I am looking at a 1996 Integra LS 5speed with 82,000 miles on it for my son. (he has blown the head gasket on the 91 MX-6 with a mere 140,000 miles on it). What do all of you think of the Integra as a suitable replacement.

 

When I bought a car for my son's use, my only two concerns were (i) will it be reasonably reliable, and (ii) will it entice him to do dangerous things?

I opted for a 1997 Hyundai Elantra wagon. It cost $6000 in 1999 with 17,000 miles on it, and it's still going strong with the next teen in the family driving it now.

Since they measure 0-60 in this car with a calendar, it does not entice a teen to do anything stupid. And it's never given us a moment's trouble, now with over 70,000 miles.

My $.02 (you did ask ); YMMV.

 

^Chris would beat a Hyundai Wagon like a rented mule. I'd be better off throwing my money into the blown head gasket.

 

They tend to be bulletproof and have a fairly long life expectancy.

 

I think a Integra is a good choice....or a similar vintage Civic.

Isn't that what Carmen bought for Brian? He must be lurking around here somewhere....or it is time for his monthly Myrtle Beach sojourn? Ah, must be tough to be a retired entrepreneur

 

Bill,

My .02 is spend another $1200 on him and send him to the Skip Barber Driving School at Lime Rock Park in CT. That way if he is prone to "enjoying" the car he will have an understanding of "vehicle dynamics" and be a better safer driver for it.

I have attended the Driving School (not the racing school) twice once in the mid 90's and then again in 2001 as a refresher and the opportunity to drive a Viper. I have seen newly licensed drivers transformed from being "totally clueless" to "proficient" in two days. IMO it is the best $1200 a parent can spend on a newly licensed or teenaged driver.

Interestingly enough, the most common fatal accident that new drivers have is dropping the right side wheels off the edge of the road and not knowing how to recover from this.

BTW, I think that the Integra is a good choice. Assuming that the person that owned it changed the oil on a regular basis.

 

Bill, would you consider a 93 Sunbird? JK!
I think the Integra would be a very good vehicle for your son. They have one of the highest crash ratings in their class and engine/tranny seem to be damn near bullit proof. I also think it is a vehicle any young man wouldn't mind being seen driving....that also counts.
I really like Matt's suggestion also. IMHO, it is the wisest and highest value $1,200 you could ever spend.

 

I'm driving a '94 Integra LS to work every day; it has about 115k miles on it. I've done the usual maintenance for a car that old: battery, pads and rotors, timing belt, exhaust (rusted through here in the "salt belt"), etc. I had to prematurely replace the clutch (105k miles) because a spring fell out of the disk, but that's the only unexpected expense. I expect to drive it another 10 years/125k miles.

Personally, I think it would be an excellent choice for a young male: not too powerful (LS has about 140 hp), but sporty enough (especially the 3-door) that he won't feel like you've put him in his "father's Oldsmobile." They sold a bunch of these things so parts are readily available and thus not too expense.

 

Thanks for the tips all. I was looking at Preludes too, but the 96 and up seems to have a lot of power. I'd like to keep things a little slower.

 

Bill -

My daughter had one of the first ones sold in 1986 and I had a 1995 GSR.

They are really great cars.

A word of caution though - when they say change the timing belt at 60K it isn't like some of the earlier Honda's where it didn't make much difference if you did or didn't - the Integra is more critical.

If you buy the car and cannot confirm the timing belt has been replaced I would suggest you do it.