Honda Legends That Are Now Becoming Collectible

Honda built more than just reliable daily drivers it created icons. As enthusiasts chase nostalgia, performance, and engineering purity, several classic Hondas are rapidly gaining collector status. If you blink, these legends won’t be affordable for much longer.

Honda NSX

Man, the first-gen NSX is one of those cars that, like, sneaks up on you. You see it and think oh, it’s just another ‘90s Japanese thing, but then it’s like bam, that sound, that balance. I remember seeing one in red once and thinking it smelled weirdly… clean? Like a mixture of old plastic and ambition. These things are hitting what, like $120k now? Maybe more if it’s the right color. I mean, crazy. They were kinda underappreciated for years, and now everyone pretends they always loved them. (liars.)

S2000

Ugh, the S2000. That high-revving scream, the way it just begs you to do something stupid. I drove one once, top down, freezing wind, couldn’t feel my face, still smiled like an idiot. Prices are all over the place, anywhere from $25k to like $50k if it’s a clean one. Honestly, I still remember how the shifter felt, like it was carved by someone who cared. You don’t get that anymore. Everything now feels like typing into a touchscreen.

Civic Type R (EK9)

You know what’s funny? I used to think this car was overhyped. Like, it’s still a Civic, right? But then you drive one, feel that crisp rev, and suddenly you’re apologizing to every EK9 owner you’ve ever mocked online. Around $40k now, which is… stupid, but I get it. It’s just got soul. It even idles like it’s waiting to fight you.

CRX Si

Tiny thing. Feels like driving a soda can with VTEC. My buddy had one in college, and I swear the interior smelled like McNuggets and burnt oil but we loved that car. It just wanted to run. You could redline it all day. And back then it was cheap, now people are tossing like $20k or more at clean ones. I don’t know, maybe nostalgia tax, maybe we’re all just trying to relive simpler days.

Prelude (especially the fourth-gen)

The Prelude is like that quiet person in your friend group who ends up being cooler than everyone else once you actually hang out. Sleek, chill, didn’t show off. Some go for $15k, some for $30k, depends on who’s selling and how desperate they are. It’s not wild fast, but it feels classy. Like it read poetry before flooring it.

Integra Type R (DC2)

This one’s kinda untouchable now. Everyone drools over it like it’s sacred. And maybe it is. That gearbox? Unreal. But I don’t remember it feeling “special” back then, it just worked. It’s only now, with all the turbo whooshes and fake exhaust sounds, that you realize how pure it was. What’s the going rate? $70k? $80k? Wild. I’d still take one if someone just, like, handed me the keys and didn’t expect it back.

Accord Euro R (CL1)

Man, such a sleeper. Looks like something your uncle drove to work in ‘02, but then it hits VTEC and suddenly it’s grinning at you. Weirdly comfortable too. You hardly see ‘em around now. Maybe $20–25k for a clean import? The seats had this weird firmness I actually liked. And I swear the clutch felt heavier on Mondays. No idea why.

Beat

This little thing cracks me up every time. Honda Beat, tiny, sunny, ridiculous joy on four toy wheels. You’d feel like an idiot driving it, but like, in the best possible way. You can pick one up for, what, $10–15k now? I’d get one just to park and smile at it. The engine sounds like a sewing machine running on Red Bull. People don’t make fun cars anymore. They make… serious things.

NSX (again but the newer one)

The newer NSX, hmm. I don’t know, I want to love it. Hybrid, fast as hell, looks incredible. But something’s missing. It’s too smooth, too refined. Like, the old one had that mechanical honesty, this one feels like it’s reading your driving mood through Wi-Fi. Still, it’s probably gonna be collectible in like 20 years, if you’ve got $150k lying around now. I’d rather spend that on three old Hondas and a used Miata.