I have reached a difficult point in my relationship with my 1994 integra gsr, and wanted to get some feedback on others’ thoughts who might have been at a similar place before.

I bought it in 97 with 31k, and it has been overall a wonderful car. Once it ticked over 120k I started having more repairs, as expected, but the last few months have been brutal, as it hit the 150k mark.

At around 130k I did the following (outside of normal maintenance, which I have done religiously):
New thermostat
New muffler
New Window regulator

At 150k, I was hit with:
New radiator - $300 to fix
Repair on rear brakes (reaming out caliper slide pin mounts – calipers had become stuck on the pins that are supposed to let it slide along with the rotor) - $200 to fix
New brake master cylinder - $200 to fix
New rear motor mount - $200 to fix
New front CV boot – not fixed yet, but I guess about $150
Manifold bolt sheared off (no real problem, but an annoying buzz to the engine sound) – not fixed yet, but needs $150 to fix
Then - in 30k, there will be the second timing belt job....

Also there is the first spot of rust on the rear wheel well

Since I have had it, I have tinted the windows, added a satellite radio, added a cd changer to the stock radio, replaced the stock wheels with kosei k1’s, and have kept the interior and exterior in amazingly good shape over the years. Nobody can believe it is a 94 when they see it.

The car is very comfortable to me, like an old friend, and the only real problem I have with it (in addition to the mounting repair costs) is that it is fairly loud at highway speeds (compared to more modern versions like the RSX).

I look at newer cars, and don’t really want to spend the $18k to get what I really want (a lightly used wrx or rsx) and end up paying monthly payments again, higher insurance, and suffering the depreciation.

I look at even $1000 in repairs per year as a savings when compared to the cost of depreciation of a new car, increased insurance, and even the minimal maintenance that always occurs, no matter how new your car is. So maybe driving my car into the ground is not such a bad thing…I am just torn when it comes to small improvements like having the rusty panel repainted, rebuilding my rear driver’s side caliper to replace the torn dust seal, putting new speakers in the back, since I feel like I am just throwing the money away. If I were not such a perfectionist, this would be a lot easier.

Sorry to ramble on, but I needed to share.

Thoughts? Perspective to share?

 

Youve had the car for like 9 years thats really not that bad on repairs for a 94...I have a 92 Si Lude and already have spent well over 2g's since i bought it last year....you have a GSR not LS or RS...so you should be happy with your car...and if you dont want it anymore sell it or something.

 

sell it and get a new one!

 

Just so we get a broad range of responses -- from people who own cars other than the Integra -- I'm moving this thread to The Basement.

If it stays up here, the response will be a foregone conclusion. h:

 

Wow.. I have a 94 LS. Last year I had some problems with my ABS but its fine now. No problems at all anymore.
I'm so glad I don't have these problems..

 

Yeah these things happen nothing new or outrageous here.

Who raped you for the radiator? $150 for a new 4 row from Jegs or Summit and 30 minutes gives you an upgraded radiator.

Bakes happen not much you can do about it but not sure if you did the work yourself or took it to a shop.

Master cylinder I am guessin you had someone do. This is a doable job on your own with minimal experience and a six pack.

Motor mount for $200??? shit you are getting raped. Good used mount for $50 and a couple hours under your car with a friend to help and hand tools and a hoist.

CV boot? fuck that buy a new axle and replace it in an hour in front of your house for about $70 or so.

Exhaust mani?? $150?? Take the manifold off, buy a tap and die kit and do it yourself...total cost about $75 plus beer.

Timing belt? buy a Haynes manual and learn to do it. Not as hard as it seems and I am sure you have at least one buddy who has done something similiar or can help figure it out.

Fix the rust spot by sanding it up and putting a sealer primer on it until you can get it patch welded.

The rest were add ons and you suck that cost up, but it seems to me you do none of the work on your car yourself which is why you are getting raped so hard on prices. All the things you mention you can do in your front yard with basic hand tools, you just have to get off your ass grab a Haynes and do it.

 

We got a new performance radiator for my sisters car a few months ago. It ran us 65 new at a junkyard. New not used or refurbished.
Replaced front passenger(Engine/tranny) mount that snapped for 10 bucks. I could have got the other 2 for 20 bucks but they couldn't find them.

 

You guys probably don't deal with this too often, I don't think Oregon uses salt. But Honda's 1/4 panels rot from the inside out, I guarentee is inners are already rotted to shit.

That's why it always comes back there. I had a rothole on both 1/4 panels of the Civic, had both quarter panels cut off the car, cut off the visible rust from the outside of the panel, sand blasted the underside, acid dipped, bondo/fiberglass, rubber undercoated, sand/primed/sand/primed/sand/primed :eek3: and then painted.

And that my friends is the only way to get rid of Honda rot.

 

i have a pretty beat up car. still dont have the nuts to sell it. so i just dumped a couple more hundred into it h:

 

Good to know Like you said we don't salt out here so it's been years since I had to deal with panel rot, but t makes sense it would be inside out.

Yeah I knew it wasn't much I was just giving worst case scenario, but that is a smokin price for the radiator