I Made a Huge Mistake Buying This Super Clean Acura Integra! 

Still for 4 grand for that clean of and Integra is a steal.

"Lemme tell you why buying this 99 integra was a mistake" Me who bought a 99 integra for my first project car: 👀👀

Personally, I'd remove the tint and bring the car back to its original appearance. IMO, $4200 is not at all unreasonable, given the car's condition and reliability. I recall driving one back in the mid-'90s. It felt really good.

Don’t be embarrassed my dude! Keeping the engine true to trim is commendable! Such a lovely example, fantastic car from a bygone era.

For what you paid and knowing it's a perfect engine. That's a steal. That car will run forever. That's the one you jump in and know it will work. Amazing choice. I've owned a few and all of mine were trashed.

this motivates me to fix my integra. i have a 94’ coupe with a b20b swap and i my first car and my daily driver. plus working in sales i get a lot of crap for owning it but i love it!

I just recently bought a 97 Acura Integra for my wife. Super clean just like this. GS not GSR but all stock and super clean. It even came with the original window sticker! It’s crazy lol. $3,500 was the price. I feel like it was a steal. Love that car so much.

I hear the price is going up on these, a LOT for an unmolested one. Probably a good investment there.

This is without a doubt my absolute favourite Acura Integra generation. They were plentiful back when I was in high school but unfortunately it’s impossible to find a clean one up here anymore. Nice buy, I’m jealous!

It's a shame it bit you as at the original price that would've been a bit of a bargain, but even at $4200 it really doesn't seem too bad. Tidy those exterior blemishes and I could absolutely see it being worth that on the open market.

Such a great small car.

I have a 96 rs model with over 200k miles on it and it runs like a champ, I don't think I could ever part with it. I'm slowly building mine to be a fun daily, so it's awesome to see one on the channel! If you want to replace the suspension and are open to something a little more fun than stock, look at H&R OE Sport Springs with Koni Orange shocks. Barely lowers the car and makes finding twisty roads just a little more fun!

HEY ETHAN I have a super rare car you should look into it’s called an Acura vigor it’s essentially the forgotten Honda/Acura of the 90’s they only made 40k in the United States and are a complete gem if you find them with a lot of interesting parts and an inline 5 transaxle motor

Id keep it all original no vtech so nice to see one not riced out ... great find even with the extra $ tag

I think you still came out good on it, prices in my area are probably a lot higher cause that would be a 5 or 6k car here.

Personally, I'd keep it. It's hard to find one of those in that good of condition. Reputable Japanese cars like Hondas and Toyotas hold their value pretty well compared to the depreciation of other imports and most domestic cars anyway.

Finally a Honda, and you picked a great one! Sorry to hear about the engine, but it's great that you were able to go ahead and get it up and running!

I've owned 4 integras and I can confirm that 3 of them were rust buckets with clear coat failing like most. Definietely a good buy, just a pity you didn't know about the LS/vtec swap.

I always kind of preferred the LS, the wheels are a cool mesh design. Simpler. Nice score. Fix the taillights and other cracked bits. That’s peak Honda right there! Everything since has been generally speaking less reliable and more complicated.

I would've kept it as is. B18C1s are still popular with racing teams, and a $3k makes me think it was used. A VTEC head conversion aka Frankenstein Swap can be rewarding or an unreliable mess. You have to find someone who has mastered this swap. I mean, they've failed many times and have figured out how to properly do it, through trial and error. It's not for the faint of heart. Personally, I think you made the right choice. It will retain it's value in stock form. Here in So Cal, you could easily get your money back on it. Bring A Trailer could fetch you even more. Sorry for being long winded, but you definitely made the right choice in getting that engine repaired.

You should always fix what is there and put it back to how they had it from the factory. The car was designed for that. If you ever need to sell this car you should have no trouble making money on it. This car has everything going for it, a blank slate, if you will.

Dude that's a steal. Finding a pristine Integra like that is basically unheard of. Considering all of the ones I have seen all had some kind of dents and dings or were salvage cars (like my Integra)

at least you saved it and for this clean of an example you could flip it for over 4k and if you decide to keep it itll only rise in value

4:35 I would have pulled another b18b1 or a b20 at pick n pull and installed it myself in my driveway lol. Also would have thrown on another belt to see if the motor survived, because they do about 50% of the time on ls motors.

In WA you could easily get $5 to $7k for a car that clean.

You could sell that here in OZ for 7K and it'd go in a day. These are getting SO hard to find so clean and the market for 90's Honda's here has gone through the roof

Dude! I just picked up a white 1999 vtir (gsr equivalent here in Australia) with only 110,000kms immaculate. Looks exactly like this one even because the original owner didn’t option for the spoiler 😂. Will upload my car soon

I’m sure you can get your money back if you keep it stock and enjoy it for a few years. There’s quite a market for clean Hondas of that vintage, but it’s all about finding the right buyer.

I think it’s a great price for an AWESOME car. So many of them have the VTEC swapped, I’d keep it stock and just enjoy it! Definitely when you do a full review get some nice driving shots. I’d love to see what the non vtec b series is like when you’re driving it and how these things handle on fun Cali roads

Nice ride!! OK story time. I had a 2000 VW Jetta 1.8 Turbo. All black, with black leather interior. basically fully loaded. I loved the car. It had a a 10 year 100,000 power train warranty on it. It also has an interference motor design with a timing belt. Well I was supposed to change the timing belt out at 105,000 miles. At 97,000 miles I was on the freeway on my way to work, and my engine just dies. It wasn't dramatic, it just died. I was like "what the hell" (I had just gotten a tune up at 75,000 miles, and I'd taken care of it.. and now I was going to be late to work!) So I pull over I towed it to the dealership (It was under warranty still) Ends up costing VW just shy of 8 grand total! They had to replace the engine. It was damaged beyond repair (I was in the freeway when it happened, so they had to replace the block. Even after all this (It took them a month to complete the work) they still got me out of pocket for over a grand of miscellaneous stuff that was not covered. I'm glad it was covered though! 3 thousand more miles and I would have been out the cost. Barley made it! People don't know how important it is with these old timing belt cars!

You just saved a time capsule man. So rare to find a clean & stock one anymore. I just did plugs & cleaned up a few things on my moms '07 TL today. Og plugs at 187k mi, not a drop of oil on them, the coils or anywhere in the tubes. Some small ash deposits, but otherwise flawless & literally 85k mi past service interval. It's a Honda. Sometimes it doesn't matter that it's 85k mi past service interval (not that you should ever do that), but you get the point. Good for you, & I hope you drive that thing til it literally turns to dust, which it probably won't.

Even though you didn’t go the vtec route , all stock will be worth more. I have the same car 97 stick shift leather interior and sun roof with 130k miles. Mint condition. I hate myself for not going ls/vtec and lowering it 😥

I have a 96 integra ls and i love it. Have it for ten years now and it still running like a champ.

I had a 95 Integra GS which was the base model, my first new car I ever bought hands down one of my favorite cars I have owned.. Love the way it feels and sounds definitely has a feel of high quality for the 90s! Have fun reliving memories..

i got a 94 rs its got a little bit of dents and paint scratches but besides that its in great condition and honestly id hope i never need to sell it its such a enjoyable car

They might have made a ton of these cars and they where so over rated and overly exposed that you just want to get away from them But Honda created a iconic tuner vehicle that has too many potential when done right. I would like to own the Yellow Type-R or a blue/silver sedan. Finding a White with Manual is like finding Ms. Right. Wish I can just have the 2nd or even the 1st Gen Integra.

looks great in white with no wing. the four round headlight front is distinctive. nice looking, timeless car design

When you change tires...have them put the weights on the back of the rims.

I love the look of the Integra... the only problem is yours is missing a spoiler. It just doesn't look right to me without a small spoiler on it

Should have done a k-swap ;-) For an extra $1500. You'll notice a great improvement in ride quality when you change rear lower control arm bushing and trailing arm bushings.

