MOBOY

I love my max....but I have over 20K on her and I bought it in sept. of 2000. I am putting way too many miles on her so I am thinking of getting a little car that can make the 80 mile roundtrip commute to work every day.

OK....here is the car! I am thinking about getting a 92 Acura Integra GS-R. (2nd gen is the best IMO) The car is in great shape but has a lot of miles (153,000) I have searched the web to find a better Integra for the price and have yet to find one. I also looked at the blue book value of the car, location, and miles and it seems to be a good deal. The seller is the original owner (not a punk kid either). He is asking 4000 OBO. I think if I can get it for 3500 I would be getting the car for almost 3000 under blue book value. The car is white and has a 5 speed, but does not have any badging that says it is a GS-R. How can you tell (other than the wheels on the 3rd gen) that it is a bonified GS-R on the 2nd gens?


Please let me know....I am supposed to test drive the integra today and I would like everyones opinion on this car.

Thanks!

FloMax

I think back then the GS_Rs were the only integras with VTEC..so just look under the hood. The title should also have that kind of information. Or do some digging and you can use the VIN to determine which level integra it is.
Also..I agree with your thought that the 2nd generation looks the best. I had one and loved that little car.
Good Luck

maximaman69

Isn't 153K alot of miles to have on a car to purchase? I don't know what car mileage's top out at anymore but I would be concerned about how much use you will get out of it if it already has 153K on it. I drive 80 roundtrip too and have thought about doing the same thing but for the price I want to pay ($5K or less), there isn't really anything that I can find that would work or last.

MOBOY

I also agree that 153,000 is a lot of miles....but from what I have read on the web that these engines can handle more miles than most american cars. ( Most cars do not go bad with the engine...it is the accessories, and timing belts, and road salt that send them to their doom before the engine) At the rate I am driving the may is will have that many miles when I pay it off. I was told by the owner that this car has a lot of highway miles. The interior looks like it is brand new! I am thinking of dragging the car once the engine goes....it should be a fun car at the drags with the right equipment.

Stardust

iTrader: (10)

the GS-R was the only integra with a DOHC motor so you can tell by looking under the hood.

Stardust

iTrader: (10)

the GS-R was the only integra with a DOHC motor so you can tell by looking under the hood.

MS 2K1 AE

For a Japanese car (particularly a Honda), at 153K miles, the car is just being broken in.

We tend to keep cars in the family - here is the list of my cars:

84 Accord LX - my father gave this to me when I entered college in 1989. I got it with 120K and passed it on to my little sister with 210K in 1993. She gave it to my youngest sister who is still driving it with 280K...and it doesn't burn a drop of oil.

89 Integra - Picked this up with 32K in 1993 and gave it to my mom in 1997 with 102K. She passed it on to my cousin who is still driving it. Not sure of the miles...probably @150K.

92 Accord LX - I bought this with 48K in 1997. I gave it to my mom when I bought my Max in March. It had 145K and of all my cars, I'm sure this one will last forever.

01 Max - bought in March of 2001 and already have 6K miles. Outside of the paint and the bucking...I love it. I will easily put 100-120K on it before it is paid off and given to my mom.

Point: Japanese cars will run forever if properly taken care of. Change the oil every 5K, follow the service interval and that Integra with 153K will run to 300K. Just make sure the previous owner took care of it.

Hope this helps.

MOBOY

The car is very nice. It has all of the options (sunroof, power windows, lock, mirrors, cruise, aftermarket stereo, alarm new tires, brand new CV joints. The interior is spotless! No burns, crack or scrapes on the dash. The spare has never been on the road....carpet is way cleaner than my 6 month old max....the seats are great, AC is way colder than the max. The car still has the original clutch which means it has been driven by an adult. The car is not very fast, (not much is compared to the 5 speed max though) but the car feels solid. The rotors need to be turned....that is the only thing that bugged me about the car...it would shudder a little bit (kind of like my 6 month old max).

Thanks for the input everybody....I asked the owner how you can tell if a car is a GS-R and he said that the motor is a 1.8 rather than the 1.7 and on the side in front of the door it will say DOHC.

It is a great car...I want to buy it!!!

