Shednesday: Honda Legend
Merry Shednesday. The weather is hot, so I’m regretting my failure to top up the air-con; open windows aren’t the same thing. I’m not lusting after a convertible – give me somewhere comfortable and temperature-controlled. My place of work doesn’t count!
Another of my Dad’s cars… sort of
Before his foray into the world of Jaguar and now Lexus, my dear old Dad (yes, him again) had a Honda Legend. Or, as he liked to call it: “an armchair on wheels”. A nice cool armchair sounds great as I sweat over my keyboard. Dad had a third-generation Legend, of which there are plenty available on Facebook Marketplace for sub £1500. Some (not many) also have an MOT.
I was surprised to find a fourth-generation 2008 Honda Legend with 90,000 miles on the clock for £1500.
Yes to Showaddywaddy; no to Skynet
The fourth-generation was a different beast to its predecessors. This was in no small part to the fitment of SH-AWD. It might sound a bit like Showaddywaddy, but it stands for Super Handling All-Wheel Drive. This means the car will handle and grip better when you’re utilising the 296 ponies from it’s 3.5-litre lump.
Unfortunately, it was only available with a five-speed auto ‘box. Thankfully, as it’s a 2008 car, it should be devoid of the other acronym: LKAS (Lane Keeping Assistance System), which was designed to keep cars in their lane. It sounds like it might be helpful, but I’m not convinced I want Skynet, Samantha or the spirit of Christine as driver assistants.
The car, the Honda Legend
Back to the actual car: it’s in Southampton and up for £1500. There’s a reason for that: it hasn’t had an MOT since 2017, and the MOT history would suggest it has a few electrical gremlins. A decent Honda mechanic or auto electrician should be able to help. On the plus side, it does start and run, and – cliché alert – it’s a lot of car for the money. Over to Gavin…
What does PetrolBlog think?
I’d love a Honda Legend. Over the years, many examples of the second-generation KA7 have secured a berth on my eBay watchlist, but I’ve never taken the plunge. Perhaps I should, especially given the fact that 2021 is the 30th anniversary of the UK launch of the KA7 and KA8 (Coupé). Are you feeling old yet?
The styling of the third- and fourth-generation models doesn’t cut it for me – I prefer the chunky looks of the second-gen Legend. I guess the Legend’s biggest problem is the Lexus LS400. If you’re going to drop a few grand on a Japanese luxobarge, wouldn’t you choose the Lexus?
Thanks for sending me down a Facebook Marketplace rabbit hole, Ben. Have you seen the Preludes? And the Accord Aerodeck? Not to mention the Concerto…
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