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Top 25 Countdown

Posted in Legend, Milestones on May 20, 2011 by tysonhugie

Odometer:  475,007

Today on my way home from work I rolled past 475,000 which officially puts me in top 25 mode.  It’s all downhill from here!  The coupe continues to faithfully get me to work and back each day and I look forward to where my weekend travels will take me in the next 25,000.  Today’s achievement happened on Arizona Highway 87 southbound, between Fountain Hills and Mesa, Arizona.

Here’s a picture of the scenery where it took place.

Here is a video of the turn-over.  Poor quality due to the sun’s position and the fact that I was trying to drive at the same time.

Nothing new to report at this time, mechanically.  No news is good news, as they say.  Next oil change is due at 476,000.

Here are a couple of pictures from last weekend after I gave the car a much needed quick bath.  From a few feet away it still looks pretty dang good.  It isn’t until you get up close that you notice the peppered front end, missing clear coat on the trunk, misaligned bumper, and a few inevitable door dings (though, like most any car lover, I am an extremely careful parker!).


When I washed the car I also took note that I’ve been wearing a hole in the floor mat with the heel of my left shoe!  Good thing I have a new-in-the-box set of floor mats for any special occasions still.  And notice I’m rocking “dealership” adhesive plastic on the entry sills.  Love it!  I bought a 200′ roll of this stuff on Ebay years ago and may never use it all.  Comes in especially handy during the (short) Arizona rainy season.

Finally I thought it would be interesting to post a chart I threw together which shows the Legend’s mileage accumulation over its lifetime.  Since I have service records from its birth, it’s easy to plot everything out for a visual.   The line very visibly steepens when my ownership takes place about halfway through.  And my rate is pretty consistent too.  There are only two blips on the radar:  a section in winter 2004/05 when I drove a “winter beater” for a month or two during my college degree in northern Utah at USU, and a section in mid-late 2007 when the car spent a month or so for repaint after I hit two deer in Austin Texas.

Onward to 500k!

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Tombstone

Posted in Arizona, Legend, Road Trip on May 9, 2011 by tysonhugie

Odometer:  474,031

My friend Kevin and I took a trip back in time yesterday to a town in southeastern Arizona that’s notorious for its history in the Wild West:  Tombstone.  It’s a town, appropriately, of  “Ghosts and Legends” as noted in this sign I had to capture during our visit.

Tombstone is home to daily gunfight reenactments at the O.K. Corral.  Today, the town of 1600 residents survives primarily on tourism since it’s so far removed from civilization and is basically in the middle of nowhere in the Arizona desert.   Not the place to break down in a 500,000 mile car!   But we made the round trip safely and in the comfort of A/C and with good music along the way.  Kevin and I belted Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” at one point and put the car’s Bose speakers to full use.  Here’s a little more light reading on the town of Tombstone itself:

It took Kevin and I about 3 hours to get there from the Phoenix metro area, via Interstate 10 eastbound and through Tucson.  We enjoyed the sights and sounds of the old west for a little while (and fantastic root beer floats) and then continued on our way to Sierra Vista, Fort Huachuca, and back to I-10 for the return leg of our trip.  Here are a few photos from our half-day adventure.

Entrance to town from the north side of town on Arizona Hwy 80:

And a shot at Wyatt Earp’s Old Tombstone village:

Just prior to the trip, I got a $47 full service oil change (no coupon this time!) at Acura of Tempe with 5W30 oil.  I caught the technician JUST as he was about to pull the car into the automatic wash after completing the work.  I never have them wash the car.  I’ll handle that on my own, thank you!  The notes on my paperwork indicate that everything checks out with the exception of a burned out front left marker light bulb and inoperative washer fluid nozzles (they’ve been broken since 2008).  The tech recommended a power steering flush and a transmission service, which is odd since I just had them change the MT fluid on my last visit at 467k.

The temps in Phoenix continue to creep up and we’re into triple digit territory already this year.  Welcome to oven mitt weather!  Let’s see how the old Legend fares through another Arizona summer.  A/C blows ice cubes so for that I’m grateful.

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Grand Canyon

Posted in Arizona, Legend, Road Trip on May 2, 2011 by tysonhugie

Odometer:  473,108

Roadtrip weekend!  Had a couple of new adventures in the old Legend.  On Saturday I delivered a set of wheels to my friend Tommy who met up with me in Indio, California – a short 4 hour drive each way from Phoenix.

