The 1980s Honda Accord Started the Midsize Sedan As We Know It 

This car rocked. Not only is it so cool to see a “normal” car preserved like this, but I also loved getting to flip through the annotations in the owner’s manual because we got this really special look into someone’s life

I have started to appreciate how people take care of these older cars no matter the value. This old Honda looks like it has just came out of the factory yesterday.

Doug is the type of guy to build a time machine and bring back his future daughter to do a car review with him

I really like these older car videos more than the modern stuff. Simplicity is supreme.

This is actually my favourite content that doug does, it’s rare but its so unique and nostalgic and i wish this was more common!

Doug is always better solo. He doesn’t need someone else, never has. Edit: Doug proved us all wrong! I apologize

I love it that he reviews regular cars like this. I know it's not the way to get rich, but I appreciate it.

Thank you Doug for bring back the memories, of me and my mothers first 1985 Blue Honda Accord LX. I droves this car for least 10 years; with 250,000 miles.

As a former owner of an 83 Accord hatchback, I can attest that the Flow button was my favorite feature on the car. The faster you’re traveling, the harder the vents would blow. I’ve been wishing for that feature on every car since! Also, it deserves mention that my 83 had no power steering, manual transmission, manual windows, basically power nothing. I bought it with a wonderful pipe smoke stain over the driver seat, and it still holds the title of my favorite car ever

I had an '85 Accord with a manual transmission in about 1997. By the time I got rid of it, it had 206,000 miles. It was always reliable and surprisingly fun to drive.

Doug, don’t ever change! Here you are reviewing the OG Accord!! Love it! I know everyone has said it already many times, but we couldn’t be more happy for your successes! Thanks for bringing us car enthusiasts such great reviews on so many quirky vehicles. 😄

Pretty sure this was as fun to edit as to film. It was a little cold and automatic at the beginning but when you both went in side the car, it all changed and we can see how natural and fun it was probably to do this video. Also, I was born in 75 so was 10 when this was common on the streets. I also already drove one. My uncle had a 1989 2 doors Accord sports SE-I that I drove at my Prom. Thanks for the nice memories Doug.

10:11 Flow allowed air to come through the vents without running the blower fan. There was a air scoop above the hood, just below the wipers that caught air and forced it into the car through the vent ports (one on left and another on the right) or the flow option which went through all the vents.

Accords are so amazing, they OOZE quality and engineering for something that was just a pedestrian sedan. I have a 1990 and 1997, both have over 320k and run great! We had a 1986 as well, that was a special car. I hope Doug starts reviewing all generations of all the forgotten cars of yesterday, there were hundreds of thousands of these running around at some point in time.

Fun review. Interesting a rare find. You guys look like you had a lot of fun reviewing this car. No politics. A+

I recall the third brake lights becoming mandatory in 1986. There were many aftermarket installs (as that one might be) as it was a quick way to increase safety and make your car look newer.

Something tells me Doug is gonna rename his channel to Cars and Bids and have new reviewers to take over his role. Quite the enterprising fella.

I like this better than the other guy but I still don’t like this format compared to the regular format. The regular format is straight to the point where this is like commentary that I don’t want.

The roof pillars absolutely were strong enough to support the car. Remember, this car was a lot lighter than most any modern car. They still had rollover atandards in the mid 1980s and Honda decided to be serious about safety in the 80s. This was likely one of the safest small cars you could buy in 1985

My 2012 Accord has a valet key and the trunk and gas tank lock. Crazy that almost 30 years later, Honda didn't change those details.

Those service indicators weren’t reset by a button. You stuck your key in there (it’s a slot) and pushed to reset it. And I think Alanis was right about the “flow” setting - it turns off the fan but lets outside air flow in as you drove. So, sitting still you’d get nothing, but driving on a freeway would blow a lot.

*Doug is the type of guy to drive a random 1980 Honda Accord on a racetrack*

I had this exact car, but with a 5-spd manual and cloth seats. I loved this car and it’s still one of my all time favorite cars I’ve owned.

My grandparents used to have one of these when I was really young. I remember thinking it was a huge boat of a car haha... Looking at it now, I actually really appreciate how simple and "analog" as Alanis mentioned, it is.

