Collectors have long shown interest in the Acura NSX sports cars of the early Nineties, the original Datsun 240 Z sports cars, Mazda RX7 models and even the somewhat pedestrian Mazda Miata. An emerging trend is collectors snapping up the more modest commuter cars and family wagons from Japanese manufacturers that flooded the North American market beginning in the 1970’s.

One of those is Roy Thomson, who along with his family has a fleet of Honda cars.

The New Westminster resident was driving a Honda when he met his wife on a blind date in 1978. It was a green 1977 Honda Civic that the telecommunications technician purchased new for $3,500 at Kingsway Honda in Vancouver. By coincidence, his date, a young nurse doing hospital shift work, had purchased a used 1974 Honda Civic hatchback with the rare Hondamatic drive.

The date went well and they were married in 1981, driving away from their reception in Roy’s 1979 Honda Accord that was larger, more luxurious and had more horsepower than the Civic. The most desirable feature was a smooth-shifting five-speed transmission.

The 1991 Honda EX–R has been restored to look like new but it has been driven more than 340,000 kilometres. Alyn Edwards , Driving

The immaculate engine compartment of the restored station wagon. Alyn Edwards , Driving

The rearend of the classic wagon. Alyn Edwards , Driving

A power aerial is part of the luxury package on the top-line 1991 Honda EX-R station wagon. Alyn Edwards , Driving

The 1991 Honda wagon is the top-line EX-R model. The ‘Aerodeck’ nameplate was added from a European model. Alyn Edwards , Driving

The full luxury package includes a power sunroof. Alyn Edwards , Driving

The odometer reads 343,755 kilometres. Alyn Edwards , Driving

The restored 1979 Honda Civic owed by New Westminster collector Roy Thomson on display at the Lemay America’s Car Museum in Tacoma, Washington. Submitted , Driving

The Thomson family’s fleet of Honda cars. They don’t drive anything else Alyn Edwards , Driving

The All Japanese Classic Club is one of many groups dedicated to the preservation of collectible vehicles built by Japanese manufacturers. Alyn Edwards , Driving

The Accord Wagon Club is an online community sharing information about collectible Honda station wagons built between 1991 and 1996. Alyn Edwards , Driving

“I had gotten friendly with the Honda-only wrecker on Scott Road in Surrey and he had just rebuilt the car out of two wrecked Accords – one hit in the front and the other rear ended,” Roy recalls. “He glued the two cars together at the firewall, straightened everything on a frame machine and produced a great car.”

Roy bought his ‘future collectible’ first year Honda Accord station wagon in 1999. Honda built station wagons at its Marysville, Ohio plant from 1991 to 1997 when Honda discontinued building them for the North American market.

Roy had left his name with every Honda dealership in the Metro Vancouver area looking for a station wagon trade-in. That paid off with the opportunity to buy the one-owner top-of-the line 1991 Honda Accord EXR that had been traded in after traveling 160,000 kilometres.

In 2012, he realized that his station wagon could be a future collectible as they were only made for eight years. He sent it to a body shop to repair minor rust issues and receive a new paint job in the original Bordeaux Red Pearl metallic. Already a well-optioned model, Thomson has collected all other available factory add-ons including a cargo mat, fog lights, steering wheel cover and a roof rack with attachments to hold skis, bicycles and a carrying basket. In addition, it has the rare infrared keyless entry.

He shows his rare first-year Honda Accord station wagon, now with 343,000 kilometres on it, at collector car events throughout Metro Vancouver and Washington State.

Not satisfied with one Honda collectible, he purchased a first generation Honda Civic and put it into showroom condition with detailing and a new interior. That silver blue 1979 Honda Civic has the optional two-speed ‘Hondamatic’ transmission and is now on display at the America’s Car Museum in Tacoma representing a typical commuter car from the Seventies.

Looking to future collectibles, his last purchase is a 1996 Honda Accord LX station wagon with a manual five-speed transmission bought on EBay from Phoenix, Arizona.

“It’s my weekend warrior car done up with full leather seats and the motor replaced with a higher horsepower Honda Prelude double overhead cam engine,” he says. “It is dyno- rated at 190 horsepower where the original would have put out about 110 horsepower.”

He actively participates in online Japanese collectible car forums and Facebook chat groups, including accordwagonclub.com and First Generation Hondas.

“There is a lot more interest in Japanese collectible cars with more and more people expressing interest in them at shows and talking about buying cars themselves,” he says, adding that prices range from $500 for a builder car to $10,000 for a really good collectible model.

Looking to the future, he’s excited to see the Honda Urban EV Concept car, which will look like an old three-door hatchback Civic from the 1970’s, due to come out next year in Europe.

“It will be really cool to have a new Civic that looks old-fashioned and is electric,” he says.

Alyn Edwards is a classic car enthusiast and partner in Peak Communicators, a Vancouver-based public relations company. aedwards@peakco.com