drivetofive

Odometer:  508,290

Welcome my friend Brock to the Acura family!  I love it when others can appreciate Acura like I do.  You may remember when my friend Jeremy picked up a local Legend several weeks ago.  Having recently owned a Nissan 300ZX and a late model Honda Accord, another friend, Brock, drove home from Los Angeles yesterday proudly in his first Acura acquisition:  a 1994 Legend L coupe in Taffeta White exterior with Ivory leather interior.

Brock’s new ride has only 137,800 miles on the odometer (which works out to about 7,600 per year).  We snagged a few pictures of our same-year Legends on the way to lunch in Tempe, Arizona today.  The white Legend feels mechanically very solid and it rides super smooth.  Brock’s loving the manual six-speed transmission.

Brock’s already planning a few subtle upgrades and fixes:  chrome exhaust tips, black (correct color) foglight covers for the front bumper valance, and some moderate window tint on the front two roll-up windows.

My old Desert Mist Metallic ride got a hand-wax this morning with Meguiar’s Gold Class liquid wax so the paint is silky smooth and glossy.

Thought I’d also share an update from my rooftop science experiment, too.  Anyone who follows my blog knows that I’m all about making things last.  About two years ago, I thought I’d have a little fun with automotive durability testing on a smaller scale (1:18 scale, to be exact).  I was getting ready to get rid of some die-cast model cars but decided instead to see how the paint and interior finishes stand up to the Phoenix, Arizona extreme climate on top of my roof.  It’s been fun to watch!

I climbed up yesterday afternoon to check the status on a “fleet” of 6 vehicles that have been parked up there for quite some time.

This 1994 BMW 3 series convertible has seen better days.

And the 1957 T-Bird is pretty severely oxidized, too.

Let’s not forget the 1957 Chevy Nomad and the Aston Martin.

I take pictures about once a quarter to see how things are weathering up there.  I’ll keep everyone posted on the latest developments!

Odometer:  506,012

Yesterday a good friend of mine took delivery of a gorgeous and rare, classic Acura.  This 2-owner 1994 Legend GS in sherwood green pearl (a 1994-1995 color only) had only 127,000 miles on it at the time of delivery.  Congratulations Jeremy on a fine ride!

Later that night, picking up the car with a customary “key handoff” picture as is tradition among all my friends and family.  Kevin and Donna will surely miss their old faithful Legend but have two immaculate 2005 Acura TL’s to replace it.  There seems to be something about the Acura brand – once you’ve owned one, you keep coming back for more.

Jeremy’s new Legend looks remarkably similar to the one that surfaced not long ago on the Internet with a “Legend… Of Zelda” license plate, right here.

Meanwhile, my old ride keeps chugging!  It passed the 506,000 mile mark on the way home from work today.

Swing by the automotive news website TorqueNews.com to see a short write-up I put together on the new 2013 Acura ILX concept vehicle based on my experience at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this month.  The article is here!

Odometer:  496,500

If you were to picture two vehicles with a combined age of 38 years and mileage of 870,209, what would that look like?  Remember, that’s 33 times around the equator.  How about this:

Once again the timeless Legends hide the years and miles with sheetmetal that withstands aging better than any anti-wrinkle cream.  This evening I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow Arizonan who’s giving me a run for my money in the mileage realm.  Jeff has done all the major maintenance on this 373,000-mile 1991 L sedan in Charcoal Granite Metallic for the last 10 years or so, and he recently picked it up for a fair price for his dad, Don, to use as a daily driver.  Here, Jeff fires up the 3.2 liter V6 that purrs like a kitten.

In fact, it’s so quiet that we wandered over to my car and got lost in conversation and completely forgot the ’91 was running.

Don’t forget the odometer shot.

Head to head, the high mileage Legends have a chat with each other about where their vast travels have taken them.

It was a pleasure meeting Jeff and Don – an all-star duo who truly appreciate a fine car when they see one.  It’s days like today that remind me that it’s more about the people than the car.  I’ve met some of the finest folks in the world thanks to this old set of wheels.

I was reminded tonight about an anniversary that will be coming up in just a little over a month.  It was 10/30/09 – almost exactly two years ago, that I rolled 400,000 on the Legend on my way to Las Vegas.  My friends at the Acura Legend forums presented me with an etched LED plaque that to this day is the prominent feature on my kitchen counter.  It’s proudly displayed as a conversation piece for any who visit my home!

Lastly, don’t forget to check out today’s feature on Liberty Mutual’s “Responsibility Project.”  Drive to Five was featured in a Q&A about the merits of the “drive it ’til the wheels fall off” vehicle ownership strategy.  Huge thanks to Andrea Bennett for putting together the article!