[MeAndHobbes]

I've been saving up my money for almost a year and I have around $6000. I was browsing around craigslist to see what used cars were on sale and I came across this

I instantly fell in love and it's price of $4900 was within my budget. However, I'm no expert in cars and I was wondering if it was worth it? It has around 90,000 miles, but it looks very clean and well kept. Since, i'm a newb to cars i'll just copy and paste the other specs on the ad. Also, I was wondering if this would be expensive to insure. I'm 17 years old and this will be my first car. (I've been driving for a year, but I don't have insurance ><)

ENGINE
LS/VTEC 99 GSR head
-Upgraded Intake manifold w/ short intake
-high flow cherrybomb exhaust w/ resonator (deep sound not raspy at all)
-Just swapped tranny no grind in 3rd gear like most integ's
-OBX Limited Slip Differential installed before tranny swap
-stage 1 racing clutch w/ lightweight flyhweel
-aluminum adjustable cam gears
-Chipped ECU VTEC hits 5500 redlines at 8000
EXTERIOR
-F1 Super Red 2 Stage Paint (will provide with color code)
-Shaved Door handles, side moldings, anttena, trunk key hole
-Roof painted Black
-98+ front+rear bumper conversion+ new OEM headlights
-Signals are installed ( not pictured below)

[sacky]

are you able to go check the car out and take it out for a test drive? if you can I'd go do that to see if there's anything wrong with the car; maybe even ask for a carfax to see if it has been into any accidents. there's a lot to do before you buy a car. would this be your first?

[Clix]

Simply no. I would not suggest you to buy this car for multiple reasons.
1. LS/VTEC, I'm 100% sure you have no idea what that is. It's an engine with a different head and block. You may not have any idea how the engine was put together or was built correctly.
2. Swapped tranny. This means one of two things. Either the old transmission had synchro problems or the owner has abused the transmission into replacement.
3. Shaved door handles, etc. It could be shaved with either a body filler or metal. If it's filled with body filler, it's just going to crack eventually.

Conclusion:
Just don't buy it. Being that the car was built with a LS/VTEC with a stage 1 clutch and light flywheel. You're looking at a car that was actually built to race. If it was built to race, it was probably abused.

[MeAndHobbes]

ahh ok, thank you. The seller actually works at a auto shop, so I'm pretty confident that everything was done correctly. You could see more pictures of this car and others he's worked on at http://www.myspace.com/jtecauto . But, I think i'll be cautious and buy something more reliable, though i really love the look of this car

[tbkonwso]

listen to me carefuly STAY AWAY


LS/VTEC 99 GSR head
-Upgraded Intake manifold w/ short intake <-- probably ebay intake that leaks with generic intake
-high flow cherrybomb exhaust w/ resonator (deep sound not raspy at all) <--cherry bomb thats from domestic
-Just swapped tranny no grind in 3rd gear like most integ's <---bs something is wrong with tranny
-OBX Limited Slip Differential installed before tranny swap <--obx is china knock off...you really want china knock off LSD??
-stage 1 racing clutch w/ lightweight flyhweel <--stage 1 with light flywheel = noise maker
-aluminum adjustable cam gears ,--ebay item again....
-Chipped ECU VTEC hits 5500 redlines at 8000 <---no hondata?? cheap mods
EXTERIOR
-F1 Super Red 2 Stage Paint (will provide with color code) <--probably insruance scam
-Shaved Door handles, side moldings, anttena, trunk key hole <--probably bondo instead welded.
-Roof painted Black <--why why miss match is just stupid, its a hard top not a targa top..
-98+ front+rear bumper conversion+ new OEM headlights
-Signals are installed ( not pictured below)


this car is poorly put together, you can tell by the mods he choose, its a ticking time bomb, after you buy it you will have tons of problems this not working that not working, end up with someones cheap gabage project....stay away.....

car probably has been raced and abused, he already took out all the good enough like jdm front end out of the car and other stuff that is worth money.

find a clean....gsr or ls integra non modified.....

