Comments: 1-15, 16-27
No problems at all other than the minor usuals: worn tires, brake pads, windshield wiper replacements, etc for the first 60,000 miles. Let me also say that I have taken this car to the edge of reliability as I rarely had scheduled tune-ups or oil changes performed and have driven it very hard its whole life.
At 60,000 miles and five years the CV (constant velocity) shafts began to produce clicking sounds when turning.
At 60,000 miles I replaced the timing belt after recommendation to do so per preventative maintenance.
At 80 or 90,000 miles and six years I began to notice a whining sound when the car picked up speed, and was told by a mechanic that the odometer produced the sound. It was never fixed, but never caused any problems that I know of.
At 100,000 miles and 7 years, I was involved in a major collision which wrecked the entire driver side of the car. Students at a local technical school repaired and repainted the car for about $1000 (a third of the mechanic estimate), but also at low quality. As a result, my driver side door has always had problems with the power lock and windows, and the left passenger window intermittently ceased to operate until finally giving out completely at around 180,000 miles.
I also inexplicably lost the first fan speed of my blower after that accident.
At 105,000 miles I began to notice strange noises from the transmission and slow response to shift into the final gear (at around 55 mph.)
At 105,000 miles the radio antenna motor failed and was never replaced. I still receive a fine signal with the rod extended up.
At 110,000 miles the ignition switch failed.
At 120,000 miles and nine years I rear-ended a vehicle and damaged my radiator, hood, and windshield. The radiator proceeded to fail soon after. All were replaced for around $550.
I also lost the main bulb in one headlamp, the bright bulb in the other headlamp, one of my low bright bulbs, and knocked all of the lights out of alignment - but all replaced bulbs have lived full lives since then.
At 125,000 miles the windows tinting began to peel away.
At 130,000 miles I lost control on a snowy road and rammed the car into a curb. The entire chassis seems to have shifted slightly since then and created a difficult-to-repair steering and wheel alignment issue that was never fixed.
At 140,000 miles and ten years the alternator failed.
After 145,000 miles and 11 years the transmission gave up the ghost, and I had it rebuilt for $2200. Everyone told me I was crazy to spend so much on a car that wasn't going to last much longer.
At 160,000 miles the car died when driving through some high water. The problem began occurring with regularity around 190,000 miles. Replacing the distributor cap solved the problem.
At 170,000 miles I lost control in the rain on a highway exit ramp due to bald rear tires and rammed my driver side into a guard rail. This caused a bump in the frame which doesn't allow the door to shut completely, but just enough so that the seat belt slides into place when the door is closed. However the door light on the dash remains forever on, and the overhead light never switches off in the middle position.
At 175,000 miles the muffler began to rust and eventually fell off the vehicle.
At 180,000 miles and twelve years the master brake cylinder developed a leak which I took to have repaired at a local mechanic, but later discovered it was never actually repaired. I have since periodically refilled the brake fluid every six months or so.
At 200,000 miles and thirteen years the car began to leak water and I had to periodically replace it until I fixed the problem a year later (a hose clamp was the culprit.)
At 205,000 miles I had been so negligent to check the oil that the car overheated, spilling oil out all over the driveway where I had pulled over. Luckily, only some hoses had blown which I then had replaced.
At 205,000 miles the car overheated again, and was misdiagnosed as having a bad thermostat. It has since become clear that the original water pump is failing, and I have no plans to repair it.
At 215,000 miles the original spark plugs finally died and were replaced, sparking some new life into the car's acceleration (pun only half-intended.)
At 220,000 miles and fourteen years the starter gave out and I am now considering pulling the plug on my fine automobile.
The engine has never had a single problem, neither major nor minor. The mechanic tells me the engine is still in the prime of its life, regardless of numerous times I have either let the car run out of gas and oil.
I've listed a lot of problems, but these all occurred after the major wreck at 100,000 miles. For 7 years the car ran nearly flawlessly.
I have never driven a car that had an overall performance better than my integra gs.
The steering has always been superbly fluid and responsive, though not always in alignment.
The brakes have nearly perfect resistance and sensitivity. I concede this may be a personal preference, but everyone who has driven the car comments on the excellent braking. (Save for the time my brake fluid completely leaked out and I drove using only the parking brake for an entire winter - snow, ice, and all.)
