Tested! 1989 Honda Accord Aerodeck - Beautifully Engineered GT

I've always wanted to drive one of these! It's a 1989 Honda Accord Aerodeck EX with four-speed automatic transmission. Remarkable styling, great driving dynamics and superb engines make it a real treat.
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Don't forget to like the video if you like it, and share with your friends if you really like it! Thank you all.

[@GrandThriftAuto]

Glad you liked it! I bought new wiper blades especially... My thoughts are very similar as its owner and regular driver - it’s a very accomplished package with many beautifully engineered touches, a couple of which I learned about from this video. Only the busy ride lets the side down: Honda were notoriously a bit rubbish at ride quality in that era. I’ll let you know if I sell it - but don’t hold your breath 😁

[@planestrainsdogsncars4336]

@@karstentopp... and the subsequent Accords were dead boring

[@Perkelenaattori]

@@planestrainsdogsncars4336 Now shut your mouth. The 7th generation estate is glorious.

[@moochincrawdad]

"I'll let you know if I sell it - but don't hold your breath", c'mon - you're not selling, you're just a hope dangler! 🤣

[@johncollymore1697]

+GrandThriftAuto - many thanks for letting Ian demo & drive your great condition Aerodeck. Brilliant video. The 3rd Gen Accord Saloon 2.0 EXi - the top spec - was a very well-built engineer-led car in its day - reliable, a powerful fuel injection 120hp free-revving engine giving great performance, auto-trans, a/c (unheard of on contemporary cars in the UK), PAS, cruise (another unheard of item at the time using a vacuum system that just worked really well, and controlled by quality switches on the steering wheel), ABS, and Ian would like the "hlww" (head lamp wash wipe)... Kind regards.

[@planestrainsdogsncars4336]

@@Perkelenaattori 7th gen was fine yeah ..nothing much in between tho

[@ThomasD1962]

One of personal favorites. When they were new I couldn't afford them and now I can't find a decent one... Great story btw!

[@notrut]

Agreed ... I looked for one after the Millenium, but only found a rotten wheel arch version.

[@christineayres5339]

I was lucky enough to own a 1998 Type R Accord 200bhp very fast with that VTEC once saw 145mph out of it , not bad for a huge saloon car, 60mph in 7 secs too

[@zugbug1986]

Old Japanese cars always amaze me with the amount of standard kit they had for the time and the fact it still works as well. Good review Ian although I don't think much of your parking.

[@chappy2121]

Even the new JDM cars are loaded with gadgets, they don't settle for anything less

[@kevinpatrickmacnutt]

My 1988 LXi was full of options with a nice interior and beautiful stock alloy wheels. While the rear quarters rusted pretty badly, the interior remained in great shape and all the windows and sunroof never gave me any trouble at all.

[@chappy2121]

@@kevinpatrickmacnutt I would never go back to non jdm now. My crown comes with the chassis legs sealed but I've had it fully undersealed. Its got electric seats, mirrors, sat nav , hids, parking sensors, dvd,cassette,md and touchscreen infotainment, auto lights, dual climate, theres a maintenance computer built into the screen. Quite amazing for its age. Just replaced the A/C compressor and commissioned myself so that works now. Just need to put a head unit in as I can only get radio 2 in the UK. I wanted a chaser jzx100 but ended up with a much better car

[@nakoma5]

Not only that but how daring and creative they were with their engineering and designs as well.

[@matty6848]

Yep. What you got on a standard Honda you’d pay a extra grand for the same on a BMW or even Vauxhall’s or Rover of the time!

[@TwilightHighway]

Old Hondas have an indescribable charm. I'm glad they exist.

[@thisisoffbeat]

My grandfather was an RAF pilot (Vulcan Bomber), and on retiring bought himself one of these (instead of a British model). I remember thinking how cool this car was when he picked me up from school in the late 80s. I see now it's where my love of shooting brakes began. Brings back found memories seeing all the attention to detail in the car, I spent many a happy moment sitting in the back, cruising around the country lanes of Rutland. They always had the dash storage full of mints, and he wore white leather gloves as he drove (a hang up from his time in the airforce). Thanks for the video!

[@Banom7a]

truly the best from golden age of japanese motoring. I really wanted one

[@homeopathical]

I love it! (How many people just did an ebay search for one?!)

