I've decided to go ahead and purchase an OBD-II scan tool. Good investment for the DIY'er. The simple, old 'beeper' code scanner I used on the '89 LX saved me a lot of grief, time and money on several occasions.
I like Autoxray's scanners, but they're expensive. Actron's scanners are about half the price and seem to offer decent features, including CAN upgrades. A simple code reader may be enough to get by, but I'm leaning toward a scanner instead; these offer live engine-on streaming data. I like their 9150 model. Offers all OBD-I & II cabling and a case. I can also use this to read/scan information from The Beater as well. $379 is a lot of loot, but I'll make it back within a year or two. Model 9145 is nearly identical; $100 less, with no case or older OBD-I cables, but they can be bought separately for about $30 each. Tough to decide which offers the most utility.
Does anyone have experience with these tools, good or bad? Can I get away with just a code reader, or will an actual live-data scanner offer better diagnostic prowess?
-JD