1998 Integra GSR - What do you think about this car?

[wella]

Hi guys, I have never owned a car before and now that I have graduated university I figured I'll need to buy one for work. I've been looking at this Integra with the following specs

98 Integra GSR
5spd
fully loaded
alarm
leather interior
sun roof
has 101 kms on it
new rear brake setup (rotor and pads) and changed all three belts recently (ps,alt,a/c)

To be honest, I am not a big fan of manual cars coz I'm just a beginner (but I know how to drive standard though)

I checked out the car about 2 weeks ago but didn't drive it that day (honestly even if I did I wouldn't be able to judge if its good or bad coz I have no previous driving experience). The car looked good, with only one potential issue: The paint on the car is not original, the original paint on the car was blue/purple but the car was painted in pearl white. It seems that the way the car was painted is pretty cheap in that the white was painted on top of the original color and that the original paint was not scraped off first. Also, when you look at the engine you can see the original paint colour on the car body around the engine. The white paint can be chipped off at the edges etc. ex: at the edges of the trunk.....

I asked the owner why the car was painted a different color, he said that the previous owner didnt like the original blue/purple color so decided to paint it in white.... I don't really buy that..

The guy's asking for $6800.

My questions are:

Does 101 clicks on a 9.5 year old sports utility car cause suspicion that the odometer has been tampered with?

The thing with the paint and the previous owner changing the paint coz he didn't like it.... could this be a lie and that the car has been previously involved in an accident and had the paint changed? Is there something fishy about that?

Is this a fair price for this car if, after checking the VIN # at carfax and getting it inspected at the mechanic I find no previous problems with the car?

Any Integra owners have any suggestions/tips on what to look for and what to watch out for (tranny etc.?)

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :) :razz:

[thephenom]

Price isn't bad for a GSR, but just watch out for insurance. ;)

[weedb0y]

What is wrong with it? That price is awesome for a 98 and a GSR on top along with leather.

Check carfax. Serious low KMs but if it is the real deal, dont even think twice!

[wella]

I called an insurance company to get a quote for this car. The estimate was $160 / month which is not that bad. Any other comments / suggestions?

[weedb0y]

good price on the insurance. Mine is non-GSR and I pay around that as well.

[JuNGleR72]

Nice price, make sure to get your mechanic to check it out before finalizing the purchase.

Also get a Compustar alarm with all the goodies.

GSR and ITR's is tops on a theives list..

[wella]

What is wrong with it? That price is awesome for a 98 and a GSR on top along with leather.

Check carfax. Serious low KMs but if it is the real deal, dont even think twice!


First of all the kms are pretty low and I am not sure if carfax is totally reliable when it comes down to checking for odometer rollbacks etc..

Also, not having the original paint on the car calls for suspicion... dont you think?

Finally, he had the car up for sale for about a month and a half now and his initial asking price was $12,500. Why would he bring the price down by $6500 in one piece?

[JuNGleR72]

Bring your mechanic to inspect the car with you, he/she would be able to spot the problems.

There could have been rust build up in the usual Honda/Acura areas ( back fenders, under the door, hood etc)

[wella]

Nice price, make sure to get your mechanic to check it out before finalizing the purchase.

Also get a Compustar alarm with all the goodies.

GSR and ITR's is tops on a theives list..

The car has an alarm system I just don't know if its Compustar. How much would it cost to buy one of those anyway?

[JuNGleR72]

Compustar with all the goodies about $500 give or take..

OEM Alarm is rubbish.. thieves can bypass that in seconds.
I'm not saying Compustar will scare off thieves 100%, but at least it will slow them down alot.

[JuNGleR72]

If you are seriously having so many doubts about the car, then I would not get it.

Why not save a bit more money to get a new car, you'll be worry free and under warranty.

[wella]

If you are seriously having so many doubts about the car, then I would not get it.

Why not save a bit more money to get a new car, you'll be worry free and under warranty.

Thanks for your post JunGler, I can get the mechanic to check the car for rust etc. and I presume that I can buy that alarm system for a good price from ebay (after I buy the car).

I wish I could buy a new car but thats way beyond my budget right now (6 - 7 g's wouldn't buy me a new car would it)...

Any other common problems with Acura's that you know of? Would the cost of repairing those cars be much higher than for a civic, corolla etc?

[JuNGleR72]

Thanks for your post JunGler, I can get the mechanic to check the car for rust etc. and I presume that I can buy that alarm system for a good price from ebay (after I buy the car).

I wish I could buy a new car but thats way beyond my budget right now (6 - 7 g's wouldn't buy me a new car would it)...

Any other common problems with Acura's that you know of? Would the cost of repairing those cars be much higher than for a civic, corolla etc?



Well if you do purchase the car, get your Compustar from http://www.audioheaven.ca/

they are very nice ppl to deal with.. I'm sure there are some ppl on RFD that can vouch for them.