[@Livi70590]

There aren't enough cars like it today. Perfectly light easy, comfortable and relaxing when you want it to be, but if you want to push on then it has that certain something that is so endearing.

[@barryphillips7327]

Japanese Honda Quality!!!! Even at 30 odd years of age still working perfectly!!!!

[@kellybrickey4300]

That is a great looking car! First thing I thought when I saw it was it looks like an updated Austin Allego estate! I had an '82 Accord three door, which I bought with 217k miles on it, and it was still almost like a new car. The lady owner said , "before you drive it, just know I won't take a dime less than I'm asking." I came right back and handed over all the money. They are amazing.

[@Grant0610]

Love the Aerodeck. At the time you didn't think about it but it was bonkers and would never happen these days. A 3-dr estate car with pop up lights! Just love it!

[@seancooke4127]

Great car. To give it perspective this is about 2 years after we were seeing adverts in magazines for the Fiat Super Mirafiori Twin Cam.

[@jsteel8288]

Not even a mention of the deep, purpose built tea shelf on the top of the dashboard: ample room for cucumber sandwiches, some chocolate cake and a couple of cups of Earl Grey.

[@richardbaron7106]

When I was a mechanic, I called Honda's up to the mid-90's the Japanese BMW coz of the great engineering that went into them - and also coz parts used to cost much more than other Japanese makes. Good to see the sun out in Wales - the past few episodes it's been like an English summer!

[@HowardLeVert]

I see I'm not the only person who equated them to the contemporary BMWs either! They did seem just that little bit better engineered, and driven by a slightly more affluent owner compared to a Nissan/Datsun or Toyota.

[@peterfinucane8122]

I had the next edition 1993 with fuel injection. A very nice car. The next model I had was a 2.3 2000 model and it had lost that classy edge of the earlier ones.

[@julienbee3467]

Have you ever worked on an Aerodeck like this ?

[@davidbusch8912]

What a wonderful review. Only a late 80s Honda would be called aerodeck rather than estate. Brilliant.

[@therobwhite]

I had a 1989 which I bought when it was about 10 years old. I bought it to compliment a 2.3 Manual 4 wheel steer Prelude, as sometimes you need back seats! (I was a Honda nut back then). Lovely car, sunk a load of cash into restoring it. Lowered, slightly and tastefully :-), the suspension on a German aftermarket kit, alloy wheels, full respray after it was damaged in London. Mine was the twin carb, there was a higher spec fuel-injected model as well. Drove mine from 68K to over 120K regular long-distance Yorkshire to London trips. Never missed a beat. Sold it to buy a motorbike, but will always be a favourite. The Service Manager at the Honda Dealer where it was restored bought it.

[@andrewlaw]

I had an Accord saloon of the same era with the standard front end. It was a 1.8EX, so well put together, supremely comfortable and reliable. We drove all over the UK to gigs and football matches in it and it never once let me down. The only thing I didn't like about it was it was soulless and without charm or quirks.

[@danr1920]

Have a '14 Accord, much different of course, but still a great car. Fast, great mpg, almost 40mpg, sometimes over 40. Nothing ever fails or breaks.

[@kenbina]

Wow!!! This takes me WAAAY back to my teenage years. My mother had the EXACT same kind of car (with a darker shade of Blue 🔵). I don't remember it having power windows, and it definitely didn't have AC which made driving it in the SWELTERING heat of Dar es salaam a real pain. When I got my driver's license, this is the first car I drove all by myself. Looking at it, listening to the engine note and hearing your description of the steering feel brings back great memories. It seemed to be a very powerful little car with lots of speed (especially on our roads). I went off to college and my parents sold it. I was LIVID when I found out. Really loved the Honda and still miss it to this day. Thanks for sharing! 👊😎

[@anfahrt]

One of the best engineered and reliable cars ever made!

[@julienbee3467]

Have you had one ?

[@-DC-]

Honda Engineering is something incredible now and again ♥️

[@Blueblur444]

Absolutely love Honda of this era. Had a gen 1 Integra a few years back that I very much regret selling. Currently fettling a 3rd gen Prelude which shares a lot of cues with this car. Great stuff.

[@majormojo]

Nice car and review! I drove an ‘89 Accord sedan for more than 12 yr and 300k km. Still one of my favorite cars.