Dough getting random people introduced on videos means he's getting ready to disappear from videos...

My first car, after graduating from college, was an 87 Accord sedan 5 speed. So much fun to drive! And it looked so much cooler than this one, the model it replaced. The pop up headlights were so cool! One other car I looked at before it was a Chevrolet Beretta, and the Accord immediately seemed so much more advanced. Steering was precise. Visibility was tremendous. The hood disappeared, and the trunk was huge. Sometimes I still miss that car.

This car was so much more than what you got from other offerings at the time. Gauge package and controls were SO COOL at the time, not to mention the EFI and upgraded stereo.

My mum had this in the U.K. in white was a 1987 ‘E’ reg purchased new. In 1999 we finally replaced it for a brand new E39 523i which at the time felt like an insane upgrade with xenon’s, heated seats and rear parking sensors.

I would like to see Doug do a review of the gen 9 V6 Accord coupe with a manual. They were surprisingly good and had pretty good performance

In high school I had an '84 Accord LXi. It had cloth seats rather than leather and the original owner had optioned it with the 5spd manual rather than the overdrive auto but it had EVERYTHING else. The 'nice' stereo for the time, power steering / brakes, power windows & locks, a sunroof, etc etc etc. It was showing north of 300k on the dash when it got traded on something newer. GREAT car. 😊

"It's luxury, Doug!" This must become a permanent catch phrase.

What a classic! I was a young kid when my parents bought a 1984 white Accord with blue cloth interior, manual, and roll up windows. First car I learned how to drive. Perhaps also the most reliable Honda my family ever owned. Thx for the throwback!

I got one of these for $50 in highschool mostly as a mode of transportation to see a girl I was dating at the time. The door fell off when opening it so I had to get in through the window, it had mis matched rims. Despite all its problems, it was a car I loved. Great gas milage, nice interior, always started.

I learned to drive on one of these! My parents bought almost this exact same car, (Same year, color, and SE-i model) but ours was a manual 5-speed. It was wonderful, and they put many miles on it. My mom continued to drive it up until 2007. Lots of happy memories with this car.

When I was 14, my mum bought a 1985 Honda Accord from a Honda dealer in 1987. An elderly couple had it for just over a year and with only 15k km on it, it still looked and drove as it did when brand new, with an automatic and cloth seats. I had my learners license that year and ended up driving this car quite a bit with of course my mum in the passenger seat. After getting my actual drivers licence in ‘89, I drove this car a lot for several years. Fond memories. It was great!

I remember these! This was the period when Honda started to make really attractive, luxurious models that were a really viable option to not only its U.S. contemporaries, but also European cars. They had a nice center of gravity, handled well, felt zippy for what they were and had a good ride, with tons of road feel. The manuals were really gratifying in these too. Hope @AlanisKing joins you on future videos. Love the banter and playfulness with you both.

To this day I’m still trying to figure out what the “flow” button does… In all seriousness I had such a blast hanging out with Doug and Alanis! It was an honor having both of them review one of my cars. If you have any questions or concerns about my 85 Accord SE-i feel free to reach out!

Oh man this brings back memories. My mom bought this exact car, used, low miles and in 5-speed, back in the early 90's. So many years growing up with this car! I had totally forgotten about it, thanks for bringing me back!

We had an 85 LX sedan. The door locks were really cool, and quiet. If you used the button to lock or unlock the doors, the only lock solenoids that were activated were on the doors that were not already in the position you were requesting. If no action was needed on a particular door, that door lock received no electrical signal. It was our first of many Hondas.

keep the guests in the garage please Doug, your solo reviews are your bread and butter. Don't change the format. thank you.

I’m still not sold on the two hosts thing, but she vibes with Doug so much better than the last guy, and he does with her too.

