if its 5spd, overffill the trans a tiny bit to keep the 5th gear in fluid... if its auto, drop some new Honda fluid in... checking the level suuucks tho. Check out 3geez(dot)com, or 3geez fb groups.
I’ve got a 1989 Honda Accord, I paid $ 900.00 for it , I didn’t even know what it was , it’s close to immaculate condition, inside is beautiful blue , and its loaded with electric sunroof, cruise and the dash and steering wheel feels amazing, I can’t believe I got it ... funny thing is that was the cheapest car I could afford , I met an Asian lady uni student and she saw my Honda she went nuts over it , started taking photos and made a movie of me popping the headlights.... awesome car
My main driver is an 89 Accord, 5 speed lxi in Monterrey green with 423000 miles. Still runs great. I'll be driving it to Pennsylvania tomorrow from Atlanta and Lord willing, returning with it in two weeks.
cannon Dale - What's the common issues on the car for part replacement today if I were to get one like this car '89 Accord or upto '92 model. I'm looking to get a manual version. I would like to know what sort of problems I will be dealing with. I have intermediate skills on repairing cars myself.
I believe you, cannon Dale. I bought one new, sold it with 170,000 because I was worried about long-term reliability and rust (I'm in the rust belt). Damned if the friend I sold it to didn't drive it another 100,000 miles and nothing significant ever went wrong with it. Never even replaced the clutch. He sold it to his friend who continued to drive it, I don't know how far after that. Scheduled maintenance that was more than today's average: Timing belt at 60,000, valve clearance every (don't recall the interval). Unscheduled maintenance to the best of my recollection: Brake rotors went bad more often than they should have, ball joints here & there front & rear (to be fair, this is over the 270,000 miles I was in touch with it), a/c recharge or/and condenser every few years.
noobz I have a 90. The 90-93 gen was more reliable than the 86-89. No major engine or transmission issues in any if these, especially the manuals. At most it'd need some suspension work like ball joints and bearings, but only really after 200k miles. Otherwise these are dead solid.
What a beautiful car. This was Honda at its absolute best. I will always remember the growl of my dad's 87 Accord with the wonderful 2.0 A-series engine.
@@catinthehat5140 Not all. I'm not saying they were built with the finesse and precision of the Japanese competition of the time, but some were actually simple, dependable cars that were cheap to keep running.
@japanwatchconnection The Dodge Spirit was a competitor to the Accord. It came out in 1989. It had a fuel-injected 2.5L SOHC 4cyl that made just 100hp. Low-tech stuff, but typical output numbers for the time.
@palebeachbum i disagree. I've owned a 82 cutlass, 86 lessbre, 88 6000, and 91 corsica and compared to the japanese cars of the time I owned many parts would break by 60k miles
@@catinthehat5140 my experience was the complete opposite. I owned an '88 Camry and it was very poor quality. After 10yrs and 100k miles the clear coat on the paint was pretty much gone, the vinyl skin on interior panels was delaminating badly, and the upholstery had developed wear holes. Mechanically it was having issues with burning oil, the fuel pump died leaving me stranded, and it had over $1,000 worth of oil leaks. It was replaced with a '92 Plymouth Acclaim, which was a competitor to the Camry at the time. Aside from also having terrible paint, it was far better build quality and gave me a lot less trouble, even when pushing nearly double the mileage. Never left me stranded with over 180k miles. Anytime anything did go wrong it was always quite cheap to repair. Very easy car to work on too.
Boy this brings back memories. My very first car. I was proud of my little Honda. Took my girl to the prom in it. Got me through college. This month we've been married for 19 yrs. Wow! Time flies. Used to fill her up for $10 and ride all week.
Ahhh the golden years for the Japanese. They made the very best in the 80's and 90's then took a page from the big 3 and got complacent. Live and learn...
My parents bought black '88 LX-i sedan automatic when my sister and I were born. We moved to VT in '94 and had the car until the winter of '98. The car had a very tough life with us, especially in VT where the road salt was taking it's tole. But it was a great car, and as many have said, they don't build them like this anymore. This will always be my favorite generation of Accord, and I'd like to have one of my own some day.
