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What do you guys think?

2K views 27 replies 14 participants last post by  reddLegend 
#1 ·
1990 L Coupe, 193k, white on tan, 5-speed, they are asking $1700.

so, the good the bad the dilemma...

the good:
-5-speed
-white on tan (prefer white on black but RARE)
-L coupe, but has spoiler, heated seats, memory seats
-full records dating back to when it rolled off the lot, completely dealer maintained, 2 owners

the bad:
-clutch is weird. I have never owned one but if you pulled the pedal up, then pressed and put in gear, it worked. after getting going, it shifted fine
-Timing belt coming up due
-front seats worn, but not torn, rear seat nice
-gold emblem pack (to me thats bad)
-missing headlamp
-broken passenger mirror housing (glass intact)
-inspection due up
-as per the 2nd owner, a pair of teenagers, both boys, both <21

the dilemma
-this is the legend I have wanted since I first owned my coupe. its 5-speed with the exterior color I want, plus L/LS package.
-we were supposed to be completely out of debt this year, which we pretty much are, and save some money. the wife is pregnant and we will need to save a little from the tax return in case she doesn't get "sick pay" when she leaves for maternity leave. We'll need an income and she's still fighting for them to approve her IPI (income protection insurance or something).
-I have a 1987 coupe in my garage with closer to 300k miles which I was going to restore. 1987 coupe will "grandfather" before the 1990 for emissions, plus its already exempt from many inspection things for being 1987, for example I can have whatever tint I want since tint law says 1988 and newer, I can even tint the windshield if I wanted. but that coupe is brown and needs a lot of work (nit picking).

so, I now turn to you Legend community. with all the "bad" things about it, I'm confident I can talk the guy down to <$1500. he had updated the ad yesterday asking for $1650, but since I have talked to him the price somehow jumped back to $1700. If I could talk him down to $1200-1300 or even less, is this a deal? If I am to buy this car, do I keep the '87 or use parts and then part it out here, finally selling it to the local crush yard?
 
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#3 ·
You got my blessing Ike... and if you'd need assistance on part(s) replacement, just PM me :yes:
 
#5 ·
Well it is quite a dilemma, however what is the matter with the '87?
Personally I would be inclined to put a couple of dollars into the '87 and drive that around until I found a white on black Coupe LS. There are a few out there it is just about waiting.
Now you could argue that this car is nearly everything you want however nearly isn't good enough, believe me. Also even if you can talk him down to say $1300 you are going to have to put $1k into it to get it roadworthy and fixed up then you are still driving something which doesn't quite tick all the boxes.
I say use the $1K to get teh '87 going reasonably well, save the $1300 for financial purposes and keep your eye out for a '90 LS Coupe. IMO you will be happier you waited for the right one.

EDIT: Or you could be like me and buy every cheap Legend you can afford :)
 
#14 ·
^ I thought of that LS angle too Steve, but it occurred to me that all he would miss out on is the wood trim and auto climate control -- and some folks wouldn't miss it.

Plus now that Gabe has posted the climate control DIY, it's an easy fix. Get it Ike! :thumbsup: I've got the wood trim and climate control module to get you started lol.
oi, re-read the ad, I was wrong on the heated seats...

but it does already have the auto climate, and it has the wood that bandoni had installed (screwed in and all).

the only thing it is missing is the computer, which I could pull from the 1987.

89HondaLegend said:
Well it is quite a dilemma, however what is the matter with the '87?
Personally I would be inclined to put a couple of dollars into the '87 and drive that around until I found a white on black Coupe LS. There are a few out there it is just about waiting.
Now you could argue that this car is nearly everything you want however nearly isn't good enough, believe me. Also even if you can talk him down to say $1300 you are going to have to put $1k into it to get it roadworthy and fixed up then you are still driving something which doesn't quite tick all the boxes.
I say use the $1K to get teh '87 going reasonably well, save the $1300 for financial purposes and keep your eye out for a '90 LS Coupe. IMO you will be happier you waited for the right one.
well, the 1987 was bought 3 years ago, still hasn't had a title in my name, it was bought from a tow yard in california and came to texas, so I don't know what barriers I'll have to cross on that. I could spend $1000 on it and it would be equivalent except the wrong color and automatic rather than 5-speed. the biggest thing for me about the '87 I think is the interior. it has a brown interior, not tan, that for some reason doesn't appeal to me...but it has been growing on me.

sam o nela said:
So....whats the wife have to say?

Being married myself man, I know that having no debt is a great place to be as a couple especially with you guys having another little one on the way...

I know what its like coming across a nice car for a fair deal, but remember that family's gotta come first Ike...

Of course, if SHE gives her blessing then JUMP on it
wife is whats sort of causing the dilemma. she is hesitant, but will allow me to do it, the whole question from her is, "would you find a car in 1-2 years same or better, for the same price?"
 
#7 ·
So....whats the wife have to say? :paranoid: :hide:

Being married myself man, I know that having no debt is a great place to be as a couple especially with you guys having another little one on the way...