[@jefferysmith3930]

Thanks for this one, Ian. I came across one of these in a car book in my youth and was instantly smitten. At the time I owned an ‘87 Accord DX 4 dr. 5 spd. In the USA we only got the 4 dr. And 3 dr. Hatch in DX (manual everything, black bumpers), LX (electric windows, locks and mirrors, cruise control,nicer velour upholstery, painted bumpers) and LX-i ( LX + fuel injection plus sunroof and alloy wheels on 4 dr. Sedans.) all had the pop up headlights. Great cars. Not many left.

[@DalekBuilder]

I had a silver Aerodeck ex like that back in the late 90's. Its one of the few cars I really wish I had never sold & one of my favorite cars of all time. Being a multiple Scimitar GTE owner I liked the styling of the Aerodeck as it does have hints of GTE styling about it. In the 6 years I owned the aerodeck other than regular servicing it needed nothing a properly engineered Honda.

[@Thisiswhy1991]

Reminds me of Volvo 480

[@napierlion1]

Ran a 1987 saloon (2.0 exi) in the mid 90's. Fabulous car. They all had colour themed interiors too. Blue, green and brown I think. Interestingly I've since run a 1991 series IV Aerodeck for the last 22years (one previous owner) which is also a fabulous vehicle. 16v engine with twin balancer shafts, one piece dash to reduce rattles, double skinned honeycombe floor and it still has double wish bone suspension. A more refined grown up version of the series iii really. Still my daily car (now used for my business) and on 213000 miles. Been incredibly reliable too. Come and have a look if ever you are in Staffordshire.

[@davidjefferis4467]

Loved my Aerodeck, but chopped it in for an estate which could carry my assorted canoes and bikes. Wish I had another for sure.

[@typos1477]

Always liked these, they could be had with a cool digital dash in Japan. Thats actually a Philips stereo you com often get the code using the serial number.

[@rayfordham9230]

I had a 1996 civic 1.6 VTI wonderful car, the engine was a beauty ,economical around town mid to late 40s on a run if you could keep your right foot under control because between 6 and 8 thousand revs this thing would go like the proverbial muck off a shovel at those revs not a lot could stay with it cause they were busy changing gear. Sold it at 150.000 odd miles, inundated with phone calls for two days. Then i bought a 2 ltr 2005 Seat Leon for the increased milage I was going to do. I SHOULD HAVE KEPT THE BLOODY HONDA.

[@freeganjustin6699]

The third and fourth gen Civic were both vaugely this shape, so the Aerodeck was part of a 'family' of cars like this. The Civic held the fuel economy record for a long while, as someone managed 114 mpg in one. Seriously fine engineering made that possible.

[@anton.adamson_822]

I'm picking up an 88 model tomorrow. 5 speed manual fuel infected, with a sunroof. Buying it from an elderly lady who was gifted it by an ex boyfriend about 30 after they had broken up because he promised it to her. but now she is too old to drive it. I met her when I saw it parked outside and starting chatting. When I asked to buy it she wasn't looking too sell but took my details down and about a month later called me up to give me first dibs. Safe to say I'm ecstatic

[@marvinwilson34]

Sold a red one 3 years ago, one of my biggest regrets,

[@marvinwilson34]

Also bought a 4 door model with pop up headlights in metallic blue, unfortunately had seriously bad rust problems, but a very rare car in its own Wright's a 4 door car with pop up headlights!.

[@julienbee3467]

Could you be more specific about what you think of this car ? I almost bought one some months ago

[@HubNut]

Very rare in the UK, though the Integra five-door hatchback was sold here with pop-up lamps. I love those too.

[@marvinwilson34]

@@HubNut yes I saw I white one several years ago, as you imply not sure if it was an import or sold here new, stunningly looking car though.

[@marvinwilson34]

@@julienbee3467 mine wasn't quite standard so it had slightly lowered suspension slightly bigger wheels and tyres ,a Manuel gearbox does help a lot, a aftermarket air filter and exhaust, all that combined made for a very nice ride and more than enough performance, everything still worked as it should interior wise ,and you seldom saw another one, but also most people new what it was, it made for many interesting carpark conversations, with fellow car enthusiasts, the glass panel in the roof being the main point off interest, to sum up I think the car was cheap enough to be affordable rare enough to be interesting and reliable enough to use as a genuine daily driver, now I think about it i really wish I hadn't sold it lol.

