Good morning! Today, I’m pulling out one of my oldest tricks and showing you a couple of clean examples of cars that folks in northern climates probably haven’t seen in years. Even better, they’re reasonably-priced, unlike so many ’80s and ’90s “survivors” these days.
Yesterday we looked at work vans, one big, and one small. A lot of you liked the idea of the big Chevy Express, but the comparatively gutless V6 engine and lack of air conditioning put you off. The little Ford Transit Connect made a lot more sense to the majority of you, no matter what business you were thinking of starting.
The business I now want to start involves parking a van next to haughty Camaro drivers and making them pay me to move, and for that, I don’t actually need any cargo in the back at all. So I might as well save as much gas as I can. Put me down for the Transit, too.
There’s a good reason to look at a couple of ’80s-90s cars for sale in the Bay Area this week, too: in just two days, RADwood descends upon the area. I won’t be there, but if you want to go, don’t have a suitable car, and want to represent the Shitbox Showdown spirit at the event, I’ve got just the car. Or cars, rather. Your choice. Fly in, buy a car, join the Autopian convoy already in progress… and get turned away, because apparently RADwood now has standards, and just any old car won’t do. But hey, the car-spotting in the parking lot should be epic.
1987 Honda Accord LX – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter OHC inline-4, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: San Jose, CA
Odometer reading: 194,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The Honda Accord is now in its eleventh generation, and I imagine it’s still a fine car. But it’s big and heavy now, like all cars, and I doubt it still has the same easygoing charm of these older ones. This third-generation model is what I think of when somebody says “Honda Accord.” I mean, it has pop-up headlights! On a sedan! No hybrid drivetrain or infotainment screen can compete with that.
Not that the drivetrain in this Accord is anything to write home about: it’s just a simple 2.0-liter four-cylinder, fed by an unusual three-barrel carburetor. It sends its power to the front wheels through a four-speed automatic transmission. It’s closing in on 200,000 miles, but that’s not a big deal for an Accord. It’s a one-owner car, according to the seller, but I don’t think the seller is that owner. I think this is one of those dealers masquerading as a private seller. As such, make sure you check it out carefully.
The best part of these old Hondas has got to be the interiors. They’re just so logical and so well-made. All the switches and buttons feel good to operate. The seats are comfy, too. This one is in great shape inside, but it looks like the glovebox might have a broken hinge. That’s a minor fix, though.
It looks good outside, give or take a parking lot ding or two. The back bumper cover might be a little off-kilter, too. It must have been kept in a garage, because there’s no way the paint could stay that shiny being parked outside. It’s not a fancy model; I’m guessing it’s an LX at best, but that makes it sort of an unsung hero. Anybody can take care of a collectible classic. I like seeing these everyday models in nice shape.
1994 Toyota Tercel DX – $2,500
Engine/drivetrain: 1.5-liter OHC inline-4, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Cupertino, CA
Odometer reading: 198,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
And speaking of unsung heroes, here we have what might be the greatest simple little car of all time: the Toyota Tercel. Economical, dead-nuts reliable, and about as exciting as plain oatmeal, the Tercel is exactly the car most people need, even if it’s not what they want. They used to be everywhere, but they’re getting pretty rare these days. This third-generation Tercel is an uncommon sight, even in California where cars last for ages.
In keeping with the Tercel’s mission, its engine is just what it needs, and nothing more: a 1.5-liter four-cylinder that makes 82 horsepower. Earlier versions were carbureted, but by 1994 electronic fuel injection was standard. This one was recently overhauled, and it runs well. It’s equipped with an automatic transmission, and I’m sorry to say that overdrive wasn’t available; this is strictly a three-speed affair.
Believe it or not, this is kind of a fancy Tercel. You could get one a lot more stripped-down than this. I mean, it has cloth seat fabric and air conditioning! And the air even works! It looks really good for almost 200,000 miles, too. The driver’s seat shows a little wear, but the rest of the seats don’t look like they’ve been sat in at all. That’s typical of economy cars used for commuting, though. I’ve had four-door cars that hardly ever had the rear doors opened.
It looks decent outside, except for some faded paint, but the seller says it has a salvage title. They don’t say what happened to cause it, though. Maybe they don’t know. I guess for this price, it doesn’t matter much, as long as it drives straight. It has aftermarket alloy wheels that actually look pretty good on there, and are probably easier to find tires for than the tiny stock wheels.
These two probably aren’t very exciting to drive, but they’re both simple, honest rides that have served their owners well for years, and are ready for more. They don’t use much fuel, and they’re easy to fix if something goes wrong. If you’re a cheapskate and a do-it-yourselfer, and you’re not concerned with 0-60 times, either one could be a cool near-classic to run around in. Which one would you prefer?
Accord. Gens 3, 4, and 5 were peak Accord. My college girlfriend got one almost exactly like the one pictured. At that point it was a 10 year old car but didn’t feel like it. 87 LX same color combo. It only had like 60k miles on it, but whoever had it did not take care of it one bit. Clogged fuel filter to the point of stalling, super dirty oil and filter, all other fluids needed changing along with water pump and timing belt. Carb needed some attention. Parents bought it from a dealer and were not car people, and they got fleeced by it just being a Honda with a clean title.
Funny how in 1997 learning how to start a carbed car (and use a choke) was completely foreign to a whole generation of drivers. I think everyone assumed that gen 3 accords were all fuel injected. She just couldn’t get the hang of dealing with a carb and sold it. I should have bought it and put the minor work into getting it going again – would’ve lasted another 10 years with some TLC.
That looks like the smog check place I used to go to. Green Smog Check @ 1073 El Camino in Sunnyvale. They used to be the cheapest in town.
Popup headlights > no popups
I’m choosing Honda today, of my own Accord.
Window cranks on the doors and black door handles; that there is a DX
My step-mom had that exact color and year of Accord and I always loved that car, so it gets my vote.
If the Tercel was a 2 door I would have called this a toss up. I miss the days when automakers tried to convince you their econobox was sporty because they made it a little less practical. In fact, I want to see someone do that today with their little crossovers. I would respect the hell out of them as they lost money on the tooling.
I can’t say no to popup headlights. Bonus points if one springs up in half a second while the other slowly and creakily rises like Grandpa trying to get out of his recliner.
We will soon know whether pop-up headlights are indeed a $1,000 feature.
It could have gone either way until I saw the Tercel has a salvage title. Maybe it doesn’t mean anything on cars this old, but maybe it does.
Accord for me.
Accord for the pop-up headlights and ’80s brown interior. I wonder if it would be worthwhile to manual swap?
An old normal car vs an cheaper old normal car.
I’ll have the regular normal car please. And pop up and down headlights, too.
Toyota fan by default, it has working air, guess it’s Tercel.
Is the Accord’s AC broken or did it never have it in the first place? If it’s the latter, I can live with it.
It has AC; I can see the compressor in the underhood shot. Ad doesn’t say whether or not it works.