True Value of a CB7

[Zdubz1993]

What is the value of a running/driving well maintained cb7?

KBB and the like can never account for demand, dealerships sell ones with 250K Miles + at an average of 3K, and few people know the true gems that they are. So most think you're buying/selling an outdated pile.

My original Cb7 is my first car, and personally I'd rather my new Subaru get wrecked! But that's just me.

I picked up another one cheap and don't know if I should keep it and have and extra EVERYTHING... or sell it and give someone else a shot at CB7 glory hahaha

Any recommendations, site referrals, or transaction amounts will be appreciated!

[CornDog]

You can buy them all day down here in Tennessee for less than a grand. One thats in good shape might run 1500. I would think 2500 is about the best you could get with one and thats in flawless shape with maintenance records, low miles, few owners and usually an SE or EX. But location does tend to vary.

[JulianCarter]

The most I have paid for a CB7 Accord was 700 dollars. And its got a couple tiny resolves but I drive that everyday over my 04' Tacoma. In this day every CB has something we're doing to them or saving money to do since they're all over 20 years old.

On the same note I can not for the life of me seem to find a very well garage kept CB real low mileage down here ever.

[talonted1990]

I paid $650 for my 93 LX. It needed exhaust work, had rusty quarter panels, windows didn't work and only shifted to 3rd gear while driving. I drove it daily for a year and a half before I bought my Volvo wagon. I still think it was well worth the money I paid for it even with 353k miles on it.

[G. Wiffington]

I purchased my 1993 EX for $1,000 with only 177,000 miles on it. Motor is great, tranny is great. Only thing really bad on it was the throttle cable, coolant hoses, & the thermostat haha. I have put about another $1,500 into it (tires, exhaust, & overhaul/maintenance). So honestly can range fairly depending on the person & the quality of the CB. Hondas & especially our CBs are like tanks, I swear.

I feel like the people who aren't into the car scene will sell them at a much lower price because they don't see the "value" of our cars. Some people just want to make a quick sale. I think it can vary!

[deevergote]

Moved to Off Topic. This is in no way a technical/performance thread. Please post in the correct sections. Misplaced threads often get deleted, rather than moved.

The value, and what determines it, definitely depends on your location. In the Northeast, a rust-free CB7 will sell at a premium. In the south and southeast, rust-free CB7s are common, and less valuable. Low mileage (under 100k) is valuable, usually. Modifications reduce value... or at least they should. No sensible person should ever pay top dollar for someone else's project unless they personally know the car's history (as in from a friend or longtime acquaintance... such as the guy that just bought boost_lee's highly modified car.)

Beaters will go for $500-$1500. Decent ones will go for $2500. Very good ones, expect to pay $3000-$3500. They're becoming less common, so good ones are getting to be in demand. Civics are getting even harder to find in good, unmolested condition, so people looking to mod an old OBD1 Honda are turning to Accords... so CBs and CDs are rising in popularity in certain circles. That will drive prices up. Expect values to fall a bit once the aftermarket truly abandons the platform... but that won't be for a while yet. We have the benefit of sharing many things with the CD Accords, extending our aftermarket life by 4 years.

[Fleetw00d]

I got $2400 for my 93 LX 5 speed, 160,000 miles. Interior is very good condition, rust just starting again in quarters after professional repairs and paint a few years ago. In 2012 when my 93 EX auto with 181,000 was totaled, the insurance company gave me over $2800 for it.

[H311RA151N]

Depends on who owns it. If you own it it's worth next to nothing. If they own it it's worth it's weight in gold.

To contribute something to the thread... I've owned 7 or 8 CB7's within the last ten years. I've paid as little as $300 and as much as $1000. Most I paid $500 for.

The value of an early 90's Toyota Camry would be a fair and unbiased comparison.

[h22sparkle]

Honestly prefer for folks not to know the actual value of the cb7. The main reason why is because once they know the actual value of the car they will more than likely try to keep it. The people who recently owned those cars know the true value of them to be exact. That's why you rarely see them they are either kept until they literally disintegrate.