[@buttguy]

I traded a 2001 Passat wagon, auto with the 1.8T, for a 1987 Accord hatch, 5-speed, this winter. Best trade I've ever made, and quite possibly the best car I've ever had. There's just something so perfect about these late 80's Hondas. They really had it figured out. I wish they would have imported the Aerodeck to the US, but I'm plenty happy with the massive hatch on mine.

[@heed17]

My parents had a 1989 2.0 EXi 4walb saloon in burgundy for around ten years. Had air con which was ICE cold and the same lovely velour seats. Would love to own an Aerodeck like this - pure nostalgia. Ultra rare is the 16v saloon with the Prelude’s 150hp engine.

[@paulwayman4579]

Bill Treacher the EastEnders actor said this was his ultimate car in an interview

[@ChuckFickens1972]

I had a saloon accord of this age and I think it's 3rd on my list of favourite cars I've owned.

[@gosportjamie]

If the stereo is the original item the car was sold with, then, if you pull the stereo out of its' mounting using U-pins, the radio code should be on a sticker somewhere on the casing, exactly the same as the Phillips units used in Vauxhalls of the same period. If the unit is a dealer fit replacement item, however, it may well not have that sticker. I had exactly the same issue of no radio code when I bought a very cheap Aerodeck EXi back in the early 2000s as the car had seen little use for several months and had suffered repeated flat batteries, but pulling out the stereo revealed the sticker with the code on it and the sounds were restored, and worked perfectly. They also sounded superb. Something to look out for, on these, particularly in auto form, is tired engine mounts. If the engine mounts are bad, the engine can move around so much that it will actually snap the mounting for the torque reaction bar at the top of the engine right off the cylinder head, which is what had happened to mine. The mounting point is an integral cast part of the cylinder head, so the only options are a replacement cylinder head or taking the head to a specialist welder to be welded back into place. Sadly, at the time I had mine, and the overall condition of it meant that neither option was financially viable, the car was in heavily patinated condition and had lost pretty much all the lacquer off the silver paint, which earned it the nickname of 'The Battleship Honda' from my colleagues at the time as it really did look like it was painted Royal Navy warship grey, but the car was an absolute delight to drive. The 4-speed automatic gearbox with lock-up torque converter worked beautifully and shifted seamlessly, all the electronic toys worked faultlessly, the cruise control made long motorway trips about as stressful as being in bed and similarly comfortable as the seats were just fantastic, and the original, 1986 factory air conditioning, still in original R12 format, worked so well and could pull the interior temperature down so far that the moisture in the air outside of the car would condense on the outside of the glass. Once the MoT on the car expired, and it wasn't really worth repairing it with the engine issue, it would be easy to say that it went to the great big scrap yard in the sky, but it actually didn't. During my work driving vans and trucks for various people, I had made friends with a gentleman on Hayling Island who was the manager at a company I regularly delivered to and had a silver Aerodeck EX manual that he had bought brand new. When mine reached the end of the road, I sold it to him for parts, as they weren't easy to get parts for even then, and he gave me more than I'd originally paid for the car. An awful lot of parts from my car made it on to his, including the air conditioning system, now converted to R134a, the cruise control and even the factory electric sunroof, a big conversion on a non-sunroof car. The shell of my car, now fitted with the solid roof from his, then became a grass track racer. Apparently old Hondas really don't die... It is worth rather pointing out that the Aerodeck is probably more closely related to the Prelude of the time, in body shell terms, though it did use parts from both the Prelude and the Accord saloon, as my friend discovered when he found an immaculate, low mileage but rear end damaged Prelude 2.0i-16 (the hot Prelude of that era) in a local breakers yard. The engine and gearbox from that dropped straight into his Aerodeck, creating a car Honda looked at but never built. It also provided a stack of front end spares too... If my memory serves me right, the bright red cars with the three-spoke alloys that were around in numbers in Birmingham were company cars for a company that had close links with the Marlboro McLaren Honda F1 team...

[@niklaswejedal463]

Oh yes!!! I always liked these - great to se a road test with it. Here in Sweden they were kind of the only competior to the equally marvelous Volvo 480 - now both models are just as rare. I can´t remember when I saw a Aerodeck last time, but I doubt it was in the 21th century.

