Today’s CR-V is being sold without its stereo’s sub and amp, but with an intercooled turbo for its transverse four. That seems the better deal, but we still have to decide if its price makes it worth dealing with at all.
Donald Healey’s initial intentions for his tiny Austin-derived Sprite was for the car’s exophthalmic headlamps to roll over, leaving a smooth path for the air over the bonnet when they were closed. Cost, weight, and time considerations nixed that idea, giving the “Frogeye” Sprite its famous visage and Healey another icon to carry his name into the history books.
Yesterday’s paid homage to the Sprite’s headlamp design and went even further by emulating its diminutive dimensions. The only thing not so diminutive about that number seven of fifty Maxtons was its $18,950 price. That didn’t seem too far off the mark though, earning a Nice Price win from the 53 percent of you who are obvious lovers of wide-eyed cars.
Andrew recently waxed nostalgic over the , praising the model for its modestly cheeky, fun nature, and calling out its unique pistol grip parking brake as an especially endearing element.
Let me say off the bat that this , which represents the model’s first time up to bat, lacks that funky pew-pew parking brake. What it does have, however, is a turbocharger on its B20 four-cylinder mill and an intercooler for that, daring curbs from under the front bumper.
That’s all an aftermarket update, of course. It also comes with a VTEC top-end with 1000cc injectors and a heftier fuel pump to make sure the dead dino juice keeps up with all that extra air the engine’s breathing. Both the turbo and intake are from Under Pressure Performance and those are matched with an exhaust side that routes nasties through a custom three-inch exit that’s claimed in the ad to also “sound great.”
Backing up the hotter mill is a stock Honda five-speed stick and RealTime AWD system. A new clutch sits between the two warring factions.
The seller gives no timing for the work, nor the overall mileage in the ad. I’m like Dick-Freaking-Tracy, however—no, seriously, people call me “Dick” all the time—and so it was pretty easy for me to suss out from the gauge cluster pic that this CR-V rocks a little over 211,000 miles on the clock.
That’s a lot of Milles to Miglia and you might expect the paint to show signs of wear from its 20 years and over 200K of service.
You’ll have to do some peeling to that find out however, as the wagon has been covered in a root-beer float of vinyl wrap. That covers the whole thing save for the rear door hinges. Those stick out in their original forest green somewhat egregiously. Coilovers and Cosmis XT-206GR wheels keep it all upright.
The interior sports cloth seats, extra gauges in the cluster, and one of those shift extenders that will give you nightmares about one-day thinking are an acceptable accessory. That’s easy enough to remedy and the rest of the space looks to be in decent kit, at least the parts that the seller lets us see.
The title is clear and the seller notes that the wagon is being sold as-is, cash or money order only. The ad closes with the notice that the current owner doesn’t need any help in selling the CR-V, so don’t ask. Well, as you can imagine, we never ask. We’re sometimes less than helpful, as well.
What we are is judgmental, and right now it’s incumbent upon you to judge this hot Honda and its $11,500 asking price. What do you think, could this modded CR-V be worth that kind of cash? Or, is this a blown Honda with an equally budget-blowing price?
You decide!
Colorado Springs, CO , or go if the ad disappears.
H/T to Clayton Young for the hookup!
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