ITS or other performance vehicle?

[TemporarilyStairs]

Thanks for the resource! Yes, I'm pretty much married to the blue color. I'm tired of black/white/gray cars. I have not had a blue car in a while and this color is beautiful. I have not searched specific dealerships, just expanded the search for the blue. I'd love to buy at my local dealership, but they told me they don't control what Acura sends them.

The Blue ITS is truly dreamy AF. I was also set on this color from the get-go (but with the ebony interior, white is just not compatible with my dog lol).

I bought from Acura of Austin North in November and they had a required package with all-season mats/trunk tray/wheel locks/paint protection/tint for $1800 extra (I then added my own accessories as well). No regrets

 

[JesseP]

Carmax has a blue on black with 3k miles for 49.9k. Save yourself a bit of money going that route

https://www.carmax.com/car/25099349

Thanks a bunch! Not sure why I had not seen this yet. I'm setting up the test drive now.

 

[RUNN1N]

Carmax has a blue on black with 3k miles for 49.9k. Save yourself a bit of money going that route

https://www.carmax.com/car/25099349

Teamwork makes the dream work!

 

[pomegranate]

If I'm paying $62k, I may as well look at BMW M2s.

A lot of people here are genuinely paying that much especially early adopters. A lot will be paying closer to 65k-70k once you factor in interest rates. You can do the math yourself here. I don't even want to think about all the money after-market wheels, PPFs, tints, and ceramic coatings cost.

Personally waiting a couple years. Either they'll be more on the used market, or the mid-model refresh will give you better value (possibly Accord infotainment, foglights, build quality issues improved). Rates should go down too.

 

[grahm]

Whatever you do, don't pay over MSRP for any of these cars. There are a few low-milage used blue ITS on Autotrader for under MSRP.

 

[Chilipepper]

I bought an Apex blue/Ebony ITS in early December. I was on two wait lists (#30 @ 100 miles away & #15 @ 40 miles away) at dealers in the area that were selling @ MSRP. My local dealer was selling @ $7500 ADM. They emailed me and said they would be willing to sell at only $4000 ADM because I was a previous customer. I said I was unwilling to pay over MSRP. Two weeks later, I get an email about "having a conversation" about them selling one of two cars in stock @ MSRP plus $1000 for "luxcare" and $129 for wheel locks. I went in to look at it on the showroom floor, because I had never seen one in the flesh before. I still said I was not willing to buy at that price. The sales manager said he would knock off $200 off the Luxcare price and that it was "a really good deal". I said I would sleep on it and left. Three days later, I get another email asking if I had any questions. I said, not really and that I would still be a buyer @ MSRP. They countered with MSRP plus $129 for the wheel locks. I said you have a deal, figuring that if I waited until the next year, there was a chance Acura would increase the base price from the factory.

I think the fact that I was willing to wait for an honest dealer to get me one in the coming months/years facilitated them willing to deal. I would never pay an ADM for this or any car. And if you are having to pay around $62k, I'd opt for the BMW. Out of all the cars on your list though, I think the Golf R @ MSRP is the best value. It was on my list, but the haptic buttons/infotainment were a deal killer for me, leaving the ITS as my choice.

 

[Quinn Regis]

I know I'm going to get a lot of bias answers here, but hear me out.

I really love the look of this vehicle in Blue with the white interior. I've been hunting for a couple weeks now, but all available options are about 400 miles from me (I'm south of Atlanta) and they all have a huge mark up. Fountain Acura in Orlando told me and I quote, " We are willing to work with you, however the last Integra Type-S we sold was $10,000 over MSRP which has set the bar." People are still spending $10k above MSRP? I like the car, but not that much. It's already priced pretty high when comparing similar vehicles. If I'm paying $62k, I may as well look at BMW M2s.

So my questions is this: Should I wait around to find the color combination I want at MSRP or are there other similar manual transmission cars I could get into around the same price? I had an ND2 Miata that I loved, but I need something with a second row for kids. Power is not very important, just needs to be fun to drive with a MT. With that said, I currently own a Model 3 Performance, and would probably be disappointed with anything extremely slow unless I'm making up for it in fun factor.

My current short list:

ITS
Civic Type R (but prefer ITS if going with FWD)
BMW M2
GR Corolla
VW Golf R
Elantra N (kind of ugly)
Also willing to go used a few years back if I can get a good deal on a more expansive car.

- 10 Years from now, the ITS and Type R will still be desirable cars. I think more so than the others on your list. They will hold their value.
- The Honda engine is easy to service and with less cost
- The Honda manual transmission should last a long time. Should be less money to service as it requires less maintenance vs the others
- Loads of tuner parts available on the market.