[@MattBradshaw]

Ooh, I got the Notification at only 7 minutes and 180 views. I’ve never before gotten to be such a early adopter. As always, love your work, mate.

[@Kiinell]

"I shall open the door, partly to ventilate the interior and partly for access." Spoken like a true English nerd x

[@spuriouspodge7416]

Amazing how well engineered and screwed together these cars were. To think the Montego was released about the same time and the level of engineering was streets ahead of the British car industry; and that's probably a good thing and Honda then had lots of input into the later rover and showed that European manufacturers had to up their game

[@darrenabbey3364]

OH WOW!!! This is my favourite HUBNUT video yet!!!! A real piece of nostalgia for me! My father used to own a bright red one D744NGH. I used to love going for rides in it and I remember being in tears when I came home to find he’d sold it for a newer accord...the sound of that engine literally gave me goose bumps. What a treat on this Saturday!

[@chappy2121]

Never knew these existed. It looks like a jazzed up civic, doesn't look big enough to be an accord. You've got to love JDM cars from 80s/90s. They also did an Aerodeck Soarer very cool. I have a Toyota Crown Athlete VX if you ever want a go? Absolutely love it

[@steved3702]

Great stuff, Ian! One of the benefits of hinging the tailgate like that is that it opens without needing a whole lot of space behind. Great for tight places! Hatches naturally do this due to the roofline. The last generation of Holden Commodore wagon (VE and VF series) had the same concept.

[@Quagmire925]

Brilliant video! I had one of these brand new back in the day in the exact same colour and spec. It was a fantastic car. Had it for 10yrs and sold it with 210k on the clock. My friend who bought it drove it for at least another 100k. One of the best cars I have ever owned. 👍

[@boggy7665]

Wrote above about my 1989 USA Accord LXi coupe. Drove mine to about 170,000 miles, sold it to a friend who drove it another 100,000 miles, who sold it to another friend who drove it more...

[@0161pumaste]

What a smashing video, thanks Ian..... reminds me of the volvo 480ES from the 80's. If i were you id ask your friend for first refusal if he sells it, as it will be a future classic.

[@idc-cl4dg]

My mother had one, silver and I think it was badged an ES. Possibly my favourite car ever. Auto, 2.0 litre, quick for the time, reliable, had a sunroof, lovely to drive. Always a treat to borrow it and got to drive it to North Wales and back.

[@rekleif]

Here in Norway, working at a Honda dealership, we only saw the pop up headlights. One of the coolest Honda ever made imo. There is a master code for the radio. I do not remember it but you might get it from an old dealership.

[@martinrule1569]

These were great cars. Totally unique. The worked at a Honda dealer from 1990 so just as these were replaced by the much more sensible 1990 Accord whose estate model used the Aerodeck name too. There’s one like this about a mile from me that’s sadly rotting away on a driveway. Great review again. Just seeing that engine brought the memories flooding back 👍🏼

[@llewsep]

LOVE these Aerodecks. Same with Prelude with pop ups - Flick the pop up switch fast and the lights get out of sync. . And the steering. I always remember that these had feather light steering!!

[@waynetetley584]

Like the pop up headlamp operation which for 31 yr old car is amazing. Good Honda engineering

[@jimmyemmott5493]

wow great video, i have just bought the exact same one last week, immaculate, only driven it to the shops and back, gonna have a nice long drive in it this weekend

[@msbangash9135]

Awesome design. They were never sent to America. Saw it first time in my life. What a beauty. Appreciated.

[@mattsmedley.onehandedgamin9029]

Beautiful. I've owned two of them, a C plate that was the injection manual alb, then an E plate carb manual. They always put a smile on my face whenever I drove or even just looked at it on my drive. So many happy memories 😀

[@AutoRevArg]

God I miss my '95 Accord. Such an accomplished automobile

[@cme2cau]

In Australia Honda sold the saloon and hatchback. We had the sedan. It was a terrific car. With the pop up lights it was christened “Agro” It had over 400000 kms on it when it was written off in a car park.

[@johnlladron735]

Thank you for another great video Ian. A real blast from the past.

