Best Buy

1986-1990 Acura Legend

What were you doing in 1986? I was busy passing ridiculous notes to the girl behind me in Math class, Mutt Lange was putting the finishing touches on Def Leppard’s landmark album Hysteria, and the big suits at Honda were biting their fingernails. Their shot at an upmarket brand, Acura, rested squarely on the new Legend’s success. Granted, the Integra was also being introduced, but that was a compact – kind of a given, really, with Honda’s history. A sport luxury sedan was something else. Without Acura, there might never have been Infiniti or Lexus.
Fortunately for the Honda brass, the Legend was a resounding hit, and those of us who love sports sedans are the benefactors. This wasn’t simply a rebadged Accord with a gold-plated exhaust pipe. An all-new silky-smooth V6 was the only engine, but what fantastic powerplant it was. Above 3000 rpm it came alive and the ensuing howl was only a preview of the brilliant NSX to come. Shoot for the larger 2.7-Liter available in 1988.
On paper, perhaps, other competitors might have had the edge somewhere. Ford’s Taurus SHO, for example, had more power, and the Lexus ES300 had that bit more luxury. If you wanted all-wheel drive in your Formula One four-door, you simply had to have the Mitsubishi Galant VR-4, and the Infiniti I30 (a Maxima in a tux) was a bit larger inside. All very good cars, to be sure, but all were late to the party.
For the complete package of comfort, handling, high-speed stability, and ease of use, the first-generation Legend is quite simply the best to be had. Car and Driver called it “a better BMW than BMW”, and if you’ve ever laid eyes on a car magazine, that’s near sacrilege. After 1991 it got larger and more ponderous, until it morphed into the yawn-inducing RL years later.
The best bang for your buck comes in the form of the 1990 LS model, available with real wood trim, automatic climate control, sunroof, memory seats, and heated mirrors. Leather seats came standard on all higher-end models, sedan or coupe, which could be had with a manual or automatic. It may not look truly inspiring from the outside, but trust me, you have to drive it just once to be hooked.

• Price: $1500-$3,000
• Watch for: jealous domestic owners, ticking engine noise (normal on these engines)
• First modifications: intake, cupholders
• Best place to learn more: www.acura-legend.com