The acceleration is phenomenal to me because of the smooth, no-delay response to the pedal. Every other sedan and every coupe I have ever driven have some annoying delay, however slight it may be, between asking for acceleration and receiving it. This car has none. It's like racing at the arcade whether you want to dart across an intersection or make quick uphill turns.
The combination of the three aspects of the car I've mentioned produce excellent handling in straightaways, turns, and even on non-paved roads.
The car has been the perfect blend not only of reliability and performance, but also of utility, having four doors and enough trunk space for two sets of golf clubs, tennis rackets, Chilton manuals, and 100 feet of extension cords at once.
It gets 25 mpg in town and very nearly 30 on the highway.
The automatically-sliding front seat belts are very annoying.
There are no cup-holders, but there is enough cabin room to snugly accommodate two adults and two children for a 2,000 mile road trip.
The car is quite low and its bottom is easily scraped over bumps and uneven surfaces. It lost its plastic protective cover underneath the car long ago.
The engine area is very cramped and the car is very difficult to work on, which created problems practically and financially for myself the student when the car began to wear down at around 150,000 miles.
Through high-school, college, and starting a family, this car has fulfilled very nearly all the demands I would ever need to put on an automobile.
I am looking at a 1990 Acura Integra GS, only problem is it has 226,000 miles on it, the body is almost flawless and interior is in equally good condition. Now if everything checks out, is it worth laying out the nearly $2,500 the dealer is asking for it?
I wouldn't pay $2200 for the 90 Integra...However, I wouldn't sell mine for only $2200 just depends on the maint., miles and what not... I would assume you are buying from a dealership for that price otherwise you would be looking about less than a grand from private party.
About 3 years ago I was traded a 1990 Accura Integra GS with 250,000 KM on it. Since that time I have put enough money into the car as to buy a brand new one off of the lot!
I have repaired the catalytic converter, timing belt, the starter, the radiator, all struts/shocks, all interior wiring (electrical fire coming home at 2am), the windshield wiper motor and relay, oil pan, gas cap, emergency break cord, clutch, antenna and replaced the passenger door lock.
There is still some work to be done like, day time running lights, hazard switch, drivers door lock and a leaky hatchback window which because it is a hatch back eventually soaks the whole car!
My advice would be to pass on a high KM Accura Integra GS as it just starts falling to pieces, I might have been better with the Mazda 626 I originally had!
I bought my Accura sight unseen in 2000 with 105K miles on it. It had some minor front end damage that had been repaired pretty well, but the first owner - an Arizona phone salesman - had not taken very good care of it. Between the heat and the neglect, several problems showed up after it had taken over my driveway. The first one was the degradation of the paint which began peeling off the hood and the fenders. The radiator, hoses and water pump went at 125K and both CV's at 130K. The windshield started leaking at 150K a few weeks after the second fuel pump was replaced. The air conditioner died in the middle of summer at 130K. Compressor was shot and too expensive to replace. I have replaced the radio twice and the ignition interlock switch three times. I haven't replaced a single light bulb yet. The most annoying thing about the car is the stupid automatic shoulder belt. I am surprised that no one has been strangled by one yet.
In spite of the problems, the car handles very well and is very fun to drive, especially I'm the mountains. With over 205K miles on it now I have no regrets about buying it, but I would probably go with a Honda Accord or Civic to get the same performance for less money and cheaper repair costs.
I think a lot of it depends on what kind of work you can do on the car. I just bought a 1990 Integra with a nasty knocking sound in the motor, and it will need the crankshaft and rods replaced. However, I can swap used ones in for less than $200. It would be super expensive though to have a shop fix it for me. Repair costs at the actual dealer are ridiculous.
Hi I have a 1990 Acura Integra GS 4dr, that actually just rolled 300000 and the motor has never been touched. I race the car at SAC Raceway in California. The only thing I have done was replace the r/f fender and the core support - I rear ended a truck doing about 65, so it was in bad shape.
The car is great - I get close to 30mpg and the car still pulls low 16sec on the 1/4 mile, so there should be no complaints on the vehicle.
There were a couple of add ons as well - DC header, NHR racing chip, 4 inch drop springs, and 17inch wheels.
