DC2 VTiR. nething to watch out for when buying 1

[Moey.C]

hey guys id like 2 buy a dc2 vtir lookin to spend about 7500. any common problems with the cars i should look out for. .

eg: many gearbox problems?
any small not really noticable knocks or rattles in engine


anything i should look out for at all? ? plz help me out with your experience thanks

:thumbsup:

[Spunkymonkey]

rattling windows, sunroof guides need greasing, check gearbox for bearing noise (you'll hear it when you shift gears if there is a problem), faulty/broken antenna (you can replace with s2k one), check for oil leaking from the solenoid (can replace a seal to fix).

the rest is the usual stuff, body condition, etc

[Moey.C]

thanks man.. anything else.. eg anything relating the engine or the vtec that i should look out for.. i know the engine screams when u rev high but any specific loud sounds that shouldnt be there ?

[Spunkymonkey]

You will notice vtec start to cut in around 4500 rpm...then around 6000 rpm it screams more due to extra air from twin butterflies coming into the engine.

If there is any exhaust leaks it may make a loudish sound, or also cold air intake sometimes makes more noise, however that's nothing to be alarmed about.

basically if you hear knocking in the engine its probably not a good thing

[Mission]

Also look out for the engine temp being on the cool side. Integra's are known to have problems with the thermostat being stuck open half way.

Also the top-tank on the radiator is prone to cracks/leaks. If its a greenish top tank its more than likely the original one, but if its a black one, it has been replaced at some stage and just hope it hasn't been cooked.

[tectalk]

hey guys id like 2 buy a dc2 vtir lookin to spend about 7500. any common problems with the cars i should look out for. .

eg: many gearbox problems?
any small not really noticable knocks or rattles in engine


anything i should look out for at all? ? plz help me out with your experience thanks

:thumbsup:


Good luck buying a good one for $7500 :thumbsup: (unless you want high k's)

[T-onedc2]

Yeah as above, for that price you will find one with average k's and everything wrong or high k's and looked after. My friend last week sold his '97 VTi-R with 160,000 for $11,500 but was after a quick sale, it was one of the best stock examples around.

[muzukashi]

true, gona have to hit up abt the 12-14ish mark for a nice low vtir considering the yr

[tectalk]

[QUOTE=muzukashi;2110917]true, gona have to hit up abt the 12-14ish mark for a nice low vtir considering the yr[/QUOTE


:thumbsup:that's correct!

[gach2]

check boot for rust (near spare tyre)
also 7500 is decent price for good condition stock integra with around 150-200ks

anyone asking more than that for a prefacelift dc2 is dreaming or overpriced

many of the cars on carsales are
there was one listed for 14k when first listed
last price i saw was 10k
but it was end up being sold for 6k

[T-onedc2]

The difference between 150k & 200k be up to $3000-$4000 let alone the condition overall. What I'm saying is that there's not many clean well looked after examples around at all, so when an expensive one shows up it generally can mean the seller knows something you don't, ie. they looked after it, clean thoroughly in all the nooks and cranies, fix things before it it causes more damage, and service regularly.
If your budget doesn't allow for the upper price range then start looking for a different car, that's my opinion.

[gach2]

my last post wasnt really aimed at you t-onedc2
mainly at tec talks comments

and 2nd of all price has no real factor on conditiont
just because a car is cheaper doesnt mean that
it is in poorer condition etc
and also just because the ks are higher doesnt mean its worse than another car

but for 7.5k try to find a stock dc2
as im sure no one with a modified dc2 (that has done modifications properly) will let there car go for that cheap as mods itself if done properly to any honda is pricey

[trezmoc]

the engines r pretty solid, only ever had problems with the cracked radiator.

watch the electronics. my aerial ate it, the power windows can get sticky and if it has remote central locking the armature can bend out of place and the lock wont turn over. easy fixed tho, the auto electrician swapped in a spare from another car only took 20 minutes and the part was free.

also make sure uve got all the rubber stoppers in the bootlid. otherwise it can rattle

[Moey.C]

alrght beautfful.. im gona spend wat i got 2 spend.

im not 2 bothered about the condition as long as engine is in good nick

[burak213]

bro didnt u want a dc2R before ?? what happened?

[LowCoupe]

Some good info in here!

