Alaskan Gold

There are few things in this world that aren’t used and abused to the point of it being nothing like it was when it was first received. I’ve seen this car once in passing and was in complete awe thanks to my more recent interest in the older Honda models.I instantly knew it to be a early 80’s model Accord but alas it was in passing so I knew nothing more. To say I was excited when I saw that same car passing by while at the recent HondaFest hosted by Gillman Honda would be an understatement. At first I thought he was just driving by but it turns out, to my delight, the owner was intending to join us. Duane Dugger, an older gentleman, emerged from his Accord and I made it a point to find out how his car has tested time so well.

What I was looking at was in fact a 1983 Honda Accord 5-speed hatchback with an original 69,820 miles on the odometer. Duane is in fact the second owner of this Accord. The original first owner was an older woman in Alaska who just so happened to be the neighbor of Duane’s son Rex Dugger. Rex noticed the car and informed her that if she was ever to sell it he would be interested in it. When she did decide to let it go Rex jumped on the deal and paid $450 back in 2008 for the car. During his snowbird months, Rex offered it up to his father knowing he might need a car for daily needs here in Texas. Duane accepted so Rex had to barge it from Alaska to Seattle and with 52k miles on the odometer he drove it down to Duane.

The 1983 Honda Accord hatchback coupes back when they were first introduced were imported from Japan only. 1983 was also the first year that gray was an available color on the Accord. With a 1.8 liter EK1 CVCC motor rated at 75 hp the Accord was known to get anywhere from 26 – 30 miles per gallon. A/C was optional back in those days and wasn’t offered on the car but had to be added to the car at the dealership. The ironic part is this Accord is equipped with A/C even though it was living in Alaska where A/C isn’t on the “must have” list of car amenities.

With the way things are today in the Honda scene its humbling to see such an old Honda being so well maintained and kept even if the owner isn’t actually in the Honda scene. All things considered Duane and Rex are very lucky men to have acquired this car, almost as if they found Alaskan Gold.

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Photos courtesy of : Raymond Peterson