[Eerier]

I have been trying to decide what car to buy as a project car and finally decided on the DC2 Integra GSR (most likely USDM) and I am trying to be very cautious, especially in this market so I wanted to ask people who own them.

What are some of the most important things to look out for (common issues)?
Are there any best/worst years that I should look out for?
What mileage is generally too many and should be avoided?

And most importantly…. What is a reasonable price for a good stock GSR?

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[2000IntegraGS2000]

Stock GSRs are so difficult to find at a decent price and in decent shape. You are probably looking at $10K plus . There are less expensive ones out there, but many are modified, high mileage or need lots of work. Good luck with the search!

 

[Frohst]

Well here's a list of what I had on my 94 RS. Most of it more to do with 20 odd years old rather than the 250k+ mileage.

Pcv rubbers all brittle and cracked.
Pcv breather box oring leaked.
Oil pan gasket leaded.
Heater hose all brittle and burst.
Power steering hoses leaked (again, old rubber)
Power steering reservoir leaked (old plastic).
Motor mounts torn to shreds.
Rear trailing arms torn to shreds.
Steering rack leaked.
Some sketchy aftermarket camber bushings wore out and knocked about.
My tie rods were on backwards (how. Who does this?)
Interior plastics brittle and broken.
Door clips holding looking bars brittle.
Door handle plastic brittle and snapped.
Paint in bad shape.
Fuel level sender wore through the contactor.
Temp sensor had intermittent short.
Thermostat sticking.
Coolant ways in block full of old junk.
Radiator leaked at plastic end tank.
Dizzy internal shaft seal leaked.
Tranny was full of essentially tar.
Tranny axle seals leaked.
Vale over gasket.
Spark plug gaskets.
I think my valve seals and rings and head gasket all called it quits at the same time and is the current struggle bus.

Tldr:
It's the 20 year old rubber and plastic bits that need replacing. Regardless of mileage etc.

Beyond that - just looking for signs of abuse/shoddy work/etc.
They're a project. And worth it. (And I don't even have that vtec fun...)

 

[stlcounty]

Is this a 2nd car project or do you expect it to also be your daily driver?

Looking for a 20 - 30 year old car is always difficult, on your budget.
This is a 4 cylinder car and you'll love the handling so much that you'll want it to be faster.
Many of the available Integras are someone else's projects, because they wanted a faster car.

A nice 2000 Integra LS (150,000 miles) with automatic recently sold in the high $7k range. Expect the very desirable GSR to sell for over $10k.

My most sincere recommendation is to find a used CTR that is 3 - 4 years old. Sure you'll have a $710/mo. carpayment, for 60 months, but you also have a CTR. Five years from then, you'll be trading it in on an Odyssey, to haul around your hot wife and kids, because that's what happens to CTR owners. After that you won't have the discretionary funds to buy anything nice, so get the CTR now.

 

[50psiboostintegra20]

Its going to be a project, I love the chassis there is nothing else like it but like every one else will tell you, there is always going to be some sort of issue with these things because they are old it is almost impossible to find one with no issues. They are also hard to find so find something that repair wise is reasonable for you to deal with. Try to get a compression test done to see if the motor is healthy, and see if the timing belt was done. If not try to negotiate the cost of replacing the belt off the price and get a gates racing blue timing belt on there when you do change the belt they are sturdy, you don't want to get a teg then have that belt go on you after and loose your motor like that. I lost 2 motors first one on a timing belt that I did not get get replaced in time that failed, the second one made too much power and snapped the connecting rods blowing holes in the block. Try to go see it like a day after it rains hard so you can check for leaks moisture on the passenger and driver side floor trunk. Get it on a lift so you can check your suspension bushings and rust. Find one you like, go for it and make it yours. Good luck.

 

[junglesalmon1]

I got a 4dr GSR a couple months ago for $4,300, definitely not the deal of the century but the cars are out there if you wait long enough, it was a right place right time. After literal months of waiting for my dad to let me buy a car and then another 6 months of searching, the first 5 of which where spent looking for manual IS300's, "cheap" bmws (don't even try), and various other toyotas, I decided to search for a car I had loved a long time ago and I found my integra. Engine is at 185k but runs great, full compression, full service records etc, I'm the third owner. It's gonna be hard to find the perfect car, mine isn't perfect, every leather seat is torn to ****, the paint is bad, but it runs great, is manual, and has V-tec. Not saying it's impossible to find one but you should expand your options, after 5 months of stubborn searching for one car I pulled the trigger on a Honda at whim and the rest is history.