zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
At $25,000, Will You Flip your Lid Over This 1993 Honda del Sol SiR?
At $25,000, Will You Flip your Lid Over This 1993 Honda del Sol SiR?-June 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:13

Nice Price or No Dice 1993 Honda del Sol TransTop

According to the seller, today’s Del Sol is in “showroom condition.” Of course, that would have be a showroom not in the U.S., as this version of the targa-top two-seater was never sold here. Let’s see what such exclusivity might be worth.

The we looked at last Friday had been heavily modified by its seller, with the inspiration, they said, having come from the Internet. Despite that crowd-sourced influence, the result didn’t exhibit universal appeal amongst all of you. Add on to that a not-insubstantial $34,000 asking price, and things just went downhill from there. The result was an overwhelming 96 percent No Dice loss.

Image for article titled At $25,000, Will You Flip your Lid Over This 1993 Honda del Sol SiR?

When Mazda introduced the MX-5 Miata to the world, it engendered a wave of nostalgia for traditional British roadsters to a whole generation of buyers, many of whom faked it as they were too young to have been around for the original experience. Being as successful as it was, the Miata gave rise to a spate of competition from other car makers, none of which was able to capture the same genie in the bottle as Mazda.

Honda’s entry into the Miata-like mix was the de Sol, a targa-topped two-seater leveraging many of the same parts under the skirts as the Civic upon which it was based. The car was nominally a successor to the two-seat CRX, but it played to a different market, being a good bit larger and somewhat wonkier owing to its open-top body.

Image for article titled At $25,000, Will You Flip your Lid Over This 1993 Honda del Sol SiR?

Honda sold the del Sol globally, but the U.S. was left out of the model’s best party trick. That’s the optional “TransTop” automatic Targa delivery and retraction system. That cool feature levitates the boot lid to roof level on an extendable gantry and then either sucks in or spits out the Targa top depending on which way the dash-top switch is thrown.

This is a JDM model with the TransTop and is claimed to be in showroom-fresh condition. I’m not quite sure about that description since the car wears aftermarket tail lamp clusters and chrome-plated wheels that allow views of the rattle canned-red brake calipers. Aside from those blemishes, the 60,000-mile car looks to be ladably original and very clean.

Image for article titled At $25,000, Will You Flip your Lid Over This 1993 Honda del Sol SiR?

Power comes from a 1.6-liter VTEC four, which is paired with a five-speed stick driving the front wheels as it does when doing its Civic duty. New Toyo tires ensure the engine’s 168 ponies are put to good use. Of course, making that happen will require some remapped muscle memory since this is a right-hand-drive car, meaning gear changes are left-handed affairs.

Image for article titled At $25,000, Will You Flip your Lid Over This 1993 Honda del Sol SiR?

At least the cabin looks like a decent place to learn such behaviors. The upholstery and plastics all look to have held up well, and there’s no evidence of the seal leaking that typically plagues these cars as they age.

The bodywork also presents very well, and while many of the photos in the ad have date stamps from 2011 on them, it’s more likely that the person taking the pictures simply didn’t want to be bothered with updating the date. According to the ad, the car is registered in Connecticut and comes with a clean title.

Image for article titled At $25,000, Will You Flip your Lid Over This 1993 Honda del Sol SiR?

What might something as unique as this del Sol be worth? The seller asks $25,000, which is top of the heap for a privately imported TransTop car but might make sense in this topsy-turvy car market.

What do you say, is $25,000 a fair price for a “showroom condition” TransTop del Sol? Or is that price just too over the top?

You decide!

Stonington, Connecticut, , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to whatsupdohc for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
The Sadomasochistic Joy Of Driving A $300K Aston Martin In New York
The Sadomasochistic Joy Of Driving A $300K Aston Martin In New York
Every onlooker gawks with obvious jealousy at the curvy rolling statue Aston Martin created and then, for some reason, loaned to me for a weekend. Jealous of what, exactly? I'm frankly terrified of having to dodge a million ankle-deep potholes and trying not to scratch the carbon fiber bumper against...
Jun 29, 2026
For $27,500, Will This Soft-Top Benz Make Your Firm?
For $27,500, Will This Soft-Top Benz Make Your Firm?
Celebrity cars carry a certain cachet, with the exception of course of the Chevrolet Celebrity. Today's Mercedes is said to have had none other than Tom Cruise's ass in its driver's seat, and do you think that will make its price worth celebrating? There wasn't much celebrating going on over...
Jun 29, 2026
2009 Koenigsegg CCXR Edition: The Jalopnik 180 MPH Runway Blast
2009 Koenigsegg CCXR Edition: The Jalopnik 180 MPH Runway Blast
Christian von Koenigsegg is standing next to a 2009 CCXR Edition outside of his factory. We're about to head to his company's runway test track for some photos. He looks at me. "Do you want to drive?" I said yes before he finished saying "do." (: After driving the ,...
Jun 29, 2026
2014 Porsche Panamera 4S: The Jalopnik Review
2014 Porsche Panamera 4S: The Jalopnik Review
Some people believe Porsche should offer one car and you get to choose the color. Porsche, well, they don't think that way. And even though the Panamera isn't much of a looker, it's a hell of a driver. (: Porsche loaned me a Panamera after driving to take to Sweden....
Jun 29, 2026
Tesla Rules And Ford SYNC Drools, According To Consumer Reports
Tesla Rules And Ford SYNC Drools, According To Consumer Reports
Huzzah! It's time again for normal person car-buying Bible Consumer Reports to put out their annual list of best and worst picks for the new year. is looking good! Ford is not! Based on factors like safety, reliability, quality, owner satisfaction and performance, , saying essentially that it's high-tech, great...
Jun 29, 2026
For $5,500, It’s Lonely At The Top
For $5,500, It’s Lonely At The Top
Today's Summit is an Eagle whose turbo twin cam will likely let you soar. Will you find its price however, keeps it firmly grounded? When I climbed into the new Audi A3 sedan at last fall's LA Auto Show, the first thing I noticed was that it was a tight...
Jun 29, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved