Hey guys so I am in the market for a new car. Well 2001 is pretty new for me, since I've owned 2 1993 accords. But anyway I'm looking at a 2001 Acura Integra GSR ( White, with the blades and wing) It is a VERY clean car. Oh get this, it has 104k miles on it with everything properly serviced, and its bone stock! he lives 2 hours away and i just wanted to know what i should ask him before hand and what i should REALLY look at.

There was just one small problem, the driver side Window open, he claims it is just a 20$ problem.

But thanks for looking/inputs and let me know what i should focus on !

 

Do a compression test will tell you alot about the engine's health look at the plugs while they're out also. Listin for any knocking/tapping sounds when you hear it idling rev it a few times with the hood open and you standing in front of it. Not sure where you live but look in the wheel archs/wells for rust same with the underside also. make sure it goes into all gears properly it may grind (but hey most hondas have a 3rd gear grind). there's lots of info on google also about buying a new(used) car. bring an obd2 scanner with you also check for codes the owner could have just took the bulb out to hide something. <---have seen that done before. good luck seem pretty solid from those pics tho.

 

Best bet is to have a mechanic go over it, should be less then $100, for a compete check including compression test, well worth it.

Have the mechanic give you a list, [and average cost] of things needed right away, sometime soon and sooner or later, it can be a very good bargaining tool.

A $100 bill now, even if you do not buy the car, is far better then finding out you need $1000 in repairs after you get the car.

The car does look pretty clean, but that may mean diddlysquat, the car may have been driven hard for all of that 104K miles.

Complete service records is a good indication the car was taken care of as far as scheduled maintenance, but again, it is no indication of how the car was driven.

As mentioned, check the rear wheel arches, it is where the Integra starts rusting, don't just eyeball them, pull the protector off, [if you buy the car, toss them in the garbage] and run your finger along the inside, [top] of the inner lip, if there is rust, that is where it will be, if you do not find any at all, [surface rust] I will be surprized. 94

 

out of curiosity, how much was the guy looking to get out of it ? for the mileage, you gave us, he probably wants something pricey right ?

 

On top of what everyone else is saying, go for a drive and see if you notice any problems/ excess smoke out of tailpipe, check for leaks. But the pictures do look clean, especially the stock bay. let us know how it goes!

 

Yeah he's wanting 7,000 ( list price on craigslist ). He said he'd go down to 6,500. But I feel comfortable around the 5-6k range. And thanks for the help guys !

 

just by looking at interior how clean d guy kept it and wiring harness of car it will tell if d x owner was an idiot.
mechanically simple things tire wear find potholes to over with see if any rattles
check tailpipe for residue.

 

drive the car.. run it hard.. hit the corners.. get the car working. If it has problems you will find out quickly enough... crawl under the car an look at the rubber bushings and boots and sway bar links.. you are lookin for age, cracks etc.. pull the dip stick and look at and smell the oil.. pop the filter out of the box.. basically, all the things I mentioned will give you a solid base on the cars overall condition. you dont need to pay a shop 100$ as in most cases, they will put things on a list that may not be an issue as they include things as recommendations as a way for the shop to make additional income.