My first car was a 1992 Volvo 740 wagon. Owned my a retired art teacher since new, and I got it with under 100k miles in 2015. This Accord video brought back all the memories of getting that Volvo, the owner did the same thing in the owners manual and saved the accessory guide with all the options she wanted circled. Man I really miss that car right now

Keep it solo Doug..you two definitely had some fun outside of the vid lol. Careful!!! 😂

I've owned 8 Hondas. I had this car and it was my third Honda, my first Accord. It seemed so huge after the two civics I had! I wish I still had it today. The passenger side mirror is optional and I had it added at the dealer as well as the mud flaps because I lived in a rural part of Ohio. Mine was also a 5-speed. The middle brake light looks tacked on because it was only required in the US beginning on all vehicles sold in 1985. I remember in Motor Trend and Car and Driver how Japan and Europe struggled to figure out how they were going to tack on the middle brake light LOL. Thanks for a fun review!

I had the 85 Accord base model. I bought it with 150000 miles on it. It was well looked after that is why the miles didn’t matter. I bought it for $1500. I drove it to just over 400000 miles. Cheapest car I ever owned. I went through 2 clutches and one carb rebuild. The clutch what’s so light and easy to drive. I loved that car. To reset the oil change flags you inserted the ignition key into the slots below. Great show👍

That's the content I've subscribed for all these years ago.

My first car was a 1984 Accord LX, 5 speed. Bought it at 100K and drove it to 240K. My second car was a big upgrade to the the 1985 Accord SE-i, with leather interior. Mine was a 5 speed! It had 95K miles on it and I drove it to 220K. The sunroof was one of my favorite features, though both were such great cars! In the winter I would run studded snow tires (and add a 60lb bag of sand on the trunk) and could out perform any AWD/4WD (without studs). Other than regular maintenance the only issue I had was with the alternator (brushes needed replacement on the 1985) at around 130K. The 1984 didn't come with the 3rd brake light, though one was installed by the dealer in 1986. I don't remember if my 1985 had a 3rd brake light, but I believe it did. I used to take the wheels off my road bicycle and put it in the back seat, and the wheels off my mountain bike and put it in the trunk.

Thank you for posting this! I had a 1984 version as my first car. It's great to see this example in such great condition. The piping in my interior started ripping and it went through two transmissions in its 17 years and 230,000 miles of life. Maybe I should put a bid on this for old times sake.

This was a fantastic video. Largely, because it was more of a “freestyle” format, rather than scripted, Doug and Alanis just talked about the car and it’s quirks/features like they would in Doug’s “garage videos.” I think this format would work great with Kennan and should Doug invite others to join him in his reviews, and I bet people would enjoy this “co-op content” more, just like I did with this.

Living in Seattle in the early 90s these were everywhere, practically a commodity. I heard stories of people cross shopping among different dealers, saying they could save $100 by getting one at Honda of Bellevue instead of Honda of Seattle. They were the car to have in a city where space was at a premium and everything was expensive. Many regular people aspired to own a Honda, they weren't basic or looked down on other than that they were so ubiquitous, sort of like the Tesla model 3 today.

This is one of the most fun and enthusiastic reviews you’ve ever done

this accord is truely a gem, one of a kind in the modern era. you'd be hard pressed to find one this clean and well taken care of.

I had a 5 speed manual SE-i. There was another factory wheel option on mine. The thing was amazingly reliable and still ran like a top when I let it go at almost 300k mi.

I was raised in one of (almost) those, (it was an 86 : it had pop-up headlights!) and all the family loved it. It felt so perfect for a family of four. Now, seeing it, I wonder how we could take such long trips with it, cramped in this tiny and lovely tin can. I remember quite vividly that, back then, people were predicting that cars would get smaller, and smaller, and smaller.

This brought back a bunch of memories growing up my mom had a 83 accord same color. Car lasted forever only issue was the rust. Living in Hawaii rust just ate up our car. Thank you for this video. 🤙🏽

This car specifically should be in a museum. It's in incredible shape, and it's almost jarring to see how clean and tidy the interiors used to be before they all got old and worn down.