I got this car brand new off the lot and never had problems. I recommend buying one of these cars!!!
I have a 1990, and I have noticed recently that when the car has been left in the sun for a while it doesn't like starting.
Battery is new, regular servicing, engine always fires OK, always works fine when started from cold, but when it's been out in the sun, after firing the engine just dies away. Can't figure this one out... any ideas?
To comment on the last post I also just bought an Integra GS although a 1991 that has recently had a similar problem with starting. Anyone know how to remedy this, problem heard the main relay etc...
The problem with the car not starting after being in the sun is common. It is a little relay box under and to the left of the steering wheel. I can't remember what it is called, but if you look under the dash left of the steering wheel you will see a brown box 1in x 3/4in with pins hanging out. It is right up against the thin plastic bottom portion of the dashboard under the steering wheel!
I have a gs with 190k on the clock it's a 91 model.
It is the only car I have bought from a dealership as it was a replacement for an accord written off in an accident... got it as a 7 yr old with 80k.
My experiences to date: 1 water pump & timing belt, 1 new Radiator 2,exhaust systems, CV joints and the usual stuff tyres, brake pads, filters etc.
Overall very very reliable. At this stage in its life E-bay is keeping me in spare parts Power window switch and more recently interior door handle (drivers side) Radio aerial gave out last yr and hazard switch is not functioning.
Some rust appearing on hatch under the A and on where spoiler meets metal. Also rust on right hand side rear wheel arch. I find liberal application of WD40 prior to winter and occasionaly thru out the yr keeps this at bay.
Bodywork overall in good shape.
ABS light comes on after 10-15 minutes, but I still have brakes, I should change the rear rotors as they don't look healthy.
ABS pump sometimes makes noise after starting but I think this is normal when charging up.
A flaw which I have seen in other cars is fabric rip on the drivers seat due to friction when you get in and out. (car is 16 yrs old so not a complaint)
I get 34mpg religiously on the highway low 20's round town.
If they still made them I would buy another one, but this one is still alive and kicking.
I have 94 ls with 170000 miles no problems yet except I changed the clutch at 165000- I trying to reach 300 000 I am the first owner. good car, but I will up grade to tsx or accord 6 speed manual.
I bought a 1990 GS on Jan 30th, 2006. Over the last 15 months it has been great to me. I haven't had any major mechanical problems (knock on wood), and only had to perform routine maintenance on the vehicle. My ABS light comes on after I drive a few minutes, think I need to clean off all the ABS sensors at each wheel. My exhaust is rusting out and has a hole in the muffler. Probably just an old exhaust. Its leaking a little bit of oil from the transmission, maybe the main seal needs replacing, not sure what, but don't have the time to get into it yet. Other than that I cannot complain. The car handles much better than a civic, maybe not as good as the 1994 GS-R I had, but I attribute that to me having stock suspension components still. And at being 17 years old it's time for a refreshing. I recently purchased the ENERGY SUSPENSION master bushing set and the rear trailing arm bushings as well, and also a set of TEIN Basic Coilovers. I bought a new Magnaflow catalytic converter and a full catback ESPELIR JGT500R exhaust. I will once again repost after these items have been installed and let you know how the difference is!
Hi I have a 1990 Acura integra red DOHC engine runs pretty good, I've done the usual timing belt. engine supports, brakes regular maintenence until now I did, grease the odometer meter runs smooth pretty fast.. I got the interior done black and red, 17 inch rims looks clean I have to change the ABS pump and distributor other than that great ride.
Hi, I'm looking at a 1995 Acura Integra RS with approximately 280,000km's on it, I heard it's a reliable car and all, but is it worth buying at this point in it's life??
I have a 1990 acura integra gs 2 door hatchback and as with most integra's I have a problem with it starting from being out in the sun so much.
This is a problem with the main relay. the main relay is located on the left side of the drivers side of the car. if you kick around that area (i have a rubber mallet in my car for this purpose now.) it will temporarily fix your main relay.
I just recently bought my integra for $100 (it was a STEAL, near perfect condition, all it needed was a timing belt!) and I love it. couldnt ask for a better 1st car. I will probably be hanging onto this car for a looong time.