I luv it! I own a 06 Acura rsx witch replaced the integra, and 06 Acura tsx. I only buy Hondas.

You can get nice colliers for this if you shop around. Don't get the cheapest ebay ones. Ask on some Honda groups on fb

To be honest I think you did the right thing with the engine. Personally of all the cars in your fleet its one of the last id get rid of, refresh the suspension with some bilsteins, new bushes and just drive it

Honda guys will never pay $4000 for an ls. I would re do the suspension with coilovers. I have coilovers on mine lowered about 2 inches, and the handling is amazing. Mine has a b18b1. I plan to build a b20b bottom end for vtec, swap the b20 in, and then eventually do a vtec setup.

Hey, I have a 99 Integra LS too! I've owned a lot of faster cars but there's just something about an integra, they're light and fun to drive especially if you have a manual. Congrats!

Totally worth it fixing it and keeping it Original!!!!!!!!!!!! if you decide to sell, you will get very good money for it,,,,,,,,,,, but you wont sell it,, you are going to fall in love with it. I have a 1990 GS Sedan and it is my Baby, best car ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wishing you the best Mate...

My wife had one sold it for $1200 12 years of reliability and 245,000 miles great car your's is super clean

I wonder if it made one of the Car Wizard's scariest sounds when the timing blew it up...cool car, though!

I think you did fine dude...$4200 is about right for what you have. I test drove one just like it but was the VTEC version last year. If you just want a reliable daily, you're not missing much with the LS. You have to rev the SNOT out of the VTEC to get any extra juice.

i think for 4400 for a manual integra THAT CLEAN isn't a horrible deal. I'd say you paid 800 more than grandpa down the street would have sold this to you for.

I live in PA and if you have a super clean all runing 5 speed like that you can easily get 4k no issue. Super clean car.

Lsvtec are fun but depending on where you live will never be smog legal. Peace of mind with engine rebuild your good for 200k miles, you can get what you put in with new engine.

So as a licensed wholesaler I Can tell you that a car like that his obviously been loved but not driven very much. It is soooo Hard to find Any generation acura integra That hasn't been molested byTeenage ricer racers. I definitely think that $4200 Is not out of this world for 8 and molested And rust free integra. Road salt each them up North but in the Southern States Like California, Texas, And here in Florida They may be found rust free but they usually Are eaten up by chop shops Because of their expensive parts. I would definitely stick on a good GPS Tracker And hold on to it for a while. If you did decide to sell it I would recommend finding A Import accessories shop in either Southern California or definitely Southern Florida And discuss the best ways of Parting The Car off. They will know what Honda enthusiast's will be willing to pay. I recently had A Friend who sold his 2002 celica With around 100 K. The car was in great shape and was worth Between 4 - 5K But by parting the car out Even after the broker fees made about 8K. Everything in the car was stock. You're integra definitely has that potential and just think you yourself just paid $2200 Just for a working engine right?

You have some generous mechanics. I’ve had mechanics try to charge me $2000 to replace my ac compressor, expansion valve, and condenser.

Ouch, it sucks that happened. Yes you could have done things differently, or you could have not done something... But on the positive side you have a great car. Yes we all can learn from mistakes. Enjoy that beauty.

Your first video I've seen. Nice work! Even with the added expense I think you've got a good deal. Finding a clean Integra that hasn't been modded is extremely rare. Too bad you didn't go the VTEC route, the extra ponies with the manual is an absolute blast to drive! That said, with the top-end rebuild on the standard engine you can easily get another 200K if you stay on top of the maintenance, especially valve adjustments, oil changes, and another timing belt set at 100K. BTW keep it stock. A clean stock Integra like that one is only going to increase in value over time, even with added mileage, since there are so few of them left.

Haha, I commend you and your perseverance. Mere mortals would have cut and run with that broken engine but it's super cool that you followed it through and got her back on the road again. Great job! I have no idea what the Integra market is like but I did just see a super clean '94 LS on eBay right now that has already bid up way past the $4200 you have invested. Me thinks you'll be just fine when it comes to recouping your $$$, my dawg!