This review is exactly what all reviews should be. About the car itself, it's chassis, it's place in the market, it's ethos. Not it's stupid infotainment system and other superfluous details.
I'd rather have simple entertainment system and simple controls. Too much computerization these days. No wonder it took college kids to fix today's cars.
My 93ex coupe was hands down the best car I've ever owned. Love what Honda was doing from mid 80's to the mid 90's. You just cannot get the build quality, features and RELIABILITY for anywhere near the value today that you could get from them then. From my 85 accord SEi onward I became as big of a fan of that brand as there is without becoming a "boy racer" with the fart can exhaust and primer paint jobs hahaha
I miss my 1988 Honda Accord sedan DX 5 speed manual! I did everything in that car. I even took it hunting since I didn't have a truck. I wish I had a picture of that 7 point buck hanging out of the trunk: head and antlers out one side, hind legs out the other! My parents, fearful I might "throw a rod," forced me to sell her at 175,000 miles. She was running fine, no need for that sort of worry.
+TheAKBUDDHA1 Years ago, I had a friend who happened to be a lesbian. She refused to consider the Probe when shopping for a new car because of the name. : )
My first car was the 1986 Honda Accord LX-i sedan with the manual transmission. very reliable car and it lasted a very long time... more than 22 years to be exact.
I think this is also has something to do with motorsports. Honda got F1 grand prix experience. Other manufacturers are racing in rally and touring car. All the experience in motorsports are used in R&D.
This car, and the Accord 2 generations newer, are some of the best-looking mainstream Japanese cars ever made. So much quality, refinement, and reliability as to become practically legendary. This coupe is particularly lovely.
When the Accord Coupe first came out, I struggled between whether to buy it or a used Prelude. I ended up with a low mileage 86 Prelude, but would not have gone wrong with the Accord. Interesting about the competitors of the MX6 and the Probe. How many of those would one still find on the road?
I see a weird amount of both still on the road, Saskatoon Saskatchewan, I have a feeling it’s from some owners storing them away for winters and then selling them 20 years to young kids who daily drive them into the ground
11.5 for a 0-60 is not bad. I had an auto 2001 Civic that also took 11 seconds to get 60. But it didn't feel very slow because the engine soundtrack is so exciting!
I had an 89 lxi...power steering leaked, so I removed the pump. It had a sport steering wheel. I advanced the distributor timing. The car felt quick in traffic, was fun to drive on the road. Though it was already over 20 years old, it could still do 117mph. It was comfortable, practical and fun. I can't say all the same about modern cars of the same size. My wife has a 2016 Corolla...same size as that accord was. The Corolla, with its cvt, dampens all driving joys. The trunk is less usable. The styling isn't as nice. Yet it was the best option of its class.
Did you know Chrysler was the first automotive company to introduce cruise control in the late 1950s it is nothing new its a shame you don't know kids these days sigh....smh
Webster Kollie You're not exactly comparing the right market.. the Accord was Honda's bigest car, as it still is. The civic did not come with cruise control. The Accord had it standard on all but the base model trims, and optional on the base model sedan if i remember right.
Webster Kollie The Accord LX-i was Honda's flagship, their best. The Chevy Aveo was a poorly executed sub compact car built in Korea with a Chevy nameplate.
itsmegp46 Actually the Accord SE-i was the flagship. It came with a sunroof, power doors, seats and windows, four wheel disc breaks, leather seats and a 4 speaker Honda-Bose cassette system
SEi never had power adjustable seats.. and it cant be a flag ship, it was built in 89 only, for the 3rd gen accord. The only extras for the SEi were bose stereo with amp and radio controls on the steering wheel, 4-wheel disc as you said, diffrent wheels, and leather interior. Also, civic and Accord hatch/coupes did not have power locks... i dont know why.
