New dude here - looking for suggestions on buying an Integra Type S

[honduken]

Hello! I've been following the Type S since launch and I've always wanted one but been working on paying off debt and finishing school before I pull the trigger. It seems like they have announced the car for 2026 (kind of wish they would have kept the Apex Blue Pearl alone, but I digress) and so it seems I will be in the market for one come January of next year. I've been keeping an eye on the inventory in my area for the last couple of years and my observation is that they rarely stock Type S models with colored interiors, most of them are black, and I have yet to see a white interior. I think my perfect combination is Urban Gray Pearl with Red interior or Double Apex Blue Pearl (have to see it in person) with the orchid interior, but I think it's going to be hard for me to find those combinations, and I don't really care for the plain look of the black interior.

I don't have much experience dealing with dealers, because I have never bought a brand new car before, closest I've been is 2 years ago I bought a low mileage 2019 but it still wasn't a new vehicle, and it was on the lot. Is there any tips and tricks anyone can share when it comes to requesting a specific spec of vehicle? If I plan on buying in January or February, is it reasonable to let a dealer know now, or is that pointless? I want to stay ahead of everything but I don't want to be that guy who shows up 4 months too early and be viewed as wasting someones time. Any feedback is appreciated.

Hope to become part of the community soon!

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[akoza]

Hello! I've been following the Type S since launch and I've always wanted one but been working on paying off debt and finishing school before I pull the trigger. It seems like they have announced the car for 2026 (kind of wish they would have kept the Apex Blue Pearl alone, but I digress) and so it seems I will be in the market for one come January of next year. I've been keeping an eye on the inventory in my area for the last couple of years and my observation is that they rarely stock Type S models with colored interiors, most of them are black, and I have yet to see a white interior. I think my perfect combination is Urban Gray Pearl with Red interior or Double Apex Blue Pearl (have to see it in person) with the orchid interior, but I think it's going to be hard for me to find those combinations, and I don't really care for the plain look of the black interior.

I don't have much experience dealing with dealers, because I have never bought a brand new car before, closest I've been is 2 years ago I bought a low mileage 2019 but it still wasn't a new vehicle, and it was on the lot. Is there any tips and tricks anyone can share when it comes to requesting a specific spec of vehicle? If I plan on buying in January or February, is it reasonable to let a dealer know now, or is that pointless? I want to stay ahead of everything but I don't want to be that guy who shows up 4 months too early and be viewed as wasting someones time. Any feedback is appreciated.

Hope to become part of the community soon!

The Orchid interior looks nice but from what I've seen it's hard to keep clean (blue jeans rub off on it, etc). I wish Apex blue would have come with a red interior but I'm still happy with my black.

All the options on the car (aside from color combos) are dealer-installed and can be purchased/installed after buying the car, so don't stress too much over the other options. Many dealers charge ridiculous markup on those and you can get them much cheaper by DIYing the install if you're mechanically savvy.

Keep an eye on other dealers, even a few states over, if your dealer doesn't have the color combo you want. Dealers trade cars all the time, so it probably wouldn't hurt to ask them and see if they'd be willing to do so.

4 months is a long time to request a car. I went to the dealer for a test drive and got my car 3 weeks later - and this was in September 2023 when the Type S was still pretty new and hard to find. By now it should be much easier and quicker for them to trade with another dealer if they don't have the spec you want.

Regarding price: some dealers will still try to charge a markup on the car like many did after the launch. At this point there shouldn't be any markup, and I'm hearing of many people getting them for a couple grand off. Make sure you know the value of the car (and any options you're getting) going in, and don't be afraid to walk away if they're not playing nice.

Finally: if you're buying in the middle of winter (especially in Indiana where it gets below 40F and snows) add a good set of snow tires or all-season tires to your budget. The car comes with performance summer tires which do not do well below 40F and can wear out faster. If you have the budget and space for an extra set of wheels/tires, my recommendation is to get 18" wheels with Blizzak WS-90 tires and swap them in your garage/driveway twice a year. Otherwise, you can probably get by with all seasons since the snow isn't horrible in Indy like it can be in other places. You'll sacrifice summer and winter performance at the added benefit of convenience, saved storage space, and cost (not having to buy a second set of wheels).

