1985 Honda Accord Hatch review from Australia and New Zealand

The usual brake wear.

Front end went AWOL after kissing the back end of a RangeRover.

A little rust around the back hatch.

Paint worn off on the wiper blades.

Fails to attract women on a purely aesthetic basis.

If the only car I ever own could be as good to me as this one has. Although I did pay a premium price for it (as it had basically sat in a garage for the 14 years until it met me), I think that the 50,000 km's of enjoyable driving it has provided me with have justified the expense.

The build quality outstrips any similar japanese model of its day. The interior is extremely comfortable, especially after the addition of an expensive aftermarket stereo, and all interior plastic is UV durable and tasteful. Dash controls are well laid out and functional, and the electrics are Honda-faultless.

It is also a fantastic car to drive regardless of conditions, provided you have good tires (try Pirellis).

Having resisted the urge to replace any of the standard handling components, I found that it still holds the road well at high speed, although standard suspension means plough understeer around those fast, tight bends.

Mechanically, this car feels very tight and refined, provided it was not treated badly by its previous owner, of course.

The manual gearbox action is very smooth and short, making 2nd-gear chirps and double-clutching a pleasure.

The engine is typically Honda, putting out a surprising amount of power once revved past 5 grand. However, the lively performance is somewhat compromised by a heavy body that can land you in trouble if overly ambitious handbrake turns are attempted at speed.

Whilst this is a slight problem, you've got to praise Honda for the level of safety that they've achieved with this model. Unlike the eggshell that we know as the CRX, this car's heavy body is a blessing in disguise when ricocheted off another large vehicle, believe me. Also, the classic 80's black plastic body mouldings are very durable for those shopping centre carpark incidents.

I've had some great times in this car, and I'll be reluctant to let it go. The parts are slightly expensive, but the quality is considerable. Definitely worth checking out.