Discussion
Search function is perma-offline, so can anyone tell me about these? Having a major hard on for these at the moment, and was wondering how I would find one in comparison to my mk 2.5 MX5. They seem to be in budget for me
What to look out for, reliability, handling, performace, potential for rust or big repairs etc. Will I miss rear wheel drive if I stepped into an ITR or is it not that important in the grand scheme of things?
I wouldn't mind loosing a soft top, and although I would rarely need them, a larger boot and a couple of extra seats are useful. I understand the ITR is raw, but how raw?
Points awarded for real world vTEC jusT kickEd in YO stories also.
What to look out for, reliability, handling, performace, potential for rust or big repairs etc. Will I miss rear wheel drive if I stepped into an ITR or is it not that important in the grand scheme of things?
I wouldn't mind loosing a soft top, and although I would rarely need them, a larger boot and a couple of extra seats are useful. I understand the ITR is raw, but how raw?
Points awarded for real world vTEC jusT kickEd in YO stories also.
itr-dc2.com has lots of info.
I had one years and years ago, px for a 350Z mainly because I couldn't live without aircon/stereo (mine had neither) and was doing alot of M work at the time which the ITR is simply awful at(lots of road/winde noise due to no sound proofing, engine revs constantly high due to no 6th gear, the VTEC howl is great when blasting down country roads but not so good when you have to hear it for 2hr+ at a time). I now have a BMW 335i but have to say for pure driving fun the ITR beats both the 350Z and 335i despite it been FWD and having alot less BHP.
For me it was too raw as a daily run around, but plenty of people do use them all the time (much in the same way I couldn't live with a Elise but a friend had one for 18months and used it every day rain/shine/snow)....only one way to find out though and thats to buy one
I had one years and years ago, px for a 350Z mainly because I couldn't live without aircon/stereo (mine had neither) and was doing alot of M work at the time which the ITR is simply awful at(lots of road/winde noise due to no sound proofing, engine revs constantly high due to no 6th gear, the VTEC howl is great when blasting down country roads but not so good when you have to hear it for 2hr+ at a time). I now have a BMW 335i but have to say for pure driving fun the ITR beats both the 350Z and 335i despite it been FWD and having alot less BHP.
For me it was too raw as a daily run around, but plenty of people do use them all the time (much in the same way I couldn't live with a Elise but a friend had one for 18months and used it every day rain/shine/snow)....only one way to find out though and thats to buy one
Edited by gangzoom on Wednesday 12th September 21:20
seany87 said:
Search function is perma-offline, so can anyone tell me about these? Having a major hard on for these at the moment, and was wondering how I would find one in comparison to my mk 2.5 MX5. They seem to be in budget for me
What to look out for, reliability, handling, performace, potential for rust or big repairs etc. Will I miss rear wheel drive if I stepped into an ITR or is it not that important in the grand scheme of things?
I wouldn't mind loosing a soft top, and although I would rarely need them, a larger boot and a couple of extra seats are useful. I understand the ITR is raw, but how raw?
Points awarded for real world vTEC jusT kickEd in YO stories also.
I've had 3 X DC2's, a DC5, FD2 and S2000 amongst others. They are a great drivers car, best FWD out of the bunch for fun and sheer feedback. Most examples are now quite tired and need a suspension overhaul which if done properly (dampers and bushes) can add up. That coupled with a lot of them having rusting wheel arches makes find a good example quite tough. What to look out for, reliability, handling, performace, potential for rust or big repairs etc. Will I miss rear wheel drive if I stepped into an ITR or is it not that important in the grand scheme of things?
I wouldn't mind loosing a soft top, and although I would rarely need them, a larger boot and a couple of extra seats are useful. I understand the ITR is raw, but how raw?
Points awarded for real world vTEC jusT kickEd in YO stories also.
They are reasonably quick and when kept in the VTEC zone can make very brisk progress, I took one of mine on track and was leaving MX-5's without trying too hard.
Find a mint one with all the suspension work done and you are onto a winner, get onto DC2 owners forum for all the info you need.
