I just came into possession of a 1997 Accord EX-R with 42,500 Km on the original engine. The seller is 85 and I don't think it has been out of the garage for a few years. Looking for advice on how to treat it

 

EX-R sounds like a Canada model... Welcome.

Storage for that long can do a lot of things. You'll have to judge whether any of this makes sense for the situation.
- Tires & alternator belts cracked & rotting from age?
- Timing belt deteriorating from age?
- Dead battery?
- Tank full of very stale fuel?
- Sludge in the oil?
- Rodents chewing up the wiring harness & building nests in the air filter?
- Corrosion on the shock/strut shafts so the suspension doesn't work smoothly?

Maybe change the oil right now before trying to run the engine. Then remove the spark plugs & the fuel-pump fuse, crank the starter to circulate some fresh oil into the bearings. Then after you get it running, change the oil again relatively soon.

 

All great suggestions. Thanks for taking the time to reply Oil looks very clean but that's first on the list

 

The oil probably looks clean because the sludge has had 10 years to settle down into the pan. Bend a coathanger & swipe around the bottom of the pan (through the drain hole) to see if it picks up any sludge.