[@christophersinclair6155]

Thanks for that great review I owned one many decades ago after owning a cavalier SRI before I was amazed by the superior quality driving handling and standard equipment only sold it because of new addition to family, wish I still had it. Keep up your great reviews Ian

[@karmone11]

EPIC..those beautiful Headlamps.. Had a few. Integras too, all reliable and EPIC.

[@fhwolthuis]

Very nice car when Honda was indeed at their pinnacle for the cars they built. Would love to have an injection manual. As for the crashy ride, in my experience every car has a crashy ride when driven on the poor roads in the UK 😉😂 Here in the Netherlands it would be fine

[@johnm9845]

Don't need a car over there it's so flat, only bikes.

[@nielsei]

I saw one for sale in the netherlanfs not too long ago but it was expensive and it had a more powerfull injected engine

[@Techo1329]

My first nice car was a red 1986 Accord 3dr Hatch with the injected 2.0L 5sp manual. With 51000km it was on the Honda lot in Maitland for $21999 in Feb 1990. Got $15000 change over trading my 1982 Civic 3dr...man it was like I was promoted into automotive heaven with power everything, air-con and the moon roof! The 5sp was silky smooth and the steering and suspension was excellent. I suspect the old Aerodeck is greatly in need of new struts, springs, control arm and swaybar bushes...they certainly were not crashy when in spec.

[@julianlangdon3456]

I can't begin to imagine how disgusted residents of Mainland Europe must be when they encounter British roads. Its one of many good reasons for Driving Holidays abroad rather than at home, when possible.

[@ischafer567]

@@julianlangdon3456 Ok, we were mostly driving in the southern region of England, but I liked it and didn't found the roads to be that bad. I was more surprised about the bad state of the roads in northern germany 😯 Maybe it's different in other regions of the UK. I sure would like to go there again and see more of it 😎

[@Grimwriggler]

70s and 80s Hondas are just great. I owned 2 Accords from 83 and a lovely mk 2 prelude twin carb.. I miss them all .I'd love an Aerodeck

[@seancooke4127]

Not sure if you planned it this way but this light, practical, comfortable and superb handling coupe/estate was a the perfect antidote to all the SUVs that comprised your oncoming traffic. Thank God to see a Great Wall Steed, VW Amarok and a lovely little Kia Picanto. Apparently not everyone is falling for this manufacturers' nonsense that the earth will potentially swallow us up if we don't drive an SUV to make sure that fourth bag of shopping fits in the foot waggle opening cargo area. It's a boot, really, just like your last hatchback, folks.

[@alansimpson835]

I'd forgotten about these. Great to see one again and i love all the little touches like the tailgate that incorporates some roof and the clever parcel shelf.

[@HighHoeKermit]

I remember these growing up as a young froglet, as a few of my friends' parents had them. I always thought they felt a bit special and quirky in comparison to other cars of the era. Those headlights are still so quick and smooth for something made the year I left school.

[@ohshitnotanotherknob]

Most of them have croaked now, sadly.

[@HighHoeKermit]

@@ohshitnotanotherknob Yes, they are a tad(pole) rare these days, so if you see a good one you should definitely gibbet! 🐸

[@JakobusVdL]

The engineering and styling of 1980's Honda's was brilliant. They were making some fantastic innovative cars in those days - where did it all go wrong??

[@drd6416]

Always wanted one of these and couldn't find one even when they were popular back then. This is when Honda did things bang on, dead right. I did have a couple of preludes (one an 86and another 92) and 3 accords over the years (starting with the same shape as this, dead comfy, quick and frugal) Nearest to one of these of late was the volvo c30, or the 480 es before it. A major score Ian, and some find memories of my old school Hondas! They need to bring these back I think, they'd sell better than the civic.

[@daniellee9015]

Brilliant video Ian yet another piece of classic motoring beautiful car

[@furkankavsur7638]

Reminds me a lot of the Volvo 480

[@MrOvershoot]

Your right, now you mention it

[@zugbug1986]

Yes me to but I couldn't think of what Volvo number it was so thanks @Ford Escort XR3.

[@GadgetMart]

Other way around I’m afraid, this is the original.

[@ThomasD1962]

Yeah, same story. Too expensive for my taste in '86...

[@660einzylinder]

The Volvo really didn't get the styling as slick though.

