Hi... My names Kris, and I own a Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4x4 4.0 Liter, straight 6 in it... I've kinda made up my mind that I'd like to give it to my mom, and for graduation at the end of this school year, have her and the family pitch in to buy me an Integra of some kind... Now, what I want out of this is a good looking car, that has alright speed, but has good gas mileage and low insurance (im paying like 2100 a year for the JGC cuz its 4x4 and red and im a guy and stuff). Now, I will probably be restricted to about the 8,000 or 9,000 dollar range for this car, so I'm asking, what year should I get... and should I buy one that is stock off the lot, or buy one that has been pretty tinkered with and is kind of fast already... Also, if you say that I should buy a stock one, what would be the cost to make it decently quick? Thanks for the help. Peace.

 

8k-9k dollars you'll be looking at '96 and under, maybe you can find a decent '97. I'd go with a stock car if possible, and try to buy an adult driven car(Better probability that the car hasn't been ragged out). I'd usually say go with a GSR however insurance is insane for teenage males. Don't know how much cheaper the insurance is for an LS. You can probably get a 97 to 98 LS for what you've got and go LS/Vtec to get a little more power than a GSR. I'm assuming you know the differences between the trims, LS non-vtec 145 bhp, GSR Vtec 170bhp.

 

What's up,

If you have app. 9k to spend, you could do one of 2 things. First, how fast do you really want to go? How much money will you have to spend or are you willing to spend in the future? Determine that before digging yourself into anything...

You could find a nice Integra GSR with a 170hp 1.8L DOHC Vtec engine, which is a very peppy car stock. They love to rev high and sound great doing so, and mostly all GSR's from 96+ have leather interior (pimp factor, lol). They also have a moonroof, pretty decent 15" alloys for stock, and better suspension than most other Tegs (sans Type R and SE, which is a GSR w/o the Vtec engine). You could probably find a 94-95 GSR for 6k and up, and the price will increase with newer model years, and mileage. There are plenty of aftermarket parts for this car, and you would be somewhat happy with header, intake, and exhaust... If you are looking to go faster...

Than consider a newer Integra RS, GS, LS or SE. The RS is the lightest of the bunch, but has the least amount of comfort options (ie. power accessories, moonroof, etc). I would personally go for an Integra SE. The SE has a moonroof, leather, and everything else the GSR has except the motor. All of the listed cars have a 142hp non-Vtec engine, but it has more low end scoot than the GSR. This is because of a longer stroke which leads to more low end torque. This car is an excellent platform for a turbo kit. The non-Vtec engine (b18b) loves turbos and can be very reliable with low boost (not over 9-10lbs). After that, you would have to start tuning/building the engine to handle the extra boost. You can find a nice LS or what not for less than a GSR, due to less demand for the non-Vtec engine.

You could always turbo the GSR engine as well, but the non-Vtec engine has a lower compression ratio, which makes it more turbo friendly. If all of this means nothing to you or sounds like a foreign language, I suggest you do some searches on the board and get yourself educated on this ****. Don't be shy because you are a newbie, all of us have to start somewhere. My post count is very low because I don't sit at the comp 24-7, but I try to give my 2 cents every now and then. Anyway, if you have any other questions, PM me or just ask someone else on the board, we're all willing to help. Good luck with your Teg quest.

 

Thanks alot guys.. That's alot of help really... How fast would I like to go? well of course stock i wont be speed racer, or anything... But I'd like a decent fast car, but one with potential of course to do some damage.. I'm getting ready for college next year, so of course budget will be tight, but i'll have a job by then too, so I'm pretty sure no matter the price I'll get to get me some toys for the car ... Anywayz, yeah uppin this thing for more help... Thanks Again.. Peace.

 

i don't know where live oak is...but here's something to consider too. althoug it's very minor compared to what these other guys have written. if it's how where you live, you might as well just get an older GSR with the cloth seats. i have a 96 GSR with the leather and i would really rather have the cloth ones. i like to drive with the windows down and the leather doesn't breathe so your back gets all sweaty....not the best when you might go see your girl or something like that...
just a stupid little thing to think about.