Choose one of these cars:

[flavio]

<< " There's no way a Daytona or Shadow is going to be near the car the Integra will be."

That depends on what your looking for.
Speed and handling yes they can and some >>



Ok, I'll rephrase that. A Daytona or Shadow doesn't have near the quality, reliability, style, or resale value of an Integra. Speed and handling is up for debate.

 

[arcain]

<< I should mention that tweaked DSMs have a bad habit of having their transmissions explode under power delivery. >>



Non-tweaked ones too..

I have a friend that is on his 3rd transmission, without any power adding modifications (so was replaced under warranty). Though his was a third generation. Regardless reliability has not been a hallmark of the DSM cars.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Quallity and reliablity I will give you but style is objective and resale I'am not to sure about. IMO there is noway an 89 integra is anywhere as nice looking as an 89 daytona shelby. Atleast with the turbo dodges we are talking about fairly old cars here and a lot of them have already gone about as low as they are going to go and the real Shelbys are starting to go up in value so resale might be out too. Plus we are talking about $3000 or less cars. I don't think resale is exactly important .

"Non-tweaked ones too."
true
My best friends little brother blew the trans in his 91 and his wasn't even a turbo . Plus I think the trans had been replaced once before he bought it.

 

[flavio]

1993 Acura Integra 2 Dr LS Hatchback $3,970

1991 Acura Integra 2 Dr LS Hatchback $3,024

1993 Dodge Daytona 2 Dr STD Hatchback $1,240

1991 Dodge Daytona 2 Dr STD Hatchback $945

From Edmunds.com. I don't know what this really tells you except they both differed by about 24% and the Dodge isn't worth a crap.

 

[thedarkwolf]

First off those are not even turbo models plus the 90 and up are not the ones to buy. The best engine you can get in the 90 and up cars is the 2.5l type 1 turbo with 150hp and I think 210ft-lbs of torque, unless you get one of the ultra rare vnt or type III turbo, plus the 90s are even heavier. 89 you had the option of the 2.5l type 1 turbo in the ES models and auto shelbys (same 150hp but only had 180ft-lbs of torque) or a 2.2l type II turbo with 175hp and 200ft-lbs of torque in the 5 speed shelbys. Being turbos they are pretty easy and fairly cheap to get way more power out of.

Those LS integras have what 130hp and 120ft-lbs of tq?

Now if you want to get really cool you can get an 8-87 dodge Omni glhs with a type II turbo but it might be hard finding one for under $3k. You could find a regular glh for under $3k though.

The one I am buying is an 89 daytona Shelby with the type II turbo but its been modified a bit and has a 2.5l bottom end for more torque, free flowing exhaust, and a grainger valve to control the boost. I am paying to much for it at $2900 but every other one I have found is either ragged out and much cheaper or 1000+ miles away and not much cheaper anyway. Plus the guy that is selling it is turbo dodge guy and knows what he is doing. He is also applying a quality paint job on it which is why I have to wait two more weeks to buy it. These things do have some paint problems like a lot of the domestics from that time period. The way I look at it is if I had to have it painted the way this guy is doing it it would cost at least $1000 probably way more so its not to bad of a price. He is also giving me the old 2.2l bottom end and a few other things incase I ever decide to go back closer to stock.

 

[flavio]

<< For used car buyers, few models offer the kind of value you get in an older Integra. So if you're in the market for a sporty and reliable small coupe or sedan, put this car down for a test drive.
Among the most affordable versions are the second-generation Integras sold from 1990-93. Like all Integras, Acura billed this front-wheel-drive model as a performance car. I guess it all depends on what you consider performance. The high-output, 160-horsepower GS-R might qualify (it arrived in 1992), but the more basic models had with fewer hot-rod pretensions.

No doubt this generation of Integra is a sure-footed and easy-to-drive runabout. But we need to be honest here. The Integra's underbody architecture has always been based on the mainstream Honda Civic. Draw what conclusions you will from that.

The Integra GS, RS and LS models deliver a pleasant compliant ride on the highway, yet handling is quite tight and controlled during hard cornering. Give credit there to what was at the time a very stiff body structure for this class of car. But let's not forget the Integra's double-wishbone four-wheel independent suspension.

Even an older Integra should deliver performance that's light on cabin noise (for small cars at this price) and relatively heavy on the fun-to-drive quotient. No, you won't exactly tear up the roads in an older Integra, but for what you'll spend you'll get above average power and handling.

From the front seats you'll also have excellent visibility. That's because like all Honda products, the Integra has lots and lots of glass area. With the engine mounted sideways, the cowl, or dashboard, is quite low and wedge-like.

Compared to rival cars of its day - the Nissan 240SX comes to mind -- the Integra has seating that feels quite high and upright. The seats themselves were firm and supportive when the car was launched and if they've been cared for, they should have remained so. Lumbar support was not available in the base model RS, but it did come in the mid-level LS. Adjustable side bolsters were offered on the top-of-the-line GS. That should give you some direction when shopping for seating comfort.

From the outside, the styling of the '90-93 model was pretty slick for its time. The cars have rounded corners and nearly flush glass, and overall the lean, aerodynamic lines allow the Integra to knife through the wind with a then-best-of-class 0.32 coefficient of drag.

