Junkyard Find: 2004 Acura EL

Murilee Martin
by Murilee Martin

Last year, I found a 2009 Chevrolet Chevy (a Mexican-market Opel Corsa) in a Denver car graveyard, presumably driven here on Mexican plates and then abandoned and towed away when it couldn’t be registered in Colorado.

We can assume that today’s Junkyard Find came to the Mile High City in the same way, but via the northern border rather than the southern one.

The Acura EL was a luxed-up Civic, based on the Japanese-market Honda Domani sedan. The EL sold well in Canadaland, and I’m sure plenty of them commute daily into Detroit or Buffalo. This is the first one I’ve ever seen in Colorado, though.

Those of us accustomed to seeing Freedom Distance Units in big type and Communist Enslavement Distance Units in small type on our speedometers might be startled by this gauge showing KiloLenins first. Actually, I’m surprised some local seventh-gen Civic owner hadn’t grabbed this instrument cluster, because km/h is more JDM, yo.

Metric temperature settings, even! What’s the point of the metric system, anyway?

Despite some timeworn seat upholstery, this car was in decent shape when it got to its final parking space. The original French-language manuals were still in the glovebox, suggesting that it may have been a one-owner machine.

The rear bodywork, being Domani-based, doesn’t look like a US-market Civic sedan from the era, but otherwise we’re looking at a nicely-optioned Civic sedan that almost blends in here.

Attain the balance between luxury and excitement.

Just the car for the salt flats.

If you like these junkyard posts, you’ll find links to 1700+ more at the Junkyard Home of the Murilee Martin Lifestyle Brand™.





Murilee Martin
Murilee Martin

Murilee Martin is the pen name of Phil Greden, a writer who has lived in Minnesota, California, Georgia and (now) Colorado. He has toiled at copywriting, technical writing, junkmail writing, fiction writing and now automotive writing. He has owned many terrible vehicles and some good ones. He spends a great deal of time in self-service junkyards. These days, he writes for publications including Autoweek, Autoblog, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars and Capital One.

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  • Inside Looking Out Inside Looking Out on Oct 28, 2019

    "Freedom Distance Units" There is nothing father from truth. It is British colonial units symbolizing suppression of freedom of religion and taxation without representation. Tyranny in other words by English King. If you want Freedom, Equality, Fraternity and Republic Units you should insist on switching to French revolution inspired and mathematically superior French metric system, considering that French Republic was US ally during anti colonial war for independence in NA. You should leave rotten English system to Canadian who stayed loyal to tyrant King and oppressors in red coats.

    • JimC2 JimC2 on Oct 29, 2019

      Either this is some expert level double-reverse trolling... or the joke went over your head. I'll go with the former case. Well done!!

  • MiataReallyIsTheAnswer MiataReallyIsTheAnswer on Oct 29, 2019

    Whoever wrote "3.5L" on that engine -- pretty sure it's not :)

  • MaintenanceCosts It's not a Benz or a Jag / it's a 5-0 with a rag /And I don't wanna brag / but I could never be stag
  • 3-On-The-Tree Son has a 2016 Mustang GT 5.0 and I have a 2009 C6 Corvette LS3 6spd. And on paper they are pretty close.
  • 3-On-The-Tree Same as the Land Cruiser, emissions. I have a 1985 FJ60 Land Cruiser and it’s a beast off-roading.
  • CanadaCraig I would like for this anniversary special to be a bare-bones Plain-Jane model offered in Dynasty Green and Vintage Burgundy.
  • ToolGuy Ford is good at drifting all right... 😉
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