KennyLau

My '93 Civic DX commuter now has 233,000+ miles on it and it's still running smooth on its original engine and transmission. It goes through mostly highway miles, but has its share of city driving. It's been driven hard and easy, and it's even been in an accident a few months ago (everything is all fixed up now, though). Oil changes religiously and preventive maintenance regularly have all kept this baby going. I don't know if it's because it was made in Japan, if all the Civics that year are this good, or if mine is just a freak of nature, but I love her. I have a 80- to 100-mile roundtrip daily work commute and my Civic has proven to be the ultimate commuter car for me. I can only hope my Maxima lasts that long.

So getting back to your question of the Integra...yeah, if it's been well maintained, then 153,000 miles on it almost shouldn't matter. Check it out well and ask the guy as many questions that you have. Good luck on your search.

MOBOY

I have had the whole weekend to stew over the idea of getting a commuter car. I talked to the owner this morning and told him that I would be willing to purchase the car for $3,500. I want to have the car checked out at the local dealership to see if there is any problems that my eye/ ears aren't seeing before I buy the car. I was wondering if what you folks think about this idea. I was thinking of asking him if it would be ok to take the car to the dealership to take a look at the brakes...ect. If the only neccessary repairs to the car are the brakes then I am OK with the price, but if they come up with a list of other problems then I will have to negotiate or terminate the deal all together. Do you think the seller would agree with the idea of taking the car to the dealership before committing to the price?

Thanks....all of your input is greatly appreciated!

KennyLau

It's always a good idea to get a used car checked out as much as possible before you commit to buying it. But it really isn't much used to ask us if we think the seller would agree to taking his car to the dealership. You need to just ask him. If he's a nice guy, then maybe he'll allow it or maybe even go with you. Just ask.

Again, I hope all goes well with this.

MajesticBlueNTO

iTrader: (6)

Hey, i've been reading this forum for a while now (one of the reasons why I bought a new MaximaSE) but i also own a 92 Integra.

I used to read the Integra forums at www.honda-acura.net , www.honda-tech.com and www.g2ic.com as much as i read this one. For specs on the 2nd Generation GS-R check out www.g2ic.com, you will see that the GS-R has the 1.7L DOHC VTEC engine by looking for the DOHC VTEC on the valve cover (very similar to the B16A in the Civic Si (SiR in Canada)) .

On way to see if the car is indeed a GS-R is that the side moldings will be body colour (not unpainted black) and the molding strip right behind the front wheelwell will say VTEC instead of DOHC (the RS, LS and GS models will say DOHC...these models also came with the Non-VTEC 1.8L) ...the 1.7L GS-R engine will also require premium fuel only ..much like the maxima ..there were also GS-R specific colours one of which was Aztec Green, Red(?) and one other one i can't remember...also, the 2nd Generation GS-R will be quicker (in some cases) than the 3rd Gen .. the gearing in the 2nd gen is almost exactly that of the Integra Type R

Sorry for the long post but I hope this helps

MajesticBlueNTO

iTrader: (6)

definitely ask to have it checked at your own mechanic or acura dealer...there was a "silent recall" for the distributor on the 90-93 integras (the ball bearings in the distributor would fail and would leave you stranded at the side of the road) and the owner should have had it replaced for free

if you plan on driving the integra hard, the OEM front brakes on the integra aren't that great (they're the same size as the civic's, a car that weighs less and has less power...go figure )...a new set of OEM pads and a freshly turned OEM rotor lasted me less than 8 months/19,000kms in city & highway driving...needless to say, I put slotted rotors and axxis metal master pads on and the car stopped so much better and is only half worn in 1 year/24,000kms of the same driving

i can talk forever on the integra, but am slowly warming up to the maxima (can't wait until the break-in period is over ...haven't taken it past 4000rpm yet)

MS 2K1 AE

As Majestic says, get the distributor checked out. It was a common problem on the Accords as well as the Integras. Ask the owner if he had his replaced. The silent recall was in effect to 75,000 miles, but Honda went above and beyond if you asked. I paid for my mechanic to replace the distributor at 110K. I called Honda (I still have the Customer Service contact if anyone needs it) and they sent me a check for the repair and the tow.

Definitely get it checked out by a dealer/mechanic you trust. Make sure they visually inspect the frame for any accidents. Check the treadwear too - if the car has had a bad accident, and the frame was hurt, the tires will almost always show it via uneven treadwear. If the tires are new, it's hard to tell. If the owner objects to getting it checked, I would be suspicious.

Good luck.