[nihonjin]

I'm sorry to bother all of you, because I made you look at a newbie post instead of looking for insightful and productive threads posted by veterans....but thanks for looking!

Anyways, my question is about a black 93 Legend LS coupe with tan leather and 6spd. This car would definately be a step up into luxury coming from a 94 prelude Si (great car), but my concern is the mileage on the car for sale. It has just under 100K with 99500, and he is asking for $9250. I checked blue book and other sources, and this seems like a resonable price based on the research, but I am not sure about dishing out more than 9K for a car with high mileage. My question is whether legends are generally known to last for a long time or not. I realize that there are a lot of factors about this particular car that can make all the difference, but my question is speaking about Legends in general. If anyone has tips or opinions about anything in this post, I would appreciate all the feedback I can get. Thanks a lot in advance =)

WooooooooooHooooooooo....my first post on this board!

 

[dvp]

Have you test driven the car yet? I bought my legend with 105,000 miles on it and it drove and still drives like a new car! The build quality of the Legend is great, built in Japan not in the U.S. it doesnt have the "quality issues" exhibited by some newer Acuras. There is a list of things you need to check however before buying this car. At 90,000 miles the timing belt ant water pump etc. must be changed. If the current owner has not done this try to have him lower the price. Since the 90k can run you 1200+. Also have the car checked out the local Acura dealership or by a trusted mechanic. There is some other stuff i forgot that iam sure others will let you know about. But in short the legend is like its namesake legendary lol and should last upwards of 250k if properly taken care of.

D.

 

[nihonjin]

Thanks for the reply dvp. Its very odd because the owner of the car has stated that he has had all the service reccomended by Acura at an Acura dealership....yet, he also says that the timing belt and waterpump has not been changed. wouldn't these two things have been reccomended to be changed by Acura?

Anyways, if anyone else has any advice, I would really appriciate it. Thanks

 

[dvp]

well thats odd... it seems he is trying to take advantage of the fact that you dont know much about the car. Since the timing belt should be changed every 90,000 miles! since if it goes the engine should in all likelyhood go too! So he is selling the car to advoid expensive maintence... its not good to go 9,500 miles over 90k but it isnt fatal if you get the 90k done. But before you even think of buying this car have it checked out.


D.

 

[dvp]

and another thing have him show you the paperwork the acura dealership gave him after they did this work he told you about. If he cant or wont show them to you... find a differnt legend.

D.

 

[LegendGS]

nihonjin,

Firstly, there's no need to apologize for being a newbie. We were all newbies at some point.

Now on to the matter.

Like dvp said, Legends are known to last a very long time with proper maintenance. 99,500 miles over 9 years is about average driving, and some may say that it's 500 miles short of being properly broken in.

Timing belt and water pump service is recommended at 90k as mentioned, and should be done ASAP. These items CAN last much longer than 90K, but with interference engines that we have, it's not worth the risk.

Depending on where you go, the price for this service can range anywhere from $600+ to $1000+. Not an inexpensive service by any means. The blue book guides would consider that at 99500 miles, all scheduled service has been done. If it is showing a value for the car at or around the asking price, then consider having them make an allowance for the service in the price as dvp mentioned.

Other things to look our for are the radiator, power door locks, transmission mount, and vehicle speed sensor.

The radiator has a tendency to crack over time. Check for leaks on the radiator top. Also ask if the car has ever overheated. Overheating can cause serious problems with the head which would be costly to repair.

The door lock actuator is also known to act up (constant cycling) which would require a replacement of the actuator.

The rear transmission mount is also known to break causing somewhat harsh shifting.

The speed sensor is also a rather common replacement item that over time would require replacement. A tell tale sign would be an erratic speedometer.

These are all items that are known to act up over time, but once replaced, you should be good to go for quite a while.

Just things to look out for as you look the car over.

Most importantly, have the car inspected by a shop that you trust, and get the service history records for this car.

Good luck with the purchase!

 

[ChrisK]

Yes, everyeone gave some good advice. Just to let you know, I have the exact same car. A 93 LS Coupe 6-Speed with just ender 90K miles. So far no major problem other than the regular wear and tear items. The biggest wear and tear items I had to replace so far was the brake master cylinder, the clutch master and clutch slave. That is it so far. I fully expect my plastic radiator top to go out soon as my 95 LS Coupe gave out at about 70K, and my brothers Integra also about 70K, and my sisters Accord about 60K, so I know Honda radiators can go around that time. I have a numbet of friends whoes Honda radiators gave out around that time as well. So that is a given replacement sometime down the road.

 

[jmckell]

I would take it to the Acura dealship for a buyers inspection. They would also have on file all of the work that they have done on the car. Make sure you ask for that, they should let you know.

I bought my Legend with 130,000 miles on it and the dealership informed me that the timingbelt and water pump were changed by them at 120,000 miles.

