Not a Honda fanboi at all. But from that list, GS-R, hands down. Best chassis, best engine, best balance, best reliability. Beat it all day long, every day, change the oil when you should and it'll never give up.
Not a Honda fanboi at all. But from that list, GS-R, hands down. Best chassis, best engine, best balance, best reliability. Beat it all day long, every day, change the oil when you should and it'll never give up.
All cars will get a Street prep done, so new tires, lighter stock sized wheels, intake, cat back, and a sway to start. This will be my first autocross vehicle as well as my gas sipping DD (i;m tired of driving my Jeep and Dodge everyday with no AC in Texas summers).
I hear you all about safety with both the Honda and Acura, theft is pretty common in Dallas, not like LA, but it still happens. I have a garage at my apartment and a police officer at work so I'm not too worried. I'm sure all of these cars have a theft issue since they are all so iconic.
All the cars in the pictures are the actual cars I'm looking at. Most are bone stock ~130k-150k miles, with the exception of the Subie, which is kinda ruling that out for me.
He says, "I purchased this car with the idea of rebuilding it and/or swapping. Priorities have changed and unfortunately I'm looking to sell the car. I purchased it from a member back in Feb.""I'm not looking to make anything off of the car and the parts I put into it. I'm looking for what I paid for the car back. I use all OE parts and high quality cat replacement. Current price is $7,000 obo"
It has 190k miles 
Probably not the reliable DD I am looking for.
Does a '99 Mitsubishi Eclipse count? If so i'd pick that.
That or a 2002 WRX or early EVO. Something with AWD
kanaric wrote: Does a '99 Mitsubishi Eclipse count? If so i'd pick that.
He mentioned he'd like a RELIABLE car... I think that rules that one out :)
I'm not a fan of the Eclipse, fugly in my opinion. I would consider a first gen but hard to find here. Same problem with the WRX and EVO, hard to find in Texas with the lack of snow and when you do find them people try to sell them for way too much.
How does the Prelude chassis handle compared to the Integra or Civic? I would think the heavier h22b would make it understeer horribly.
You have to test drive them all, honestly. If you don't, you may miss out on the one you like the best. I have also seen the last two generation Preludes over priced, especially the last gen one since it looks so good.
idk it just looks like a 90s car to me. I wouldn't consider it bad enough to be "fugly"
like it's design elements really are no different than the Acura Integra or earlier Prelude or a Skyline.
I'm scheduling test drives with the local ones. The Integra and Subie are out of town.
Just a personal preference I guess. The ones I've seen are pretty clapped out.
I voted GSR with my dollars and continue to be incredibly pleased. I think there are others on the list that do one area or another better than the integra (Protege handles better, SRT4 is waaay faster, etc). However, the GSR just does everything well and is pretty damn reliable to boot. I think the styling has aged better than most, but that's subjective.
Regarding the Prelude - I think they are better daily drivers than the Integra. Between the extra torque and the low-n-wide seating position they are more fun around town imho. I'm not sure they would be as good at autox, due to the weight increase. Also, their interior isn't nearly as useful as an Integra hatch. That said, I'd drive one if you get the chance.
I have had three on that list (Integra, Prelude and SRT4). The SRT was a blast (I upgraded the turbo) and I loved the simulated-Viper seats, but mpg was bad compared to the other two. My favorite was probably the Prelude. Nice seats, slick shifter, great mpg's and had a little more oomph down low than the Integra (mine was a B18B with light mods, so non-VTEC mind you). The Preludes are hard to find, but you typically find them in better condition as others have said. If I didn't have a big dog and need to transport my bike a lot, that would be my dd.
Regarding the 2.5RS, i have never driven one but i am convinced they must be good because of my experience in a 'regular' 2.2 coupe.
This interests me as I'm selling my '05 Civic and looking for a more fun/autocross friendly car, give the Mustang a break. To add to your list '02-'04 Civic sir(or si in America), MINI Cooper (even if the reliability is iffy) and Mazda Protege MP3 '01. Now back to my search...
I have 2 big labs so I'm leaning towards a hatch or 4 door. I'll see what I think after I test drive. After talking to the guy with the civic he says the front fenders have been replaced, I can tell in the pictures that the bumper was replaced and it has had 2 break in attempts since he's owned it. The electron blue might be a big attention getter for thieves.
A green GSR with a JDM front does look nice, not the stance wheels. Does a JDM swap mess with your class?
Powar wrote: Saab 9-3 Viggen
This
I like the 9-3 Viggen idea the most.
Followed by GSR, 6spd Celica GT-S, then SRT4.
The Mazdaspeed Protege can DIAF.
My picks would be: Focus, Mazda3, MS Protege
Just bought a very clean 2.5RS and I paid $5k and felt I was over paying a little, but it is rust free, and you just can't find rust free ones in Northern new england. They hold their value very well. I've had three previous to this one, and more than made my money back on 2 of the 3...wrecked the third and still use most of it in my race car. Go rust free or don't bother. If rust is visible from the outside, it's worse underneath. Fun, fun cars. Not powerhouses, but fun. I've had a lot of subies. The RS is a lot of fun, driving 80 mph feels fast, it feels agile. 80 in a wrx feels comfortable and not enough near it's "edge".
Whats a 9-3 viggen?
What is DIAF?
Swank Force One wrote:I like the 9-3 Viggen idea the most.
Followed by GSR, 6spd Celica GT-S, then SRT4.
The Mazdaspeed Protege can DIAF.
Saab 9-3, the viggen was a high performance variant.
stoneydude wrote:
I'd be worried more about the banged-up-so-it's-rusting undercarriage, wheel bearings that are about to go, and the general hard life a car like that is likely to have underwent.
As far as classing, I don't think you're allowed to modify the body panels until you get into the Prepared classes. That said, your local chapter probably wouldn't care if it wasn't an obvious performance advantage.
Regarding your dogs - we routinely carry our 100lb German shepherd in the back of our 2-door teg with the seats folded down. There's a ton of room back there! It's actually easier for him to get into and roomier length-wise than the back of our Mazda5.
stoneydude wrote: What is DIAF?
Die In A Fire
I don't think swank is a fan of the motor in that car. Something about it being fragile? I'm sure he'll chime in.
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