Doug when you have other people in your videos with you I as the viewer feels cut out. Your formula was perfect before, we don’t need other people with you doing these videos

Big Donut Media vibes on this collab and I'm here for it ❤

This is a great looking Honda Accord, I am a new car transport driver and I started hauling car out on Honda of America manufacturing Plant in 1985 and I delivered many Honda's and later Acura's to the dealerships over the next 27 years,, I remember in the late 80's and early 90's that a lot of dealership were adding a additional 2k - 3k adjusted market value window stickers to the vehicle as we dropped them off the truck and they had a waiting list to get one. Bring back many memories thanks

fantastic review!! Brightened my day

I would argue that there was a few before this. The Toyota Cressida comes to mind and there was also other " mid size" sedans from japan from Mazda and Nissan This was the last year of this bodystyle Accord and was also the special edition that they used to do for the last year of production of a particular body style An absolutely bullet proof car though as all the Japanese sedans were.....we have to remember they were absolutely cleaning the US manufacturers clocks in this segment as were the Germans on the high end of the market

Alanis is a much more engaging co-host to watch than Kennan for me. Her personality and natural chemistry complements Doug's tried and true formula and brings new and exciting dynamic into these videos. Plus she's very knowledgeable, you can tell that she was writing about cars for years and that she's a huge car nerd and enthusiast.

It's cool to see this car and how Honda progressed to my (almost) top trim level 99 civic. It came with a power sun roof, four speed automatic transmission, electric locks and windows as well as the upgraded engine. Although it's cheaper status does mean it loses out on some things. Namely the leather upholstery (ditched for a more economical cloth), smaller steelies (14s were on it, though I have sourced 15 inch alloys from an si) and only one ash tray for the driver.

I think this video works better than some of ones with Kennan because you're talking to each other whereas with Kennan's videos, Doug will vanish and Kennan will talk or vice versa.

This brought back a lot of memories as my Grandma owned a 1984 Accord LX sedan with an auto. Same charcoal gray color too. I used to borrow it during high school when my car was in the shop. It wasn't fast of course, but it was very comfortable for an early 80s car.

I owned a fairly base model one of these. So easy to work on, extremely reliable. Rust or crashes was the only thing that killed them. I had a late 80's Prelude too, that thing was ahead of it's time. Digital speedo, a weird bar graph thing for the tachometer, pop up head lights, retractable sun roof. Again, easy to work on and ran like a Swiss watch. Honda and Toyota really hit their stride in the late 80's and 90's. 90's Toyota 4WDs are some of the best vehicles ever made. I daily a '93 Hilux Surf. It's 30 years old and everything still works like factory. It was the golden era for those two brands. Isuzu as well. They were all built to the same standard as the current 70 series Land Cruiser, which isn't available in the US.

Only Doug could make me watch a video about an 80's Honda Accord LOL

These reviews might not get the numbers others will….but I am a HUGE fan of such. Keep ‘Em coming! And while not yet convinced guest reviewers are better than just Doug, I have to say that Alanis fits well in this one.

Alanis and Doug have a really funny energy, that was great.

I think I’ve been friends with a least one person with each gen of Accord. I remember riding in a 2nd gen. Very tight back seat, road noise and a ton of buttons in random places was my impression. My sisters 4th gen ‘91 was a much improved car and lasted 200k miles. PS the 3rd brake light was mandated in 1986.

I used to have 92 accord in Saudia, here toyota is always first choice in mid sedans, but whenever my pals drive my car they got surprise and appreciate the handling and grip accord has

And nothing makes me feel my age more than Doug (and guest) treating the interior like some ancient archeological find with hieroglyphics....its only 37 years ago!

Never seen Doug giggle so much in a video like this one!

Wow, 75k miles on a 1985 car? It's practically brand new. This is the kind of gem you used to only find hidden in the newspaper classified section.

Watching from Japan. Thanks for this video. This was the only year which I used to live in the US, 1985 till 86. Do love any Honda of these decades till the early 90's. All the models were simple enough, easy to use. My second car was 1983 Prelude in Japan.

As far as videos go, always love you Doug! The beginning was refreshing! (I wrote before seeing the vid) Cheers!

I have owned a 4th, 5th, 6th and currently on a 7th gen Accord (which currently has almost 300k miles!) And I loved every single last one of them! When it comes to price to car ratio, the Honda Accord is definitely a great bang for your buck!