After selling my EJ8 VTi Coupe nearly 4 years ago, I've decided to get back into a Honda as a daily after many other attempts from SS utes to GTR's, as my Civic was definately my fav daily to date and am pretty keen on a DC2 VTiR as a nice, cheaper, more economical runabout that still has a bit of go....got one I'm keen on and everything mentioned seems to be alright, sunroof does jutter a bit on the way back, but as mentioned a bit of grease should fix this? Electrics all seem to be working fine, engine sounds good and the bay is very well kept as is the rest of the car, the radiator top tank does appear to be black, so does this mean its been replaced? Also the headlights are a bit yellowed/cloudy, but thats an easy fix with some Scratch-X....otherwise its all good to go, unless anyone else has anything to share as far as what to look at for problems?

Plans are to lower it quite a bit, de-wing it, colour code sides and maybe a Type R lip....wheels would come later.

Edit: I should probably mention its a '99 facelifted model, I'm guessing all the same problems exist throughout the DC2 range, or were some of the issues ironed out by '98 on....or did they have some new ones of their own?

[Mission]

The top tank being black is a give-away that it has been replaced.
To my knowledge, the Vti-R came out with a greeninsh top tank from factory. Correct me if I am wrong tho.
Hope that helps.

[Moey.C]

bro didnt u want a dc2R before ?? what happened?

that was my brother. he didnt know weather 2 go dc5r or dc2r. now he wants a turbo ? who cares bout him

[LowCoupe]

The top tank being black is a give-away that it has been replaced.
To my knowledge, the Vti-R came out with a greeninsh top tank from factory. Correct me if I am wrong tho.
Hope that helps.

Ok, it was in a garage and I didn't look too hard, but how green is greenish? Any one got pics of the factory top tank? It might have been a dark green, but at a glance it looked black.

Is it a massive issue if its been replaced, obviously the factory ones aren't too good if its a common problem for them to crack, so I guess its a good thing if its been replaced with a newer tank, right?

[T-onedc2]

Ok, it was in a garage and I didn't look too hard, but how green is greenish? Any one got pics of the factory top tank? It might have been a dark green, but at a glance it looked black.

Is it a massive issue if its been replaced, obviously the factory ones aren't too good if its a common problem for them to crack, so I guess its a good thing if its been replaced with a newer tank, right?
OEM radiator top is a very dark but glossy green, whereas aftermarket is like a matte black.

[T-onedc2]

sunroof does jutter a bit on the way back, but as mentioned a bit of grease should fix this? Electrics all seem to be working fine, engine sounds good and the bay is very well kept as is the rest of the car, the radiator top tank does appear to be black, so does this mean its been replaced? Also the headlights are a bit yellowed/cloudy, but thats an easy fix with some Scratch-X....otherwise its all good to go, unless anyone else has anything to share as far as what to look at for problems?

Plans are to lower it quite a bit, de-wing it, colour code sides and maybe a Type R lip....wheels would come later.

Edit: I should probably mention its a '99 facelifted model, I'm guessing all the same problems exist throughout the DC2 range, or were some of the issues ironed out by '98 on....or did they have some new ones of their own?
Yeah the same problems are common throughout the year range, occasionally the actuators for the central locking play up also, aerial will die eventually, but all have been easy and cheap fixes, service history is the most important thing imo.

[LowCoupe]

Thanks, yeah it has full log booking and was only serviced 1000klms ago, so all that is present. Aerial works fine....for now, as does the central, but will have a closer look at the radiator when I look next.

[sangyz]

You usually can't go wrong if they have a full service history and receipts to prove it. I bought a 98' DC2 a few months back. I didn't even test drive it, the owner did and i fell in love with it and bought it on the spot. However, he did have full log book etc etc.

Although once again, keep your eyes peeled for unaligned panel's. I was able to identify that the gap between my rear bumper and the tail light was slightly gappier than usual. So i sussed that out completely with the previous owner. Just a heads up :D

[Teg_Vti-R]

Yeah as above, for that price you will find one with average k's and everything wrong or high k's and looked after. My friend last week sold his '97 VTi-R with 160,000 for $11,500 but was after a quick sale, it was one of the best stock examples around.

