I've had 3 of these. One heavily modified. Love these cars. Had a 91 Accord SE. 4 door. SE model got you leather interior and a slightly more powerful motor. 140 hp instead of the standard 130 hp. 2nd one was a 91 EX, 4 door. Nothing remarkable about that one compared with the SE. Last one was a 91 EX coupe. Had a JDM h22a4. LSD. Intake, header, exhaust. Gutted interior. Racing seats. Stage 4 clutch. Custom tune. K sport coilovers.. Still kicking myself for selling that one.
@@theKevronHarris Oh my God fuck that. If they brought back the Prelude as an SUV, I'd never buy a Honda again. Judging by the fact that they killed off the Accord coupe this year, I somehow doubt that they'll bring back the Prelude or anything sporty ever again.
Really? I seem to remember Hondas had a pretty well-earned reputation for impressive reliability back then, from the lowliest of Civics all the way up to the wonderful Acura Legends of the day. This car was pretty special, even today I think it looks quite good. It aged well, unlike so many other cars from the era. It all started to go a little wonky after this generation of Accord because Honda started to deviate from the plot.
I've got a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am that's never had any major problems. I (and probably your Mom) do this thing called "regular maintenance". Had a 93 Mustang that was just as "reliable". Working in the car industry you quickly learn it's the OWNER who is the major factor, not the manufacturer. Unfortunately there are very little 90s Hondas and Toyotas left nearby because they've all disintegrated leaving wonderful drive-trains sitting in piles of rust... too bad, would love a 90s Accord Coupe.
1990 Accord says: I'm a practical family man. I show up to work on time, 5 days a week. I drive the kids to practice, and the family to church on Sundays. On occasion, I drive to the city to solicit a hooker.
preludeF20Bking eh, that’s technically true. But to be fair, the S2000’s model years were 2000 to 2009, so you see how it could be deemed as a “2000s car”.
Thw fact that you no longer see Corsica's and Camry's from the same model year is a testament to Honda's engineering. I still see this generation accord driving around every so often.
BCJDM i see 23 separate chevrolet coriscas AND berettas from these years. And they are doing well, and still driving around as if they were new. Meanwhile, in camp honda, ive seen 1 of these. And it was rotted to the ground, no rockers, nearly destroyed quarters, and a falling apart bumper. GM made better cars compared to its competition. Youve all just been brainwashed not to say so.
I woke up to see this generation of a Honda Accord in front of my house yesterday. Neighbor is having work done and his house and one of the workers drove it and parked it in front of my house :-)
@@Lrules364 Berettas? Corsicas? Where do you live? The ozarks? Mississippi...Alabama? One of the Dakotas? We haven't seen those in any cosmopolitan or metropolitan areas since about 2001. Doubt anyone under 24 on either coast has any recollection of them existing.
+LRulesTheWorld -- The delusions of domestic nut-swingers never fails to amuse me. GM provably did NOT build better cars in this era and the Corsica/Beretta were among GM's most egregious examples. There's a reason why those two are not produced anymore while the Accord is now in its tenth generation. Who's the one that's brainwashed here?
I’m fairly certain that if I had not wrecked my 92 Accord LX I would still be driving it today. These things are basically bulletproof as long as you change the timing belts on time.
I picked up a 1991 Accord LX with 50k on the odometer back in 2020. Changed the timing belt, threw on some new fuel injectors for peace of mind and she runs like a Swiss watch
Even now. That's why I just picked up a 2018 Accord Sport with the 6 speed manual. Who knows how long they'll keep offering the manual transmission. I felt like I needed one before it was too late. It's smooth as butter too.
@@xfiringsquadx -- You are absolutely correct, unfortunately. The only two car makers that remain somewhat faithful to the manual transmission are Honda and Mazda, and who knows how long that'll last. Either way, there is no modern manual trans with a cable-operated system that can even remotely compare to the feeling and satisfaction of rowing through an old-fashioned linkage-style setup, and Honda had it pretty much perfected. I never even bothered to mess with the shifter in my old Integra because it was THAT good.
I remember back in 2007 I walked into a mom and pop dealer hoping to find a cheap but reliable point a to b car when I spotted a 92 Accord LX 5 speed. I almost didn't bother to give it a 2nd look when I saw that it had 243,000 miles. As soon as I drove it I bought it on the spot for $2,500, turned out to be a one owner car and one of the most reliable and best used car purchases I ever made!
I got mine from craigslist in 2007 as my first car. It clicked over 235k miles on my drive home. Drove it as a first car and beat the shit out of it like a moron, totaling it twice. I drove it to the junkyard with 298k on it and bought another with 190k. Drove it to 230k and sold to a coworker, bought another MINT 1 owner dealership maintained one with a bad starter with 233k on it.. it was the best running and shifting one of the bunch. It felt like a totally different car. It's at 323k now and I manual swapped it. Point is, I've never owned a low mileage one and I've never had any mechanic issues with any of my Accords ever. Never got left behind or stranded, anything that ever broke was user error. Insanely good cars.
@@jay.fromthebay I actually had the exact EX, color & everything. Severely regret selling this car even though it had 260k. Everything worked, even the sunroof.......... Sold it back in 2004 for $1500
@@jay.fromthebay my first car was a 1990 accord. My parents bought it new and gave it to me when I turned 16 in 1998. At the time I thought it was ugly and I hated it, (of course I wanted a sports car) so I abused the F*** out of it. I drove it banging gears like it was a race car (it is a 5 speed) Hell I would only put oil in it when the low oil pressure light would flash. For years I treated the car like that. One day in 2005 I was talking to a buddy who was on his second engine and 3rd transmission in his 1999 escort ZX2 when I realized I had never had a single problem with my accord. The car had taken YEARS of abuse and neglect and never once left me stranded. Then I realized how much I actually loved it. I still have the car to this day and to this day it has NEVER left me stranded. Granted I take much better care of it these days but I literally hopped in it and drove it from Point Mugu CA to Jacksonville FL last month with out so much as a care. Everyone likes to talk about how any car can last forever if you take care of it. The 4th gen accord will last forever even when you don’t.
@@TurboNFRStwoK amazing story, glad you still have it! Are you on the cb7 FB group? Agreed. These are bulletproof and idiot proof. Can't kill them even trying.
My friend had one of these in 2004. It had 200+K miles and 0 issues. The fit and finish of every single interior panel and mechanical piece of this car was top notch. Everything was soft touch material inside. Despite being abused for years it didn't have one rattle of squeak or issue. Honda was definitely proving a point to Americans with this Accord.
These cars had plenty of small things go wrong at higher miles. Maybe the engine and transmission are fine, but many things go wrong well before 200K miles. All rubber parts like engine seals and suspension bushings would fail and several electrics would go bad. By now parts are getting hard to get from the dealership
I miss my 92 Accord EX 5-sp. Never have me an issue. I sold it to my neighbor in 2007 with 230k miles and he was still driving it for 2 yrs before I moved away. The best accord ever built!
My friend's parents bought the 1990 Accord brand new. Yes, they did baby it, serviced it at the dealer all the time. My friend beat the living shit out of it every friday and saturday night! I'm a witness to it. In 2005, they sold the Honda Accord and moved back to Poland. The Accord Honda engine had over 500,000 miles on it. The car looked mint and the engine still kicked ass! That's how Hondas were built back then.
I had a 93 with a 5 speed but it had transmission problems. Shady dealer sold it to me. I purchased a 96 accord after that and in my opinion it was the most reliable accord I’ve owned. 7 years and only had to change brake pads and normal maintenance. Miss that car.
When I've had a bad day, I like to watch old reviews of old cars. I just love these old cars, no one considers them to be classics but they certainly are to some. This classic Accord is so damn cool.
I own one with 55k miles and after putting in a new starter, alternator, serpentine belt, timing belt, water pump, distributor, spark plugs, plug wires, radiator and new injectors this thing will most likely be the last car I own. The paint on the valve cover is still fully intact. Gonna have it repainted at some point and redo the interior. Does need the passenger side rear quarter panel replaced due to some rust bubbling around the wheel well but I'm not concerned in the slightest.
For all those young people who didn't have the distinct displeasure of driving an American vehicle from this era; the Honda was light years ahead of GM and Ford. These cars were a breath of fresh air compared to the dangerous float machines made by the American brands. This car is why GM, Ford, and Chrysler all struggled to regain dominance until the SUV/light truck boom.
I think that's Motorweek's former assistant producer, Taylor Baxter . He sat in the interiors of test cars along with Craig Singhaus, Max Balotin, and David Schrivener in the late 80's and early 90's.
Have a 1992 EX. Great Car. Head gasket went at 210k due to clogged radiator. Repaired along with new radiator, valve regrind and head checked out OK. Wishbone suspension is original. Original Automatic 4 speed and engine. Now has 225k, No rust as it was in California most of its life. If you get a rock chip you better touch it up quick or it will rust. Interior looks like new with no tears and no cracks in dash. Sunroof even still works as it should. Now the damn power antenna breaks yearly. I finally just disconnected the power part and left if partially up.
Have a 93 currently. Same interior, automatic, 2.2 liter, 290,000 Miles, family owned since around 1995. Interior is nearly flawless and two Small rust holes in rear quarters. Ice cold AC, original stereo. Car is a gem and I would still to this day drive it anywhere. My only complaint is the lackluster back support.
that teal green was THE color for this generation that seemed to define it. they offered like 3 different shades of green for this gen, that teal being one of the most beautiful.
The Tech Librarian omg i used to love how my 91 sounded on startup after a fresh oil change 😍😍😍 I miss that Car like crazy lol my 06 is great, but none of the spunk
late 93 they put in a driver airbag and normal shoulder belts. In 94 they started to come with driver and passenger airbags with normal over shoulder belts.
I bought a 93 Accord EX in 2001, after I totalled my Beloved 96 Crown Victoria that I inherited from my papaw, I needed a car quick and I was the type that I'd never dare buy a foreign car. My uncle's coworker was selling his moms car and my uncle told him that I was in desperate need of a car, my uncle took me to look at it, and I was totally not interested he persuaded me to drive it but that didn't change my mind, so we left and my search continued after 2 months of nothing, and my uncle telling me to buy the Honda I agreed as it was dire need. So I took the insurance money from the crowm vic and my uncle loaned me $700 and I bought the Accord, at the time it only had 33,210 miles, this was in 01 I still own and drive that car daily now it has 241577 miles and never once given me an issue. I'm so glad my uncle kept nagging me to get that car, best choice I've ever made .
@@jay.fromthebay I sure did. And I still have that car to this day. It's not my daily as I bought a new 2021 Accord. But I still drive Mrs Daisy regularly. Yes I named her Mrs Daisy.
@@deltaboy767 awesome! I was just at the junkyard here in CA and noticed they had a really nice straight clean 93 SE coupe for sale whole. I wanted it but I have too many cars so I took pictures and posted it in the massive cb7 Facebook group and a guy from Kansas City, MO was really interested in it as a project since he had a 93 coupe once and wanted to relive his nostalgia. Since he was out of state I ended up buying it for him, diagnosing and fixing it in the yard, getting it to run, and he just flew in yesterday and today he left with it to drive it back to Missouri. It was a ton of work and effort but I saved another one. It's a bit rough around the edges and definitely needs some love and fixing but that engine was butter with 243k miles on it. Hopefully he makes it home okay!
@@jay.fromthebay That's awesome, I've thought about selling Mrs Daisy, she's clean for the miles. And runs smooth as butter and the automatic is strong and shifts like it did when I bought it.
@@deltaboy767 That's awesome, the transmissions are super reliable but it's a hit or miss on how smooth they are. Almost all the ones I had, about 7, all shifted pretty firmly, but this one I just bought and another friend's shift really really nicely. How many miles are on yours?? Don't sell it, you'll regret it eventually.
I still own my 1991 Honda Accord SE and it still in brand new shape. I love driving it around because it is fast on acceleration from 0-40 for highway merging and gas mileage is in the high 20s. Very big inside the cabin. Very little in terms of repairs costs and still is a looker after all these years! Honda did a fabulous job at design, engineering and it was assembled in Japan. Everything is tight and solid with the body and cabin.
My dad had a Charcoal 91' LX, sitting on 15’ Moda R1 wheels and a silver/red dual pinstripe. Bought it new, swapped the wheels, had it lowered and put a mcintosh stereo in it and then gave it to my aunt after 7 years; 5 owners and 30 years later I still see it driving around the neighboring town, probably with a million miles now.