You guys get virtually everything right in your eval, not easy AT ALL when going back to '85!)) I bought an '84 CRX and loved it so much I sold Hondas/Acuras until retiring a few years ago. I began selling them in '85 so this was the first year for me. I loved these cars I recently bought a very nice '87 CRX Si and it is my only car, I love it!)) The consummate "adult go-kart! This is what the automotive press said about Honda IN 1985, it is copied and pasted from their annual "10 Best" issue, no editing. All three Hondas were on the list in '85 out of more than 150 models on sale here in the US. In another part of this article one of the writers opined, "A guy could make a pretty good argument that the ten best cars available ANYWHERE are all Hondas!" Honda built Civics, Accords, and Preludes at the time, three models! This is it: " ‘Except for its exceptionally high quality, the Accord doesn’t stand out in any single area. Rather, its great appeal seems to stem from the fact that it sets such a high average overall. There’s nothing wrong with a Honda Accord, Nothing. How many other cars can one say that about? We should say, how many cars, besides others made by Honda? Honda’s success building reasonably priced, high-quality cars in this country is a beacon of hope for all of us. If Honda can do it, so can General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, AMC, and Avanti. It took Honda less than ten years to learn the modern car business. Now it’s going to be interesting to see how long it takes the rest of the world to learn how to do it Honda’s way." Thanks for the review guys! If anyone wants to work out a sacrifice deal on this Accord to someone who will appreciate and care for it as much as anyone possibly could, let me know by replying. I won't hold my breath!)) I sold cars for 30+ years but even I am not THAT stupid!)) I love your reviews, I learn a lot from them. For a car salesman!))

Cool to see what I have on here! I learned some things that I did not know before about the car. Even though mine is not driving yet, it is still such an awesome car.

The pinstripes; Dottie… “Please, come, come, admire the coach work on my Honda Accord”😂😂

Doug is the type of guy to get a girl to get in the back seat of a car and then just talk about seatbelts.

What’s up with all these random people in your videos Doug? I thought this was “Doug Demuro” if I wanted to see someone else I would watch their videos. I used to love this Channel, but now there’s all these Randos all the time😢 please stop featuring these annoying people.

tbh, their chemistry has some "you vs the girl he told you not to worry about" vibes.

I had an 82 version of this car as my first car in 1999 in Australia. In the Australian market it has an 85kw 1.6 carburettor engine in 1982. Mins was a higher spec EX which had air con, power steering and dark blue velour for days. I’m disappointed you didn’t mention that POWER STEERING is printed in the middle of the wheel, because apparently that was a very unique feature 😂

This model was very rare in Australia. This is because it was fully imported, and imported cars at the time attracted very high import duties (40-50%). There were also import quotas which restricted how many cars were allowed to be imported. Our model had different headlights, though, and we were only offered one trim level.

This is my type of review! I love these regular old cars

Doug in 2063: This 2023 Honda Accord has no safety whatsoever, how the heck does it have no auto drive, and furthermore how the heck is it the size of a modern smart car??

I don't care what anyone says, I like the addition of Kennan and Alanis.

Just enjoyed this video of a "normal" car rarely seen today. Alanis really complimented the review with her bubbly personality.

She’s a charlotte phoenix fan?????? Holy crap never thought I’d see that out and about. That’s freakin sick dude

This video is a prime candidate for a YTP

Ya know, I know Doug is married but the way that Alannis looks at him in this video😮😅

Thanks for showing this piece of car history. I had a first generation Accord hatchback, the one with four circular headlights. It was a gem. Still missing it.

Please say “Big News”, Please say “Big News”, Please say “Big News”!

Doug's reviews lately have been on-point with his audience. My dad had the 1985 Accord EX. It was a great car.

1985. Best year EVER!! Great music, MTV, and I was 15. I learned to drive in a 1986 Accord with the pop up headlights. In fact, I’m the happy owner of a 2013 EX-L Accord with 150K miles and feels like it came out of the dealer yesterday. Amazing engineering and quality. Thanks guys!!

Not usually a fan of other people in Doug’s videos but I really like the chemistry between these two! It adds a fun element to these videos

Alanis, I love your enthusiasm and back-and-forth with Doug! So knowledgeable.

I love the chemistry these two have on screen. She brings out a side of Doug we haven't seen before and her bubbly charismatic personality is awesome.

fun review! i’m a fan of alanis in everything i’ve seen her in. hope to see more of her on the channel!