Worth $20K? 1998 Acura Integra Type R
The price tag for a genuine Acura Integra Type R in clean to excellent condition with no accidents has been steadily rising for years. It’s one of the essential enthusiast cars of the 90s, and with good reason – Honda brought their A game when creating the Type R, resulting in what was essentially one of the best performing front wheel drive cars ever built. Its performance and legacy are compelling reasons for the rapid rise in value, but do cars like this one – with over 200,000 miles and accident history – deserve a $20K bid? Find it here on eBay and located in upstate New York.
Mileage is reported as being 224,997, a number that shouldn’t shock anyone given the level of quality Honda was threading into its vehicles throughout the 90s. These were the golden years at Acura, when they were building truly unique cars with plenty of performance baked in and a stick shift offered in practically every model. Those days are gone, which is potentially another reason so many enthusiasts are willing to fork over big bucks for one of their dream cars as a teenager – one that was certainly out of reach for drivers on a high school budget.
And that was a good thing, really, because these Type Rs offered the kind of performance that would tempt so many young drivers into making bad decisions. Even mature owners would likely find it hard to resist dipping into that frantic VTEC-infused power band, but it’s also why they became an instant theft target: that ridiculously good drivetrain would drop right into any number of Honda/Acura products, which is why finding out without theft history can be a bit of a challenge. If I had to choose, I’d take this example with accident damage resulting from a collision with an animal.
Despite the crazy high mileage, the seller contends it was never used in winter, and that the mileage is due to highway driving (not in-town). I suppose a long-distance commute could justify the odometer reading, but given the harsh suspension and bare-bones nature of the car, dailying a Type R is a sign of the commitment the owner had to making sure this car was actually driven. Hopefully, the claim about no winter driving is true, because upstate NY is awful for rust. Have Type Rs reached the point that there are no more bargains left if cars like this are pulling $20K – or more?
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Comments
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Honda/Acura have never had any interest for me. But I respect the fact that other people do. That said… I am “impressed” by the bidding on this one. I never would have guessed. I know that they have a cult following and are a significant part of their particular scene, so maybe a seemingly well preserved specimen is worth more than a lower mileage, well abused one?
This car will be as good an investment as a classic muscle car, maybe better.
Don’t know what Ian’s comparing them to as far as 1998 American cars go…
A neon, escort or how bout the stellar cavalier? Excuse me while I piss myself rolling on the floor laughing!
Hate em all you want but the Japanese make the best cars in the world.
I am not comparing them to anything… I just said they are not for me. I never said I hate them either. I personally own a 2000 Camry, 2018 Crosstrek, 2007 Suzuki motorcycle, as well as my Super Duty and 1969 VW show car. I am also a certified Subaru pro-tech and a Toyota Master tech. Don’t try to read too much into my comment. The Acura acronym was a joke, and I even said I respected the people who are into them.
I do agree with you that certain models such as this one are great investments. The stock ones in good condition are already hard to find. Too bad the ones with a hot air intake, and a fart pipe don’t bring money.. they are everywhere!! HAHA
Jimmy J, you must have forgotten the Corvette, Z28, Camaro SS, Trans Am, Firebird Formula, Mustang GT and Cobra when you were naming American cars. I think those cars have more of a following and offer better performance than the Type R Integra. They are nice cars, and have a dedicated following, but are a better platform for modifications than a true performance car in its stock configuration.
Well, def Toyota and Honda and maybe Subaru if you ignore the head gasket deal. Nissan and Mazda, I dunno. But, even those are probably better than most other cars. What makes me laugh is the Muricans who want to support their country, when in reality GM is a few steps away from being based completely in China while Toyota’s are made here. My first car was a stellar crapalier btw. My first and last Garbage Motors vehicle.
I was comparing fwd cars the fact you mention v8 rwd muscle cars means the 4 banger Honda is compared to a motor with over twice the cubic inches.
Not really. I was responding to your original post which did mention muscle cars as an investment but never mentioned the comparison was only to American made FWD cars. If that’s how you think it would have helped your argument to have included that bit of information. I’ve come across more than a few people that only make the differentiation when its convenient.
Steve R
Where’s that grand prix???