Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe Honda is described as a “bolt-off” restoration. A lot has been done, but based on the ad there’s lots more to go. Will that fact, and its price, have you thinking it’s the seller that should bolt off?
Would you like some used chewing gum? How about sa few discarded Lotto scratchers, or maybe somebody else’s boxers with the waistband all stretched out? Yeah, there are certain things we don’t generally kitten to when they’re not only used, but overly used.
That seemed to be the case with yesterday’s 1997 Dodge Viper GTS. Well, at least at its $30,000 price. It was a former track days car and showed a patina of purpose that perhaps forewarned headaches to come. You weren’t having any it and the car fell in a sizable 73-percent Crack Pipe loss.
Speaking of size, do you think it matters? I mean, when slipping into a slot do you want a tight fit? Or, do you like lots of room to move around?
Um, I’m talking about cars and parking spaces here, pervs, stop thinking else-wise.
Here we have a 1972 Honda N600 Sedan, a car so small it was a smart choice long before there was a Smart choice. Unfortunately for Honda, it was a bit too itsy bitsy for American tastes at the time. It would take the next-size-up Civic to blow the doors open for Honda’s auto efforts in the U.S., and ’72 would be the last year here for the little N600.
This dark green over black machine made it here that final year. Power comes from an air-cooled 598 cc twin. The engine’s single overhead cam is chain-driven from between the bores and is fed by a single 1-barrel carb. All together that makes 36 horsepower, plenty for the 1,100 pound car. A four-speed manual with an umbrella handle shifter send the meager corral of ponies onward to the tiny front wheels.
Top speed on the U.S. model is about 80 MPH and zero to sixty takes approximately 19 seconds if there isn’t a headwind, and if you don’t hit a bug on the way.
Okay, enough of the stats, what about the particulars on this particular N600?
Well, first off it’s cute as a bug. The N600 is appreciably old school in its styling, and with its tiny tires, bright-eyed stare, and pocketable dimensions, it really looks like something a little girl might wear on her charm bracelet.
The seller of this 78,000-mile N600 claims that the car has been through a “bolt-off restoration” with rusted panels repaired and a fresh coat of paint. On top of that is said to be some sort of ceramic coating to protect the olive green paint. That’s great, I only wish they had done a better job with the bodywork underneath it first.
There are a couple of boogers here, including a bonnet that’s in need of some attitude adjustment and a fuel filler door that looks like it wants badly to be on another car. There doesn’t seem to be any weatherstriping on the doors either, although the other rubber looks to be in good shape.
Badging seems to be intact, as does almost all of the lighting. On the down side, the lenses and plastic mounts for those lights seem to be in mediocre shape, and while the rear bumper retains its factory chrome, the front one has been rattle-canned silver. Like we wouldn’t notice!
It’s much the same situation inside with decent upholstery and what looks to be a dead bear for carpet. The steering wheel is missing its center cap as well as much of its rim. That appears to be chipped away for some reason. A modern stereo sits in the dash, however it’s questionable as to what end. These cars are pretty deafening when you get up into the revs. That is practically always as peak power comes on at 8,500 rpm.
The engine making that peak power looks clean here, although again not what I would call restored. The engine is claimed to have been rebuilt, as has the carb, master cylinder, and the whole electrical system. Overall it looks like its a solid citizen mechanically.
The car seems to run and comes with a clean title.
Okay, so we might take issue with the seller’s claim of a full restoration and his assertion of its condition as “excellent” but there’s no getting past the fact that it is cute, is seeming solid, and is presently priced at $5,590.
Now we have to decide if that Price matches its presentation. What do you think, does this N600 seem worth that $5,590 asking? Or, do you have little to no faith of it ever trading for anything close to that?
You decide!
South Florida Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to fonlytwowheels for the hookup!
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