Thin roof pillars which, by the way, enhance visibility for passenger and driver alike, also give the car a very airy, open feeling. Good vision for the driver enhances safety. On the latter, no airbags were offered for this generation Integra and neither was traction control.

Power for this generation Integra comes from a 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine. With 16 valves, this powerplant delivered 130 hp at 6000 rpm. Power went up to 140 hp with the introduction of the '92 version.

Those horsepower numbers are almost identical to those posted by the rival Toyota's Celica of those years, and slightly less than the 240SX in the early '90s. Brakes on the second generation Integra are all the four-wheel disc variety. Anti-lock braking was an option.

As for actual performance, when new this engine would take you from 0-100 km in just over nine seconds. While the years might have caused the Integra to lose a step, even used ones today are quite responsive at low speeds. On the highway expect the engine to get a bit buzzy when pushed towards its 6,500 rpm redline.

A five-speed manual transmission was standard on all Integra models for this generation. Look for smooth shift action, not to mention shift points well-suited to city driving. That is, most of the time the engine should asks for a change of gears at just the right moment in traffic. You'll find, for example, that second gear is not so low that the engine is sluggish at those bumper-to-bumper moments. A four-speed automatic was optional on all models, but personally I think it robs the car of any real zest.

Inside, you'll find three sets of seatbelts on the backseat. But even in the four-door Integra that's either a sign of optimism or in recognition of the many short city hauls for which this car is well-suited. Still, the Integra is roomy for its class, well-thought-out and comfortable. Reliability has proven to be very, very good, too. >>







first review I found

 

[SyahM]

I have integra LS 1990 ... 194k, and still going strong!

 

[thedarkwolf]

http://www.turbomopar.com/articles.html

the 89 daytona cs is basically a stripped shelby
the 89 daytona shelby vnt isn't a bad read either

your looking at 0 - 60 in 7.5 - 8.0 sec and .83 - .86g on the skidpad. It varies from article to article.
The shadow and just about every other turbo dodge is lighter than the daytona so they are quiker.

http://www.thedodgegarage.com/
I posted it once before but I'am posting it again
More info than you could ever want.

Nothing wrong with the integra I just want a turbo.

btw flavio do you work all night too?

 

[flavio]

Heheh..yep 10pm -> 6am

By the way I have a '92 Black GS-R, leather seats, moonroof, cd-player which is fast as hell and gets 30mpg. I may be a little biased.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Well GSR is a bit different than the LS. I admit I don't know a lot about them but doesn't that one have 180ish hp? I could live with that .
The ls just doesn't do it for me. I don't think you could get any real power out of it without spending a lot of cash.

BTW the daytona is suppost to get 33mpg so

Man I am an idiot. Its 160hp still not bad in that light of a car.
I had forgoten about the article you posted.

 

[flavio]

I used to sell cars at a Honda dealership a couple years ago and one of the most interesting things I notice was how you could drive a Prelude at 130mph and calmy hold a discussion with the passsenger, if you went 100mph in a Mustang or other fast American car you were white-knuckled and sitting up like you were stressed about it.

I could never decide if that had merit or if it was always better to be relaxed about speed.

 

[Que-TiP]

I remember reading this quote form a different post, so I can't take credit for the genius.

Asking anandtech advise on cars is like asking guys on the NHRA website what to put in your /etc/fstab file.

In any case. I had a dodge daytona when I was 16. It was a pretty cool car for the time. But dont forget that you're looking at cars that are about 10 years old. They will all be piles of sh!t. Especially for under $3k. If you can find any one of these cars for under 3k that is in decent condition go for it. All cars have some problems, and if it was beaten up, thats even worse. What you should look into is maybe a $1500 or $2000 car. That way in a year when it doesnt run you will have money to buy another one. because for 3k you wont be getting anything thats much better. DSM's (talon, eclipse) are expensive to repair, and the transmissions go bad. My old Daytona was on its 3rd tranny when i was done with it. The integra is the only one that isnt well known for problems. Good luck!

-Alex

 

[thedarkwolf]

Did you have the 3.0l with a 4speed auto mitsubishi trans in that daytona. That thing is a POS. All the other trans available in them were pretty strong.

The 4 banger dodge major weak spot is the head gasket.

 

[Que-TiP]

yep 3.0L with the auto 4. I have to say that the engine was great, and it was pretty quick. The tranny was covered under warranty ( 7 year/70k miles thank god! ). To be honest i had the car for 5 years and i spend $10k on it including the price of the car($7k for the car + $3k in repairs). Thats over 5 years though. Not too shabby.

 

[need4spd]

good luck

 

[CraigRT]

<< For the $$ you have to work with, and the requirements you want, your best bet would be to look into a FWD turbocharged Dodge 4 banger. Something like a daytona, shadow, or Spirit R/T. >>



Absolutely.. they are reliable and if you get an intercooled TII or TIII they are FASSSSSST.... even a T1 can be done up to pull hard.. but a TIII would break your neck.. out of the 3 given thogh, i'd take the acura for best reliability, talon for speed, and Z24 for a good medium of both.