I'm selling mine (mint uk example with 59k miles) now to fund another E92 M3....
Thanks for the replies thus far.
I think the main worry for me as mentioned will be how tired they are as they are a bit long in the tooth. Im also a bit concerned as to whether it will be suited to daily driving duties so I will have to research whether I will be able to put up with that, although the MX5 is hardly the last word in refinement it has a heater that can melt steel and heated seats so is actually, in winter, like being inside a moving oven and is easy to drive in town.
It does sound fantastic however and im sure it has a decent turn of speed.
I think the main worry for me as mentioned will be how tired they are as they are a bit long in the tooth. Im also a bit concerned as to whether it will be suited to daily driving duties so I will have to research whether I will be able to put up with that, although the MX5 is hardly the last word in refinement it has a heater that can melt steel and heated seats so is actually, in winter, like being inside a moving oven and is easy to drive in town.
It does sound fantastic however and im sure it has a decent turn of speed.
As mentioned, ITR-DC2.com provides good resource, but here’re a few random ones:
- Depending on your budget, don’t worry about putting too much emphasis on whether ALL the bushes have been renewed. Mine only have had some of the bushes renewed and it drives fine.
- It seems that most OEM clutches last 90k. Mine was changed at 100k. Another car that I viewed had it changed at 85k, and I know another PH member has had his changed at similar mileage. Stick with OEM clutch; I drove one with upgraded clutch and it’s like an on-off switch in town driving. Genuine Honda Clutch Kit is only about £162.
- The Integra is one of those cars that only makes sense if you drive it hard. The harder you drive it the better it gets. If you worry about mpg and just want a shopping trolley then this is not the car for you. Having said that, the car is really practical; it has got conformable seats, spacious cabin and big boot. You need to test drive one to see if it’s ‘too raw’ for your daily use.
- Tyres: Hard side wall is what you want!
- I bought my car last December (98k) and apart from a major service / parts renewal (new clutch, flywheel skim/refacing, discs, pads, baffle sump, front caliper rebuild, RTA bushes, engine mounts) in May, the car has been ultra reliable. Mine is UKDM (I prefer the look) with 98-spec JDM manifold. 191 bhp from Surry Rolling Road. So far I’ve driven 5,600 miles including four track days (I’m doing another two in October) and the car is faultless. Overall mpg is 25.5.
Apologies for rambling and I hope I don't sound too much like a fanboi.
Good luck!
- Depending on your budget, don’t worry about putting too much emphasis on whether ALL the bushes have been renewed. Mine only have had some of the bushes renewed and it drives fine.
- It seems that most OEM clutches last 90k. Mine was changed at 100k. Another car that I viewed had it changed at 85k, and I know another PH member has had his changed at similar mileage. Stick with OEM clutch; I drove one with upgraded clutch and it’s like an on-off switch in town driving. Genuine Honda Clutch Kit is only about £162.
- The Integra is one of those cars that only makes sense if you drive it hard. The harder you drive it the better it gets. If you worry about mpg and just want a shopping trolley then this is not the car for you. Having said that, the car is really practical; it has got conformable seats, spacious cabin and big boot. You need to test drive one to see if it’s ‘too raw’ for your daily use.
- Tyres: Hard side wall is what you want!
- I bought my car last December (98k) and apart from a major service / parts renewal (new clutch, flywheel skim/refacing, discs, pads, baffle sump, front caliper rebuild, RTA bushes, engine mounts) in May, the car has been ultra reliable. Mine is UKDM (I prefer the look) with 98-spec JDM manifold. 191 bhp from Surry Rolling Road. So far I’ve driven 5,600 miles including four track days (I’m doing another two in October) and the car is faultless. Overall mpg is 25.5.
Apologies for rambling and I hope I don't sound too much like a fanboi.
Good luck!
wy906 said:
Just saw your ad at itr-dc2.com; shame you're selling, you've done so much work! Very nice car! Best of luck.
I know, also forgot to add that new AD048's were fitted less than 700 miles ago too.... lolHowever, the E92 M3 beckons again and I'm in a position to buy (once DC2 is sold) so why not... as good as the DC2 is the V8 is just a sublime engine.
