boarderfatty

iTrader: (1)

29 years old chiming in here, owned numerous R's and modded Honda's over the years.

I sold my most recent ITR this fall, I will never own one again. If I ever own any Honda again, it would be an S2k, but I doubt that will happen.

What ruined my love for Honda's is quite simple, better vehicles. My E46 M3 is just so much more car, plenty of power, awesome braking (brembo GT kit mind you...), dreamy handling, comfort, sexy engine noise etc... and to be honest ownership is not overly expensive at all. Parts in large, seem to be much cheaper than Honda parts lol... figure that out. I don't have to worry about it getting stolen, the cabin isn't a loud *** rattle box, etc.

I think the more I am exposed to Porsche and BMW I am convinced I will never own anything but, next car, and likely the last sports car I ever buy will be a 997.2 GT3.

I'll be happy as a clown to see a clean ITR rolling into a car show in 20 years, but i think even with the cleanest car it will be worth 20k tops, and thats probably too high. I don't think they will ever see the collector status that muscle car group has seen.

Remember, this is sad for me to say, it's been a very long road for me and Honda's, but I have come to realize that it's over between us.

3rdtimecharmer

i dont know what it is that has me loving integras. im around expensive cars all the time as well, i work for the number 1 BMW dealership in the western region and although these BMWs are nice they just do not appeal to me. always coming in for stupid maint. or some dumb sensor being set off by a rock on the road. its just a headache for me to hear about it. also, these nice cars are usually leased and that wouldn't give me the feeling of actually "owning" the car.



dont get me wrong, i am looking towards a nicer luxury car to enjoy driving around in but i have yet to find that one car that "sticks" to my liking. its a love hate thing with me and my integra. some days i am just sick of driving it because i cant go past 65mph because of my transmission/RPM but then when i drop it into 3rd and just take off i fall in love all over again EVERY SINGLE TIME. i just cant let these cars go.

if i were to buy a nice car i would want to be able to actually own it, no monthly payments or anything etc. ive been around hondas growing up, and im sure A LOT of people say that, but i actually was. coming from my uncle and his high school friends during the 90s "race" scene and what not up to me owning an integra myself including a couple others in the past. i just dont see myself buying any other brand. honda builds a lot of nice cars, upper class and lower class.

but my dream car would honestly have to be a 1984 porsche 930 slant nose... a nice bright red one.. ill get one when im wealthy.


to each his own

B16EJ

This is the BesT thread ever lol! I didn't get my itr till I was 30, I aLways had a modified HONDA though before the itr, I'm 33 now and I can totally relate to the ppl revving on you etc when you are just driving normally that does get old but I guess if you had other vehicles to drive THEN KEEPING THE ITR WOULD BE A NO BRAINER.

the itr is a great pleasure car, for weekends and track days etc. Its snows 6 months of the year here so a good 4x4 for the winter is a must, my wife and I have 3 vehicles between us so I don't drive my r very often and that is how I prefer it, I could never use it as a daily driver the winters would destroy it plus I'd hate to not have a truck in the winter.

Someone mentioned that in a few years the car will be more of a collectors item then aricer caR WHICH I TOTALLY AGREE WITH, people stop me now just to say they like the itr... So I say if you can manage to get a second vehicle keep the type r, if you are only familiar with Hondas then you don't realize how much of a pain in the *** it is to wrench on other cars the dc2 chassis is like the easiest car in the world to work on so as a daily DRIVER that aspect is really nice. If your itr breaks down you can fix it in a night where as other cars every job is a nightmare. I have an expedition and everything I mean everything is hard to do, the spark plugs take like 5 hrs no joke where the integras is like 15 mins.

If you sell it you will realize one day after driving other sports cars that they don't give you the same go kart feeling, new cars can never have that same feeling nowadays because there's so many sensors etc. That most people never think about, just having the old fashioned cable actuated gas pedal is way better than drive by wire IMO, AND NEW CARS WITH THE SIDE CURTAIN AIR BAGS TAKE AWAY ALLOT OF VISIBILITY AND ALL NEW CARS ARE ALWAYS HEAVY, THE ITR IS LIKE A BARE BONES RACE CAR COMPARED TO TODAY'S SPORTS CARS, AND I APPRECIATE EVERY ASPECT OF THAT, NEW CARS CAN NEVER BE BUILT THE WAY THE ITR WAS THEY WOULD NEVER PASS DOT CERTIFICATION LOL.

3rdtimecharmer

now a days its all about SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY. what happen to the good old days when all u needed was 2 airbags? o yah, shittier drivers are on the road now..

LSf8kR

So here I am just hit the big 3-0 and I ditched my 09 GTI for an ls with a JDM front that I can start building... I have probably owned over 20 different cars in my life and wanted to get another honda... I think that says something right there. I woke up one day sick of cars that were either "fast" but not fun and never reliable.

