evanescent03
Senior Member
- Thread starter
- #1
Random thoughts in my search for a vehicle in today's market.
So I briefly had an 11th gen Si earlier this year ... put some commuter miles on and as track season approached I panicked and traded it for a GR86 .. something I deemed more track worthy for some HPDE stuff. I had a 718 GT4 on order and didn't expect to get it in time for a couple of the earlier events.
The GR86 was an auto because it's all I could find. It was quite fun on the track and I was able to hang in with my friend in his 2016 Cayman S. The GR86 was fun: well balanced, quick enough, very nimble feeling. I did miss the interior appointments of the Si, namely the higher quality plastics (the GR86 scuffed and scratched if you looked at it too long). My GT4 came in and the GR86 went away.
Fast foward a few more months and I'm daily driving my 3/4 ton truck ... it's a beautiful truck but just big, cumbersome, and diesel prices are really unstable right now. I'll admit that a small/medium change in fuel prices isn't a major driving factor but operational costs are part of the equation. Diesel is almost double the price of gas and i get around 11mpg in the truck. However, a bigger point is I miss having something fun to hop in and run errands in. As nice as the truck is, it's not really fun and the GT4 is more of a nuissance to drive (especially after a couple snowfalls and <30*F temps).
I figured the CTR would be be perfect but the dealerships want $10-20k over. No thanks. Great car but not worth that to me especially because I like to move through cars and that's money that will likely not be recovered.
Decided I should go for an Si because on the street it offers 90% of the driving pleasures of a CTR ... manual, fun to rev, lightweight, easy to park in our old town where there are some small lots, kid friendly, etc.... My first Si was $2k over sticker ... annoying but tolerable. Well now places want $3-10k (ten thousand!) over sticker for an Si ... even if it's orange (i don't mind it, but i do feel like it clashes with the interior and my wife is totally against the orange/copper look, so a definite no-go).
I had been grappling with the idea of spending $3k over and waiting for an inbound Si or trying to talk someone down to $5-7k over for a CTR but I've grown tired of these games and I was looking at other options for a sensible commuter ... CR-V, Rav4, Subarus, BMW X1 (quick, fun, great cars priced decently, no manual option)...
And then it hit me ... What about the Integra? I had totally forgot about this car because when it was announced it looked like any other small Acura sedan (decent, just not inspiring) and it didn't seem to embody the Integra background. After a couple videos and calling a local dealership i discovered that they are selling them at MSRP! Sheesh. Music to my ears. Then I realized it's a hatchback which I love with kids, pets, active lifestyle. There is a Silver/black manual coming in and I put a deposit on it. It's still a few grand more than an Si but the delta is pretty small considering markups. Upgraded interior (the 3D sound system gets high praise), hatchback, lack of red interior and everything else that I loved about the Si is still there (infotainment, engine, trans/shifter).
I actually do prefer the exterior styling of the Si/grille/taillights and also i prefer the Si interior vents. If I could get an Si at sticker I'd still go that route but the dealerships have ruined it for me.
Anyways - if someone is here because they love the Si but is turned off by the ADM being charged ... check out the Integra. Still lots of love for the Si and i think that without ADM, the Si is a much better value. With ADM or trouble locating an Si, consider the hatchback cousin.
-Matt
So I briefly had an 11th gen Si earlier this year ... put some commuter miles on and as track season approached I panicked and traded it for a GR86 .. something I deemed more track worthy for some HPDE stuff. I had a 718 GT4 on order and didn't expect to get it in time for a couple of the earlier events.
The GR86 was an auto because it's all I could find. It was quite fun on the track and I was able to hang in with my friend in his 2016 Cayman S. The GR86 was fun: well balanced, quick enough, very nimble feeling. I did miss the interior appointments of the Si, namely the higher quality plastics (the GR86 scuffed and scratched if you looked at it too long). My GT4 came in and the GR86 went away.
Fast foward a few more months and I'm daily driving my 3/4 ton truck ... it's a beautiful truck but just big, cumbersome, and diesel prices are really unstable right now. I'll admit that a small/medium change in fuel prices isn't a major driving factor but operational costs are part of the equation. Diesel is almost double the price of gas and i get around 11mpg in the truck. However, a bigger point is I miss having something fun to hop in and run errands in. As nice as the truck is, it's not really fun and the GT4 is more of a nuissance to drive (especially after a couple snowfalls and <30*F temps).
I figured the CTR would be be perfect but the dealerships want $10-20k over. No thanks. Great car but not worth that to me especially because I like to move through cars and that's money that will likely not be recovered.
Decided I should go for an Si because on the street it offers 90% of the driving pleasures of a CTR ... manual, fun to rev, lightweight, easy to park in our old town where there are some small lots, kid friendly, etc.... My first Si was $2k over sticker ... annoying but tolerable. Well now places want $3-10k (ten thousand!) over sticker for an Si ... even if it's orange (i don't mind it, but i do feel like it clashes with the interior and my wife is totally against the orange/copper look, so a definite no-go).
I had been grappling with the idea of spending $3k over and waiting for an inbound Si or trying to talk someone down to $5-7k over for a CTR but I've grown tired of these games and I was looking at other options for a sensible commuter ... CR-V, Rav4, Subarus, BMW X1 (quick, fun, great cars priced decently, no manual option)...
And then it hit me ... What about the Integra? I had totally forgot about this car because when it was announced it looked like any other small Acura sedan (decent, just not inspiring) and it didn't seem to embody the Integra background. After a couple videos and calling a local dealership i discovered that they are selling them at MSRP! Sheesh. Music to my ears. Then I realized it's a hatchback which I love with kids, pets, active lifestyle. There is a Silver/black manual coming in and I put a deposit on it. It's still a few grand more than an Si but the delta is pretty small considering markups. Upgraded interior (the 3D sound system gets high praise), hatchback, lack of red interior and everything else that I loved about the Si is still there (infotainment, engine, trans/shifter).
I actually do prefer the exterior styling of the Si/grille/taillights and also i prefer the Si interior vents. If I could get an Si at sticker I'd still go that route but the dealerships have ruined it for me.
Anyways - if someone is here because they love the Si but is turned off by the ADM being charged ... check out the Integra. Still lots of love for the Si and i think that without ADM, the Si is a much better value. With ADM or trouble locating an Si, consider the hatchback cousin.
-Matt
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