Owned 2 DC2s, driven a few MX5s...and (aside from the roof-down aspect) while the MX5 is a very good car, there's no contest.
Yes, the DC2 is fwd, but you'd never notice in the dry and it's quite adjustable in the wet if you're more of the 'hooligan' style of driving. Actually, the car rewards both smooth and hairy driving styles in different ways...and like the MX5 is engaging at 5/10ths not just 10/10ths.
Drive one, and make sure you drive it quite hard - even a 'reasonably worn' one will take that sort of drive without being obstructive if any way. Powertrain is the first thing that hooks you, then you notice how good the steering is and how surprisingly compliant the ride is, given the control offered. Then you brake late for a roundabout and realise you had at least another 20-30 yards to spare, before finally accelerating INTO the roundabout (before you get to the apex, let alone worry about winding off lock), and grin as the diff hooks a metaphoric arm around a lamppost and pulls you tight through the corner!*
As for daily driver - piece of cake unless you're used to modern over-insulated over-kitted turbo'd machinery - off-VTEC it's still got enough power to keep up with lesser repmobiles, so even on M-ways you're never really flat-footed. Stereo, a/c (some of them) and elec windows and mirrors is enough...
* Can you tell I'm a fan???
Yes, the DC2 is fwd, but you'd never notice in the dry and it's quite adjustable in the wet if you're more of the 'hooligan' style of driving. Actually, the car rewards both smooth and hairy driving styles in different ways...and like the MX5 is engaging at 5/10ths not just 10/10ths.
Drive one, and make sure you drive it quite hard - even a 'reasonably worn' one will take that sort of drive without being obstructive if any way. Powertrain is the first thing that hooks you, then you notice how good the steering is and how surprisingly compliant the ride is, given the control offered. Then you brake late for a roundabout and realise you had at least another 20-30 yards to spare, before finally accelerating INTO the roundabout (before you get to the apex, let alone worry about winding off lock), and grin as the diff hooks a metaphoric arm around a lamppost and pulls you tight through the corner!*
As for daily driver - piece of cake unless you're used to modern over-insulated over-kitted turbo'd machinery - off-VTEC it's still got enough power to keep up with lesser repmobiles, so even on M-ways you're never really flat-footed. Stereo, a/c (some of them) and elec windows and mirrors is enough...
* Can you tell I'm a fan???
seany87 said:
I understand the ITR is raw, but how raw?
Depends if you're running mods. I have brand new OEM shocks and eibach springs and it's bloody stiff, compliant but stiff. Going in a friends MX5 2.5 on Meister R feels like a Rolls-Royce. Are you going to use it everyday? If you do lots of motorway it may wear quite thin. I wouldn't change it for the world, but I can see where people come from with the lack of refinement.
I had a jdm early on no sitcom no abs nothing and found it a hoot to drive as no driver aids was very rewarding and made you always think what you were doing. Barring a bit of rust on top of the door just under window was rot free. They do tend to rust on back arches. Had tein coil overs on mine and toyo proxy t1r's. It handled anything I could throw at it stuck like glue.
I was massively surprised by it as I didn't know a thing about type r's let alone integra's. My son chose it on a whim when we went car hunting. He was 8 at the time. Good choice that lad.
Just watch for smoke when it changes over into vtech. As some have been driven hard and not been looked after. Check oil regularly. I once ran mine with oil on halfway mark and would drop out of vtech under power up slight hills. Thought had broke it lol.
Used to get 250 tops to a tank of fuel round town no matter how I drove it. But a run to parents about 300 miles round trip would use half a tank goin steady cruise 80 to 90 or 3/4 having some fun on motorway and a38 back roads toward tutbury.
Sorry for long post but I also a fan will have another when kids grown up. Although family bus is an accord type r
I was massively surprised by it as I didn't know a thing about type r's let alone integra's. My son chose it on a whim when we went car hunting. He was 8 at the time. Good choice that lad.
