1988 Acura Legend L review from North America

First off, let me say I bought this car completely blind to its history. The car had been sitting in a car lot for over a month and no takers. I bought the car because I needed something that I thought would last a year.

The car is now 16 years old. Here are the problems I have discovered since the purchase.

The right-rear power window motor doesn't work.

There is rust around the rear wheel wells, most of it near the rear doors.

There is rust inside the gas entry port.

The transmission clunks when changing gears from first to second during hard acceleration. (Most likely a bad transmission mount)

Third gear is going out and have to start out in second gear, get up to 30 or 40 miles per hour, let off the gas, shift into drive, let the gears engage and then apply throttle.

The brakes on the front-right side rattles like it isn't secured in place.

The car smoked extensively out of the exhaust pipe. (I thought it was from the crisp, cold air that morning)

Small amount of smoke comes out from under the hood when coming to a stop after it has warmed up. (Probably oil leak from valve cover gasket onto exhaust manifold)

The engine-bay hood struts don't work.

The power antenna doesn't work correctly. Corrosion is to blame for this.

Dashboard lights need to be replaced.

The shocks need to be replaced, they are spongy.

The good points of this car are:

The leather interior is in pretty good shape for as old as this car is. (Three tears in the back seat)

The car starts up most every time with no difficulty.

The ride is somewhat smooth and the acceleration acceptable.

Fuel economy is OK for a vehicle with this many miles on it. (200,000)

This car has power everything.