'd bought a lemon. When I took an impact wrench to replace the balding front tires, the lower control arms rattled and the wheel well shook apart. And it got worse. At the back, the rear quarters had been patched with Bondo, but the remainder of the wheel well was crumbling like the front. There was nothing I could do, I salvaged the interior and engine and sent the shell for scrap.
Part 2...
Part 1 of ??? Love at first sight
This was the first car I could remember. An autumn red, 1989 Accord EX-i Canadian Spec sedan. 5-speed, fully
loaded. That was then, this is now. I had a $12,000 "inheritance," and decided to do some racing. First things
first, I had to get a car. I was wandering around some used showrooms, stopping first at a late 90's dealership.
A Civic or two, or eight, and an SHO Taurus. Nothing caught my eye. Second stop was the 80's showroom, which
initially didn't look promising. An old Volvo wagon, another 20 Civics, and then there it was.
It was midnight blue, tucked away in the back of the lot, and mint beyond belief. I hurried over to look it over. I immediately identified it as a 1989 Accord EX-i sedan, just from the amber turn signals. The leather was in pristine condition, CD player with steering audio and cruise controls, nothing had this back then! I turned to see a salesman approaching me, and asked him if I could get the keys. He quickly turned back and ran inside the showroom, emerging a short time later with the keyring. He tossed them to me and told me to start it up. Halfway through that sentence, I had gained access and was having the time of my life with the pop-up lights. Some time later, I popped the hood and looked over the engine. It was coded A20A4 on the plate, and semi-obnoxiously said PGM-FI on the intake. I started the car and listened. The salesman (I think his name was 'Dan'), told me to to go for a test drive, be back in thirty. I drove around town, simply amazed at how easy the steering was at low speed, and how surprisingly eager the aging engine was. An hour and a half later, I returned to the showroom and handed the panicking Dan a cheque for $900, signed the papers, and drove home.
It was when I was changing the tires that it became apparant, I'd bought a lemon. When I took an impact wrench to replace the balding front tires, the lower control arms rattled and the wheel well shook apart. And it got worse. At the back, the rear quarters had been patched with Bondo, but the remainder of the wheel well was crumbling like the front. There was nothing I could do, I salvaged the interior and engine and sent the shell for scrap.
Part 2...