Just watch for smoke when it changes over into vtech. As some have been driven hard and not been looked after. Check oil regularly. I once ran mine with oil on halfway mark and would drop out of vtech under power up slight hills. Thought had broke it lol.
Used to get 250 tops to a tank of fuel round town no matter how I drove it. But a run to parents about 300 miles round trip would use half a tank goin steady cruise 80 to 90 or 3/4 having some fun on motorway and a38 back roads toward tutbury.
Sorry for long post but I also a fan will have another when kids grown up. Although family bus is an accord type r
I love the DC2, its one of those cars that makes every journey a pleasure..........unless you have to use the motorway a lot then it is perhaps a little too noisey.
As a side note, I think a lot of them burn oil in Vtec, mine does and always has but has never let me down in any way in my 5 years of ownership. So if you test drive one and there is smoke when the Vtec kicks in the car should be fine as long as the owner has kept ontop of oil levels.
As a side note, I think a lot of them burn oil in Vtec, mine does and always has but has never let me down in any way in my 5 years of ownership. So if you test drive one and there is smoke when the Vtec kicks in the car should be fine as long as the owner has kept ontop of oil levels.
OK I'm on my second DC2 now. I've had 57 performance cars and I missed this so much I came back to it. I also have a 2006 Jetta 2.0 turbo to keep it company.
I bought it from the first owner which is quite rare now. He had covered 146000 using it daily from new but it still supported a full Honda dealer history with every single bill and MOT. Simon had also run it on Mobil 1 0W40 from new.
It's a 1999 car which I bought in May this year. UKDM and in the best colour, Milano Red. Even though the car had a full Honda dealer history it was truly amazing what it needed mechanically. I went over board and changed everything including all bushes, arms, mounts, joints etc etc. I also replaced all the brake discs and pads as it had been sat for 3 months and they wouldn't clean up. It also needed 2 new Michelin Pilot Exaltos for the front.
The belts also needed doing, so I went ahead and did all of the belts, the tensioner, the waterpump, thermostat, coolant and radiator. The entire ignition system has also been replaced, and I have completed spruced up the engine bay with a new camcover, repainted exhaust headshield, new ABS and head er tank brackets and anodised bolts and washers to replace all of the nasty Honda bolts that corrode. She also now supports Ultra Racing bracing all round (3 point front upper, 2 point front lower, 2 point rear lower and optional Honda rear upper brace). I have TEIN Type Mono Flex full adjustable coilovers here waiting for her when it comes back.....
I was always going to repaint the car, so dropped it off last week to my friend. It's had a full strip down but required some welding on the rear inner arches where they ALL go. I have supplied him with a complete new genuine decal kit, and all new Honda badges (not cheap!). She also got new front and rear bumper brackets, all new licence plate illumination hardware and all new clips. The rear side glass was cut from the car and the rubber surrounding which had weathered stripped back and repainted in Plasti-dip.
I have brand new 16" wheels and tyres to fit once she comes out in the correct ITR grey. So hopefully it will look a bit manlier! Due to corrosion, the bonnet was scrap so I replaced it with a brand new Siebon carbon fibre item - I was tempted to repaint this red but the painter put me off so it will remain in the slightly chav raw carbon (massive weight saving though!).
The interior on the car is unmarked, but I still had the drivers side outer bolster refoamed with genuine Recaro parts and fitted custom seat covers to keep them mint.
Even with all this listed, I know there is far more that I have completed. The receipts are endless.
Was it worth it? Ultimately in financial times no; the car is still on 153000 but with only 1 previous owner and fHsh. Strangely enough due to having Mobil 1 in it's veins from new it actually uses no oil between my 3K oil changes - most do but it's a testament to Simon's care for the car.
I hope you realise now by my rather long winded tale that these cars are so incredible that once you bite you will not let go. They get under your skin like no other car, and the sense of occasion is just incredible everytime you get in the car. Nothing comes close, maybe my E30 M3 when I had it but that's it.
Get a good one and treasure the best front wheel drivers car you will ever sample. As the rest rot away and get broken for parts I'm hoping by rescuing mine I've done something for the future of the most incredible car I've ever driven.
