Selling an old or non-running Acura Legend

An old Legend that no longer runs, or one that has sat behind the house for years, can be sold without any work. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and pickup is free anywhere in the US.

The first Legend, 1986-1990

Wikipedia dates first-generation production from 1985 to 1990 at Honda's Sayama plant in Japan. Its V6 sat sideways and drove the front wheels through a 4-speed automatic, and Wikipedia lists the Rover 800-series as a related car.

These five model years hold 129 complaints. Patterns shift year to year:

• 1986: the fuel system leads, with 7 of 17 complaints.
• 1988: vehicle speed control is named in 12 of 33, and this year also reports 10 crashes and 12 injuries.
• 1989 and 1990: hydraulic service brakes lead, with 9 and 11 complaints.

Two recalls reach this generation. The big one is 95V103001: on the Legend's front belts, the red release button marked PRESS may snap, and a loose piece inside the buckle can stop it working right. That campaign counts 3,700,000 vehicles across many models, so only a share of them are Legends. The other, 87V171, added missing owner's-manual pages to 1988 cars.

The second Legend, 1991-1995

The redesign arrived for 1991, with production from 1990 to 1995. The engine turned to sit lengthwise (longitudinal) and grew to a 3.2-liter V6, the C32A and C32A1.

No Legend year draws more complaints than the 1991, at 117, and the 1992 follows with 75. Most of the weight on both years sits in one NHTSA category, Equipment: 52 complaints on the 1991 and 29 on the 1992. NHTSA's component label doesn't say what those owners described. The one Equipment-category recall on those years is 01V053: on cars with a Bose audio system, a transistor in the speaker amplifier behind the rear seat back can overheat, and dealers replace the amplifier circuit boards. Those two years also hold 11 of the Legend's 16 fire-related complaints.

The other second-generation recalls:

• Shift cable bracket, 1991 (91V065). In a minor collision the engine can rock forward on its mounts and damage the bracket. Dealers fit a redesigned cable and hardware.
• Passenger air bag, 1992 (92V109). Some assemblies were built without igniter material. The whole campaign covered 11 vehicles.

What NHTSA holds, year by year

Legend totals match NHTSA's records as of October 10, 2026, plus any crashes the owners mentioned. The three quiet final years are combined. Later Legends had slightly fewer years to pile up reports, a gap that barely matters on cars this age.

Restore it, or let it go?

A Legend is a 30-plus-year-old car, so the question is usually less about one repair and more about everything that comes after it. A few things to sort out first:

1. Check recalls by VIN at NHTSA's lookup, mainly the amplifier recall on a 1991-1992 and the belt buckles on a 1986-1990.
2. Be honest about the project. If it was meant to be restored and never was, our old project car guide walks through when selling makes more sense.
3. Long storage adds up. Tires, fuel, brakes and seals all age while a car sits; see car sitting for years.

Selling a Legend whole

1. Find the title and the VIN. On a car this old, the title is often the hardest part. If it's lost, read selling with no title.
2. Get an offer online, or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Describe where the Legend is parked. Flat tires or a packed garage don't stop a pickup, but the driver should hear about them first.
4. Keep it complete. Leave trim, wheels and engine parts where they are; the car goes as one piece.

The RL replaced the Legend. For the rest of the lineup, see every Acura we cover.