10k: Stock, Original Owner: 1995 Acura Integra GS-R

The 3rd generation Acura Integra is so fully integrated into the sport compact scene that it almost seems strange to see one that is factory stock and not covered with illest stickers. The ride height seems comically high and the wheels look tiny…but…if you are going to experience VTEC-yo in an Integra, this is the best way to do it.  Find this 1995 Acura Integra GS-R offered for $8,600 in SF Valley Los Angeles, CA via craigslist.

The Integra you really want is the DC2 Type R, but they are impossible to find and demand a considerable premium when stock/nice.  This GS-R is the next best thing and although it has 150k miles on the clock it is being sold by the original owner, so you can rest assured it hasn’t been Fast’d and then Furious’d back to stock with a handful of missing bolts (I swear, that happens with every job I do, I’ve always got a few extra parts). 

The GS-R (Grand Sport – Racing) version of the Integra was offered with
a 1.8 liter B18 inline-4 dual over-head cam 4-banger that put out 170
horsepower and 128 ft-lbs of torque.  It was state-of-the-art in 1993, but today the power won’t seem impressive.  At least the Integra only hits the scales at 2,600 lbs, so it should still run with the basic sport compact econ-cars on the dealer’s lot today.

Everything looks stock on the inside, except for the grandma special lace-on steering wheel cover — at least the wheel should be nice under that thing.  You are going to want to remove it so you can experience the joys of turning one of the better tuned front-drive steering racks in the business — Honda does a few things right, chief among them is shifter feel (snick-snick!) and steering effort for their sporty models — not too light, not too hard.

See another clean unmodified example of a Japanese late model? tips@dailyturismo.com