Honda Joins 'No Buy' Movement By Helping To Keep Your Old Car On The Road – CarBuzz
Your typical classic car departments offering replacement parts and factory-approved restoration services have existed for decades, but they were usually the preserve of exotic marques. When a vintage Ferrari or Porsche reliably appreciates in value, spending serious money to keep it roadworthy makes financial – and emotional – sense.
Until recently, mainstream brands had little incentive to follow suit. But the ground has shifted. Enthusiasts are increasingly choosing to hold on to the cars they already own, driven by everything from fatigue with ever-more intrusive tech to cultural currents like the no-buy movement. Nostalgia helps, too, especially when it’s backed by cars that were genuinely good to begin with.
Honda is the latest mainstream brand to jump aboard, launching a new classic car department called Honda Heritage Works. The automaker already offers replacement parts for some of its more iconic models, like the Honda S2000 and first-generation Acura NSX, but the new department, which goes online next April, will expand the offerings and include factory-backed restoration services, though these services will be limited to Japan, at least for now.
At launch, only the first-generation NSX will be catered to, but Honda says it plans to expand both parts supply and restoration services to other sporty models in the future. The S2000 feels like the obvious next step, and it’s not hard to imagine early Prelude and Type R models eventually joining the list.
Replacement components fall under the Honda Heritage Parts program. Honda will manufacture parts both in-house and with suppliers, offering two distinct categories: Genuine Honda Heritage Reproduction Parts, made using the same materials and production methods as the originals, and Genuine Honda Heritage Compatible Parts, which will use newer materials and manufacturing techniques – think 3D printing. Details on available parts and pricing will be added to the Honda Heritage Works website as they come online.
Millennials hitting middle age are driving nostalgia for cool 2000s cars, making these rides highly collectible today.
On the restoration side, Honda has quietly been in the game for decades, offering its NSX Refresh Plan since 1993. That program is now being reborn as Honda Restoration Service, with targeted offerings covering the drivetrain, suspension, doors and other openings, exterior, interior, or a full, ground-up restoration. Coinciding with the relaunch, Honda’s Takanezawa facility in Tochigi Prefecture – the birthplace of the original NSX and longtime home of the Refresh Plan – will be renamed Honda Heritage Works Takanezawa.
Several mainstream brands have offered similar services for years. One of the most active is Nissan, which has offered replacement parts for some of its classic models for many years now, along with a comprehensive restoration program for multiple generations of the GT-R – a program that involves stripping a car down to its bare body shell, restoring it to factory tolerances and giving it new anti-rust coating and paint, and then building it back from the ground up.
Toyota goes a step further and offers, at least in Japan, something called the Kinto Factory program. This is an official restomod service of sorts, offering dealer-installed upgrades, software updates, and retrofits for older vehicles. Instead of trading in for the latest model, owners can add features like advanced driver-assist tech, infotainment upgrades, or performance and comfort enhancements. It lets owners upgrade their existing cars piece by piece, helping them keep vehicles longer instead of replacing them – and shows that you don’t need to buy a new car just to get new features.
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