1994 Acura Integra LS 1.8 liter

Summary:

This is a fun car

Faults:

New rotors.

Passenger door inside handle won't work.

General Comments:

Wondering if the timing belt is still good. I replaced the first timing belt at 71k in 2000.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th June, 2017

1st Aug 2022, 14:21

Definitely get the timing belt changed if you are keeping the car long term.

Unrelated, but I am not from the USA, quick question, what is the difference (if any) between Honda and Acura for you guys? Because I cannot see any... Honda is Honda here in the UK, for all models, NSX, Integra, Civic, etc. I thought Acura to Honda was like Lexus was to Toyota, but it seems they cross brand identical cars, whereas Lexus is usually only upper tier luxury...

1st Aug 2022, 19:05

The way I understand it is as follows... may or not be wrong. Both Acura and Lexus are so named outside of Japan, however in Japan a Lexus is called a Toyota and so forth. The reason being buyers in North America are unwilling to pay the price for an upscale Toyota, thus they are called a Lexus. Same for Acura.

1994 Acura Integra LS 1.8

Summary:

Reliable

Faults:

My driver's side window motor is starting to go.

Typical rear fender rust.

My temp gauge went to high when I started it. I unplugged the sensor and plugged it back in, and it started working normally.

I had to replace the front strut bar because it broke, but the car is 17 years old, so you have to do the maintenance.

General Comments:

It's an automatic, so it isn't terribly fast, but it's not bad.

It's solid in the corners.

It gets 30 mpg, and that's with all city driving in Vancouver, BC city driving, where people will blow a head gasket if you wanna drive the limit.

It starts every time.

It's good in the snow.

I really like this car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th June, 2011

1994 Acura Integra RS 1.8L B18B1

Summary:

The most reliable and fun-to-drive car I've ever owned!

Faults:

I've had to replace both clutch cylinders twice. The first time was within a week of buying it (private seller), and the second time was around 150,000 miles.

Right around 130,000, one of the springs in the clutch broke, and the clutch and pressure plates had to be replaced. Not a REAL big deal (one of the perks of being my own mechanic).

The paint starting chipping at about 140k miles, first on the roof, then the trunk. Again, not a real big problem, but it certainly makes it less attractive. Aside from a few minor rust spots around the wheel wells, the body has held up very well.

The only time this car has ever stranded me was when the set screw backed out of the distributor rotor, tearing the cap to pieces. I suppose that could be chalked up as my fault. But it has only happened once.

The ABS pump is gradually going out. It still works most of the time. I have a replacement arriving in a few days, but it's going to be a nightmare to replace, mostly because of all the brake lines that need to be disconnected.

General Comments:

I've owned this car for almost 7 years, and it's still a blast to drive. I live in a city that sits at 7k feet ASL, but even way up here it can outpace almost anything on the road. And if I drive it to a lower city, say Phoenix, WOOOO! It's also very light, so even with a tire size of 195/60/14, this beast can handle corners like no other.

The only thing I dislike about this car is its huge turning radius, which is 35.4 ft (according to the official specs.)

Fuel economy is pretty reasonable as well. I can typically get around 300 miles out of the tank, which I believe is 13 gallons.

On a side note, this car has obviously been well taken care of its entire life. The first time I replaced the valve cover gasket, I was astounded at how clean and shiny all the parts were! Same thing when I replaced the oilpan gasket. I've been using Mobil1 the whole time, and apparently the previous owners did as well. (I'm the 3rd owner of the car)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 20th February, 2011