I miss my 95 GSR. Wish I could have kept it. I would have suggested a VTEC head as well. Maybe some nice 15" wheels and that's it. Very reliable car.

Yeah you still have a nice base for a K24A2. Or K20Z3. That thing would boogie with it at 200 hp base power out of either block.

Replace all the bushings and struts and you shouldn't have to touch it for 100k miles. That's a win in my book

I always wanted to own a clean Integra or atleast drive one sometime.

Honda should be embarrassed for that hood shut line!!! It's shockingly big across the front edge!

You can put a GSR head on it for more HP or you can K Swap it.

should of just slapped a b20 in it from a crv. same motor just a little bigger stroke i think. last i looked u can get them for pretty cheap from a motor importer with low miles

would gladly give you your money back for it, just add it to my collection. 2001 gsr forged, built na. 1997 gsr clean and stock even got the window sticker. building a 1991 rs with a turbo right now.

Very nice teggy, my first car was a 99 LS (special edition) so I had all leather and mine was honestly a 9/10 .. 134k original everything, everything was original and untouched.. unfortunately it was auto so I traded it in and it was the second biggest mistake of my life 🤧🤣

Rebuild the engine to the vtech. Wondering if the auction site was ebay.

You make me wanna buy i got a rebuilt gsr waiting for a car to be put in

Bro this channel is so fucking good

My parents just sold my mom's 1996 Integra that she's owned since new to my 30 year old stepson and his wife. It has about 21,000 miles on it. Solid car.

I would love to see the receipt! How did they charge you that much money???

you can never compare a domestic to a honda i just got a 02 accord with 100k for 900 and it runs like a champ just the usual valve cover leaks been driving for a week and still drives like new japanese quality cant be matched

One of the worst decision bc now you have constant fear of your car being stolen. *90s honda/acura life 😂. Had my 97 civic taken 3 times for crackhead reasons each time. I still have it 😂

$4200 for a very clean, nicely running Integra, sight unseen at an auction? You could do much, much worse. I'd definitely would have added a bit of cash for the upgraded motor. $5k for a B18C swap. It's still not a Type R, but that's a start to be a little closer to the legend.

Keep it stock bro. Just put some new oem struts and shocks on it like KYB brand. Fix the small imperfections. Totally sweet car as it is.

You made a good point about Honda quality, and I've had the same experience, but there are caveats. I had a '92 Civic DX, a '94 Civic EX, an '01 S2000 (all built in Japan), and then a 2002 Honda Accord EX (built in the USA). Even though the '92 Civic was the cheapo model, and the '94 Civic was the highline model, their build quality was vastly superior to the USA-built Accord. Panel gaps were much better, materials were better, there was no squeaking or rattling like on the Accord. I had the Japan-built S2000 at the same time as the Accord and I could compare side-by-side and the S2000 had much better quality. I've seen newer Hondas and I think the quality of newer Hondas is not nearly as good as the Japan-built '90's Hondas (and Acuras). That's my take.

I can pretty much guarantee you you're not going to sell this car for a good while. Being the Honda guy and having the knowledge, I would definitely have put a VTEC head on this car. It bolts right in place with no modification, all you have to do to get it to work properly is run one additional oil line and I think maybe one wire, and the ECU is already tunable so for about $300 you can get a solid Dyno tune done. depending upon what part of the country you live in, it probably wouldn't be hard to get your money back out of such a clean Integra if you decided to sell it. But honestly these are some of the most enjoyable Daily's ever built. You're probably correct on needing new shocks and possibly control arm bushings. And almost certainly sway bar bushings. But overall I would say keep this car and enjoy the hell out of it. It won't be long till you start questioning yourself why you have so many other cars in your Fleet since you never drive any of them anymore.

Im here because im owner of 3 integras. -1995 grs , with jdm front -1998 ls , parts -2000 ls , daily

I would have changed the timing belt and set the timing. I know of plenty b18b engines that had broken timing belts or bad timing that didn’t hit valves.

