First Car Advice

[dornestic]

Now i know this may be biased since i'm posting on an integra forum, but i thought who would know better than the teg owners themselves right.

So i'm turning 20 and i'm looking forward to owning my own car by the end of summer. I'll be looking at a 6000-8000 price range.

The purpose of the car will be a daily driver with the common I/H/E + sound + misc. exterior mods, not looking to drop a new engine/turbo etc. And yes i'm new to the tuning scene ( i have read up on quite a lot of information but i'm sure there's more to learn as i actually encounter it ).

So here's my question(s), don't be obligated to answer all, any information is appreciated.

1) would you suggest a 94+ Integra? Pros/Cons
2) are there any other cars i should be looking at? ( not too interested in civic, 240sx is a possibility but i'd be looking at 89-92 and that makes the vehicle expensive to upkeep since it's almost 20 years old)
3) if i do buy it, do you have any personal experiences or opinions of going through either a dealership or a private purchase?
4) put a lease on a newer car?

 

[DA_Integra]

For that price range you should be able to get a 98+ GSR.

 

[Nighthawk]

Now i know this may be biased since i'm posting on an integra forum, but i thought who would know better than the teg owners themselves right.

So i'm turning 20 and i'm looking forward to owning my own car by the end of summer. I'll be looking at a 6000-8000 price range.

The purpose of the car will be a daily driver with the common I/H/E + sound + misc. exterior mods, not looking to drop a new engine/turbo etc. And yes i'm new to the tuning scene ( i have read up on quite a lot of information but i'm sure there's more to learn as i actually encounter it ).

So here's my question(s), don't be obligated to answer all, any information is appreciated.

1) would you suggest a 94+ Integra? Pros/Cons
2) are there any other cars i should be looking at? ( not too interested in civic, 240sx is a possibility but i'd be looking at 89-92 and that makes the vehicle expensive to upkeep since it's almost 20 years old)
3) if i do buy it, do you have any personal experiences or opinions of going through either a dealership or a private purchase?
4) put a lease on a newer car?

1) I would highly suggest getting a 98+ if possible. Older Integras may run into trouble with the ever-so-common quarter panel rust and paint issues simply from the age of the car. In my opinion, having owned both a 94 and an 01, the 01 feels much more refined inside and out. Definitely grab a GSR if you can. It is a world of difference compared to the LS (which I used to own).

2) No you should not look at any other cars than the Integra :lol:. Seriously though, it all depends on what you like...but the Integra is a great package with lots of potential. If well maintained it'll outlast most other cars, its a hot looking car, and they truely are reliable as hell. 300+ miles per tank of gas is a pretty sweet bonus too.

3) I dont really have a preference to private party or dealership as they can both either be quality sellers or snakes with secrets. I bought my LS from a dealership, the salesman knew the girl who traded it in and gloated that I was getting such a great, well maintained car...$1000 in tune-up parts later I was good to go. When I bought my '01 GSR, I bought it from a "young adults cars" sort of dealership. The lot was loaded with GSRs, had a few Civic Si's, Preludes, etc. The price was non-negotiable, but it was a very well kept car and he printed out detailed papers of all work done to the car, etc. +1 for dealerships on that one...I couldn't have felt safer buying a car.

4) I'm totally not interested in leasing a car...so I cant offer any opinions about that. However, what I would recommend (which is the path I took) is to take out a loan for the amount that you were willing to pay cash for. In your case, try to snag an auto-loan for 6-8k. Shop around for the best interest rates. What this does...is enable you to establish credt (you'll want to get this going if your looking to get your own place in the near future), and it'll be a loan you can easily afford/pay off since YOU HAVE the money to do so already. This way you have all that money for a "shit hits the fan" situation, and if not, you can just say fug-it and pay off the loan whenever you want. This puts you in great control. With the credit union I bought my car from...they offered GAP insurance...which is basically you can either pay $250 up front or have it factored into your loan payments and if your car is totalled in an accident, you don't have to pay off the loan. It cannot get any better than that.

Hope my rambling was a help, good luck!

 

[Winki]

1)yes good all round car.
2)Wrx maybe, Gti, 01ish TL, its a lot of personal pref but i like my acura.
3) ehh
4) lease sux

 

[JDMxDB8]

Gs-r Ftw!

 

[Teg96]

lol ^^^^ "ftw".....i agree with ^^^^^.....2nd forum i see him sayin "ftw"....

 

[patrick4588]

1)yes good all round car.
2)Wrx maybe, Gti, 01ish TL, its a lot of personal pref but i like my acura.
3) ehh
4) lease sux

fuck a tl. my daily is a 99tl and it sucks at life. i hate it. it handles like crap, has more body roll than fat joe, sucks on gas mileage compared to the teg (turbocharged), its slow, and auto. i want to burn it :evil:

 

[dornestic]

thanks for the input, i'm definitely looking into the GS-R at least since it puts out a bit more horsepower and you guys did mention that with a 6000-8000 price range i can find GS-R.

what are major concerns to look for, eg major problems.

rust quarter panels and strut bars?
burning oil i think i read?

 

[ngou]

well i just bought my 98 gsr for a month
need to change the spark plug n cable and fix the distributor because it was mis-firing.
other than that everything runs like a good sport car
owning a gsr would be a good deal for you because it is cheap on parts and easy to DIY

 

[sonicvybe]

I the 3rd gen chassis, and combined with gsr engine it's not a bad start for a first car. You can have it for years to come and upgrade as you like with an abundance of parts that won't break the bank. That's the key point IMO.