In 1990 this accord was head and shoulders above the rest. A powerful 4 cyl, great handling and fit and finish was better then a bmw 3 series in my opinion. On the hwy the 4 cyl was bomb proof and silky smooth.
Had a 1990 Honda Accord EX I bought it with 9,000 miles on it and paid 11,500. It wasn’t even three months old. It had a beautiful dark eggplant 🍆 paint from the factory and a beautiful grey and black interior. The nicest car in my hometown and many of my friends and family bought one after driving with and talking with me. I think it sold at least a dozen just on looks and word of mouth in my tight circle. Maybe more than I knew. Miss that car, but I have had five more accords since!!
jay92889 there was a burgundy that was more of a red color, this was a super dark purple, almost black. It came from the factory that way and I haven’t seen another. It came from a reputable dealer, dealer had used it, I was wondering if someone knew more about it and if it had a paint code or a name for it.
I had a '92 Accord EX I bought used. It was a beauty. It got more compliments than any other car I have owned. I had a standing offer to purchase it from the mechanic who primarily worked on it. The car lasted until 2005 when it developed a short in the wiring or something. The car cutting off several times while driving. The problem was never diagnosed. I traded the car.
I had 5 90-93 integras and they also had that low, flat dash and lots of open window space. Great view. I have a tsx now that I do love and feel more safe in, but those cars will always have a place in my heart.
The car still looks good today, as far as I'm concerned. The instrument cluster and dash also still look modern, which is a testament to Honda's quality. No one would say the same about the Ford and Chevy sedans of the era.
The '90-'93 Accords is my favorite gen. I remember my step-grandfather traded out an '86 Buick Century for a new '91 model. My grandmother was so mad he did that. Then over time she appreciated the car enough to drive it for the next 21 years. Then she bought an '08 Accord. Lol!
I like how this review comes out and says Accords are smooth operators, more than the sum of their parts. I've owned a 96, 03 and 05. There is just something about the cars and the way they're put together. Such a dignified car, but hard to explain why.
I had a few of these. It didn't take much to wake them up. Suspension was world class as was steering so springs/shocks/RSB/wheels/tires took care of that. For the engine you had a few options. Easiest was getting the intake manifold from the Prelude Si and the camshaft from a 92+ EX/SE. That plus bolt ons did the trick. Then of course you could do an engine swap, or with the low compression go turbo. Because these engines were so ubiquitous you could pick up a spare block to build for cheap. These were big and heavy though.... the much shorter wheelbase in the Prelude made it ridiculously more fun.
These ARE still around and the design's aged well. It's definitely from another era - what stands out in today's context above all is its' lowness - but it's not so much dated as showing off how overstyled a lot of current cars are.
This car single handedly put ANY Big 3 built car to shame, especially GM JUNK. Didn't stop ol John here from trying to downplay it while he raved about the new Big 3 JUNK being produced at the time.
TheRealMrPooPyNuTz not even close. Everything about this car felt like a poorly constructed fisher price toy from china. And the metal was so thin, that most of them rotted to the ground before they hit the 10 year mark. I have yet to see one of these accords that isnt falling to pieces. Compare that to GM products of the same age that are still running strong after almost 30 years.
I have to agree, most GM cars built in the same era were literally junk, my family had a Buick Park Ave that broke down at measely 17k miles. Never looked back after switching to Japanese cars.
@@Lrules364 That's funny. I have yet to see a GM car pre-1996 that's still running. They were all scrapped in 2006 as they're all pieces of shit, just as they were new.
Wish I could get a brand new, minty fresh off the line CB7 Accord EX Coupe - fully optioned and in the Teal that so many Hondas were painted back in the day. With the earlier tail lights and front bumper with the fog lights.
I think it'd be awesome (and hilarious) if car company's re made some of their old models with modern technology. Imagine this car with blind spot warning, a big infotainment screen and all modern day features, but with this style body. I think people would buy them like crazy
I bought one just like this brand new in 1990. I put 200,000 miles on it in three years. I loved it. The that kept going through my mind was “Refined”.
