[PISTNBRKE]

I am currently looking at 3 Acuras, 2 of which are in my budget & 1 that is just out of it.

-1987 Legend Coupe appx 130k miles ( all highway) ,no leather, all stock for base coupe. very well maintained $5k (can funds, appx $3100 US )

-1988 Legends Sedan appx 110k miles ,leather but it needs work, needs cv boots ,ball joints, oil pan gasket & a block heater. This one has a nice stereo , tinted windows & an alarm with keyless entry though.
same price as one above

now the one a little out of price range but could be the best deal if I can grab it.
-1989 Legend Coupe, 95k miles, great shape, havent had my own mech inspection yet but the seller has one from AAA and they say it looks all good. 7k (appx $4750 US).

any comments would be appreciated. thanks in advance.

 

[90CoupefromCanada]

I have a 1990 acura legend coupe. At the time I bought the car, I could have purchased a 1991 model. However, I chose the 1990 because it was the 4th and final year of production before a complete makeover. Logic is that by the 3rd or 4th yr of production, most of the engineering kinks would have been fixed by then.
So suscribing that theory, you should be better of with the 89. I would avoid the 88 because tinted windows are a dead giveaway the driver likes to boot the **** out of cars. Just a hunch. Besides, fixing CV joints...etc costs a lot of money.

Whatever you choose, these cars can easily put up 200 + miles from what I've read if you take care of the car. Good luck!

 

[vince]

I would avoid the 88 because tinted windows are a dead giveaway the driver likes to boot the **** out of cars.

Absolutely not. Tinted windows are great for protecting the leather. I have bought two cars that had tinted windows, and both had the leather in great condition. My coupe did not have tint, and I have had the seats reupholstered. If it was between the 87 Coupe and the 88 Sedan, go for that Coupe. That 89 looks pretty good too, but is it 2K better than the 87? Personally, I would get that 87 Coupe, with the all highway mileage. Not having to take care of leather seats is also a plus. Whatever your choice, make sure you get it checked out by a mechanic (YOUR mechanic), and run a Carfax report (your insurance company can usually run one for you for free).

Good luck, hope to see you around here with a Legend soon!

 

[colinc]

Tinted windows are very common, especially among those who maintain and preserve their vehicles. Go to Texas, every other car has tinted windows. I really want mine tinted, just too lazy to leave the car for a day.

 

[Esti]

The differences between the 87 and the 89 coupe are very minor. The stock rims maybe alittle different, the winshield washer fluid sprayers were changed from on top of the hood to under it (i'm sure I'm missing something). Nothing was changed that will effect the cars reliablelty.
Don't let a good stereo or alarm sway you- Your first concern is how the car runs. If I were u I would get the 87, It sounds to be be in better shape and most important it's in your budget.

good luck
Esti

 

[FutureX 2001]

I would go for the 89. It's been more revised, has less miles, etc... Is it a base as well?



About tinted windows:
My 90 Coupe never had tints, the leather was in "okay" condition when I got it. When I got my 94GS the leather was in "very good" condition.. What I have noticed is the coupe's leather is dying fast, no matter how much I conditioned and cleaned it. The ones on my 94GS show no signs of aging due to the sun. Tinted windows are a must if to protect the insides of your car.

 

[eekdafatcat]

i got an 89 l sedan for $1850 and it just needed a cv boot and rear brakes - so i think all those cost to much

 

[Bukowski=Legend]

i got an 89 l sedan for $1850 and it just needed a cv boot and rear brakes - so i think all those cost to much

Gotta agree. Shop around alittle. Hit Ebay for a few weeks, do the major citys paper search (classifieds) etc.
Shipping a car can be done for $500 and less. I got my '88 sedan for $2400 and wish I had 5 more just like it (why? why not!)

Pers. I'd go with an 88+ for the 2.7 motor, and then I'd go for 89 for the rear suspension.

 

[paulo57509]

Forget the sedan....too much out-of-pocket expense to make "right". I don't think it came with the double wishbone suspension either (may this is a good thing??)

As for the coupes, it's a roll of the dice.

I'm leary of old cars with low miles. Low miles are okay, but it's really the nature of the low miles. Did these miles come from driving the car a few long distances (good) or a bunch of real short distances (bad)? Typically, old cars with low miles look good on the outside; it's the insides that don't look good, i.e. sludged engine internals, weak batteries, rusty cooling systems, etc.

Conversely, cars with high miles are...well, more worn out.

I don't think my coupe would have fared as well if its mileage accumulated in town rather than on the highway.

The only advantage to the '89 vs. the '87 is that you don't have to mess with that damn cartridge oil filter.

 

[Jiggy89LS]

I would go for the 89, I bought mine - 89 coupe for 2000 with 140 k miles on it

but 2 months after I had to get the alternator, strut bar, tourque converter, lower ball joint all within a week or two

after all the repairs it actually ended up costing me around 4 K for the car and not 2K

now it runs well and havent had problems

so I would try to avoid the ones with the higher mileage and go with the 89 because you are less likely to replace parts on it, there are instances where that can be wrong

as far as mileage goes, how can you really tell whether they were highway miles or city
I got my car from this donation place, so I dont really know who the owner is or where it was driven
the donation guy did tell me that it was driven and owned within a family. By researching on carfax I found that it was from upstate NY where it snows a lot. That explains the rust on the sides of the car

Do some research, get it checked out by a mechanic and then go with one that you will be comfortable in

 

[90CoupefromCanada]

Ok - I was wrong in stereotyping people who drive cars with tinted windows. I accept that tinted windows can be a great way to protect your car's interior in hot climate areas. Just that most of the people who pull up next to me to drag have tinted windows and they all have that "drugged" look to them. I guess in snowy Canada where I live, tinted windows are not a necessity and most people who have them have it for other reasons.

So my apologies go out to all those with tinted windows. I didn't mean to start world war 3.

 

[PISTNBRKE]

Thanks for the help everyone. I bought the 87 this evening will pick it up Monday.

I did look closely at the 89 but my mechanic assured me he thought it had the odometer rolled back ,but he said it still was ok car for the money did not think it worth the risk if they had to roll it back though.

Now all I need is some audio stuff. A cd deck & speakers should do nicely. Oh and an alarm with remote locks & stuff.

 

[Jiggy89LS]

Congrats!

why didnt you see see the history on carfax? the 89 could have been more of a thought but it doesnt matter, its a legend after all

enjoy and take care of her now

 

[Mr. Bigs]

JUST MY OPINION!!!!!!!!!

I would have bought the 89 model. If the odometer was rolled back and AAA inspected it than I would believe that AAA would be is serious trouble. While the 87 is also in good shape the 89 is the younger of the two. Remember just because a car has low miles on it doesn't mean its gonna give you trouble or that the odometer has been rolled back even if I felt that the odometer was rolled back I would have tried to get a car fax and question AAA about the car in question. Any way enjoy your NEW LEGEND.