[@honestguy7764]

I spotted one in France 10 years ago, and I was amazed. Honda car were unheard in Spain at that time, safe for Canary Island, due to import limitations

[@jonathanmagness5370]

This is my favorite bodystyle of the 3rd generation Accord and I wished it was sold in the States

[@obsoletegeek]

How cool! I didn’t even know this existed.

[@petergouldbourn2312]

What a great video Ian. I soooooo love you and your channel. Pete 🇬🇧

[@jonjoco]

My most favourite car that I have owned ever. And bought kinda by accident. I am so jealous that you've had a go.

[@tbrasc0]

When Honda used to really innovate... Good Times. The Alfa 145 definitely picked up a few ideas from the aerodeck.

[@kahumike]

And the 156 sportwagon had a similar tailgate opening.

[@tbrasc0]

@@dizzy2020Indeed, great cars, the cloverleafs are the popular versions and there are probably less than 100 of those on the road, but those juniors are still 130bhp which is plenty when you want to push on.

[@tbrasc0]

@@kahumike great bit of design, the 156 is a true classic.

[@cerealtiller]

So -ish-hero is the correct pronunciation for Mr Honda's first name....great review thank you .

[@heikkiremes5661]

One of the greatest designs of all time! So beautiful! I've always lusted after these!

[@trevdean540]

Spent four years driving round in them back in the day as a car valeter at Honda dealership. Most of the salesman had them as demo cars. Always were white red or silver in colour. Lol

[@b.2221]

The nearest I get to a Honda is the Honda 200 cc engine on my lawnmower LOL 😂. Got feeling someone like you could maintain and keep one of these amazing cars on the road for years. It looks like it would be the perfect Hub Hatch 👍 Tam.

[@danmccarthy4700]

I've always found these fascinating. I bet they would've sold well in the US if given the opportunity. I think it looks quite similar to the 1983-1987 Civic hatchback.

[@conkerman01]

My Old man had an F plate EXi. Fuel injection, Cruise control and maybe ABS. Died in about 1997. cracking car, sadly died after being driven into a post.

[@palebeachbum]

As an American, I never heard of the Aerodeck and I've certainly never seen one. My mind is rather blown because this generation of Accord was very popular in the US, mainly as sedan. We did get an Accord hatchback in this generation, but the profile and rear were different and more conventional from this Aerodeck. All U.S. market Accords of this generation had this front end with the pop up headlamps. I've never owned one, but I've heard they were excellent cars. A neighbor owned one with 250k miles and I recall him saying it was a great car.

[@HubNut]

Yes, they did tailor the Accord for each market. We didn't get the hatchback, only saloon or Aerodeck.

[@southendparaquest]

Funny really, I've owned (and currently own, along with my blessed Triumph) plenty of Honda Motorcycles. But only ever one car. A first (I think) generation Integra. Which I believe may share its front end with this Accord (pop up lights, loved them). Something for you to look into! They are lovely to drive, well put together and well engineered imo. And actually, I still see a few of these 80's/90's Honda's still going about their daily business.

[@philipdean5338]

Thanks Ian, another great video, from a past Accord (s) owner.......

[@Witheredgoogie]

Looks ahead of its time..now

[@kevinpatrickmacnutt]

I have always wanted the Aerodeck, however we never got one in the the US. I had a 1988 Accord LXi (fuel injected) sedan with the pop up head lights. It was a great car, I got close to 400,000 miles out of mine and I sold it to a co-worker who used it for an additional five years without much work needed (although it was quite rusty and crusty by the time I sold it). I have to agree the gearing is quite tall and when it really started racking up the miles, it started to feel very slow. A friend of mine had the 5 speed equivalent to mine (same color even) and it was much nicer to drive. Around that time, I also had an 1986 Prelude Si and I have to agree that the suspension was quite crashy, however it handled beautifully. Long trips in the Prelude made you feel like you have been drug down flights of stairs all day. I currently drive a 2002 Acura 3.5 RL (Honda Legend on your side of the pond) and they resolved the crashy suspension by that time, but the gearing is still a bit lazy. The Acura currently has just over 200,000 miles on it and still feels like a relatively new car.

