As the title says, I am going to be looking at a 2000 Integra SE over the weekend. I am a 20 year old college student, and have never owned a car before so really don't have much practical, real life knowledge when it comes to cars. That, coupled with the fact that I have spent most of my time browsing the internet looking at Volkswagens, means I really don't know a whole lot about Integras. I was hoping you guys could give me a few ideas of what to look for when I see this car in person.

The Integra has always had a tendency to catch my eye, I've casually looked at them online in the past but this one has really grabbed my attention. The story from the guy who owns it is that he bought it a week ago (with the intention of re-selling it) from a dealer, who took it on a trade from a woman who was the original owner.

It's an auto with 223,000 km (Canadian miles) on it. The only thing I don't get is that according to the internet, the SE is supposed to have a leather interior, something that as well as a sunroof, appealed to me on a GS I was interested in that sold a few weeks ago before I got the chance to go look at it. Anyways, this one definitely looks like it's in better shape than the majority of Integras I've seen for sale online, can I assume if it really is as well taken care of as it looks, that it should be a reliable car with lots of life left in it even at 223k?

Here is the description from the add:
"Up for sale is my 2000 Acura Integra SE. It has 223k on it and is an automatic. Mvi is good
until August. It has a set of almost brand new winter studded tires and also the brakes are fairly
new as well. The car is immaculate on the interior and the exterior is in great shape. The car runs
100%, No issues with it at all."

$2300 is what he's asking for it. So yeah, does this seem like a good car? And what should I look for/ask about when I go see it?

Here are some pictures of the car in question:













Thanks for any advice!

 

It's always a good sign when the owner has the car detailed before selling. Since the car looks to be in great shape cosmetically the only thing you need to worry about it how it is running. Go out and give it a test drive and tell the owner you want to have it checked at a local mechanic to just make sure everything is in order.

 

canada got a black integra with black interior? Lol not fair, since the US got green and black with that awful tan interior. If the story ads up then it should be a good buy as a solid daily driver. Make sure the automatic shifts smoothly, and small things like ac and heat work. Find out about when the timing belt/water pump was changed, if it wasn't, you can use that for negotiation.

 

Nice looking ride.

One tip would be to ask the owner to drive and follow the car around. Make sure it's not smoking excessively.
Don't forget to look under the car for excessive rust (a bit is normal).


I know how hard it is to find good used cars up in Canada (cars that are not eaten by road salt, etc). The price looks great.

But are you sure you want automatic?

 

I am meeting the owner tomorrow, half way between where each of us live (two hour drive from my city to his, he offered to go halfway) so unfortunately that isn't really an option.

Hadn't even thought to ask about the timing belt yet.

Did you guys at least get black on black with leather as an option? The one that I was going to look at before it sold was black with black leather, looked like a really nice, especially with the sunroof. It kind of makes me want to hold out for another one like it, but I know I can certainly get some new front seats later on down the road, and not having a sunroof isn't the end of the world.

I'll definitely do that, as for wanting an automatic, I'm more or less open to either an auto or manual. I can drive stick somewhat reliably, and I know I'd enjoy a manual more once I got the hang of it. My dad's opinion is that It is probably better for me to get used to driving every day with an auto, and then buy a manual once I'm a more experienced driver, which probably isn't a bad idea. On the other hand, the best way to learn how to drive stick would be to buy one and drive it every day. So I guess either way I'm not too bothered.

 

I mean, as long as you can stand the Auto, and the transmission shifts smooth. I'd pop on it.

Check the trans fluid. See if it looks or smells burt. If its relatively clear (red) you're good to go!

It looks like whoever had this before took good care of it.

 

Compression test ! tells you a whole lot about the engine the standard is 180psi in each cyl with the max variance being 24psi, and the service limit aka time to overbore(taking the pistons out etc) 140psi. Stay away if it's below 180psi in each cyl to be honest it'll start to feel slower then it already is. You can always suto to manual swap it down the road other wise 2.3K for a 98+ I'd jump on it then swap it over to a manual makes me wish I didn't make mine into a full on track car.

lol @ "Canadian miles"

 

Thats an rs not a special edition. Special editions only came in 95 and 96, but the car looks to be well taken care of. Id check for rust on the body, and make sure there aren't any noticeable leaks or suspicious noises.

 

Ah ok, that answers that question. The RS is the base model right? And didn't have power windows or locks or anything?



Edit: Looking at ads on the internet up here, I'm actually seeing a handful of 97-01 Integras advertised as being the SE, maybe Canadian Integras were badged differently?

 

like the Si here(Canada) is the States's EX afaik we have the 94-97 SE version for the rs with power locks and possibly windows. I'm not 100% on trim levels etc.

 

I assume these are great cars to learn how to work on? I don't have a whole lot of a mechanical background, especially with cars, but did do an engine rebuild in a high school engines class, and am in college studying to become a millwright, so mechanical stuff like that certainly doesn't intimidate me. There must be loads of DIY stuff on here?

 

Super easy to work on and alot of the 92-00 civic parts are transferable so it's easy to find used bits and pieces. Soo much stuff it's nuts lol when I first got my teg none of my friends were into cars so I was on my own other then H-T/TI.

 

Integras are great to work on. Honda engineers were careful to make sure of that. There are also great resources available online. None of my friends my entire life have known anything about cars. Over the past 12 years I have taught myself to work on Hondas entirely using online and published information. I have gone from changing oil to swapping engines and putting my hands on literally every part in my car.

While I have unreasonably strong feelings against automatic transmissions, I still think it is fair to say that a lot of what makes these cars great is lost with a 4 speed slusher. I will not say you would be unhappy with an auto, and I will say that looks like a clean and responsible purchase. However I would also say that if you can drive stick and have any passion or interest for these cars, I would strongly advise starting with a manual. I would also argue that driving manual can make you a better driver because you have to think more about how you operate your car.

 

Agreed but it's really hard to find a car this nice for this price in Canada... Then again, it'll probably be just as hard to find parts (that won't have to be shipped cross border) for the manual swap if he goes that route in the future.

 

lol not having a sunroof is good, less chances of the drains leaking into the trunk lol

I am not sure on the leather interior hopefully someone else knows if there was a black on black leather to verify

That tan interior is just so ugly

 

So, went to see the car Saturday and it definitely was in as good a shape as it looked in the pictures. Still very tempted, but so far I remain car-less. The biggest negative that presented itself when I saw it was that it had no summer tires, and since all it has is studded winters, they would have to come off the car in April. So right off the bat I'd be spending money on a set of summers. I guess all in all I am probably better off waiting til I see a good deal on a GS or GS-R, but I am definitely tempted to pick this one up.

It was only the pre-facelift 3rd gen Type R that had the 4x114.3 bolt pattern right? I'm seeing some conflicting info on the internet, but it looks like this car would have a 4x100 pattern?

 

Yes it should be 4x100