Oldest Honda Accord is still running!
#1
Oldest Honda Accord is still running!
I found this when I was looking at older cars.
http://www.motortrend.com/features/a...06/112_news63/
2006 The Augusta Chronicle. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved
http://www.motortrend.com/features/a...06/112_news63/
It was late in the evening on a gray and cloudy day in 1977 when Ben Johnson pulled his red Pontiac GTO convertible into the Jenkins & Wynne Ford dealership in Clarksville, Tenn. The 24-year-old electronic warfare specialist in the Army's 101st Airborne Division, was about to do something that - at the time anyway - was considered un-American.
He was going to buy a Japanese car.
"My GTO was taking me to the cleaners," he said, recalling the era's high prices and fuel rationing that limited motorists to 10- gallon fill-ups on odd-even days based on license-plate numbers. "It almost took 10 gallons just to drive to the gas station."
The car Mr. Johnson bought, dealt out of the back of a dealership, was a 1976 Honda Accord, the first model year of what would become one of the best-selling cars in automotive history.
The story would end there if not for the fact that Mr. Johnson's Accord not only still runs but also might just be the oldest Honda Accord on the planet. "It's a claim that's out there until we find out otherwise," he said.
Mr. Johnson began a quest four years ago to find out whether his silver two-door is the oldest surviving Accord. With more than 13 million Accords sold in more than 140 countries since 1976, he couldn't get a definitive answer from Honda Motor Co., its dealers or its vehicle-owner associations.
1976 Honda Accord
His research, however, yielded a couple of nuggets: His car's vehicle identification number, SJE1011014, predates the model that Honda has parked in its Tokyo museum. He also found out that only Accords built near the end of the first year's 18,600-vehicle production run were exported to markets outside the U.S., meaning it's unlikely an older Accord is tooling around Sao Paulo, Brazil; or Manila, Philippines; or Nairobi, Kenya.
"If it's not the oldest, it's probably the one that's in the best shape," Mr. Johnson said. "Anything else wouldn't be as spirited and roadworthy as mine is now."
The only things separating Mr. Johnson's Accord from the $4,209.40 car he drove off the lot 30 years ago is an aftermarket stereo, high-performance shocks and tires, and a custom carburetor system installed after the 100,000-mile mark.
With nearly 300,000 miles on the odometer, the car still delivers a fuel-sipping 32 miles per gallon and can cruise at interstate speeds of 80 mph without strain. "The car looks better, and runs better, than the owner," Mr. Johnson said.
The self-described car nut, who owns several other vehicles, is so passionate about the Accord that he would sell it only to a museum or organization that would put it on display.
He says the Accord should be part of a history exhibit on how rising energy costs changed America's car-buying habits, just as today's prices have made smaller sport utility vehicles and gasoline-electric hybrids more popular.
"History repeats itself," he said, commenting on the nation's renewed interest in conservation. "All we have to do is look back to the late 1970s."
He was going to buy a Japanese car.
"My GTO was taking me to the cleaners," he said, recalling the era's high prices and fuel rationing that limited motorists to 10- gallon fill-ups on odd-even days based on license-plate numbers. "It almost took 10 gallons just to drive to the gas station."
The car Mr. Johnson bought, dealt out of the back of a dealership, was a 1976 Honda Accord, the first model year of what would become one of the best-selling cars in automotive history.
The story would end there if not for the fact that Mr. Johnson's Accord not only still runs but also might just be the oldest Honda Accord on the planet. "It's a claim that's out there until we find out otherwise," he said.
Mr. Johnson began a quest four years ago to find out whether his silver two-door is the oldest surviving Accord. With more than 13 million Accords sold in more than 140 countries since 1976, he couldn't get a definitive answer from Honda Motor Co., its dealers or its vehicle-owner associations.
1976 Honda Accord
His research, however, yielded a couple of nuggets: His car's vehicle identification number, SJE1011014, predates the model that Honda has parked in its Tokyo museum. He also found out that only Accords built near the end of the first year's 18,600-vehicle production run were exported to markets outside the U.S., meaning it's unlikely an older Accord is tooling around Sao Paulo, Brazil; or Manila, Philippines; or Nairobi, Kenya.
