Integra or GTI?

[Kirwan]

Time to retire my old Mustang and get something more 'sensible'. I'm looking at an older Integra (90-93), or maybe the VR6 GTI - this would mostly be for commuting, but I need to carry the kids and occasionally piles of stuff - hence the hatchbacks. I think I got the mod/racing bug out of my system with the 5.0, but still want something that is fun to drive. So let's hear some opinions...

Is a stock Second Gen Integra zippy enough for fun?
Will my kids hate me for sticking them in the back seat? (they are 10 and 13)
Is there any way to get rid of the 'mad mouse' seatbelts?
Is the reliability of these older cars (assuming I can find one that hasn't been beat on by *you guys*) as good as reported?
What sort of real world gas mileage should I expect?

Thanks for any help you can offer.

[foxfai]

Honestly, Honda/Acura cars are very reliable. I just bought a 2gen 94 LS 4 DR, and it didn't give me any problem for a year now...... and the best thing is there are none recall for the 2nd gen integras

[whtteg]

honestly I would go with the VR6 GTI or maybe a 4dr. I can tell you from experience that if you need to move things or haul stuff that the integra is not the car for you. It is a very reliable car and sporty but not a family car by far. Sorry guy have to be honest and give the best advice I can, as always

[98-ls]

Originally Posted by whtteg

honestly I would go with the VR6 GTI or maybe a 4dr. I can tell you from experience that if you need to move things or haul stuff that the integra is not the car for you. It is a very reliable car and sporty but not a family car by far. Sorry guy have to be honest and give the best advice I can, as always

i agree, it will be know good for hauling, and just try and sit in the back seat of an integra, its small!!!

[ghetto7o2azn]

hmm well from what i understand VW has pretty bad customer satisfaction... my dad was looking into buying a used acura rsx or jetta for my sister... after he made a search on a website looking for used jettas and seeing something like 500 in a 400 mile radius he looked into it and found out that jetta had pretty bad stuff so he got an rsx... so id go w/ the teg

[90civicracer]

Personally I'd go with the GTI. 1) for me it fits me better, im a tall and big guy and i fit in a GTI more comfortably than the Integra. Also the GTI i think is a lil more roomy in the back seats, not sure though.

[Thepeug]

Scratch both of those ideas and save for a 3rd-gen Integra sedan. GTI parts are expensive to replace, and they have significant reliability issues, especially concerning anything electrical. A 2nd-gen Integra is a reliable car if it has been well-maintained, but if I were still 13 years old, I would not be happy trying to cram into that back seat. With a 3rd-gen sedan, you get sportiness, ample space with which to haul the kids around, and Honda reliability.

[THE4TH]

i would suggest an older model accord..
you'll have no problem fitting everyone, they are cheap enough..
and get good mileage..

[90gs]

foxfai the 94 integra is the 3rd generation...

and there was a recall for the 2nd generation integras, it was for the distributors.

and for a 10 and 13 year old the back seat is plenty big.

and for interior roominess the integra is plenty big, i'm 6'6" and 220lbs and have had a 90 integra and a 91 integra (both the GS model, which has the sunroof, which has the lower roof) and i fit fine.

and the GTI parts are expensive and it breaks down a lot more. one of my friends has had 2 GTI's and 2 generation 2 integras, both GTI's broke down all the time (they were new ones too).

[whtteg]

Well for sure I would look at a 4dr, and yes the accords are a great family car, you could find a newer V6 model. That would have all the room yoiu could want and it will still be sporty.

[93weed_eater]

don't get a 2g integra with kids. its sucks i know from exp. I have a 2 year old and him in his lil carseat/booster drove my wife nuts in the passenger seat. i usually didn't even let people sit behind me if i gave someone a ride or they sat sideways with there legs behind the passenger seat. for the family if you're really interested in the integras then i would definetly go 4 door 3rd gen. a Gsr would probally suite you if you still want a lil bit of power to mess with and the 4 doors actually look pretty decent for a sedan. good luck man.

[Kirwan]

Thanks for the replies, keep 'em coming.

This isn't really the 'family car' - my wife drives a Camry for that. And we also have a big old van for hauling and roadtrips. Mostly it's just me and my 50 miles a day commute. The kids only have to gut it out for occasional trips to school or such - still, I'm the one that has to listen to them complain. The back seat of a fox body mustang is no picnic either.

I've got a hatchback on the brain because I'm one of those guys who builds and fights robots - this means a bunch of boxes of parts, and trips to the metal store where I get 10 foot sections. I like the idea of throwing down the seat and loading it up. Plus a 4 door sedan sounds like such a cop out... I may be getting older, but I refuse to grow up (giving up the 5.0 ragtop is hard enough) Besides, it looks like the V6 accord is only available with an automatic.

Ultimately it will boil down to feelings vs finances. I'll have to drive both and see what I like. And examine my budget and see what I can afford - a Gen2 integra is pretty cheap and I know it will be reliable; the VR6 is like $3k more, is harder to find, and is somewhere between "nothing is as solid as acura" and "nightmare" on the maintainence scale - that's still sort of an unknown.