I love watching these videos and when you end up seeing one of your own old cars reviewed here. It's even nicer. These things are still rolling with their original motors, for the most part. This is the era Japan took over the world.
Its like a look back in time of my life. I didn't own one but seeing these vehicles and the tech they had takes me back there. At this time in 89 I had been dating my future wife for 2 years who is still here today..Love these. I was 20 then.
I had the this same model but in a burgundy color, this car took me every week from one state to another never let me down... I sold it when it had 378 thousand miles and running strong...the buyer took it to a mechanic to have it inspected and he was amazed on the condition of this car... I just bought a little Honda Fit as a beater to and from work...167k miles and runs like a champ!
My family had one. While I was meant to inherit it, sadly, it broke down before I could learn to drive :( I would like to buy one of these within the next 10 years. My favorite Honda of all time.
I used to have one of these. Fantastic car. I straight abused that poor car and it just could not be killed. Amazing build quality and loved the pop up lights. I wouldn't say I miss it, but I sure do admire it!
Yes, mine was burgundy. The engine hum and roar was confidence inspiring. After owning American cars, took me a while to realize it wouldn't break if I wrung it out more.
My dad had this car. An 86 4 door LX and i loved it to death, out of all the cars he had, this was my favourite because of those awesome pop-up headlights! Even got stolen one time but police located it at a nearby junkyard abandoned. Best gen accord ever!
Ah, man I miss this car. It was my second car in the mid 90's (my first was a Chevy Nova, the 1980's compact not the muscle car, my uncle had ceased the engine on before I got it). I had the LXi and it was an awesome car despite when I got it, it was Mexican rigged to high hell (Had to rewire a lot of things), it looked tiny on the outside but it was spacious on the inside. It had GREAT acceleration (I could beat a `98 Mustang GT off the line though they could eventually catch me on large straight lines) Toss on a few after market parts and a little tuning (And no I didn't ricer the thing up) and I was having a blast on the local drag strip making people double take as I'd shoot off the line, sadly it met it's end one day when I did something stupid and got lazy during and ice storm one late spring in North Carolina, instead of going the long way home I took the short way up a S curve hill, lost traction and slid into a ditch, cracked the transmission housing and sheared off a few teeth on the 2nd gear. I panicked and gunned it, wheels dropped out, spun up real fast then caught on the rocks in the ditch which broke the housing.. Instant broken gear teeth. Closest transmission I could find was two states away so she was retired to a scrap yard.
I had a 1989 Accord DX coupe in the same color as the one in the beginning of this video. The differnce in mine was the bumpers were the same color as the body. I had it for 10 years with a 10 disc CD changer and cassette AM-FM radio with remote control. I also put a right side view mirror on the right door from Honda as my car didn't come with one. Yes, the controls were so easy to get to and that car started and ran no matter what. people offered to buy it from me often but I was never interested in selling it.
I always loved accords, from my dad's 86 hatchback with pop-up headlights, to my grand fathers 88, 00 and 13, and my 2 first cars a 96 sedand and a 07 coupe. Now driving the RLX, wich is based off the accord :P
I had an '87 LXI 4 door. It was one of the funnest cars. The light steering is not an exaggeration. It was like turning the steering wheel on a video game, and it was more fun.
Owned one. The pop ups never failed to be fun for kids. You could leave them in open mode when leaving the car to fit the mood for during hungover days!
My 1989 Accord LXi Coupe saved my life 19yrs ago when an elderly woman fell asleep behind the wheel of her Buick and rear ended me at 40+mph. I have now been driving Hondas for 23yrs. Honda for life. Even my lawnmower is a Honda.
my dad had an old one and man do i miss it we always called it the brown car since it was light brown and it my dad hated driving it but i had a soft spot for it cause it looked really cool when i was young
I bought my first new car in 1988. It was a Monterey Green Accord Coupe LXi. I thought I was so cool driving that car. Seeing the acceleration numbers in this video make me laugh a bit because I thought the car was quite a bit quicker.