"If it's not the oldest, it's probably the one that's in the best shape," Mr. Johnson said. "Anything else wouldn't be as spirited and roadworthy as mine is now."
The only things separating Mr. Johnson's Accord from the $4,209.40 car he drove off the lot 30 years ago is an aftermarket stereo, high-performance shocks and tires, and a custom carburetor system installed after the 100,000-mile mark.
With nearly 300,000 miles on the odometer, the car still delivers a fuel-sipping 32 miles per gallon and can cruise at interstate speeds of 80 mph without strain. "The car looks better, and runs better, than the owner," Mr. Johnson said.
The self-described car nut, who owns several other vehicles, is so passionate about the Accord that he would sell it only to a museum or organization that would put it on display.
He says the Accord should be part of a history exhibit on how rising energy costs changed America's car-buying habits, just as today's prices have made smaller sport utility vehicles and gasoline-electric hybrids more popular.
"History repeats itself," he said, commenting on the nation's renewed interest in conservation. "All we have to do is look back to the late 1970s."
#4
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A '77 with only 300,000 miles on it? Well, he doesn't drive it much. Then again, he says he owns other cars as well.
My '93 SC has 238,000 miles.
The 90's Accords don't really have many rust issues, MMarshall pointed out that 70's Accords did.
My '93 SC has 238,000 miles.
The 90's Accords don't really have many rust issues, MMarshall pointed out that 70's Accords did.
#5
my dad had one from Chicago, tan 5 speed. Rusted inside and out. He even got this "Rusty Jones" treatment from the dealership where they drilled holes in it and filled it with something to stop the rust... it actually made it worse! When I was a little kid we would swing the door open and you could hear the water inside!
#6
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A few years ago, I read an article in the local paper about an Accord with over 1 million miles that had been traded in to a dealership. It wasn't an old model either. The owner had a job that required him to drive about 150k miles per year, something to do with checking roadways. In an interview with the paper, he said that he always made sure to have the oil changed regularly, which was about once a week...
#7
Old, yes. I was going to associate it with high mileage too.
We had an 81 I think, and man, you can build your biceps and arms with those no-power steering turnings
Off topic, friend had a 79 corolla, maybe 500k miles at least (can't remember how many times it turned over), engine was smooth as ever
We had an 81 I think, and man, you can build your biceps and arms with those no-power steering turnings
Off topic, friend had a 79 corolla, maybe 500k miles at least (can't remember how many times it turned over), engine was smooth as ever
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#8
Lexus Fanatic
Apples and oranges. There's a LONG way between the '93 model and the late 70's model in rust-resistance.
In fact, the '79 model actually had a factory recall for rusted front fenders. Owners got new fenders and new paint...at factory expense.
You could, in most cases, easily tell the recalled 79's from other Accords of the same vintage because they stood out like a sore thumb. They had nice, shiny new paint on the two new fenders....contrasting with the somewhat faded paint and corrosion on the rest of the car. That was before the days of clearcoat paint and long-lasting paint-fade resistance....if you didn't keep the paint polished and waxed, and the oxidation out, it would mismatch the original color in just a couple of years.
Last edited by mmarshall; 08-12-07 at 03:03 PM.
#12
Lexus Fanatic
#14
#15
Lexus Test Driver
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Ture, not too mentioned the salt water air from the ocean. However, while many doen't realize this, Hawaii does have quite a high level of collector and show vehicles. There are a lot of guys here that do great restoration work. Back in HS when I was a senior in 1990, my friend just had his 1980 Accord Hatchback fully restored and repainted. Sure, that was only a 10 year old car at the time, but compared to what the average 80 Accord looked like this one looked brand new.
To tell you the truth, over all for those that routinely wash their car and take care of it rust is not an issue here. Those of you who live with snow and road salt have it much worse.
To tell you the truth, over all for those that routinely wash their car and take care of it rust is not an issue here. Those of you who live with snow and road salt have it much worse.