Good luck and you will fall in love with the Legend like the rest of us have.

 

[Guest]

Don't let the problem with the timing belt worry you...I'm sure the reason I got my car so cheap was because the timing belt had not been changed. I bought it with 88K and it now has 106k...I went a good 16k over what I should've but my mechanic told me that it could've gone much longer! This is something that you will have to do...don't think that you can just put it off, and never have it done. IMO fixing something like this will make you think that it runs better....it's sort of like when you're a little kid, when you get a new pair of shoes you think you can run faster...well same thing with these cars! It's part of the Legend experience...Ok sorry that was way off topic but don't let someting like the timing belt discourage you...just bring it to his attention and tell him that you are very well aware of the price range of replacing this...And, like what was mentioned earlier, take it to the Acura dealer and let them do an extensive check up on the car...if he doesn't have paper work, take the vin number to the dealer and explain to them that you are considering purchasing this vehicle...it will tell very briefly what all has been done to it. Good luck...and if you do get a Legend, believe me you won't regret it!!

 

[nihonjin]

Wow.....thank you all for the very comprehensive and helpful information. it feels good to have the advice and support of so many legend owners....sniff sniff . i am really excited about the possiblity of getting a legend....I never thought that it would be in my price range...and now it finally is!!

On that note, here is something else that bothered me during my correspondance with the seller. This is just the peculiar highlights from the Q&A email that I sent him and he returned:

Question: Are there any chracteristics unique to the car?(vibrating when idling, feel vibration while driving, pulls left/right, exessive wind noise, etc.)
Answer: Slight vibration at 55 miles/hour

Other comments: The radiator was repaired with epxoy because of a small leak. This is probably the reply that bothered me the most...I didn't think that this was a legitamate way to fix a leaking radiator...but I might be wrong...

Question: Is the car washed and waxed regularly? How often? Answer: It has been detailed by a local Auto Salon every 1-2 years and has been washed on a fairly regualr basis.
not exactly the answer I was hoping for...I wonder how the paintjob is.....in the picture, it looked okay tho...

As I said, this is just the highlights....or shall I say "lowlights" from the email correspondence. I just wanted to submit the worst of the answers so that you might be able to help me in making my buying decision. All his other replies didn't really worry me, and actually made me lean towards the opinion that he maintained his car when it needed to be maintained.

 

[LegendGS]

The vibration may simply be due to a wheel balancing issue. Many tire shops use a machine that balances the wheels at a slower speed. This causes a vibration in the wheels when you exceed those speeds. The best remedy is to have it balanced at a shop that uses a high-speed balancing machine.

As for the radiator, the epoxy fix is an "ok" temporary fix. The radiator should still be replaced. Find out from the seller if the car has ever overheated.

As for the paint, if what he says is true, it should be OK. Still scratches and dents have little to do with how often a car is washed.

Are you not local to this car?

 

[nihonjin]

I am relieved to find out that epoxy is a temporary radiator fix. I thought that this was the reply that would make me blackball this car from my choices......I have a feeling that I will fall in love with the car once I drive it....but I know that I can't let my blinding obsession with the car interfer with making a wise decision.

 

[ChrisK]

I am relieved to find out that epoxy is a temporary radiator fix. I thought that this was the reply that would make me blackball this car from my choices......I have a feeling that I will fall in love with the car once I drive it....but I know that I can't let my blinding obsession with the car interfer with making a wise decision.

Well, it all depends on how long and when he put the repair on. If he has had expoxy fix for the last 20K miles, I might be worried. Or, if he fixed it long after it cracked, I might be worried as well. The main thing like LegendGS said above it to find out if the car overheated. I know this would be hard to find out, but if the car overheated then it could have been too late already. There is nothing an aliminum block hates more than being overheated.

However, if all does check out okay, then I think you will like the car.

 

[LPB]

The other major expense not mentioned is the differential seal leaking. This repair is approx. $550 at the dealer. As mentioned, you need to have the vehicle throughly inspected by an Acura dealer.

 

[95cashmerecoop]

Good luck

I don't think anyone mentioned how RARE this car is to find with a 6 speed manual shift, LS, and black is a highly desired color, plus isn't this the first coupe with the Type II engine? I shopped for quite a while for a shifter and gave in for a low mileage (40k) Acura Certified automatic '95 coupe that came with a year dealer warranty so I got all repairs and fixes free. Purchased 3 years ago for $18+k. It has CD changer, spoiler, and gold package options. This car has needed no repairs since then. Just brakes, tires, and battery and oh yea, a major bumper repair when a Sears lift rack pulled off my front bumper!

Do weigh all the mechanical checks but a 6-speed Legend should not to be passed over too quickly. Good luck, I had a 83 Prelude before I got my previous 88 Legend Coupe with shifter. The Prelude handled better but nothing has been as fun to drive as the Legend with a shift. I still l wish my G2 coupe had the stick!