Hmm, it's possible that's the car I just bought. I don't suppose it was Toby's car - White with the spoiler removed? I'm now the new owner if so. 11,500 felt about $1,000 more than it perhaps should have been worth, however it is definitely one of the best around, plus it had absolutely full service history, 100k of which is at a Honda dealer serviced every 5K. Plus it had brand new Potenza Adrenalines on it :)

My 2c - over the space of owning a car for say 3 years, the purchase price only makes up around half to 2/3 of the total cost of ownership. So i reckon get the best maintained one you can find so you're not spending thousands fixing the things that the previous owner didn't.

[T-onedc2]

Hmm, it's possible that's the car I just bought. I don't suppose it was Toby's car - White with the spoiler removed? I'm now the new owner if so. 11,500 felt about $1,000 more than it perhaps should have been worth, however it is definitely one of the best around, plus it had absolutely full service history, 100k of which is at a Honda dealer serviced every 5K. Plus it had brand new Potenza Adrenalines on it :)

My 2c - over the space of owning a car for say 3 years, the purchase price only makes up around half to 2/3 of the total cost of ownership. So i reckon get the best maintained one you can find so you're not spending thousands fixing the things that the previous owner didn't.
Yeah that's the one mate, sounds like it went to a good home. He forgot to take it off the classifieds and has had a couple calls from people desperate to find a good example lol.
I wondered if I'd see the new owner on here, you should post an intro with some pics :thumbsup:

[Teg_Vti-R]

Cheers, definitely gone to a good home, it will be pampered and will have a few mild bits and pieces done to it.

I was just starting to scan through the forums and came across your post.

I will have to do an intro, where do I do that?

Another thing I can add to this discussion - the engine mounts in my car were stuffed, I knew that was the case, it's booked in to be done next week, does some horrible vibrating and thumping on downchanges. Can be hard to detect, I had an RAA check and they found it - plus the Honda service history had mentioned it too.

[T-onedc2]

Post your intro here:
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=19

[JDM.Power]

is this moey chehade? living in my area.. played in my rugby team for hinchin last year?
if so its alan, the one with the hilux with big bling bling :)

[LowCoupe]

Well I put a deposit on the VTIR I was keen on, drove very well, no noises from the gearbox or engine, no rattles or squeaks anywhere. The car is a '99 facelifted model in extremely good condition, interior is perfect and the engine bay is spotless, few stone chips, but what 10yr old car doesn't, its definately one of the cleanest non-modified ones I've ever seen with a fully log booked 140k on the clock.....very happy with the buy @ $11k!! Now to slam it and de-wing it.

[T-onedc2]

Well I put a deposit on the VTIR I was keen on, drove very well, no noises from the gearbox or engine, no rattles or squeaks anywhere. The car is a '99 facelifted model in extremely good condition, interior is perfect and the engine bay is spotless, few stone chips, but what 10yr old car doesn't, its definately one of the cleanest non-modified ones I've ever seen with a fully log booked 140k on the clock.....very happy with the buy @ $11k!! Now to slam it and de-wing it.
damn that's cheap, cars cost nothing in the eastern states

[Shraka]

A lot of the common problems listed have happened to my car. I bought it with a 3 year warranty though. :D

- Thermostat was stuck open (warranty replaced)
- Clutch went (warranty replaced)
- Door actuators act up sometimes (annoying but they still lock the car fine)
- Top tank exploded (I limped it home, but the needle didn't lift off mid way ONCE! The cooling system in the VTiR is AWESOME!)
- Sunroof judders a bit
- Windows are a bit loose

My antenna is fine though (I rarely ever use it as it came with a 6 stacker), and there's no rust on mine at all.

[specialst]

bushings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i went thru the bushings phase and all those listed above with my previous dc2... big job to do 1st time around butisnt really that bad.
sold it cos i was gna buy a type r but then stumbled across a well kepted dc4 for a good price.
now... back to the bushings problem LOL but its not dramatic yet.
btw, i disconnected my dc2 antenna...

[JDM.Power]

my mate picked up a 1994 honda integra vtir, 17x,xxx km
white stock standard as a rock, only 2 owners, came with logbooks to and phat 5ives,
rego till december !! bargin considering it was clean asss and no modification or what so ever.

my cousin has a dc2 vtir also, he has never had any engine or body wise problem.