This morning, I picked up 3 friends (Matt, matt’s mom Mahnaz, and Linh) and we headed northbound to the forested mountains of Arizona.  The 2 door was surprisingly accommodating for all of us and it made the ascent from Phoenix’s 1,000 feet to Flagstaff’s 7,000 foot elevation without too much complaining.  I had to spend a fair amount of time in 5th gear through the 65 mph grades on Interstate 17.  From Flag, we motored westbound to the tiny old town of Williams right off I-40.  The Grand Canyon Railway took us to the south rim of the park where we enjoyed a few hours of the sights before catching the return southbound train.  Visitors from the park appeared to range in background from so many different countries.  Those of us who are local take for granted that the park with its 1-mile deep ravines is in our own backyard.

By the time we got back to the depot at Williams it was 5:30 p.m. or so, and we squeezed back into the Legend for the 188 mile return trip to the Phoenix area.   Home in Scottsdale now and still haven’t fueled up so I’m pushing 400+ miles on this tank and the fuel reserve light still hasn’t illuminated.  Not bad!  Though the downgrade from FLG-PHX definitely helps aid MPG.  Another successful journey and the Ac didn’t skip a beat.

Mahnaz, Matt, Linh, and me at the wheel on I-17 between Phoenix and Flagstaff

This was our set of wheels for the last leg of the trip to the Grand Canyon:  A train operated by the Grand Canyon Railway.  Not as nimble as an Acura but a lot more leg room for our party of 4!

Welcome

Finally the obligatory shot of the park today.

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Easter Car Show

Posted in Legend, Road Trip, Utah on April 25, 2011 by tysonhugie

Odometer:  471,722

Every year for the last 8 years, I’ve attended a car show held in the town of Hurricane, in the southwestern corner of Utah.  It’s an Easter weekend tradition.  I’ve entered a few different cars over the years but the high mileage coupe has been shown at least 3 or 4 times.

My friend Branson and his dad Don have been restoring a 1965 Ford Mustang for the last couple of years and they drove down from Salt Lake City to enter it in its first show, so I decided to throw the old Legend in the show one more time.  Despite the clear coat fade and some rock chips that even the bra can’t cover up, the car cleans up pretty well for its age and mileage!  I displayed the original window sticker, a printout of my maintenance worksheet, and swapped out the dirty “daily” floor mats for a new-in-the-box set that have never been stepped on.  The night before the sh0w, I also installed a set of 19″ Racing Hart C2 wheels that I picked up many years ago and use for shows and special occasions.

This particular car show is dominated largely by classics & muscle cars, but the Legend got plenty of attention and was well received.  It’s interesting how the car seems to attract people from all age ranges.  I talked with one woman who wished she’d “Never sold the Legend!” because her newer Acura wasn’t nearly as fun to drive.  The old Legend ended up taking home 2nd place in the Import class.  Branson and Don won 3rd place in the “1973 & Older Mustang” class.  Much deserved recognition!  Congratulations to them.

Here Branson and I are pictured with our trophies and cars after the show, at Pioneer Park in St. George, Utah.

Today I returned from St. George to Phoenix via Las Vegas (~400 mi) and it was smooth sailing with minimal traffic.  I had a FULL car.   In addition to my suitcase and some other misc stuff, I was hauling the four Racing Hart wheels/tires (in bags in the back seat) and a set of four 17″ TL Type-S wheels that I was transporting for a friend.  The coupe’s interior capacity is quite impressive!  Just north of Wickenburg, AZ  at milepost 193 on US 93, I was pulled over and issued a warning for a window tint violation.  Can’t survive in Arizona without window tint!

Most recent maintenance was an oil change at Acura North Scottsdale at 470,500 miles before this Utah trip.  There was no inspection provided at the time so I can only assume that the maintenance issues are status quo from last time.  Car still starts, runs, drives like a champ.

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London Bridge

Posted in Arizona, Legend, Road Trip on April 10, 2011 by tysonhugie

Odometer:   470,011

Yesterday morning, I visited one of the many local pick-and-pull salvage yards to scout out some car parts for a friend of mine.  I always enjoy wandering through the lanes of vehicle hulks – some have lived long lives; others were cannibalized young.   It’s interesting to try and figure out what each one has been through and how it met its ultimate fate.  Of the five 91-95 Legends that I saw in this particular yard, the highest odometer was 224,000.  Such a shame to see, especially knowing that these vehicles are capable of so much more.

The Legend achieved the 470k mark last night around 10 p.m. on the eastbound I-10 and Loop 202 interchange in central Phoenix, Arizona, returning from a trip to Laka Havasu City, Arizona.

AZ history lesson:  The 1831 London Bridge that spanned the River Thames was dismantled in the 1960’s, brought to America, and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City in western Arizona.