Should have paid more for the VTEC but the LS is nice daily

Still a clean integra. I bought my DC2 3 years ago at an Auction in New York. Everything, even the motor is VIN Matching, sadly its a rebuilt title but the motor has 82k healthy miles. I have only been doing suspension work and restoration (since its rusty) but Im still at a point if I want to keep it unmolested or just full on send it to be a track car.

She’s a keeper thanks for restoring the motor .

Had a 95 teal GS-R, same gray/black cloth interior as shown (no leather on the GS-R early in the model year). Loved the free revving engine, the snick snick gearbox and general handling. But, I lived in DC so it was only really appreciated outside the city or on Rock Creek Parkway with no traffic. Otherwise, not much power down low, rode rather harsh, high trunk liftover made hauling gear a pain, and for the price had a well executed but rather plain interior. And the sunroof was a slot. Fun, reliable but maybe not the right car for the environment - especially at the then fairly high cost of about 21k. (Then again I really wanted the Probe GT that stickered at 24k, but Ford would deal but got voted down - yeah, go boo me)

Those are just the greatest little cars ever.

You got ripped on the engine rebuild. You could have easily went on fb marketplace and groups and found a used b16 or b18c1 for half what you paid. Even probably k swapped it for that if you had some help sourcing parts.

V tech and turbo my choice when broken fix it always better than before

I noticed the rear wheel wells don’t have the inner fender liners, can anyone tell me why? I just acquired a 96 LS model and the rear also didn’t have the inner fender liners. Do people take them out for a reason? Or does it just not come with it?

I paid $3200 for a 98 ls automatic with 40k original miles- incredible fun to drive- replace the struts and it will be more fun

eugh i had to do the same fix to my old sentra when i first got it, it ran and had less than 70k miles but the timing belt killed it but, thankfully the engine was more simple and the guys who fixed it were cool and did it for 1k lmao in your case, even with that motor, i think you have a pretty good purchase, A STRESSFUL ONE but hey now you got a really good integra, i bet if you sold it too you can get most of your money back as well!

Ouch! Yo! I had a 87 grand am 3.0 same thing happened but it trashed the block too. Motor replacement. Buy american!

Maybe install a gsr wing in it

Make sure you watch were you park it a clean integra like that will have thieves looking at it

If the car makes you smile! That’s all that counts! Keeping it stock 👍👍! Nice car.

But it is still a steal man! Wish i have that luck on sight unseen purchases

That’s not a even a mistake at all. A clean shell doesn’t even cost 2 grand. Shit throw a K in it and you’re lit. That thing is clean. And it’s a 99-01. Best body

I learned something , make sure the seller can actually turn on the car on when he or she is selling it !

Congratulations that is a great-looking Integra. I don't know recovering that 4000 is going to be real close but if you do not get the whole thing I am pretty confident you will get close. It looks like you're genuinely stoked about having a reliable car in the stable and that is a pretty cool daily but I really don't think it's going to scratch every it's you have. Seems just to middle of the road for you it's not a bizarre mid-eighties captive import or badass vintage European. The Gallant just does more then the Integra. By the way make sure you put a club on it or something those cars like to disappear.

I would've import a b18c. It would've been a cool sleeper. But hey! It's an Integra!

I like that many other commentators are also supportive of this buy! This is one of those cars that is special & will always have a buyer. No VTEC? So what. It's still good looking, RELIABLE & fun to drive. It's at 88,000 miles, it can easily go 2, 3, 4-hundred thousand miles. Feel encouraged. 🙂 It was an initial unpleasant experience. But the car otherwise seems to remain a solid foundation & well worth the engine repair. No rice on this meal! 🚫🍚

For 4 grand, you own a piece of Acura's golden age, a time when Legend and Integra sales exceeded total sales from Benz and Bimmer. Then somehow Acura abandoned those nameplates and, with it, their fans. Those fans will be lining up should you ever decide to sell this car.