1990 Acura Legend L Coupe from North America - Comments

Slight wear in the leather seats.

Lifter "ticking" noise (when cold) @ 121,000.

New brakes @ 122,000.

First off, the "ticking" noise. The design on this engine is one that causes the lifters... to make a "ticking" noise when the engine is cold.. What I recommend is, a can of engine restore.. this will work for only 200-500 miles. Also you can, let it warm up normally for 5 minutes, then rev the engine to 3000RPM for a couple of seconds and the noise goes away. THIS NOISE IS NOT HARMFUL TO THE ENGINE.

This car has a great amount of power.

The steering of this car is among the best.

Great suspension and ride.

Great interior positioning of items.

Smooth V6 engine.

Yes. I too have the 90 LS model, and with 170k it still performes like a dream! Small rust pockets in the rear wheel wells, lifter "ticking" in cold starts, but with thin oil (5/30) the oil pump keeps up nicely, and warms up quickly. The lifter problem is annoying, but repair is too expensive to justify, so I'll live with the noise... it doesn't harm or impede the valve timing, so who cares.

Also, the Engine light comes on at about 4000 rpm in 3rd and 4th gear if accelleration is labourous, but resets itself when ignition is turned off and on again. I suspect O2 sensor.

Classic car!

It's amazing how consistent this car is, lifter noise start-up, inherent rust problems or potential treatment if you know about it's history first. Classic car, oh yes, never to be another. Leather needs constant attention.

I have the same lifter noise when engine is cold. My mechanic told me that was normal on this engine after 100k. My car is a 1990 Coupe with 123,000. By far the best used car I have ever owned. The power and smooth ride for a car reaching 15 years old is amazing. Purchased the car for under 2-large. A little crusty around the wheels and the legend sign on the trunk, but overall a great car.

I have recently purchased a 1990 Legend L coupe, and I love it! I am glad to know that other Legends have lifter noise at cold starts, because I was bothered by it at first, but sure enough after the car gets to operating temperature it goes away, and runs very smooth and quiet. My Legend is in great shape. The leather seats have been redone and look new, it is cherry red with a small spoiler, and custom wheels. All the power options work well, and the car drives great considering it has 168,000 miles. I gave $2000.00 for it, and have only had to do simple maintenance to it like oil change, radiator flush, spark plugs, air filter, and front brakes. I did these myself to save money, and because they are easy to do for anyone with a little mechanical aptitude. I love the fact that it is a luxury car with a manual transmission! I love to shift and that v-6 really rumbles with an after market exhaust and air filter. I have owned Hondas before, and they are great cars. I love this car, and I plan to keep it for a long time. The only gripe I have with the car is the gas mileage, I am use to getting close to 40 mpg with my last Civic, and Toyota Paseo, but you have to sacrifice gas mileage for more power.

I purchased a '89 Acura Legend for $1000.00! Almost backed out as the deal seemed too good to be true (as they usually are!) I went ahead and bought it & I'm so glad! It had a little bit of an oil leak but the rest of the car was in MINT condition! A couple of months after buying it, it began to make a ticking noise for appx. 2 minutes when I 1st started in the cold mornings, then the noise lasted appx. 5 minutes and now it ticks a lot, but everyone that's listened to it has informed me it's the lifters. After reading other comments on this site, I was relieved to find that they were correct and even learned of a couple of possible forms of treatment: Can of System Restore & 30/5 Oil. (Shan)

I purchased a 1990 Acura Legend L two days ago for $2,800 and I can't imagine getting a better deal. The car has only 105,000 miles on it and no "ticking" noise when starting although I haven't had a cold morning yet (it is only October). The only thing wrong with it is that the entire glove box falls out when I open it due to broken hinges in the back. Other than that I would label this car as one of the best used cars to buy even in 2009. This car is 20 years old and it runs like new!!