In this weekend’s adventure I enjoyed an easy 211 mile drive each way to the landmark.  Rain and wind in Phoenix gave way to partly cloudy skies and a gorgeous sunset out at Lake Havasu.  From Interstate 10, the rest of the drive is largely on a 2-laner and the scenery is great.

Checking out the bridge.

Driving across the bridge.

This might be the best time to explain why there’s a signature on my dashboard — it’s the first thing people ask about when they ride in my car.  That signature belongs to Japanese automotive designer Shigeru Uehara.  He pioneered the development of the Honda/Acura NSX and the Honda S2000.  I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Uehara in September 2010 at an event held at Honda America’s corporate office in Torrance, California.  At that time, I’d been invited as a VIP guest for a Honda S2000 “Homecoming” event at which he spoke:

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Trip to Sandy Eggo

Posted in California, Legend, Road Trip on April 4, 2011 by tysonhugie

Odometer:  469,133

Weekend roadtrip to the beach!  The old Legend made a voyage to southern California and back to Phoenix this weekend.  A friend and I went to the San Diego Crew Classic rowing regatta, held at Mission Bay.  Aside from some spendy gas prices (paid $4.13 for 91 octane this morning at Chevron in Point Loma), it was a pleasant adventure and it’s always one of my favorite drives.  Interstate 8 is (in my experience anyway) one of the least traveled interstates and thus it’s an easy drive to set the cruise control and forget it.  The highway parallels the Mexican border and offers pretty nice scenery if you’re into desert and sand dune landscape.  We did make a pit stop at the “Center of the World” monument in Felicity, California – just west of the AZ/CA border.  There’s a monument/pyramid and a sign denoting the location’s significance.

On the subject of mileage, I did make an effort to check mileage (I can’t remember the last time I’ve reset the trip odometer – I always just let it roll around and reset itself every 1,000 miles).  The coupe pulled a modest 370 miles out of 13.22 gallons today, so right around 28 mpg.  Not the best I’ve achieved, but we did have quite a bit of wind and it’s still better than the 26 mpg highway rating from the car’s original window sticker:

I never did see that pesky check engine light at all this trip.  The A/C got a good workout – we’ve already crept into the 90’s for temperatures.  So much for springtime – bring on the triple digits.  During the return trip, we raced a freight train that paralleled the two-lane Hwy 238 approaching Maricopa, Arizona and were able to pull off the side of the road and await its arrival.

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A Meeting of Legends

Posted in Arizona, Car Show, Legend, Road Trip on March 28, 2011 by tysonhugie

Today’s Odometer:  467,833

You could probably find a “cult” following for just about any make/model of vehicle on the road today.  As I’ve learned over the last 8 years of Acura Legend ownership, I’m definitely not the only one with a sick/crazy obsession for this car.   And naturally, I enjoy spending time with others who share that!

Yesterday was an incredible Arizona springtime day — and what better way to enjoy it than by enjoying the open road with some fellow Acura fanatics.  My friend Matt took the helm of the coupe, and I blew the dust off the garage queen sedan to participate yesterday in the Central Arizona Acura Legend Meet.  We made the trek to Prescott Valley, Arizona to tour a repair shop that our friend Tony opened, then enjoyed some of the twisty mountainous roads leading up to the old mining town of Jerome.   Total roundtrip mileage was probably 250-300.

It was a bit of an out-of-body experience to see my car being driven down the road by someone else, but I took that opportunity to snag a few pictures (carefully) from the driver’s seat of the sedan.

Here’s the group shot. The second car from left is my 1994 Legend sedan (only 141k miles!) and the second car from the right is my 1994 Legend coupe (the feature car for this blog).

Both cars made the drive without so much as a hiccup.  I did get the coupe in for some maintenance this week, too. Acura of Tempe has always taken good care of me, and this week’s experience was no exception.   I had the coolant changed, MT fluid replaced, and got an oil change during this visit. Following are the repair recommendations from the technician on my paperwork — none of these are particularly alarming as I’d known about them prior.  The joys of owning an old car!

That receipt, along with hundreds of others, ended up archived in my giant records binder — but only after logging a new line item in the Excel spreadsheet, of course.

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Ready, Set, Go

Posted in Blog, Legend, Milestones on March 22, 2011 by tysonhugie

Eight years, 372k miles, and lots of memories behind the wheel.