Good luck with your search and welcome to the community!

 

[honduken]

The Orchid interior looks nice but from what I've seen it's hard to keep clean (blue jeans rub off on it, etc). I wish Apex blue would have come with a red interior but I'm still happy with my black.

All the options on the car (aside from color combos) are dealer-installed and can be purchased/installed after buying the car, so don't stress too much over the other options. Many dealers charge ridiculous markup on those and you can get them much cheaper by DIYing the install if you're mechanically savvy.

Keep an eye on other dealers, even a few states over, if your dealer doesn't have the color combo you want. Dealers trade cars all the time, so it probably wouldn't hurt to ask them and see if they'd be willing to do so.

4 months is a long time to request a car. I went to the dealer for a test drive and got my car 3 weeks later - and this was in September 2023 when the Type S was still pretty new and hard to find. By now it should be much easier and quicker for them to trade with another dealer if they don't have the spec you want.

Regarding price: some dealers will still try to charge a markup on the car like many did after the launch. At this point there shouldn't be any markup, and I'm hearing of many people getting them for a couple grand off. Make sure you know the value of the car (and any options you're getting) going in, and don't be afraid to walk away if they're not playing nice.

Finally: if you're buying in the middle of winter (especially in Indiana where it gets below 40F and snows) add a good set of snow tires or all-season tires to your budget. The car comes with performance summer tires which do not do well below 40F and can wear out faster. If you have the budget and space for an extra set of wheels/tires, my recommendation is to get 18" wheels with Blizzak WS-90 tires and swap them in your garage/driveway twice a year. Otherwise, you can probably get by with all seasons since the snow isn't horrible in Indy like it can be in other places. You'll sacrifice summer and winter performance at the added benefit of convenience, saved storage space, and cost (not having to buy a second set of wheels).

Good luck with your search and welcome to the community!

Thanks for the great information! I really appreciate it. I am glad to be here. I will be patient then and hold out until it's closer to intent to purchase time.

I have honestly thought hard about the interior color, but the orchid is just way too beautiful, and I would just have to be meticulous about it. For me, I don't have kids or pets that will be in the car, and I would use my truck if I needed to do dirty work so I don't think it would be much of an issue, but I could also be very wrong lol

I don't really need any dealer accessories, and I probably won't accept any if forced. I don't really get a good feeling there. I'd be willing to pay up to MSRP for the car but no forced dealer add-ons. I would probably want to get the all-weather floor mats but that can be an after purchase. I have seen dealers even force ceramic coatings and paint protection, which I don't really care for either. I'm a simple guy, I want a car, I pay MSRP, I get car - or I don't get car.. which would make me sad but I am definitely willing to do if I am given no other choice.

It will be more of a summer car for me, I don't see myself driving it in the winter unless it hadn't snowed for awhile and I am confident the ground is free from salt and other things that cause corrosion. I leave those trips up to my 2007 Accord (which is going to be replaced by a 2012 accord v6). The winters here can be brutal and while I'm not against driving the car year round, I want to enjoy it 20 years down the road, and preventing it from seeing salt will help me get there more reliably.

This is essentially going to be my poor man's Porsche 911 since I don't want o spend 120k on a vehicle, and it being a Honda, it will be much easier to maintain and work on. I enjoyed working on my K24 5 speed manual Accord for the past 11 years and I hope this car is no different. Call me a Honda fanboy at this point, if I'm being honest.. haha. I'm mostly stoked to get this car and take it on several summer road trips through the mountains of California and Virginia and everything in between, while also giving me space to put my luggage and other gear.

My only wish is AWD but I'll take the LSD as a compromise. Honda really knows how to make fantastic FWD manual cars.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

Don't be afraid to shop cross country. Shipping is easy.

I'm actually in the process of buying another car with very specific requirements, so I'm prompting an ai to do the leg work for me of searching each dealership daily until one pops up. Specific requirements just take time.

If you're willing to invest a bit of time in prompting an ai, it can be very fruitful.

 

[vovakovtun]

I bought mine when they first came out in 2023 as a 2024 model. Before that, I emailed all the dealers in the Atlanta area to see what kind of markups they were charging—some were asking anywhere from $1k to $5k over MSRP. Eventually, I found one dealer who didn’t add a markup, but they required me to get on their reservation list and choose my preferred colors.

