Lightly Modified 2002 Acura RSX Is Great Cheap Fun

For Less Than Five Grand, An Old Acura RSX Is A Performance Bargain

Sold in Japan as the DC5-generation Honda Integra, here in the US we received it as Acura’s entry-level performance car, the RSX. Back in 2002, when it launched, this car was genius. A replacement for the Integra, it featured all of the standard Integra fare Honda/Acura buyers wanted in a car. A front-engine, front-wheel drive performance car with a high-revving K20 delivering 160 horsepower (The Type-S delivered 200 horsepower). For a time, in its prime, this car was an import tuner favorite.

The car featured in this video is a 2002 base model with a few bolt-on performance modifications and a few Type-S factory bits like the larger alloy wheels and the rear wing. Delivered in original “Milano Red” (colloquially known as “Milano Pink” as the paint fades) paint over Titanium interior, this RSX has seen better days, but still manages to hold up quite well. Checking some eBay completed listings and Craigslist posts, base RSX can be found at budget prices, likely not requiring much in the way of maintenance. This is a strong platform that delivers decent performance and reliability in reasonable measure on both counts. The interior even seems to be holding up nicely, aside from the beat up steering wheel, but those are easy to replace.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive FWD sports car, this might be a great place to start, considering it has the same engine and a slightly better gearbox than the same-era EP3 Civic Si for the same price, while managing to look significantly better. If you’ve been craving an EP3, try out a base model RSX for a change, perhaps you’ll like it even better.

[Source: The Smoking Tire on YouTube]