For me, its peace of mind. Just look at this video from the car care nut regarding the ITS. Reviews the mechanics of the car.

 

[PizzaGuy]

I also have kids and considered a lot of these cars.

I strongly considered the M2 because of how much markup was on the ITS but I also found markup on the M2, with the price of the car ballooning when I added the options I wanted. So ultimately, the cars didn’t feel that comparable price wise. I was a little concerned about not having rear doors too. My kids are front facing but loading kids through a long coupe door in a tight parking space didn’t sound appealing to me.

GR Corolla was too small for me. Golf R didn’t feel sporty enough for me. Elantra N too ugly, like you said. So the ITS just checked the most boxes for me.

One of the things that I looked forward to the most about the car before buying it was the manual transmission. Everyone loves talking about Honda manuals, and I wanted to try owning one myself. And I LOVE the ITS transmission. It makes the driving experience that much more enjoyable. It actually is surprising to me (still after 6 months of ownership) how much I enjoy it compared to other cars I’ve owned.

 

[JesseP]

I also have kids and considered a lot of these cars.

I strongly considered the M2 because of how much markup was on the ITS but I also found markup on the M2, with the price of the car ballooning when I added the options I wanted. So ultimately, the cars didn’t feel that comparable price wise. I was a little concerned about not having rear doors too. My kids are front facing but loading kids through a long coupe door in a tight parking space didn’t sound appealing to me.

GR Corolla was too small for me. Golf R didn’t feel sporty enough for me. Elantra N too ugly, like you said. So the ITS just checked the most boxes for me.

One of the things that I looked forward to the most about the car before buying it was the manual transmission. Everyone loves talking about Honda manuals, and I wanted to try owning one myself. And I LOVE the ITS transmission. It makes the driving experience that much more enjoyable. It actually is surprising to me (still after 6 months of ownership) how much I enjoy it compared to other cars I’ve owned.

Thanks for the encouraging words about the car. I'm currently in the process of purchasing the one from CarMax. I didn't want to take the chance someone swoops in and snags it out from under me while I attempt to go see it. Like you said, this car ticked the most boxes and just made more sense compared to the alternatives. I'm sure I'll enjoy it as much as you do.

 

[ckone2030]

I also have kids and considered a lot of these cars.

I strongly considered the M2 because of how much markup was on the ITS but I also found markup on the M2, with the price of the car ballooning when I added the options I wanted. So ultimately, the cars didn’t feel that comparable price wise. I was a little concerned about not having rear doors too. My kids are front facing but loading kids through a long coupe door in a tight parking space didn’t sound appealing to me.

GR Corolla was too small for me. Golf R didn’t feel sporty enough for me. Elantra N too ugly, like you said. So the ITS just checked the most boxes for me.

One of the things that I looked forward to the most about the car before buying it was the manual transmission. Everyone loves talking about Honda manuals, and I wanted to try owning one myself. And I LOVE the ITS transmission. It makes the driving experience that much more enjoyable. It actually is surprising to me (still after 6 months of ownership) how much I enjoy it compared to other cars I’ve owned.

I wholeheartedly agree with you on the manual transmission feel of the ITS. I have driven many manual cars, including several Hondas, and this manual is the best one by far. I saw some people said that it is comparable to some of the manual Porches but what do I know since I cannot afford a Porches yet...lol.

 

[Krazydan19]

Get the ITS, country is big jump on a plane go get one!. The drive home will be a blast. Perfect family car, My boys love it.

 

[bdisco]

Mazda 3 hatchback near luxury interior for around $32k.

 

[Integra23]

Mazda 3 hatchback near luxury interior for around $32k.

It's Small.
Also the premium Plus turbo (Auto Only) is $38,410 + destination/Tax

 

[NOVABlueyITS]

ITS all the way. I got bored driving an SUV (gen 4 MDX mind you) and wanted to get back to my roots of a fun manual driving experience. I had 2 key criteria: fit 2 rear facing car seats in 5h back and a double BOB stroller in the trunk, which the ITS does both. Game over... Now I get to have fun driving again while my kids laugh because Daddy's "blue car is loud and farts".

 

[IntegraSpeed]

i got an apex blue with black interior for MSRP 2 weeks ago. i did have to pay for the add-ons though. Copper wheels, carbon tail, carbon mirrors, blacked out badges.

Came from a Golf Autobahn and loving the ITS. Definitely get one !