I’ve always leaned toward blue cars, but I wanted to switch things up. On May 8th, 2023, I put my name down for white as my first choice and blue as my backup. The dealer explained that with specialty vehicles like this, production is limited and most dealers tend to sell only what they get allocated.

On June 19th, I test drove their demo car—it was white with every option already installed. They tried to sell me that one, but I really wanted something with no miles and no extra add-ons so I could do things my own way. From what I could tell, every dealer got a demo car spec’d out like that.

They went down their list based on what was delivered to them. Finally, on September 28th, I got a call that my turn came up, and the car available was an Apex Blue with the white interior. That’s the one I ended up with—and I have zero regrets about the color combo.

Keeping the interior clean hasn’t been an issue for me. I don’t really wear jeans, so no worries about dye transfer. The only thing I’ve noticed is the black seat inserts will naturally rub off a little bit on the white leather over time, but it’s nothing major.

Not sure how things are being handled now, but one thing I do think is a shame is that you can’t just order the exact color and spec you want directly from the factory—like I was able to do with my old VW GTI.

 

[ashmostro]

Welcome. I'm a new member here myself, having just acquired my '25 ITS a couple weeks ago. I love it! I was able to very easily get about 8% off MSRP in Northern Virginia.

As for the white orchid interior, it's gorgeous and I've had white interiors before (picked red this time) ... The trick is to apply Gyeon Leather Shield EVO the day you get it. It's a ceramic coating specifically for leather and it absolutely helps. You may still get dye transfer but it won't absorb into the leather and you'll be able to easily clean it off with a mild leather cleanser.

Good luck!

 

[optronix]

Dealers are going to piss you off, just look at that as basic fact. Especially for anyone unfamiliar with how they operate. They will almost certainly push you to buy extra shit that have questionable value. It's part of how they make money, and they can be very aggressive with it... but right now is not the same as it was when this car first hit dealer lots, they don't have the perceived leverage and as others have stated it's not unreasonable to expect a discount again in today's market. That was not the reality 2 years ago but should be when you're ready to buy in a few months.

As for colors and options- this one's easy. The dealers get what they're allotted. Simple as that. The plant builds them in batches- early on about 2 years ago, people on this forum successfully extracted the actual build schedule to predict when specific color options would become available (after a nightmare of an online reservation system when the car was FIRST released...). These days your dealer may have access to that information, but honestly most sales people you'll come across barely are aware of their own existence so I wouldn't count on them being good for much useful information, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

As others have stated, there aren't any options to choose from. The Type S comes one way, with zero customization from the factory. Any "options"- from heated steering wheels to external badges to shift knobs to rear wings to floor mats- are all installed by the dealer, at the dealer. Take note of that, because you're relying on dealer techs to do invasive procedures like installing illuminated running boards or even spoilers and emblems that require removing interior and exterior panels, which I'm convinced 90+% of dealer techs are INCAPABLE of doing without breaking at least half the clips they interact with, and often failing to plug things back in that they've unplugged. I'm only being slightly facetious- my experience with dealer techs has been ABYSMAL. And I didn't have high expectations to begin with.

Anyway, if you want a specific color combination you're almost surely going to have to keep an eye on inventory in adjacent states, unless you get lucky with the right car landing at your local dealer, or perhaps an extreme anomaly of a useful sales person that could make a trade with another dealer without impacting your wallet.

 

[ashmostro]

Outstanding advice above, no notes.

One comment I'll make is, it wasn't hard at all for me to find the color I wanted. I had a dealer that is friendly with other dealers so is able to do trades with them within 24 to 48 hours. See, one of the advantages of a system where the manufacturer doesn't really give the dealers options on build colors is, they have to be resourceful and trade with each other if they acquire a customer that wants a specific color combo. So, best thing to do is to find a dealer early on that feels trustworthy and transparent, and with enough time (could be days or weeks) should be able to find you the preferred color or combo if they didn't get it themselves.

