2001 Acura Integra GS 1.8 from North America

Summary:

Performance, reliability, fun, comfort, inexpensive

Faults:

This car was in two wrecks before I bought it.

Nothing has gone wrong with the car in the 8 months and 9,000 miles that I've owned it.

Nothing will go wrong with this car until at least the year 2009.

General Comments:

The sunroof (when closed) is a little noisy on the highway when the cover is slid back.

Another bone I pick with this car is that the cruise control is no better than it was in 1990, as it has about a 4 mph range around the desired speed setting.

I am also disappointed that Acura took away the fog headlamps.

The car's handling results in pure, simple fun! I have so much fun just driving this car.

This car, however, is not as peppy as the 1990 Integra I owned, even though the engines are very similar. I suspect different gear ratios for more sedated acceleration.

The comfort level is very high for this car's price. The AC is cold and the fan blows hard enough to circulate cold air throughout the car. It still is not as cold as my Sentra's AC in the heat of the summer, but it gets the job done.

Why on earth are there two horn buttons located on the side of the steering wheel? It's a design flaw, in my opinion. It is nearly impossible to find the horn while in a turn or a curve.

I love Integras. The car's responsiveness is exceptional for any car in its price range. My only lament in performance is the slight loss of pep in the pedal.

I love Integras. The handling is very similar to driving a go-cart. They seem to hug the ground and never feel like they're going to tip over, like my Sentra does even when sitting still.

For its price, this car cannot be beat in the combination of reliability, fun, comfort, and performance. How do I know this? You cannot find a single Integra for sale if it has less than 100k miles on it, unless it has been modified or wrecked. People won't sell them, because they're such an excellent value.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st June, 2005

2nd Mar 2007, 08:16

Update:

The car now has 60,500 miles on it. My prediction is correct so far: The needed one set of new tires, but nothing else has needed repair or replacement. I love integras.

2001 Acura Integra Type R 1.8 from North America

Summary:

A high performance bargain at its best!

Faults:

Bearings inside tranmision took a dump, had them replaced under warranty at 44,000 miles.

General Comments:

Simply the best car I have owned in all aspects.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th June, 2004

2001 Acura Integra GSR 1.8 DOHC VTEC from North America

Summary:

Fun car to drive

Faults:

I have had this car for about a year and a half and already put 60,000 miles without having a single problem with the car except for one:

The check engine light came on, and come to find out, part of the emissions system failed. This had no adverse effect on performance and was replaced for free by the dealer.

General Comments:

I believe that I made a good choice when I purchased this car.

It handles well, and has good acceleration.

The shifter and clutch are much smoother than other manual cars that I have driven.

I am able to cut through traffic with ease.

Some of my friends do not think it has enough headroom, however it does not bother me.

There are plenty of mods for this car that I am thinking of trying out in the future.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th March, 2003

4th Aug 2004, 10:54

"GSRs dime a dozen"? That's pure BS. Try find a CLEAN, unmodified, untortured GSR, especially the sedan. Very hard to come by. I would never buy a modified vehicle (for many reasons) and unfortunately, those GSRs seem to be the perfect modification platform. Also, they're often modified by teenagers who go racing and beat the hell out of those cars. GSRs are also quite rare, particulary the sedan.

All the other cars mentioned in last comment are too different to directly compete with GSR. Rotary-engined RX7 is way more powerful to begin with (255hp or so stock) and designed as pure sports car as opposed to Acura which is a modification of standard humble Civic platform. VW R32? Well VW is well known for falling apart soon and high parts prices. I wouldn't touch anything VW with a 10-foot pole, while Integras including the GSR, are very reliable on day-to-day basis. Not to mention that R32s and Rx7s are 2-door only and some people, including me, like 4-door's practicality. Did I mentioned better fuel economy?

Perhaps Eclipse GSX is closest, but also more powerful from beginning - 210hp or so, not to mentioned awd. Their reliability seems to be also quite bad especially considering how expensive turbo and awd are to replace. Also it is 2-door only. And try finding an unmodified one! Good luck!

My current car is a Honda Accord, and my next car will definitely be a Honda too (the aforementioned GSR most likely). Because for the price, performance, reliability, and utility (of sedan that is) it's VERY hard to beat! Long live the GSR.

2001 Acura Integra Type-R 1.8 from North America

Summary:

Wonderfully balanced screamer with supreme power, brakes, and handling

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with this car.

General Comments:

The car has outrun Mustangs, Z28 Camaros, BMW's, and keeps up with Vettes and Porsches.

It's a blast to drive, but was too noisy when I first got it; I installed $600 worth of soundproofing to fix this problem.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th May, 2001

15th Jun 2001, 14:00

A Type R fast??? HA! Yeah right! You would be lucky enough if you could even keep up an old Mustang or Camaro. Your 1/4 mile is 14.7, a Z28 hits 13.8 and GT 14.0. Nice try, but I don't think anyone would believe that you beat V-8's.

4th Jul 2001, 20:54

You're right, the Type-R can't even hit low 6's in 0-60 and he can outrun a Z28 that is hitting 5.3 in 0-60? It was in a dream when he outran a Vette.