Biscuit

Hi. My name is Shaun, and I like slow Fords and 90s Accords. 
 

This wasn't supposed to happen. A coworker had "an old beat up Honda" that he didn't want anymore. After attempting to gift it to his sister (who refused and prefers to ride the bus) he says to me "Hey. You like old Hondas don't you?" In his mind, and since he couldn't give it away, it wasn't worth anything so he offered it to me for free. In my mind, it was way worse, but probably worth cleaning and flipping for a few hundred to help fund my music habit. 
Then today I went over to pick it up. He handed me a clean title and a key, shook my hand and said thanks for getting rid of it for him. First thing I really notice is the shifter. I swear he told me it was automatic, but it isn't. Now, if you've ever met me in person and talked cars, you're likely aware that I have a thing for 90s Accords. The beige-er, the better. 

So I'd like you to meet my new one, which I've dubbed "The Biscuit"

Note the duck tape around the drivers window. That doesn't work. The AC? Bunk. The power glass roof? Fuggedaboudit. The bumper has been loved on a bit and the fender developed a rash from it. Two tires are bad, the other two are worse. But other than that... I'm in love. 
 

What we have is a 1999 LX with the F23 and a standard transmission. 190,000 on the ticker. Cassette AND CD, and there's even a spare tire in the trunk. The interior is actually really good. Cloth, no tears or odd stains, carpet mats, and no rattles or noise. The steering is like a tiger. The suspension does make some clunks. The vents blow and the modes actuate, but there's either no refrigerant or the compressor quit. That window needs a regulator and possibly a motor. The valve cover might have a gasket, but it left the chat a long time ago. And the front brakes are the noisiest I've ever heard. Aside from that, the stock air box is intact, and so is the exhaust. 

I don't need a project. I don't have a plan. All I know is this one stays. Anyone need a Grand Marquis?

That's a great score! I'd LOVE one of those for a commuter car

In reply to birdmayne :

Possibly the greatest commuter to ever commute. The first one I bought was meant to be an appliance, simply four doors and no issues. It was that, but something about it just clicked. That was a 93 auto, and it needed some things on occasion. Steering pump, water pump, an engine mount, but age gets us all. It just felt so right. I still regret selling it. I had a few others and never kept them long, always chasing something more exciting. Maybe I've matured, or maybe I just got old and boring. 

I had a 99 coupe with the F23/5 speed. Good car. 

Back in those days, my GF at the time had a '99 EX Sedan.  Nice cars but to this day I still remember that the center console rubbed against my driver's leg in an uncomfortable fashion.  

No AC in Utah exasperated by no way to roll down the driver's window.  Add to that a manual trans and I can see why "common-folk" would want nothing to do with it.  I think you have a nice score there but I also suspect the market price was right.  You're likely facing $400 for tires and $400 for suspension.  AC could be easily another $400+.  So, you'll have $1500 into it rather quickly.  If that was work done at shops then it'd be easily to $3,000.  But, its worth the effort and in the end you'll have a refreshed car that will continue on.  It's just time for a "reinvestment" of both time and money.  

I enjoy these kinds of "rebirths" of a fallen car.  

In reply to John Welsh :

I suspect your numbers are accurate. I have to decide if I want good stock suspension or something a little sportier/lower. My 93 was just low on freon, a quick recharge lasted for two years. Maybe I get lucky again? We'll see.  The window should be a cheap fix. Other than that, a good service with plugs and cap/rotor, hopefully no dangerous codes... either way, I'll be saving gas. 

i'm so jealous of you guys with your dry cars from dry climates.  i'm from "rocker panels only seen in brochures" country.

In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :

Geez...  Rock Auto has some Grabriel struts for just $4.00 each!    But, you then still need strut mounts and bellows.  For just $45 each you could have some no-name fully loaded struts.  Amazon probably has some similar priced loaded no-namers.  

In reply to John Welsh :

Parts are unreasonably cheap. No joke. The suspension felt ok but on left turns over bumps there was definitely a clunk. I also need to see if I can determine when the timing belt was last changed. 

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

Come on down. It's hot as balls right now though. 

These are excellent cars. My mom had a 98 auto she bought new that I really enjoyed. I had a 5spd 87 carbureted Accord and was thankfully gifted a 5spd 88 FI Accord. The FI Accord was quicker 0-50 than it had any right to be. Dumb highschool me won a lot more stop light drag races than I should have.

Yours seems to have suffered a fair bit of neglect although all should be easy fixes.

barefootcyborg5000 said:

In reply to John Welsh :

Parts are unreasonably cheap. No joke. The suspension felt ok but on left turns over bumps there was definitely a clunk. I also need to see if I can determine when the timing belt was last changed. 

That might be measured in terms of "X presidents ago"!

I can't imagine driving a car where you are, this time of year, where there's no AC and the window is stuck up.  After about five minutes' of driving, I'd be pulling over to find a nice rock to fix the window with!

I so wish we had been gifted with a wagon version of these.  

barefootcyborg5000 said:

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

Come on down. It's hot as balls right now though. 

i'm headed to Death Valley for some brake fluid boil testing in a few weeks.  :-(

In reply to wae :

Both problems are on the short list. Window reg w/ motor is $60. And I may get lucky and only need a couple cans of r134. Im more concerned with the timing belt just because my dominant wrist doesn't take well to actual work lately. Silly Honda and their backwards crank rotation. 

In reply to AngryCorvair (Forum Supporter) :

That place is literally the worst. I've been when it was 130f, and I've been when it was snowing. Stay hydrated. 

In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :

If the belt fails, are these interference engines? 

In reply to John Welsh :

Yes. It's not a difficult job. I can do it in a driveway in a couple hours. But if it's been replaced in the last couple years I'd rather not bother. 

I know we're not supposed to judge books by their cover but that car seems like one that hasn't had a lot of proper maintenance for a while now.  My hunch is that the belt and water pump should be done as a matter of course.

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) :

You're not wrong. I know the guy fairly well and he did put a few dollars into it about two years ago but I didn't ask for details. I doubt it's been done, but I'm going to ask anyway. 

In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :

I would ask for any receipts he can scare up if for nothing more than the car's history.  Just in case you sell it on in the distant future.

Love it already. 

Pictures. Threads without pictures are basically useless. 

All the door cards are really good:

Moneyshot! My guy pulled all the trash out, but given it was 101f outside yesterday he didn't vacuum. He also told me that he couldn't grab the change because it was hotter than the surface of the sun. I haven't counted it yet. Any guesses?

The daycare section is clean for now:

Mostly it's straight, which is pretty out of character for old Hondas.

And the bad corner. I may go ghetto here and just sticker bomb the area, haven't decided.

I like the juxtaposition of this picture. 

Neighbor has nearly 3,000 sqft home, Tesla Y (which has to be near new)  $100k 5th wheel (also near new), a toy hauler trailer (looking shiny and new) and somewhere there has to be a HD Pickup which I'm sure isn't old either.  Yet, here we are, across the street all interested in a more than 2 decade old economy car with 200k miles!  

I'm sure he's in debt up to his ears!  Yeah for fee cars!  

In reply to John Welsh :

They're nice folks. Young couple with a little one. Renting. He's some sort of contractor, seems to run a concrete crew? Idk. There's an easy $50k in toys in the garage too. But yeah, it's almost an entirely different world. 
This side of the street is probably an annoyance to most of the neighborhood. This is my in-laws place. We were here for a while and they're letting me park it here for now. FIL is like me in regards to old cheap vehicles, only with more funding and he's had longer to collect. Maybe that's why my wife puts up with my shenanigans. She probably thinks it's normal.