 

[STi from DSM]

I buy a new car (or at least new to me car) every 10 months or so.
It's not 2024 any more where these are so hard to get that you cannot find used ones. If you are set on Urban Gray you will be a 2026 allocation for sure as that color didn't come out until just a few weeks ago. You could however find an Apex Blue with Orchid interior (if that's what you really want as others have pointed out it is a magnet for discoloration) as a used car fairly easily in the $47k - $50k range. There is one for sale right by me in Bloomington MN with 1800 miles on it that is Apex Blue but has black interior. (Sticker is $49.8k)

If you go new you can order one with your exact spec you want. I don't think it is so hard for dealers to get allocations for these now that they have been out for awhile but visit your closest dealer and see.

Buying a new car:
You will most likely have to put a refundable deposit down on the car. MAKE SURE it is refundable! If you find your perfect spec and it is used instead of the dealer you are ordering it through you can get your deposit back.

Buying a used car:
Be sure to check the Carfax for excessive tire changes (To signify track usage) and for anything crazy like not ever changing the oil for 20k miles or something like that. It doesn't always list everything but it should list most things.
Make sure you get the deal you want for your trade-in and for the car you are purchasing. Do your homework on prices in your area and make sure you understand approximately what you will get if you are trading something in.
The paint on these cars is somewhat thin. Check for rock chips in the most prone areas like the edge of the hood and bumper.
Make sure the wheels have not been curb rashed.

If you have to have certain things ordering new might not be a bad option for you but if you can live with certain things not being on the car like interior or color options used you will spend less by about $5k.

 

[NoelPR]

Start doing calls, even out of state dealers.

Apply for financing and get the best possible rate on your own, don't rely on the dealer people for that. Check if your insurance offers GAP, in my experience is usually cheaper than the dealer option.

Ask for Out the door (OTD) price in where the tax, tag and dealer fees are included.

Stay away from dealer added stuff like extended warranty, tints, accessories.
Usually, they overcharge for those things. Don't be affraid to say no.

That is all you need to know.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

Some of the dealer add ons are not the worst... I paid 600 for 3 years of glass chip repair, wheel repair, and tire hazard repair/replace. So far it has almost paid for itself with 2 wheels getting curbing and dealer damage repair (that's 150$ per wheel repaired typically), and one tire replaced that had a nail in it (another 250$ value... I told them I don't want a latch job I want a new tire because it's a ps4s and Michelin says specifically not to repair them, especially if taking on track, which I do). I'll be taking another wheel in to repair soon and have the chips in the glass filled. I'd pay for that again...

 

[ashmostro]

I did the same - bought the rim and tire insurance. Was a fair price given how expensive OEM wheels can be, and like your program, it covers curbing too, with no deductible.

 

[bvanlieu]

Dealers (and their service departments) are like a box of chocolates.

These cars are not rare, but not overly abundant. If you are set on a specific color combo, you lose leverage so I would be flexible when calling dealers, especially if they have more then 1 on the lot makes it easier.

Patience is key
Call, be ready to drive. If its a car you are going to keep for a while, do not be afraid of a few hour drive to get it
Be reasonable: fighting over the last $500 on a 52K car is poor time management
Be open to financing, this can get them a kick back and you can pay off the loan in 3 months (finance minimum yada yada)
Dealers are not going to care much about Jan-Feb: they want to move inventory now, so when you are ready to buy go hunt starting that time frame.
If you get bad vibes from the sales associate, go strait to the sales manager: they are the ones with the negotiation power, full stop.
Patience is still key

Used or new, its an emotional experience and there is plenty of info out there to help buyers, but buy and large they still are emotional (which is why the model of selling has not completely flipped by now, it really should have but people are stupid, a person can be smart)

 

[akoza]

To add to what everyone else is saying about the buying process, use the next 4 months to learn what to do and what not to do, and practice overcoming pushy sales tactics. A good YouTube channel I watched prior to buying my car is CarEdge. It's a father and son who work/have worked as car dealers for many years and they talk about all the different tactics salesmen use and how to overcome them and get the best bang for your buck.

 

[acurax]

I will add that if you are set on a specific color combo, you can pit dealers with that combo in stock on their lot against each other. The closer they are in proximity to each other the better as well as the closer to you. Car buying programs can be of some assistance as well. I went through my banks program and had about 4 dealers w/ my preferred combo within a major metropolitan area and manage get get thousands off MSRP as a result. In the past I've also gotten an accessory included when negotiations on price bottomed out.

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