[charat]

LOL CHERRYBOMB! XD haha. uhhhh.... i never buy cars that have been upgraded by soemone other than me. i dont trust other people's mechanical skills. sorry its just how i am. but if oyu watn it, go for it. i wouldnt...seeing as teh list of obviously low budget and cheap upgrades and modifications on the list. oh... and i think he's lying about the shaved handles and stuff...

[MeAndHobbes]

ooo thanks guys. Glad I asked here first. I think i'll just save up some more or maybe borrow some money from my parents and buy a civic or something

[sacky]

ohh snap, I skimped thru this and didn't know you had 6gs saved up. put that on a down payment on a new car if you can make the payments.. xD

[Clix]

ahh ok, thank you. The seller actually works at a auto shop, so I'm pretty confident that everything was done correctly. You could see more pictures of this car and others he's worked on at http://www.myspace.com/jtecauto . But, I think i'll be cautious and buy something more reliable, though i really love the look of this car

It really doesn't provide much info to his work. If you actually check his work, it's lazy and cheap.
For one, pay attention to the color of the cars. "Projek4" is a red bodied integra with baby blue inside. "Projek2" is also a red body integra with white inside. At multiple points in time, the engine was out of Projek2, so why wasn't the engine bay painted red? On top of that, none of the bumpers or fenders were removed for paint. The area where the fender is mounted in the engine bay are still white, and there's a red ring of overspray around the headlights seen in the bumperless picture. Also, if you notice, "Projek2" is equipped with Dropzone suspension. Dropzone is a terrible eBay brand of suspension.

He may have his own shop but it doesn't make it work legit.

Again, don't buy this car. You should get a stock LS/GS/RS in milano red.

LOL CHERRYBOMB! XD haha. uhhhh.... i never buy cars that have been upgraded by soemone other than me. i dont trust other people's mechanical skills. sorry its just how i am. but if oyu watn it, go for it. i wouldnt...seeing as teh list of obviously low budget and cheap upgrades and modifications on the list. oh... and i think he's lying about the shaved handles and stuff...

The shave handles are probably a lie because they're Integra sedan rear door handles. But the rest actually is shaved off.

[MeAndHobbes]

i was planning to do that but i have a feeling i won't keep my job for much longer and i won't be able to make the payments i'm gonna be a junior in high school and gonna need more time to study.. noooooo

and yeah thanks guys. im a total noob and you saved me from wasting my money tytyty

[tbkonwso]

i was planning to do that but i have a feeling i won't keep my job for much longer and i won't be able to make the payments i'm gonna be a junior in high school and gonna need more time to study.. noooooo

and yeah thanks guys. im a total noob and you saved me from wasting my money tytyty

where are you located? i might be able to help you find your car for 5-6g.

[90th.degree]

Step it down. Use half your budget and save the rest or put a small amount into upgrading the car and then saving. Clix is right, you should be able to find stock Integras for cheaper (especially the older 90-93 DA model). Even a 240SX, and Honda Civic EG Hatchbacks (the 1992-95 models) would be in that price range.

I'm in the same boat as you. I personally don't like FWD cars (I would get the EG Civic, but I'm RWD first), I'll be going uncommon first cars. 1985-1990 Toyota Cressida sedans or if I can find one, Toyota Soarer/Lexus SC300 (yes it's a Lexus, but it's the older ones from the EARLY 90's I'm going for since here in Canada I can find relatively good Soarers/SC's for about 4000). Both aren't that bad of an option, but finding parts for the Cressida if you plan on upgrading won't be easy (and the engine is a massive headache if the headgasket hasn't been replaced), and the SC, well, is a Lexus...

[MeAndHobbes]

where are you located? i might be able to help you find your car for 5-6g.

ooooh ty. i live in LA. it'd be awesome if you find one.

[andyroxs]

leave it alone. its definitely abused.

[albasian]

Shaved door handles?
Those door handles aren't looking shaved to me. O_o