This is a wow! How could you own something for 18 years and not notice something was up? Between the dealer, maybe a tire place, and the previous owner, it's beyond me how they stayed in place. The guy who had the car probably thought "What the heck is everyone saying that these are great cars? It had a harsh ride and didn't corner all that well".

 

Crazy, right!? I’m also shocked how nobody noticed given how many times this car must have been up on a lift during its life. The previous owner even had an inspection done at a Honda dealership and they missed it. Another dealer story to pile on: when I went to my local Honda dealership to buy an air filter, they offered me an open-box one at a discount. I asked why is it open-box, turns out the techs tried to fit it into an AP2...even though the part numbers are different.

Anyways, thanks again for all the input guys. The car drives a lot better now!

 

Thank you! Will upload some pics this weekend, when I get a chance to take it out for a drive again

 

Snapped some photos today!

 

Looks beautiful!! How does your NEW suspension feel?

 

Thank you! Oh it feels great Drives like a proper sports car now!

 

Last week, I bought a well-kept ‘02 with 74k miles, all from the original owner. So well kept, in fact, that it came with a special factory extra:



I’m taking all four wheels off this weekend and having a proper root around in the wheel wells.

How is it possible that this spacer escaped notice in a vehicle that was bought new and serviced continuously for 19 years?

And should I tell the guy now that the car is mine? I don’t think I have the heart to, and there’s nothing he can do now, anyway...

 

^Nope, just leave him be. If it were me it would suuuuuuck having the new owner come tell me why my car was riding so horrible was because of something so stupid.

To the OP, maybe that's why the car only got driven 29K miles, lol. He's probably like, "What they hell are these auto journalists talking about? This car does not handle all that great!"

 

But maybe the pre owner is happy for the hint that it is better to switch the dealer....
Maybe the dealer is happy for the advice that some of his mechanics need a little bit extra training....
Maybe even Honda America wants to know wich delaer needs a little bit extra training....

Maybe... hard decission.