Thought I’d kick this blog off with a little history lesson/recap on the old “front wheel drive sleigh” (bonus points if you know what movie that line came from) since there are a few hundred thousand miles to get caught up on.  This 1994 Legend LS coupe and I have been through a lot.  Nearly 40 U.S. states, in fact.   I figured it’s fitting that as my 8 year anniversary with this car approaches (we’ll celebrate this Saturday the 26th!) I should document a few of the past memories as well as track some of my future travels to the big half-million milestone.

Most memorable roadtrip by far was to Fairbanks, Alaska and back in 2006 with my dad.  That was a 7,600 mile roundtrip adventure through some of the most awesome terrain I’ve ever seen.  I’d like to someday achieve a visit to each of the 50 states in this Legend.  Hawaii I may need to leave until last since it’s a $1,000 ferry ride each way.  But it’ll happen!

I’ve had a ton of fun with odometer readings over the years, capturing 111,111.1 through 444,444.4, each the 100k milestones, 123,456.7 through 456,789.0 and some other random ones I’m sure.   Here are the dates at which I passed the major ones.

  • 100,000 miles: 5/20/2003

  • 200,000 miles: 12/3/2005

  • 300,000 miles: 7/29/2007

  • 400,000 miles: 10/30/2009

YouTube video of my 400,000 mile roll-over.

And a 450,000 mile roll-over.

So today, here’s a look at how far I’ve come over the last 8 great years.

Taking the keys on March 26, 2003 – San Jose, California:  95,000 miles

Today – March 21, 2011 – Fountain Hills, Arizona:  467,276 miles

And today’s odometer shot:

My maintenance is tracked religiously in an Excel spreadsheet.  Obsessive attention to detail – that’s the name of the game.  I can say with certainty that this car is on its original engine, transmission, and clutch.   The suspension is as it left the factory in Japan.  Same with the exhaust system.  The axles are original but with new boots.   The car has had 142 (documented!) oil changes over its lifetime so far, gone through 4 windshields, and had 5 different timing belts & water pumps at the recommended ~90k mile change interval.

And if you’re into numbers tracking, I’ve also killed two deer, a cat, as well as this unfortunate bird in Palm Springs CA.

The Legend got me through 3 college degrees and has lived at 6 different houses.  It’s been off-roaded, bottomed out, hauled hitchhikers, stuck in the snow, road raced twice in a 100-mile open road race called the Bonneville 100 in northern Nevada at over 100 mph, thrashed an autocross track in Springfield, Missouri, and dyno tested at 414,000 miles in St. George, Utah.  After all that abuse, it’s only been towed one time — when the original fuel pump died at around 399,750 miles on the 101 freeway, just a mile from my home in Scottsdale, Arizona.  I’d trust this old clunker across the country tomorrow.

Known issues – yes, there are plenty!   This car is not a mint condition showpiece.  She’s still rolling strong but is showing some wear and tear. Aside from some understandable cosmetic issues (clearcoat fade, chipped front end, bullseyed windshield), there are some mechanical issues to address too:

  • Leaking power steering pump
  • Rotors should probably be done (last changed at 89k miles!)
  • Original clutch is barely hanging on for dear life
  • Passenger side door lock actuator makes a loud noise when unlocking
  • Climate control blower motor has a mind of its own some of the time
  • Motor mounts and tranny mount need changed
  • Differential seal leaking (per Acura inspection)
  • All original suspension loves to creak and groan sometimes
  • Misc instrument cluster bulbs burned out
  • Infrequent Code 12 Check Engine Light for the EGR system, though I’ve replaced everything!

Aside from all that, this car drives as rock solid at 467k as it did when I bought it at 95k. It starts on the first crank every time. I drive it to work every weekday. No smoking, no oil leaking, doesn’t use a drop of oil between changes. I wouldn’t hesitate to drive it across the country at a moment’s notice. I still easily get 30+ mpg on highway drives in 6th with conservative driving habits. I use nothing but 91 octane fuel, and 5W30 oil at 3k intervals.

Where to go from here?  Keep an eye on this blog for the updates as I roll onward in the Legend for the half million milestone.  I’ll be celebrating at 477,000 (that means the car’s been driven to the moon and back) as well as definitely doing some quality countdown documentation as we near the big 5 together.  Drive onward!

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Welcome

Posted in Blog, Legend on March 21, 2011 by tysonhugie

Here’s my late entry into the world of blogging! I was inspired today by another car guy’s blog about his crusade to spend an entire year behind the wheel of a Ford Model A, (www.365daysofa.com)  so I figured I’d share some of my own adventures from behind the wheel of a car that’s a few years newer than his, but with a little bit more road experience under its belt. Stay tuned and join me for the ride to half a million miles in my 1994 Acura Legend.

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