So the time has come to sell my 91 Lexus ES250, which has been a great car, but it's getting up there in milage and age...not to mention the lack of fun.

My budget is about $13k, and out of all the cars that fall in that price range, I've decided that the two cars above would best suite my needs and wants, but the cars have very different advantages and disadvantages. For example, I really like the way the audi feels (very solid, well put together), the car looks pretty nice and will still look that way way 5 years from now and the engine is easy to upgrade. With the integra, I'd get better out of the box performance, a great hi-revving NA motor and honda reliability. the obvious downsides are that one car gets stolen a lot and the other has very high maintenance requirements (or at least seems to need a lot of maintenance).

So anyone out there that has owned either of these cars or that can provide resources/info about them, I'd appreciate it a lot and thanks. Oh, and if anyone can think of a better car for the money, please chime in.

 

Both are nice choices.

I'd go with the teg, but it's a tough call.

 

I own the GSR and I voted for a A4 quattro.

I have been in the A4 2.8 quattro and it's not a very quick car, but it's smooth. People might say that it has 4 doors but the rear leg room is small. Probably about as much as the GSR without the extra 2 doors.

My GSR averages about 27-32 mpg depending on how much highway I do. I have never gotten less than 25mpg and that was when I first got it and played with it.

The car has never gave me a problem except needing a starter, tires , and breaks.

I would think the GSR would be more nimble, but at the end of the day I would rather have the Audi for comfort.

 

I had a GSR and it was a great, wonderful, excellent car. In my 3 years of ownership I had zero mechanical problems, got great gas mileage (28-34 mpg on average), and had plenty of space in back. All in all, I really wish I still had that car.

On the other hand, it was a pretty spartan car (not compared to the S2000). I'm not sure how old you are, but at this point in my life I'd go for the A4. It'll be a MUCH better car in bad weather too. Useable back seats are kind of a nice perk. Just be prepared to pay a bit more for Audi maintenance.

 

Reliability, man. Unless you like paying huge for repairs, go with the Integ. Call an Audi dealer and ask how much they charge for a new transmission + install and then do the same for the Integra.

My guess is that, in addition to the Audi costing 3x as much, Audi service will know right away how much it costs (familiarity), whereas the Acura dealer will have to look it up.

 

I have had two mildy modified B6 A4s(98,99).

B5 A4s are very nice car for money BUT if you dont have warrenty I would stay away due to poor reliability.

 

You can't go wrong with quattro.

 

Thanks for input so far everyone a couple things to say;

-I'm 20...insurance rates are a max of $100/6 months above what I'm paying for the lexus now
-I'm aware of the audi reliability issues, but I'm having trouble figuring out if it's because of people who don't do anything but change the oil when the sticker tells them to or if the cars are just poorly built in some respects.
-I'm fine with giving up some of the luxury of my current car (or the audi) if it makes the integra a better car in another department (ie handling)

 

well, if you can find a low mileage, good condition 00-01 a4 1.8t quattro for $13K, then that's what i would get.

another car you might want to consider is the 97-00 preludes. those, i believe, can be had for $13K.

also, a 97-99 e36 328i/is or a 99-00 e46 323i might also be good alternatives.

 

i actually have a 2000 a4 1.8t quattro for winter driving. its a solid car, but it is a LOT slower than the s2k. i've kept it stock, mainly because I don't feel like this is a car you can take to the track. it handles well, and I haven't had any mechanical problems.

once you're out of warranty though, it'll start to cost you more and more for services. the going labor rate in my area is $90/hr on the audis. an oil change costs about $40.