Did you have the 5-spd? My dad bought a new 1986 LX sedan automatic. It was slow but the build quality was phenomenal. The car was clearly designed to show the world Honda is a major player vs 1985 and older models. Im here because I want to get one again.
A couple years ago I bought one nearly identical to this tester--an '88 LXi, identically equipped, except that automatic seatbelt. Same color scheme and all. Anyway, it had 112k mi on it, and the seller only wanted $500. The car was a survivor, and had minimal rust and a couple unnoticeable dents. The paint had faded a bit, but I thought it was probably garaged most of its life by its overall good condition, especially for a car that was 28 years old. Aside from the fact that I needed a beater, I was sold on the car for the fact that those ridiculous pop-up headlights still worked, a rarity. It took me a single day to fix its many minor issues. Driving it, I fell in love with it, but I did realize that in 1988 I would never have been impressed with it. I definitely would have wanted more out of a car I'd have been financing. I was only enamored because it was a car that held up remarkably well and was only $500. Its only failure was no fault of Honda's: the aftermarket alarm system was often defeating the ignition switch for no rhyme or reason. Ripped that out and the car was fine. It served me well in 13,000 mi over the six months I owned it. Again, not a great car. Not an outstanding car. But a good car.
I'm a Honda guy and I love this generation of Accord. this era was the best for Honda all around. This is still a sleek looking car to me if I could find one that wasn't rotted out in good condition I'd buy it in a heartbeat. From here they went to the boxy style followed by the 94-97 gen, loved by some not as boxy. Then back to the ultra boring boxy 98-02 but by then Honda had become much more pedestrian.
My best friends older brother bought this exact car back in 89, only it was a manual. We all thought it was one of the nicest cars around back then. That was a good generation of cars.
I had the showroom model Honda Accord SE-i sedan...she was very modern. All the bells and whistles. Way ahead of her time back then. Wish I could have kept her.
my friend had this. awesome car. he had SE-i model w/ leather & spoiler. One of my favorite Japanese cars. LOVE flip up lights:)👍. i wish these came back on cars.
Got one of these. Been sitting for years. I knew they'd give me nothing in trade. It ran when I parked it (covered) about 15 years ago. It's a teal green Lxi with 183k miles. No idea what it's worth.
You really should sell it to an appreciative new owner. There are fans of these cars out there. Assuming the car is good cosmetically, 183k is norhing.
I'm ok with selling it but I honestly have no idea what it's worth. I see what fully restored versions sell for but it's not pristine by a long shot. Body in great shape and interior not bad, no rips. It's the best car I ever owned and I think the teal color with beige interior looks fantastic.
My dad had an '89 sedan that was stolen from in front of his house when he used to live in Baja (Mexicali to be exact) in about 1998 or 1999. We used to take it on trips to San Felipe when I would visit him from back east. I always dreamed of learning to drive stick on that car when I got old enough, but alas, that never happened.
Thanks for posting this! I own one of these.. it's not exactly for "ladies and gentlemen" after 27 salt-filled Montreal winters.. but the engine and transmission are still perfect. Would you happen to have the 1986 sedan, and/or hatchback review? I also have a sedan, and love the hatch
Wow remember mine it was my first new Honda accord coupe Dx I was only 22. Like the beginning of the video honda accord coupe DX blue 1989 In the late 80s love it.
I hit one of these in my Volvo s60. A dent in the trunk lid and a beat bumper was all the accord had. S60 was totalled. I know the s60 was safer cuz crumple zones but that accord was one tough cookie.
a close friend of mine ordered 1989 black accord LXi 5 spd with gold cross lace rims.. I drove it a few times & the only thing I didn't care for was the shifter.. it felt loose
I've had three of these 3rd gen Accords. Great cars. If they would have had the next gen F series engine in them, they would have been absolutely perfect.
It is amazing that this Honda looks better than most new cars on the road. It's styling is timeless and aged just as well if not better than a BMW, Mercedes or Jaguar. It looks better than an Acura of that Era which also was a Honda Product.
