1994 Honda Integra VTi-R from Australia and New Zealand - Comments

Everything...

I don't know where to start, but here it goes:

1. I've had numerous starting problems, the car has a mind of it's own, some days it will start perfectly, others it won't.

I have replaced the battery, coil, new rotor and distributor, ignition, wiring harness costing me a fortune (honda parts are very expensive), yet the problem isn't resolved.

It seems I spend an average of 5-8k per year just on repairs.

Corrosion seems to be another serious issue with the Integra, it seems to be falling apart, considering the previous owner was a lady who kept it garaged most of the time.

The interior is dull and poorly put together, everything seems to be falling apart...

Timing belt seems to go at 50,000kms, even my wife's hyundai excel at least manages 100,000kms.

Lower controller arm decided to give way... just driving on normal tar roads, without any specific incident. I've never seen just a poorly screwed together car.

The clutch seem's excessively heavy and lazy, whilst the manual gearbox seems very "soft", certainly not the "sporty" feel it should have.

The power windows have also been another dodgy experience, with the noisy motors being replaced 5 times so far!

Oil level sensor has been replaced, yet it's still faulty and not operating properly.

Horrible fuel economy, manage only 270kms from one tank and this isn't driving it hard.

I think the quotation is correct, if you want anything from a V-tec, you need a set of ear plugs.

Also the steering pump has been replaced several times, as well as the aircondition condenser.. I mean the list of issues I've experienced with this car is endless. I'll never go near a honda again.

The car smells horrible...

Fuel filter required replacement, due to being clogged.

Brakes have failed numerous times (these aren't aftermarket brakes, but original honda ones)

Fuel filter was clogged causing the car barely to run and it was quite expensive to replace.

Etc...

Stay away! horrible experience. honda need to read: "how to make cars.. for idiots".

Beg to disagree 100 times. this car must have had over 500 000k's on it. interior fit is tops. mechanically it's a legend. I would buy one today if I was able to drive a manual car.

I can understand your frustrations with the car given all the problems so far. I have to say that what you have experienced is very unusual for an integra, even an 11 year old one. Generally DC2 Integras are noted as being well above the norm in terms of reliability and drivability.

The corrosion problem is also very unusual, particularly if you are based in Australia?

I would guess that the previous owner may have unloaded a car on you that had lived a very hard 10 years and/or been in an accident that caused lasting damage.

Finally, you should be getting about 400 km per tank, and the timing should last 5 years or 100,000 km. Not sure what you meant by the timing belt “going”, if the timing belt died then there would be significant damage to the motor (pistons & valves colliding).

Lastly, might be time to consider cutting your losses and getting rid of the car.

I agree, it sounds like this car has been involved in a flood or drenched in sea water, possibly in Japan before import: This would explain the smell, the electrical problems and corrosion.

Maybe ya mechanic is dodgey.. ie. breaking ya car so that he can charge ya to fix it :P.

I don't know where you bought your car, but I think you got scammed. I've had my car for about 9 months and the only problem was the drive-shafts. (because I drive it hard) and that's it. and it still smells fine to me, just like the day I bought it. everything is fine. this is a great car, the only real problem is being separated from my car when I get it serviced. and having to plod around in the rental civic from the workshop..

I disagree to your comment because Honda is the most reliable car I ever had especially the Integra.

I used to have the 94 Integra for 4 years and surely it is a great car and I am willing to keep it even today. I think you r one is particular and may have serious accident before.

I've got a Honda Integra motor in my Civic and it's fantastic! Honda make the best cars in the world.. so I don't know what your problem is; poorly treated by its previous owner is my guess, or it must have fell in a volcano before you bought it.

I have owned my Honda Integra 95 DC2 for the past year and a half, and I'm loving every part of it.

The only thing I have had to fix since buying the car were my drive shafts. That's because I had bought the car like that, since then, no money has been spent maintaining, only modifying.

The car handles like no other. The only noises you hear is the V-tech kicking in. I get 400kms out of a full tank on average, I have no idea how you're getting so less? You sure you're filling your car properly???

I agree with the comment about the car being submerged in seawater. It's a shame because as a longtime Honda owner I have been very happy. Reliability on these cars is generally superb. Just because your car seems to be the Integra from hell doesn't mean you can bag such a quality car manufacturer. It's a shame, because after the hell you've been through I don't blame you for being scared off.

I strongly feel as though you have purely bought a rare lemon or very mistreated car. I have had 3 of these model cars and never had anything like the problems you have outlined, even with 300,000km on a driven hard engine the fuel economy was still excellent and only burnt minimal oil.

I've owned a 1994 Integra VTi-R since new (only done 105K kms) and have been immensely happy with it. The only time the car has ever let me down has been when the battery has failed due to age.

It's fast (when you want it to be), looks cool (so I'm still told), and for a sports car is fairly practical with the hatch/boot space. Must admit I'd prefer not to be an adult back seat passenger for long.