I'm looking at a 98 GSR that has been daily driven by a guy for the past 13 years. He's got great service records, and the car has been taken care of, what seems to be, very well. It's got 187k on it right now, but seems to be in good shape mechanically. The paint needs some TLC, but I can do that.

It's got new:
Brand new Acura Brake Pads
EP3 Si Rims
Brand new Michellins Tires
New Timing Belt
New water Pump
New A/C Belt
New K&N Filter
New NGK Spark Plugs Wires
New Denso Spark Plugs
New Distributor
New Battery

I've owned a few Civics, a Fit, an S2k, and know a good bit about all of those. I didn't find any rust around the rear wheel arches, and picked over the engine compartment with a fine toothed comb looking for any leaks/drips/etc.

What should I be looking out for on a high mileage Integra?

 

other than oil smoke out of the back, nothing really.

 

Watch out for oil either coming out of the cam seal or head. If possible, see if he would be willing to open up the head for you so you can see the internals of it. When I bought my db7, I bought it thinking everything was good, until I did a valve adjustment and realized there was sludge build up in the head. Finally, just watch out for price

 

He's asking 5k with a set of recaros in it, and other than that it's bone stock. I'd be a lot more comfortable at 4k, especially with the mileage on it.

 

I also know that I'm eventually going to have to rebuild the motor, and am going to boost it after that.

I'm just making sure I'm not glazing over any huge problem areas that can turn into a huge headache or moneypit.

 

Typical rust spot I have seen.. Rear wheel well ( where the plastic trim on the body) and rear impact bar/support bar .

Check head for oil leaks. See if it burns any oil. If the paint is messed up.. Idc if he has recaros.. your not getting 5k for a 13/14 year old car... with 187k. Id say 4k is reasonable.

If he truely wants to get rid of it.. tell him to get stock seats and sell if for 3500

 

I'd say normal stuff like compression test, look at spark plugs, have a look at the tires and brakes, check the knucles for excess play, inspect bushings and motor mounts. There aren't any particular problems that GS-Rs have so just look for signs it was well taken care of.

 

Take a look at the spare tire area and make sure there is no or minimal rust. Also check under the rear seat for rust. If it has leaky tail light seals, water can end up in both places and create rust.

As most people have said though, gsr's dont really have a specific problem unique to them. Just check for oil leaks ect. Just the general things you would look for on any other integra.

Personally, 5k for an almost 190k mile gsr that isn't in perfect condition is way to much. 4k with the recaros is still kind of high in my opinion.

Ultimately, it all depends on how bad you want it and how much your willing to pay. I guess you have to consider that it has been well cared for too. Having all the service records does mean something.

 

That price is a little high, but not too crazy, depending on your area. I bought my '00 GS-R with 142K in July for $4k (clean title, from the original owner), but I had to fly 500 miles to get it, because in my area, if I could even find something similar, it'd be $5k+. If the car's in awesome shape and has all the service record, it might be worth it.

When you say "new", does that mean it was just recently replaced, or just that it was replaced at some point in time? For example, that car should be on its 3rd or 4th timing belt by now.

When looking for oil leaks, make sure to look underneath the car as well. The oil pan (common problem on Integras) or axle seals could be leaking.

 

I bought a 95 GSR with 250kilos (150 miles) for 1300$


5K is a friggin joke. People think GSR's are gold mines.....

A motor at that age will blow an exhaust valve or need new rings ANY DAY. You are buying a ticking time bomb basically.

I would do a compression test (wet/dry), and if the numbers are not within spec, and jump A LOT when you do a dry test, buy yourself a leakdown tester and go from there. I did a compression test on my GSR and it was 210 210 205 220 which was perfect. Wet was +10, and like I siad, 1300$.


But yeah, 4k with recaros is a joke. I would get him to take the recaros out and sell it for 2500-3000.


EDIT: Another funny thing I find is that when people own a 3000$ car, and spend 1000$ on it, they immediately want to sell it for 3800 or something. Just because they got NEW brake pads, dizzy, etc, doesnt RAISE the value of the car, it rather PREVENTS it from being lowballed by you.


So, lets say, 3000$ car, 1000$ in repairs, ISNT worth 3800-4000, its worth 3000.

So, lets say, 3000$ car, NO REPAIRS, IS worth about 2000-2200, since you will need to do them.

I don't see why people think all these major repairs done will boost their car's value... It will rather prevent it from being knocked down when you look at it.

/rant

GL! I bought myself a beautiful 89 Money pit Teg 6 months ago and can't wait to get rid of it

 

I love how you assume that the prices in your area are the same as the prices everywhere else. Why would you assume that the motor's getting ready to blow at only 187K? There's no reason why it can't go past 200K.

 

At only 187 k? I hope you are joking.... The amount of owners from 0-100k is probably one fifth of the owners after 100k. Car's get sold more and more the higher the kilometers are. All you need is one kid to hop into a GSR and beat on it. Around here, there are barely any GSR's floating above 150miles (250k) that have the original motor in them. Im not saying my local area represents the entire world, but a small percentage of integras will go past 200k MILES without burning an exhaust valve, or just losing compression from age.

 

Nope, I wasn't joking about anything. It sounded like the OP said the car's owned by the original owner, so I have no idea why you're going off about multiple people and whatnot.

 

Make sure that it doesn't smoke and that the original owner has all of the maintenance records for everything that was done. Other than that, I would look over the suspension components because with 187k, some stuff will probably be worn out under there.

Try to get the car for a decent price, Possibly without the recaros. They're not really needed, unless you truly have the need and want for them. Without them, you can possibly drop the price another 1k or so, plus the little negotiation that usually takes place between the buyer and seller at the time of the transaction.

You can probably get this car, with no recaros, for 3.5k if you're lucky. Good luck with the purchase!

 

Welp, the guy wouldn't go under 4500, so I walked away from it. I was excited about the possibility of a new fun project, but not for that kind of money. I was comfortable at 3500-3750, and willing to go as high as 4k, but he wouldn't come down enough for me.

Thanks for the advice guys!

 

anywhere oil can leak; smoke from tailpipe; vins on fenders, dash, firewall, bumpers, & motor