I know what its like coming across a nice car for a fair deal, but remember that family's gotta come first Ike...

Of course, if SHE gives her blessing then JUMP on it and look towards doing a black interior swap in the future :bigok:
 
#8 ·
Yeah I have rear view mirror housing I believe and headlight from 88 that is all yours if need be!

However, me personally, if money is such a huge deciding factor, I would probably say no would be the wisest thing for now. What if it needs new clutch? (That is kind of an odd issue.)
 
#9 ·
Gabe did a DIY for installing the climate control... I believe I read that but it was a while ago?
I am going to have to do a search now.
In that case if you can afford it financially then buy it otherwise keep on the look out for an LS :D
 
#11 ·
Ahh I assume that Erik meant info centre, not climate control.
Why must he lie :D
 
#16 ·
Find yourself an LS badge, put in the info centre compliments of Gabe (already has climate control Erik...:p)
Then call it a day. Looks very very nice and it is a '90. Good platform to start from I like it. Go ahead if you can afford it :thumbsup:
 
#17 ·
If your having money issue, I would have skipped it and wait till the time comes. Whatever you decide, I hope things work out mayne.
 
#18 ·
hmmm this is quite a dilly of a pickle your in. one note on that wood grain if it is the dealer installed stuff is that you will have little holes once you remove it. as for the car itself the clutch problem sounds like a clutch master cylinder issue to me. but what it really boils down to is your financial situation. Being out of debt right now is a really good idea. With this recession in affect, who knows what will happen (although i think it may be hitting a plateau, I hope) You don't want to have something happen and then be kicking yourself later because of buyer remorse.
 
#19 ·
I thought the same about the clutch and being as I never really owned a stick or worked on one, didn't want to assume. It feels like its not "pressurizing" correctly and thus starting to fail, but then again it could just be a sticky pedal seeing as how once I pulled the pedal back up it worked fine...I figured $50 for a new one.

Wife has now said, its completely up to me, and I have decided that if I can't get him down to $1300 or less, I'll pass. Wife has also promised me an NSX in the next 10 years...lets see how that holds up :)
 
#21 ·
damnit, I'm still mulling it over!

so KBB has the car, with said mileage, listed as $1850 is Excellent condition, and $1500 for "good" condition where good is defined as:

KBB said:
* Free of any major defects.
* Clean title history, the paints, body, and interior have only minor (if any) blemishes, and there are no major mechanical problems.
* Little or no rust on this vehicle.
* Tires match and have substantial tread wear left.
* A "good" vehicle will need some reconditioning to be sold at retail.
so, clearly this car doesn't fall under that category. it would be under fair which is $1150, where fair is:

KBB said:
# Some mechanical or cosmetic defects and needs servicing but is still in reasonable running condition.
# Clean title history, the paint, body and/or interior need work performed by a professional.
# Tires may need to be replaced.
# There may be some repairable rust damage.
now, I don't think I would pay more than $1100 for it, especially since I don't think I could get my current legend up to this standard for that much. then I could use my current as a parts car, or fix it up and sell....don't know which.
 
#22 ·
Set yourself a limit of $1300 and stick to it. If you can't get him down to that price then it probably isn't worth it. My turbo Legend started at $2200 with a bad transmission and I ended up paying $1300, just had to be patient and do some sweet talking.
 
#23 ·
you can't judge a price that way man. if i were you i'da bought the damn thing yesterday (90, white, 5-speed, coupe, spoiler are actually my own ideal car). however, you and i are both under different financial situations and it shouldn't be too hard for you to see where you will be 2 years down the line with and without the new car.

the wife's giving you the green light so that's more of a push for you... and the lower you can talk down the price, the better... but if $1300 makes you hesitate about where you'll be years down the line, i'd recommend skipping out on this and focus on saving up $1300 cash -on the side- for when the next opportunity arises.
 
#25 ·
yep, stopped myself from buying it. I actually decided prior to calling the guy to ask a few more questions (mainly timing belt and waterpump paper work) and he ignored my call. I called 2 times the following day and he also sent those to voicemail and hasn't returned my call despite my 3 messages I left him. so it was a universe saying no/agreeing with my no.

it wasn't so much the $1300-1500 that hesitated me, it was the 200k miles and worn out parts for that price. same car for $500 cheaper and I wouldn't have questioned it. we decided to wait on spending $1500 on that car, repair up the other cars, minor things that didn't NEED to be replaced, but made them nicer. also, slowly spend money restoring up my legend in the garage. It seems they pop up every 2-3 years exactly like I want (white 5-speed coupe), so if I still crave it 2-3 years down the road, I am fine with it then.
 
#28 ·
i, personally wouldn't give him more the 1k...i paid $800 for my red coupe (no reverse) and $950 for my blue coupe (with a couple of dings) both 5 speed with the blue coupe being L w/ memory seat. both run great the only thing that has gone wrong is the clutch in my red coupe which was promply replaced...

most married men should know that "it's completely up to you" means she doesn't want to do it.
 
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