drivetofive

Odometer (Legend):  543,021

Odometer (G35):  20,246 (Mom’s new car still at my house til Wednesday!)

Odometer (ILX):  160,000

Sometimes just a simple piece of paper can bring back so many memories.  I was rooting through a box this week in search of something and came across a Bill of Sale dated March 19, 2005 – just a little over 11 years ago – from when I sold my first car for a whopping $250.  Yes, it ran and drove!  Funny how I felt the need to clarify “No Warranty” on a car that was 19 years old and had 194,000 miles on it.  It’s a little irrational (okay, downright crazy), but I actually do miss my 1986 Celebrity from time to time.  Especially that plush velour front bench seat.

It’s been an Acura used car lot at my house as usual.  Joining the crowd here Scottsdale, Arizona comes this 2005 TL.  I helped a friend of mine sell it today for $8,500 with just 83,000 miles.  Non-navigation, tan interior, new Michelins.  The buyer got a pretty solid deal!

I’m only 6 weeks away from departing on a 7,800-mile, 16 day road trip to Fairbanks, Alaska with my friend Jason.  Yes indeed, it’s time to stretch our highway legs and see the north country.  Beginning on Friday, May 20th, I’ll be taking you – Wifi access & blogging time permitting – on a trip through 7 states and 4 provinces in my (now-160,000-mile) 2013 Acura ILX.

This trip will be a re-creation of the same journey that my dad and I took exactly 10 years ago in my Legend.  In fact, I’m going to do my best to capture photos at some of the identical locations, like this welcome sign to the Yukon Territory.

Planning is well underway, as I’ll be having the ILX serviced prior to departure.  I’m also having new Michelin Pilot tires installed next month and I’ll be taking 2 spare tires.  I’m an Eagle Scout after all, so “Be Prepared” is a motto that I live by, especially when embarking on such a journey.  Jason is similarly busy getting his Mazda ready.

Yesterday I did a little junkyarding in south Phoenix and came across this miraculously straight 1994 Legend sedan in Desert Mist Metallic.  It’s a shame the interior was pillaged before I got to it, because I bet it was in really nice shape.  The entire dashboard, in fact, had been removed, but from the stickers on the windshield I know that it had 169,000 miles on it and came from Acura of Peoria.  Wild guess: Some original owner traded it in with a blown head gasket and the dealership sent it to the junkyard because it needed engine replacement.

I also found an old 1990 Integra sedan that reminded me of my family’s first Acura.

On the Integra topic, here’s a first look at my next car.  This is a rare 1992 “GS-R” model in Aztec Green Pearl, owned by my friend Lance in the Seattle area.  Lance has been performing an extensive restoration on this 234,000 mile car over about the last year or so, bringing it back to stock condition by sourcing and installing OEM suspension, wheels, exhaust system, and other items.  The results speak for themselves.  You could eat off this 1.7 liter engine!

Stock ride height means there’s a lot of fender well gap, but it looks “right” for a 1990s period Honda.

Remember automatic seatbelts?

These photos were taken today at HondaFest car show that Lance entered.

Looks great!  And I should have my hands on this one within the next couple of months.

I haven’t forgotten about the 1993 L sedan.  It still needs quite a bit of work but it starts up reliably.

My friend Devan visited this week from Fort Worth, TX and we grabbed lunch on his birthday.

And my friend Jack became the proud owner of a 2006 Acura RSX.  He’d been looking for a reliable, cheap, fun-to-drive commuter to replace his 2002 Lexus IS300, so this fit the bill perfectly.  Here’s a photo from the test-drive.

Seller Jacob is also a friend of mine.  I was glad to be able to facilitate the deal!

And Jack drove off as a happy camper in his 5-speed RSX.

Finally, here’s a mileage achievement story worth seeing.  Planet Honda in New Jersey has taken into the showroom a one-owner 1990 Honda Accord coupe that recently turned its one-millionth mile.  The car looks great!  And we can’t help but draw similarities to Million Mile Joe who also drove an Accord of the same bodystyle.

Video link here:

Over and out!

This entry was posted on April 10, 2016 at 4:23 pm and is filed under Arizona, ILX. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.