LyFeWoRx

Hello.

I have a few question, I recently got a 89 Accord from a friend. The car has 120,000 Miles on it,

It has a J In front of vendor number does that mean mostly Japan Parts, Thats what i got from searching.

What is the gen of this car, I search and think i came up with 3rd gen, just wana make sure this is correct, It might be 2nd.

The car is in perfect condition new timing belt everything, No dents, everything stock. Car is auto though. I am thinking about selling it and either buying a 92 civic hatch, or a another accord. I dont have pics, but everything is almost flawless. Its a LX model. I am wondering what the going price from this is, I figure you guys would know what someone would pay, not what KBB says.

Engine swaps, Is it worth doing for the sleeper effect? I did some search's looks like a B series motor could swap in, not sure if its worth the hassel, I think the car would weigh to much. But a GSR Turbo would be cool.

Is there there any knowen problems with these things? I did some searchs, The only thing i really see is like 2 recalls, I found out they have no Air Bags, Anything else i should be concerend?

Thank you. For the time being I will be in and out of this board, The board looks like a very useful resource, and the members don't seem to be as rude as other boards. Thank you.

-Michael

89_LXi

Welcome

You are correct, 89 is indeed 3rd generation (86-89 is 3rd), and is probably one of the most reliable machines Honda has built. 120k is just getting broken in, so don't worry about the miles. By vendor number, I'm assuming you mean VIN number, and if it starts with JHM then it was built in Japan, and if it starts with 1HG then it was built in Ohio (or 2HG was Canada). You're engine is an A20A1 (2.0L), 2 bbl carb, 98 hp 109 ft. lbs torque, which isn't the greatest I know, but there's stuff you can do to make that better. Not really any problems to worry about with the 3rd gens...pretty much bulletproof, just change the oil, tranny fluid, and other regular maintence stuff, and it will pretty much run forever, lol. Tranny fluid is very important to change because there is no filter, so if left unchanged and it gets real dirty, the tranny will slowly self destruct. If changed regularly like it's supposed to be, they'll last 250-300k miles, if not longer without a prob. Only thing to really worry about is rust on the rear wheel wells and rocker panels, which was common on all older Hondas. Not sure of the sale value since it depends on where you're at, but with lower mileage and perfect cosmetic condition I imagine you could get a decent amount for it.

Since the LX is carb'd, it would be a little more work for an engine swap (to convert to EFI stuff), but still nothing major. B series isn't a bad engine to swap in since the 3rd gen doesn't weigh all that much. A buddy of mine here locally (also known on here as OldSchoolSwap) was in the 14's with his B16 in his 88 Accord (and that's with full interior, A/C, everything...except p/s). But there's also stuff you can do to your carb'd motor, like a Weber carb, reground cam, headers/exhaust, that will beef it up a bit.

If I were you though I wouldn't sell it, unless of course you really dislike it that much. Not all too often you see a 3rd gen with low miles and in perfect condition, and they really are great cars. Look at the miles in my sig....still runs GREAT! Like new is actually a better word to use...still got 200psi compression too, and it burns no oil whatsoever. All original engine (except a headgasket 35k miles ago, but that was mostly my fault ), tranny, and even the clutch believe it or not. But it's up to you on what you do. If you like it, keep it, and if you don't like it, sell it to me for a very cheap price and get something you'll be happy with

LyFeWoRx

Thanks for answering some of my questions, yes my VIN number starts with a J, and i do only have 120,000 miles on the car. The car is in very very very good condtion does not have anything wrong, just had timing belt replaced. I considered to keep it, but Im curious on the weight of the car, The honda hatch back seems to be a very light car. Not sure where this weighs in. Any info is great info to me on this car. I really do enjoy it, even though its a auto, but i figure if i did do the motor swap i would do the manual swap as well, thats not to hard is it?

If you know the weight of the car that would be awesome, if not i will search.

Thanks again.

Michael

89_LXi

This is a copy/paste from our FAQ....these weights are for manual transmission, I think auto is about 100 lbs more or so, but it'll give you an idea.

1986
DX Hatchback (MT) 2416lbs
LXi Hatchback (MT) 2454lbs
DX Sedan (MT) 2421lbs
LX Sedan (MT) 2529lbs
LXi Sedan (MT) 2568lbs

1987
DX Hatchback (MT) 2416lbs
LXi Hatchback (MT) 2498lbs
DX Sedan (MT) 2421lbs
LX Sedan (MT) 2529lbs
LXi Sedan (MT) 2568lbs

1988
DX Hatchback (MT) 2416lbs
LXi Hatchback (MT) 2498lbs
DX Sedan (MT) 2421lbs
LX Sedan (MT) 2577lbs
LXi Sedan (MT) 2663lbs

1989
DX Hatchback (MT) 2513lbs
LXi Hatchback (MT) 2641lbs
DX Sedan (MT) 2500lbs
LX Sedan (MT) 2579lbs
LXi Sedan (MT) 2685lbs
DX Coupe (MT) 2493lbs
LXi Coupe (MT) 2646lbs

If you do a manual tranny swap on your current motor, an 84-87 Prelude transmission will bolt right in, and has better (sportier) gear ratios over the Accord one. The swap shouldn't be too hard, although I've never done it myself, but it's been done more than once before. There's also a how-to to help guide you through it.

Hope that helps ya some

LyFeWoRx

actually, thats alot of help. Thank you.