And honestly if you dont drive like an @55hole then cops really wont bother you (too much).

dc296TypeR

Have had several Hondas and Acuras over the last 20 years.Bought an new 06 Civic black ,Two years later traded it for 06 RSX type S Vivid blue two years later traded for 1994 NSX Vin #1 Green ( Comptech SC). The NSX has since been sold ,Due to not driving it. Now I own 1996 JDM Integra Type R just love this car and I'm 47 years old.I will be keeping this car for more than 2 yrs.

pogeeboy27

iTrader: (3)

Sorry you feel that way. A few years ago I was tossing around the idea of selling my ITR for and E46 M3. I will admit it is definitely more car than an ITR and I can't deny its pedigree, but after hearing of how expensive VANOS and subframe failures can be in addition to all those little problems, I decided to stick with my ITR. Having to buy "proprietary" oil which amounted to almost $100 per oil change at that time also was a turn off. Don't get me wrong though, if an M3 comes along for the right price, I'll gladly scoop it up.

I'd agree with you that in 20 years showroom quality ITRs will probably fetch $20k. But take a look at some cars such as a 50's VW bug where fully restored stock examples fetch more than $20k. It only took 50 years for them to cross the $20k mark and these were mass produced cars, not limited production runs like the ITR. So in 50 years, who knows how expensive ITRs will be.

I've had my ITR for 8.5 years now and there were periods where I felt like selling it for something else; something more, something with more prestige. It was during those periods where I threw on the car cover and just tucked my car away for a few months, out of sight and out of mind. I'd research and ponder my next move, debating whether or not to sell my ITR. Then I get that itch again and uncover my car. I dust it off, check the fluids, start it up and it's love all over again. It's the same thing with a girlfriend/wife. There will be those days where you just don't want to deal with her or just simply need some time to do your own thing. However it is nice to come home to her once you realize you can't be away from her for so long.

KraZyCHOWMEIN

I don't think any of us are keeping our R's for their investment value 20+ years from now. I think majority of us are keeping them because we enjoy the cars. The increase in value will only be a bonus for the folks who've kept them in great condition. It's becoming harder and harder to find an unmolested R.

I daily drove my R for 6 years and luckily during that time only the front lip was stolen. I enjoy taking her to the track and our daughter loves the car (she thinks she'll be able to drive it one day). I still get thumbs ups from all walks of life and luckily even the ricer/stanced generation can still appreciate the car.

Keep the car because you enjoy it not because you are thinking of how much money it will be worth .

Dave_B

31 now. Bought my first of 4 when I was 21. Really enjoyed the car at the time, having owned nothing but Honda's my entire life (some for as little as 2 weeks) I even owned 2 at the same time, one for DD/Street and one for track only.

I got married and still had my track car and then bought my 97. Moved from FL where theft was ridiculous to upstate SC where most didn't even know what the car was, but in my heart I knew it was a matter of time. I had an incident at CMP and couldn't see spending the $ on the track car vs. the family. I still had "fun" in the 97 caR, but the theft worry just got to be too much and I wanted a nice car that I could enjoy driving anywhere, leave anywhere and I wanted something more "grown up" A management position was fast approaching me and I needed 4 doors. I now have a 330i ZHP BMW and wouldn't trade it back for the ITR again. Is it a better car? Depends on how you look at it. Do I equally have as much fun in my BMW? Yes, why? Because the North America BMW plant is 2 exits up on the interstate and the BMWCCA around here is kick ***. There's a private test track we have access to, fun mature mountain runs and an older, more mature crowd. There aren't idiots doing burnouts, street racing and all that with the group.

Some days I still wish I had a cheap track car, but that said if I were to get another Honda, it'd either be an S2K (because now I do prefer RWD) or another hatch with a GS-R swap that I could keep inexpensive and have fun with. As I discussed with another friend recently, it's much more fun to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow. No, the BMW is NOT fast. But it's also not cheap to track.

All in all, I wouldn't trade the days and friends I made by owning an ITR, it was just the end of an era for me. I look back and enjoy the many memories that were made all because of an econobox Honda that had a cult following.

coolhandluke

iTrader: (2)

Nailed it.

fpvteg0681

This is definitely an interesting thread and I'm sure we can all relate on some level.

I picked up my car in the summer of 2008 when I was 22. I am now 27. Winter drove the car once since I've had it. I used to be an onsite technical representative and drove it to every customer site I had to go to - sometimes even on my Toyo R888's that I left on from the track day before. I got a lot of attention from different kinds of people, including police officers who had mixed reviews on my R.