[deevergote]

To people that appreciate them, they're worth more than their monetary value. That's why I probably never would've parted with mine. I PROBABLY could've sold it for $2500. Maybe $3000, if I held out for the right buyer. It was worth much more than $3000 to me. I don't know how much it would've taken to get me to part with it willingly.

[sonikaccord]

Yep. Actual value is not much at all. Perceived value (to enthusiasts of the chassis) is a lot of monies.

Honestly, the CB does not offer much for a vehicle in this day at least to your average consumer. It's a simple piece of transportation that will probably need some work to remain reliable. It is 25+ years old. You can get a 6th gen for a little more or go to the Civic side and get an 04 ish year, and we haven't even talked about the other manufacturers.

[h22sparkle]

I came across a few people that were like yeah this car is junk. And im like uhuh ohyeah the car is garbage ill buy it from you. And to myself im like suckerrrrrrrr he or she don't know what to do with that

[deevergote]

Yep. Actual value is not much at all. Perceived value (to enthusiasts of the chassis) is a lot of monies.

Honestly, the CB does not offer much for a vehicle in this day at least to your average consumer. It's a simple piece of transportation that will probably need some work to remain reliable. It is 25+ years old. You can get a 6th gen for a little more or go to the Civic side and get an 04 ish year, and we haven't even talked about the other manufacturers.

The sad thing is that the CB's material quality is superior to newer vehicles. Honestly, my CR-Z is probably the first newer Honda that I feel has interior material quality that is even comparable. I've owned a 6th gen Accord, I've owned a Fit, and I've been in quite a few other newer Hondas (Civics, Pilots, etc...) I'm not saying the newer cars are crap... but the CB's fit and finish were just a step up. The material quality in my beat 92 DX was superior to the slightly-used 02 SE that I owned. Those materials are worn out now, of course, and the design is dated... but it's quality. It was evident in the CB's original selling price, too. A 93 SE without any options cost more (accounting for inflation) than a brand new 2015 Accord V6 Touring with EVERY available option. I did that calculation myself, based on the CB's original MSRP, inflation rates, and the virtual building of the most expensive non-hybrid Accord I could build on Honda's website at the time.

The CB was Honda's first step toward making the Accord more of an entry-level luxury vehicle, rather than simply a larger alternative to the Civic. It was well-received, as we know.

But yes... people regard it as nothing more than an aging beater at this point. Just as they do the "4 door sports car" that was the 3rd generation Maxima (which shared a market with the CB.) Or the XV10 Camry, which served as the basis for the highly successful Lexus ES300.
Right now, these old cars are common enough in rough, falling-apart condition that they are regarded as beaters. Just as cars such as the original VW Beetle, Pontiac Fiero, and Datsun 510 were. Like those cars, the CB Accord will likely be regarded as a piece worth restoring in a decade or so, once they become increasingly rare. It will still only be enthusiasts that value them, but those that do will TRULY value them.

[h22sparkle]

This is the thing when certain forms of other technology that's been implemented in these vehicles they should be better in a lot of ways. along down the line though all I have been seeing are a lot of flaws if your not careful.

I loved the superiority of the older cars even though they have less. That's why I try to go bare bones with cars that don't have as much technology its just a lot less things that are prone to going bad.

[deevergote]

Technology is moving so quickly that it's a real race for car companies to stay competitive... and I assume many shortcuts have been taken over the years to do so. New complex features that are required by law, the market, or the need to be the first are expensive... so it is necessary to crank out these expensive new features as quickly as possible.
When the CB came out, it was simple. Luxury items like a Bose sound system became optional in higher end models. Horsepower could vary by no more than 15hp from base to premium. Airbags weren't mandatory. Stability control wasn't expected, neither was traction control. Antilock brakes were considered an advanced feature, and marketed as such.
Eventually, these things became standard. AWD became something practically every automaker tried to implement. V6 powered midsize cars became the norm. Fuel efficiency became more than just a matter of putting a small, efficient engine into a car. Companies had to tweak their most efficient engines to be even MORE efficient, while loading their cars down with heavy extra bits.
"We need all of our cars to have at least 2 airbags, antilock brakes, and get 28mpg on the highway? That'll cost money. Let's buy the cheaper cloth for the seats, and that nice hard shiny plastic for the center console. Perfect!"