I have a '91 Leg with 291, 000 miles on it and "things" are starting to happen. I've had it for 12 years and of course no major issues throughout that time. But in the past few months, I've been feeling the pain. Took it in for diagnostics and I have to have some transmission work done, head gasket needs to be replaced because the engine is leaking oil and the axle is also busted. I am seriously at the crossroads with a decision to be made. The total bill to have all of this done is around $3800(Tune-Ups Plus). I still love this car because it was my first purchase after graduating college but I am still torn between getting it fixed or getting something newer(possibly a '06 Civic - I already have a TL - I just use the Leg to drive to work about three times a week, I'd use the Civic in the same manner). The weird thing is the Legend is still quiet when I drive it, but the problems need to be fixed. Legend owners...is it worth it? Could I possibly get better quality work at the dealership? Your opinions and advice would be greatly appreciated and taken very seriously.

 

4cruizn should help you, he has a 300,000 mile Legend still running well and is showroom clean.

Also try acura-legend.org I think.

 

I think you got your money worth out of the car. That's a pretty big bill for a car with that many miles. I'm sure it would last a while longer after the repairs, but then again it may need another big repair soon.

If the car holds personal value to you then i'd keep it and fix it.

 

Also, you could be buying someone else's problems. If you were choosing to move up to a new car I'd say go for it, but a 96' civic I don't see the point. You know your car and everything that's happened too it,and probably what to expect from it in the future. 3800 seems steep though. An axel should run about 100 bucks + 100 labor. Headgaskets maybe a 1500.

 

no thats not worth it. that costs more than the value of the car

 

I have an 89 Legend, and it has problems too... Rust, transmission, etc. I still drive it pretty much everywhere though. It has 173k and i bought it for a couple hundred. I gotta tell you though, putting $4,000 into a car that probably isn't worth have of that is probably not a good idea.

 

That's too much for me to dump into a car with that many miles.

 

less than $2500 you can get a newer car http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/546593891.html

 

Way too much coin to drop on such an old car with high miles.

 

I think you could buy a lower mileage legend w/o any problems for cheaper than fixing that one. I know I sold mine to a friend for $2.5k w/ only 120k miles, and zero problems.

is the car undriveable? How bad is the BHG? Maybe you can trade it in, for a decent price if you plan to buy something much newer. So far the only reason I've gotten rid of a car is either because I'm moving, or repairs cost almost as much as the car is worth.

 

"Parting is such sweet sorrow" ... (don't know why that Shakespeare quote popped out of my head ...)

But selling a beloved car can be a difficult thing. I don't know what's gonna happen when I sell my current TL-S ...

But if the cost to repair is greater than the value of the car ... then gotta sell it. Not economically feasible. Unless you can do the work yourself and buy the parts ... otherwise don't bother.

 

I would not spend any money on the legend as others suggested. I had a 93 legend that I drove for ten years (bought used with 55k miles). I would not get another legend.
1. Head Gasket issues(I was lucky, I replaced the radiator twice and)
2. Brake Master cylinder leak issue
3. Rust
It was a good car for the time I had the car. I recently leased my first brand new car a 2008 TSX.
Good Luck,
Umair

 

I understand how you feel about the Legend. I also had a 93 and it was a great car. Yours has lived beyond its useful life and it's time to say goodbye.

As someone else suggested, why not get another Legend with much lower miles if you like the car so much? $4000 should buy you 150,000 fewer miles.

A Civic or a TL Gen3 would both be poor substitutes for those 3 days IMHO.

 

or you could just swap out a 3.5L RL engine and 6spd tranny into it...

 

Wow, if you knew how to turn a wrench you'd be in shape. The tranny is the only thing needing to go to the shop for. but head gasket and tuneup is no problems for the weekend mechanic to fix.