As is a common occurrence for many gamblers, Honda has been having a run of bad luck rollin' the bones on its recent model introductions. Today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe ’90 CRX comes from an era when the company seemingly was endowed with hot dice and was on a roll. But, will this Si's price mean it's crapping out?
Mercoor? Moor-cur? John Mayer’s car? You know, half of Ford’s problem with their import brand back in the eighties was that heartland twangers and north central you-betchas couldn’t figure out how the hell to pronounce its Germanic name.
That wasn’t an issue with yesterday’s 1988 XR4Ti however, because according to 60% of you, its name was pronounced Crack Pipe. Damn, and I thought the period piece interior would have swayed more votes.
Today we’re switching from an eighties almost-was touring coupe to a nineties interpretation of what a two-seat sport coupe ought to be. At least at the time, in Honda’s book.
The first generation of CRX was so cute you couldn’t help but love it. It was so small that it looked like you could almost pick it up and put in your pocket - without even the benefit of wearing cargo pants.
With the advent of the second generation - as exemplified by this 1990 Si - the CRX gained 4 inches in wheelbase, 200 to 300 pounds in weight - depending upon the model - and lost its edge as far as ultimate fuel economy was concerned.
Still, with its intricate double wishbone suspension front and rear, and 108 horsepower out of its 1,590-cc D16A6 engine, it did add new ways to make ultimate understeer lots more interesting.
Today, finding an unmolested CRX Si or any generation is a tall order. Most owners’ ultimate goal is of course to make you wait for the VTEC to kick in, yo. This 92,000-mile ’90 is appreciably original, and while it probably won’t offer much in the way of bragging rights at the next drifters night at the Fuddruckers parking lot, it is an excellent opportunity to experience what Honda originally intended, which was a small sports coupe with moderation in all aspects of its performance.
This is the performance edition, badged the Si and sporting the aforementioned 108-pony mill. That looks like it could stand a little TLC under the hood, the plug wires seemingly original and the cam cover looking like a 22-mission B17. Other than that the lack of aftermarketnalia is refreshing. Of course, with the miles this one has, a critical question is whether the timing belt been replaced, because it's about that age.
Dropping the hood and giving the car a quick walk around proves that the rest of the car isn’t fat, it’s just stocky. Factory wheels, decal-less glass, and nary a fart can in sight make this the perfect basis for your own personal transformation.
Or, you know, you could just keep it stock.
If you did, you might enjoy those big bolstered seats, amazingly low ‘90s Civic windscreen base, and some choice ergonomics. One part of that is the five speed stick whose fat knob is just inches away from an equally meaty three-spoke wheel. Unfortunately you’ll also have to deal with the door-mounted seat belts, which are an annoyance.
As noted, Honda hasn’t had the hottest dice recently, and even their attempt to recapture some of the CRX magic with the imaginatively named CRZ came up snake eyes. That leaves older CRX’s like this to fill the void, should you jones for a well-handling and meticulously assembled little sportster from the house of Honda.
In this case, going old school Honda will set you back $9,800, which is the current owner’s asking price. That’s a lot of dough for a 23 year old anything, but perhaps not so much for a CRX Si in such nice shape? What do you think, is paying $9,800 for this CRX a safe bet? Or, is that price too much of a gamble?
You decide!
San Francisco Bay Area Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Route100 for the hookup!
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