[@petersente83]

I had a 2.0i manual for a while. Absolute gem of an engine! Smooth at lower revs and punchy at mid to high revs. As I remember, both road noise (Belgian roads...) and engine noise were quite pronounced. In the end it was the amount of rust that made me decide to sell it. A short but worthwhile adventure! (Today I drive a 2006 Accord ;))

[@stephenw2992]

I have a third gen Prelude which I believe is based on the Accord, and shares lots of similarities. Its a fantastic car. Cost twice as much as a Ford Falcon and about four times what a Toyota Corolla cost at the time so it ought to be a good car.

[@WhosAGoodDogue]

Sorry, but I could not watch the headlight demonstration. My computer showed me a notification at 17:43 which read _''unable to view content: your browser has blocked pop ups''._

[@HubNut]

Ha! Nice one.

[@Mancozeb100]

Damned American regulations !! Did they want you to fit big bumpers as well ? Ha haaa- you win the internet today 😆

[@WhosAGoodDogue]

@@HubNut *heavy sigh: At least _you_ got the joke! Enjoy your weekend. All the best to you and yours. Dogue.

[@cambs0181]

I remember seeing these generation of Honda's as a school boy in the late 1980s(including the civic of this time). I thought they looked very futuristic and a little sci-fi for that time. The same thing with the more modern Swindon Civicx of recent years.

[@aston-martin-internationalist]

I've always liked these. A childhood friend of mine, Grant Bolton who is also a HN fan has one and also his family had one in the late 80s and I loved it and still do along with Civics and a 505 wagon (other cars I'm fond of). Mid 80s to mid 90s were definitely Honda's golden years.

[@felix_five]

I so wanted one of these back in the day

[@damieg82]

Old Hondas are so lovable. My first experience with one was this era of Accord, but the saloon (it was about 5 years old at the time). It was white, with blue velour interior. An older secondary school mate's dad owned it, and when my mate started to drive, we had many road trips in it. I had experiences with many other cars back then, but the Accord stands out even to this day. Fast forward to today, I have a 94 EG8 Civic EX, highly spec'ed but with the 1.5 single carb engine (only available choice in my country when they were sold new), and I love to drive it! Like this Accord, it has an automatic choke, and it pulls cleanly. The ride is less frantic thanks to a longer wheelbase (this gen of Civic was larger than that gen of Accord)... I won't call it supple, but it definitely beats just about every modern era car of similar ilk. New cars are all so stiffy sprung... it's annoying. My initiation into Honda ownership began in 2016 when I bought a new Fit RS. I was so impressed with the reliability and quality, I pulled the trigger in 2018 when the Civic came up for sale by it's single original owner from new.... the car itself being all original as well, even the Honda radio, which works. I like it so much in fact, I sold on the Fit just last week, and now the Civic is my daily ("daily" is relative though, since I work from home now... because, pandemic). While I no longer have push button start, or bluetooth (that'll soon change however... period correct looking, illumination colour matched new head unit coming), I can't say I miss the Fit... the ac in the Civic works better than the Fit's, which is welcomed because I live in the tropics, and for cool evening drives, the expansive greenhouse and sunroof means lots of fresh air. I don't see myself buying another car any time soon, unless perhaps another 80s or 90s Honda :-D

[@conesuela1]

My lecturer at college had a brand new white one of these, it seemed very special at the time, love it

[@gord307]

I wouldn't go for all the electronic wizardry, but I'm liking the glass area very much, for visibility, and the sharp styling too. Thank you for the review. Gord :-)

[@cs3194]

Thanks for yet another excellent video, and great sound on this one also :-)

[@cornishrider]

Most convincing wheel trims that looked like alloys!

[@moochincrawdad]

You had me hooked with the pop up headlights - mmm luxury! 😃

[@alastairward2774]

My father had one in the late 80s, kids who saw it would gesture for him to pop the lights up and down, they went nuts when he did. I think I remember the ventilation switches making a noise and getting in trouble for flicking all the buttons to hear them working.

[@stephenswift8001]

I remember seeing these as a kid and thinking they were stylish. Also pop up headlights are always good!

[@chrish5018]

Hey Ian. I read on a website that to get the radio code ,for 2001 and older model Hondas,you have to get the radio serial number located on the radio. You can take it out or have the dealership do it and they’ll get the code for. Not sure how old of pre-2001 models this applies to but I hope it might help your friend. Great video. Keep up the great work. I look forward to the next.