[ElvaSoShexai]

there's nothing really wrong with wanting to have a diff colour car... my car is silver and i plan on painting it white just because i like white... altho the cheapness of the paintjob might be suspect

if ur in the toronto area u can bring it over to www.safecar.ca to get it thoroughly checked out

[thephenom]

First of all the kms are pretty low and I am not sure if carfax is totally reliable when it comes down to checking for odometer rollbacks etc..

Also, not having the original paint on the car calls for suspicion... dont you think?

Finally, he had the car up for sale for about a month and a half now and his initial asking price was $12,500. Why would he bring the price down by $6500 in one piece?
That's a HUGE drop in price, but he could just want his car gone quick.

If your mechanic approves of the car, it's a good deal.

[bobbings]

great car but what did the previous driver do with the car? store it away and not drive it? 100 clicks on a 10 year old car assuming he/she got the car in 97? isn't there a lot of maintenance at around 100 clicks?

[thephenom]

great car but what did the previous driver do with the car? store it away and not drive it? 100 clicks on a 10 year old car assuming he/she got the car in 97? isn't there a lot of maintenance at around 100 clicks?
10k km a yr isn't that low especially if you live close to where you work. My dad's 93 Camry only has 130k clicks on it. My 7yrs old car only has 88k km, so that's only about 12.5k km a yr, and I pretty much drive everywhere.

[Chookman]

I bought a '97 GSR last September with 80K on it. It had all the records though Acura because it had the Acura Plus maintenance. So far, it's been trouble free but I did pay a premium of $9K. Another family member has had a '95 Integra since new and it's at 270K on the odometer and is still running strong. In the life of the car, it's only needed a radiator, brakes, timing belt/water pump, tires and a wheel bearing. It's been the best car he's ever owned and so far, mine is proving to be the same. Publications also concur that it's pretty much as close to bullet-proof as a car can be.

[99elwpg]

I have a few concerns about the car. The paint, definately, especially because the supersonic Blue Pearl was a very popuar color, i wonder why someone would paint over it, especially if the job was not done very well as you described. Leather interior wasn't standard on the 98 GS-R, I believe it was standard on the 99 and up gs-r. The KM's are very low, but they could be legit, see if you can check some maintenance records to verify. Also, has the timing belt been done, that will set you back 500+ dollars, as it's recommended to do every 100,000 km's. Also, check for signs of rust, which may be difficult since it was recently painted. Lots of integras have rust around the wheel wells.


The best advice is to have a mechanic check it out, and maybe a body shop as well. If it checks out, you'll love the car. I just sold my 98 GS-R a few weeks ago, and it was the supersonic blue pearl color as well, but it had almost 250k on it, with no major problems!)

[weedb0y]

I bought a '97 GSR last September with 80K on it. It had all the records though Acura because it had the Acura Plus maintenance. So far, it's been trouble free but I did pay a premium of $9K. Another family member has had a '95 Integra since new and it's at 270K on the odometer and is still running strong. In the life of the car, it's only needed a radiator, brakes, timing belt/water pump, tires and a wheel bearing. It's been the best car he's ever owned and so far, mine is proving to be the same. Publications also concur that it's pretty much as close to bullet-proof as a car can be.

Word! Although I will be upgrading my suspension pretty soon along with a refresher paintjob on mine but I love the car! The way it handles is amazing and I have driven lot of new and older different cars (not just hondas)!

[jdmkidd]

+1 classic...

[ES_Revenge]

Does 101 clicks on a 9.5 year old sports utility car cause suspicion that the odometer has been tampered with?
Well the kms aren't necessarily a source of suspicion but one thing's for sure the Integra was never an SUV, LOL. So if someone is trying to sell you an SUV with Acura Integra badging on it, I would definitely be suspicious :lol:

[feet_]

things you should do,
since this is a popular tuner car.

make sure the engine is the original one. check the motor mount bolts/nuts are not nicked, signs of removal. etc. also check on the tranny casing for the engine matches the car. should be on the right of the exhaust manifold. google it to find it exactly. should say b18c1 . if it says b18A1/2 run away.

if the valve cover is painted red. - run away. RICER!
if the valve cover is originally red, and the stamping says b18c5. - you lucked out. type r engine.

painting it white, looks like the prev. owner wanted it to look like the integra type r. (championship white). but did a sh1tty job.

makes you wonder what else was 1/2 asses.

do a compresion test of the engine. or leakdown. forget whats the better way.

does the tranny grind, namely 2nd and 3rd. if it does run away. signs of slam shifting + constant redlining of the engine.

find out when the timing belt was changed.

if you hear clicking up front when you turn. axles are on its way out.

price seems too good to be true.

ask ower if he belongs to any forums+ ask what his nickname is. then you can do a "find all posts" and see if he had any posts, asking for help on any problems. and gage what type of guy he is.


if you want just a daily driver. and dont care about going fast. you should find another type of car. thats not popular with the tuner crowd.
less likely to be tampered/modded/beat on with.

hth.

[acura88]

Did you buy the car?

[gamer123]

Did you buy the car?
:confused: