1989 Acura Legend review from North America

It is important to note that my car was a previous total loss vehicle (flooding) which was probably a factor in all the problems I have had.

I did an oil change shortly after purchase when an annoying lifter tick started which leads me to believe the person who sold it to me added something to the oil to eliminate engine noise.

Two months after purchase the exhaust fell off from the catalytic converter back with only one or two days of noise indicating that I needed to change the muffler. I do not know how that passed the safety inspection.

Next the front brakes needed to be replaced. The pads, rotors, and calipers. This wasn't so bad considering the age of the car, but the price of parts was too much. Even compared to Honda parts. Somehow the Acura emblem on the car makes the price of parts more expensive.

Then the rack and pinion went which was replaced. However that went within a year and had to be replaced again (under warranty). I believe that the rack and pinion is going to fail again.

Next I had to replace the ball bearing and spindle on the passenger side. Again the price of the part was more than most other cars.

Then I had to replace the transmission with a used one. Since the second transmission was faulty from the start, and not under warranty as it was used, I am currently waiting for this transmission to go.

After the transmission was replaced my speedometer had issues and finally failed in some extremely cold weather. The cable was fixed along with the transmission, so it is the speedometer drive (another expensive part) that is broken. So I have been driving the last few months not knowing how fast I am going, or how many actual Km's are on my car (currently showing about 244000).

Lastly the ball joints in the front have been steadily getting worse since I replaced the rack and pinion. I have gotten estimates for replacement and have found that it is beyond my budget to fix.

The car handled well (with a good front end) and still handles okay with the front end in its current condition.

Somehow the engine still runs and produces decent power for the racket it makes.

In short it is a good car if you can afford to keep it running. The parts are simply too expensive for a car its age. I paid $4400 for the car and have spent at least that much in parts and labour.

Right now I am not planning on spending any more money into my car because of the amount that I know I need to fix. This includes the transmission, all the front ball joints, tie rods, etc., all the rust, and an engine that I am surprised still runs.

But the moral is to never, ever buy a car that has been a previous total loss.