Beater Archive

Acura’s Well Kept Secret: 1992-94 Acura Vigor

By admin ⋅ September 9, 2009 ⋅  Email this Article ⋅  Print this post ⋅ Post a comment

by Raphael Leonard

The Background

Gather round children, and I’ll tell you the story of a mysterious and distant time long ago. A time called the early 90s, when Honda still had the ability to make minor miscalculations. You see, back before Honda and rival Toyota were the supreme overlords of automobile sales, they still made the occasional misstep. While this wasn’t a common occurrence, it certainly happened more than once, and was more often than not a result of JDM vehicles not being cushy enough for American tastes. One such misstep is known as the Acura Vigor.

Having been sold as an upmarket Accord in Japan since the early 80s, Acura, and parent Honda were certain that their Vigor would be a real crowd pleaser for the large-sized American gaijin. Combine this with the fact that Lexus’s ES300 sedans were selling like hotcakes, and Acura was certain that they’d hit a home run with the Vigor.

Placing it neatly above the Integra and below the flagship Legend, Acura sat back and waited for the sales to roll in. When they didn’t, a host of changes were put into place, attempting to make the vehicle more like the competing Lexus. Sadly, Acura’s efforts were futile, and the little Vigor was dropped in 1994 for favor of the much more successful TL.

The Opportunity

While the Vigor was by no means a popular car, it was not due to a lack of effort. Being sold in various forms for years in Japan, there was ample opportunity for Honda to work the bugs out before the first model arrived in America. While parts are more expensive on an Acura than your run-of-the-mill Accord, the vehicle itself should hold up well for many miles; being a rebadged Honda can have its advantages. Count on decent fuel economy from the 5-cylinder engine, as well as the standard safety features for your average 90s whip, and you’ve got yourself a solid daily driver, assuming you are able to procure a good example. Another upside is the suspension. While it was found to be too sporty by the American press, which favored a more comfortable ride, it is nearly on par with sportier competitors of the day. Almost European in its driving feel, the Vigor delivers a ride that is far from that of the milquetoast ES300… a definite plus for the BMW-adverse beater enthusiast.

The Downside

Aside from being, as mentioned above, more expensive to maintain that your average beater, the Acura Vigor’s downsides are identical to that of a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry of the same age. First off, finding a Vigor that has not been burdened with ugly aftermarket wheels, a fartcan exhaust, and the normal myriad of bizarre, pointless, or hideous aftermarket “upgrades” is somewhat of a chore. If looking through Craigslist and trying to avoid the plentiful examples that have been “pimped out” (which, in most cases, means “fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down,”) simply don’t click on ads with caps lock headlines or liberal use of dollar signs. Secondly, some cars are just too reliable. The Acura Vigor is such a car. Therefore, most models for sale have somewhere in the neighborhood of 255-thousand miles, and approximately as many Bondo patches and bullet hole stickers. Finding a well maintained, attractive, and low mileage Vigor may take longer, but it is well worth it in the end.

The Hit

$1,000 – $3,600

In a Nutshell

Honda genes assure that this particular beater should keep going… and going… and going. Much like the Jeep Grand Wagoneer and a handful of other vehicles, the Vigor simply refuses to have the crap beaten out of it. And remember, while not particularly thrilling to drive, it gives you more than your average 1994 Japanese mock luxury car. So why not go out take one for a test drive? Just try and remember our lesson about the dollar signs in the ads.