1997 Honda Del Sol

Coupe

1.6

Automatic

JHMEH6262VS006881

Salvage

Gasoline

I bought this car off of ebay back in 2011 with 126,650 miles on it as my son's college commuter. It had actually been previously stolen and then written off by the insurance company, so that's where the guy I bought it from got it. (Don't fret over this, however, because the North Carolina DMV sent a state trooper to my house to check the car out before I could register it, and it does have a straight-up-legitimate, completely normal North Carolina title which I've had for years. AutoCheck sometimes has a wooden-headed approach to rating cars. Ebay took down my first listing accusing me of misrepresentation because I listed the title as "clear", and they forced me to list it as "salvage" due to AutoCheck's red-flag title warning. "Salvage" conjures up images of a car that has been wrecked and then rebuilt in some back-alley body shop, with the intention of later unloading it on some unsuspecting stooge through a venue such as ebay. The rating of "18" given to my car is not indicative of its condition...even AutoCheck acknowledges it was never in an accident...but the rating is primarily affected by the "problem" with the title that they are leading everyone to believe exists. My North Carolina title dated March 10, 2011 is indeed clear and has no "salvage" wording anywhere on it. There is no problem with the title. The car was simply stolen and subsequently written off by the insurance company who then took possession of it upon its recovery. There is nothing wrong with the car itself which the pictures clearly illustrate. I have seen on occasion AutoCheck ratings on vehicles that are very high, but the accompanying pictures show the vehicle to actually be a beaten dog. As you look at this listing, please bear in mind that a high AutoCheck rating does not automatically mean that the car is something that you'd want to buy, and a low rating does not automatically mean that the car is a piece of garbage that you shouldn't buy. Thanks for your patience with my Autocheck/ebay rant.) After finishing college my son didn't want it so I took it back and have been using it as my own commuter for the last few years. It has served me well and delivered a consistent 36-38 mpg with daily usage. It has been gently used and has never been "redlined" while with our family. Oil has been changed every 3,000 miles (10W-30 Pennzoil High Mileage) and it only uses about 1/3 of a quart between oil changes. When I change the oil there is usually a very thin film of oil on the bottom of the oil pan, and there has always been that slight amount of seepage present for years, but it has never been enough to actually drip onto the pavement below the car. I have no doubt that I could get another 100,000 or more out of this engine as it seems to be wearing well. I pass Del Sols of this vintage on the road from time to time, and most of them look like they've had the dickens beaten out of them. I really haven't seen one quite as good as mine. I'm selling it now because I recently bought a 1986 Toyota MR2 and it's difficult to justify to my wife why two, 2-seater vehicles are sitting in our driveway. I like the Del Sol very much, but it's just that I like MR2s more, so a choice has to be made (sorry, Honda fans). You can see the MR2 lurking in the background in one of the photos, just waiting for the chance to claim its place in the sun. I have done extensive work on this car myself as I hate paying confiscatory charges to repair shops. Here's a list of what has been replaced: 1. Engine Compartment/Exhaust System - Radiator with hoses, thermostat, A/T cooler hoses, battery (Sep 2013), distributor with spark plugs and wires, crankshaft position sensor, temp sensor, map sensor, serpentine belt and idler pulleys, alternator, exhaust manifold, both oxygen sensors, catalytic converter, muffler, timing belt, water pump and fuel pump 2. Drive Train/Suspension/Brakes - Both axle shafts, all wheel bearings, tie rods inner and outer, ball joints, upper and lower control arms, rear trailing arms, struts and springs replaced with KYB struts with OEM stock Honda springs all around, brake calipers and brake hoses. (Any time I replaced a part, I also replaced the related fasteners or bolts with new ones.) 3. Body/Interior - Just replaced a cracked windshield at Safelite to the tune of $212, passenger door handle, driver door handle with lock rod and inner pull cable, driver door latch, radio antenna, both headlight assemblies, c/d HD radio with all interior speakers, right-side targa roof lock handle. I also put some soundproofing material against the back wall and wheel wells as the cabin was originally rather noisy and doing that helped very much. The tires are in excellent condition and were bought as a set (Cooper CS4 Touring, size 18560R14). Spare tire and jack are present and I'll give you a Gorilla wrench with the necessary socket for removing the splined lug nuts used with the Sport Tuning wheels that were purchased from Tire Rack. I might have forgotten something, but I think you'll agree this is a lot of stuff that the buyer won't have to worry about. The car does have some paint chipping and a few scratches here and there but still looks decent when washed and waxed. The paint on the driver's side outside mirror housing is "crazed". The only real rust is on a seam at the bottom of the driver's door, but it hasn't penetrated too deep and should be an easy fix. In a very heavy rain the targa top may leak a little on the driver's side by the sun visor. If I was keeping the car I'd just replace the gasket which is still available from Honda. Until then just stuff a piece of paper towel up in there during a deluge and you'll be fine. The driver's seat has the typical hole worn in the side bolster from folks getting in and out of the car for years. A nice seat cover is all you need. Also, although the A/C does blow cold, the compressor cycles on and off way too much, so there is definitely a problem with the system that you'll need to check out. The power windows and door locks all work fine. All dash lights illuminate. Included in the sale will be the 4 original stock Del Sol wheels with plastic caps that came with the car, along with a new Standard throttle position sensor #T42001, as well as a new genuine Honda Idle Air Control Valve #16022-P2E-A51 that goes on the throttle body. That's another $150.00 just for those two parts, my friends. You might not need them right now, but I guarantee you'll need them later. Remember that the originals are now 20 years and 219000 miles old. The Del Sol passed the state inspection this past August. Of course you'll be buying the car "as is", but I think it's a safe bet that it's not going to be throwing a rod the week after you get it. This car is definitely worth putting some effort into and won't take much to make it something special. It deserves a good home with someone who can appreciate it for what it is. There aren't that many Del Sols left that haven't been thrashed and beaten up, or that haven't lost the battle with cancerous rust. The mileage will be a bit more than as listed here as I take the car out every few days for exercise. *P.S. I had to readjust the outside door handle mechanism that I had just replaced on the driver's side because it wasn't working as smoothly as I'd like. When I removed the inner door handle to take off the door panel, I noticed a thin crack running through the handle that I hadn't seen before. I ordered a new genuine replacement from Honda ($49.00) and installed it yesterday. Now both doors are fine and the power locks work perfectly. Before replacing the left door latch it had been really hard to unlock the door with the key, but now it's smooth as silk. I drove the car to work yesterday over 50 miles round trip and it's still running very well. The majority of the miles I've put on this car are highway miles. It hasn't done much slogging through stop-and-go traffic. I'd really like to see the car find a new home soon, so feel free to make an offer.