During this job, I definitely did not like driving the caR around for business - one because it was not professional, and two because I worried about theft everywhere I went. It's definitely not uncommon for parts and cars to go missing in my area. In any case, I struggled through, while thoughts of picking up a more comfortable car lingered, but manged to hold off on buying another car for a daily. I still daily my car now, to which my car gets to sit in a parking spot while I work so it doesn't bother me as much. Ricers and street racers come and go, but I follow the laws of the road and keep on truckin'. But I definitely can't get rid of it. I track the car as much as I physically can without my girlfriend wanting to kill me. If it gets to the point where she is no longer road legal due to mods, I'll still keep her and trailer her there. The R stays with me for as long as I can help it

Outrun

If I had a girlfriend get mad about me over an ITR I'd get rid of the girlfriend. But it's a moot point since I have neither. :p

PaulMc

iTrader: (1)

Love reading everyone's responses. Glad I posted this thread. Didn't think I'd get some discussion going past page 1! Everyone has a story, share it here!

kelsodeez

buy a motorcycle to commute on. drive the R on weekends and rainy days. you will appreciate it more and save a ton of money on gas

boostjunkie757

from what i remember about life before itR came along it makes not having the other hurt that much less..



especially when its a forced induction vehicle in the winter.

RagingAngel

I'm 35 today.

I got my R at 17 thanks to my parents co-signing and at the time I worked at a grocery store and was bussing at a restaurant to make the payments.

It taught me a lot about being responsible with money and as I couldn't modify it for years. I ultimately tracked the car and had lots of fun in it only to dismantle it in Jan '08 to get it repaired (motor was burning oil excessively).

I haven't driven it since and bought a second ITR about a year ago only to dismantle that one as well in preparation for a K-swap (this car IS BEAT).

Life happened and I spent most of 2013 to recover from it and passed on the opportunity and the promise to get both cars running.

Next year I might even have a build thread here... :0p

I don't plan to sell either of my cars. They represent a time in my life that has gone too soon and to me sentimental value is everything.

I can only see myself buying other cars for commuting/enjoyment.

PaulMc

iTrader: (1)

That is exactly why I cannot bare to sell mine, it's more the sentimental value than the 10-11k I'd get for it anyway.

Awesome how you owned it for 18 years. These car's really become apart of you because nobody just happens to own this car, it's something most people long to have, and that starts the value right there from what it took to get one.

I'd rather have it sit on the side of my house than get rid of it. I always wondered growing up why older kids would have old cars sitting on the sides of their parent's houses, I suppose I know why now.

BTW; I'm sure we'd all like to see some pics of your R's, especially first one ('97 I suppose?).

A D NOH

Happy Belated Birthday Raging...

I do feel a bit old driving the ITR. I was just taking it on a cruise earlier this week and as I was sitting at a light going straight, a 2008ish 4 door SI turns in front of me with some 18 year old hanging out of the passenger window throwing up a peace sign. I must be reliving my youth, haha. Then again, no one ever really looks at the car or says anything about it in my area.

My wife doesn't really like riding in it though. When we have kids, she probably won't let them ride in it til they are a bit older because of the bouncing, haha. I guess the TypeR baby seat will have to just chill in there for a few more years as we don't have any kids right now.

She knows I like it so she only half heartedly gives me comments about it sitting in the garage. I just reply that the car is art that I just can't hang on the wall. Some people pay thousands for artwork to hang on walls, I have to park my art in the garage.

db_de_luxe

How many years young are you?

B16EJ

[QUOTE=

I don't plan to sell either of my cars. They represent a time in my life that has gone too soon and to me sentimental value is everythin
g.

.[/QUOTE]


I totally agree with that statement as well... I was a young teenager when the itr was first introduced to us in Canada and that time in my life went far too quickly as well, I made allot of bad decisions when I was younger and paid for it with my freedom, even though I just spend $ on my itr and never drive it ever, I still won't sell it. I put on 5 kms since it was rebuilt but that still doesn't matter to me just owning it is enough for me, it represents a dream that I made come true, even if the dream is just owning a 4 cylinder jap car lol.

PaulMc

iTrader: (1)

Perfect way to put it. For some, an ITR is worth more than some stupid thousand dollar painting that looks like it was made my by a toddler.

This right here! The car is more of a symbol than it is as a mode of transportation. It's an accomplishment and a reminder every time I drive it. if I somehow became rich and could drive anything I'd somehow find room to keep my R around somewhere.

duf2570

X2...Its a lifestyle,,,before catching my type-r i was in 411whp ultra mint ek civic turbo and my itr made me like more proud to run it vs my ek...more ''prestigious'' to catch her(last summer) i send a mail for trade my turbo vs the itr to the previous owner(she was for sale) and say yes...my dreams come truea mint 2001 cndn ,, the previous owner realy doesnt care about the iconic history about the type-r...just wanted WHP....

im 34 and my wife is pregnant just hope that my boys will take care of her

itr1244

bought the car when i was 19 new. and i'm 32 now.
went through 3 motor rebuild.. plan to keep her as long as i can maybe even hand it down to my kids which i dont have yet.

now i have 3 cars . the R just sits in the garage. i have 02 focus svt .. and just picked up stock 03 wrx for winter only car..

i thought about getting rid of the itr but just coudn't do it.


:D

PaulMc

iTrader: (1)

Think about it a lot lately and could really use the money but can't bring myself to do it.

dave7

I hope I don't get too old by the time I get one. I'm 27. Like others, I have to wait until I can get it as a second car so not as DD. But my DD is an FR-S which is like a rwd type-r .