Rez
I bought it from the first owner which is quite rare now. He had covered 146000 using it daily from new but it still supported a full Honda dealer history with every single bill and MOT. Simon had also run it on Mobil 1 0W40 from new.
It's a 1999 car which I bought in May this year. UKDM and in the best colour, Milano Red. Even though the car had a full Honda dealer history it was truly amazing what it needed mechanically. I went over board and changed everything including all bushes, arms, mounts, joints etc etc. I also replaced all the brake discs and pads as it had been sat for 3 months and they wouldn't clean up. It also needed 2 new Michelin Pilot Exaltos for the front.
The belts also needed doing, so I went ahead and did all of the belts, the tensioner, the waterpump, thermostat, coolant and radiator. The entire ignition system has also been replaced, and I have completed spruced up the engine bay with a new camcover, repainted exhaust headshield, new ABS and head er tank brackets and anodised bolts and washers to replace all of the nasty Honda bolts that corrode. She also now supports Ultra Racing bracing all round (3 point front upper, 2 point front lower, 2 point rear lower and optional Honda rear upper brace). I have TEIN Type Mono Flex full adjustable coilovers here waiting for her when it comes back.....
I was always going to repaint the car, so dropped it off last week to my friend. It's had a full strip down but required some welding on the rear inner arches where they ALL go. I have supplied him with a complete new genuine decal kit, and all new Honda badges (not cheap!). She also got new front and rear bumper brackets, all new licence plate illumination hardware and all new clips. The rear side glass was cut from the car and the rubber surrounding which had weathered stripped back and repainted in Plasti-dip.
I have brand new 16" wheels and tyres to fit once she comes out in the correct ITR grey. So hopefully it will look a bit manlier! Due to corrosion, the bonnet was scrap so I replaced it with a brand new Siebon carbon fibre item - I was tempted to repaint this red but the painter put me off so it will remain in the slightly chav raw carbon (massive weight saving though!).
The interior on the car is unmarked, but I still had the drivers side outer bolster refoamed with genuine Recaro parts and fitted custom seat covers to keep them mint.
Even with all this listed, I know there is far more that I have completed. The receipts are endless.
Was it worth it? Ultimately in financial times no; the car is still on 153000 but with only 1 previous owner and fHsh. Strangely enough due to having Mobil 1 in it's veins from new it actually uses no oil between my 3K oil changes - most do but it's a testament to Simon's care for the car.
I hope you realise now by my rather long winded tale that these cars are so incredible that once you bite you will not let go. They get under your skin like no other car, and the sense of occasion is just incredible everytime you get in the car. Nothing comes close, maybe my E30 M3 when I had it but that's it.
Get a good one and treasure the best front wheel drivers car you will ever sample. As the rest rot away and get broken for parts I'm hoping by rescuing mine I've done something for the future of the most incredible car I've ever driven.
Rez
itr-dc2 for everything you need to know re. model differences mate
JDM cars slightly up on power (197bhp) compared to UK cars due to different manifold and exhaust centre section
'96 JDM cars have smaller brakes than UK and '98 onwards jap models
There are a few other differences but those are the main ones.
JDM cars slightly up on power (197bhp) compared to UK cars due to different manifold and exhaust centre section
'96 JDM cars have smaller brakes than UK and '98 onwards jap models
There are a few other differences but those are the main ones.
Imports may be more to insure than a UK car and as for the Jap import only wider diameter exhaust manifold down pipe, it makes no discernible difference. The UK car still had Honda's specifically lightened exhaust for the UK Integra which works well being normally aspirated. My first one seemed ultra raw for every day use in 2000, but after the initial culture shock, I never had a problem driving them long distances; even on the motorway for 300 mile treks at a time. The CRX Vtec hatch with no power steering was more hardcore. For purely satisfying driving thrills, Dc2's hit the spot and feel special like an RS Porsche. A well driven one will stay ahead of an evo on track, and keep a bike honest on a fast B-road, never mind an MX5. I look forward to driving mine every time.
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