Post Your Firsthand Thoughts on Dealer Demo Integra Type-S

[SolarTrans]

Not sure I could articulate it effectively, at least not concisely. I think the short answer is- two kids in college. And I probably have a mental disorder. Only partially joking.

I have at this point experienced a ton of awesome cars, and owned many of them for not as long as I should have (the red 911 in particular, I should never have let that one go...). Ultimately, there reaches a point of diminishing returns. If the cars were truly worth the money, then I wouldn't feel compelled to get a new one every 6 months.

Also I haven't completely made up my mind if I'll be keeping my 718 or trading it in. Leaning heavily towards trading it in... because I can wait a few years and maybe actually appreciate a "true sports car" when I've gone without one for a while.

I do have high expectations for the ITS, but I also am fully aware that it's literally less than half the MSRP of my 718... which is the "entry level" Porsche. I'm expecting the inputs (i.e., steering, shifter, road feel) to be at least 80% of my 718.. so at half the price, that's a hell of a bargain.

Also this:

I can't fit him in my 718.

Love this ahah

I am in a bit of a similar boat but with my G80 M3 xdrive

It's insanely fast and a great all-around car but feels a bit isolated. I think an ITS will serve me just fine and is plenty fast for American city+canyon roads. I have no desire to cruise at 150+ just for the sake of it. Most of these German sports cars feel like the definition of overkill

 

[optronix]

love the answer. I think you expressed your reasoning quite well. Love the dog too! We had a Belgian Malinois that suddenly passed a little over 6 months ago. He’s also the only reason I kept our Subaru Forester. Now I can’t seem to let it go because I feel that when the time is right we’ll add another Belgian to the family.

I'm very sorry to hear about your dog's passing. Definitely not something I'd want to get into, but it is relevant to mention that when my German Shepherd passed suddenly at the end of 2021 I sort of spiraled in a way I don't think I could have ever predicted, and I can't rule out the cars might actually be a part of that. But while not a replacement, each dog is its own adventure and these dogs in particular keep you occupied, to say the least.

Because if you know you know, and YOU KNOW!!! These dogs are... something else. Even compared to German Shepherds. My guy is half Malinois, half Dutch Shepherd. You're probably aware but Dutch and Malinois are basically the same dog, different paint anyway...

I digress. But if there's anything I love more than cars, it's dogs.

Love this ahah

I am in a bit of a similar boat but with my G80 M3 xdrive

It's insanely fast and a great all-around car but feels a bit isolated. I think an ITS will serve me just fine and is plenty fast for American city+canyon roads. I have no desire to cruise at 150+ just for the sake of it. Most of these German sports cars feel like the definition of overkill

They are. They're great in ways that we could never dream of in the 90s and 00s, but I keep going back to my mindset back then. Cars weren't nearly as mind-numbingly fast as they are today, but they were... simple. For a while I might have cared about 0-60 and Nurburgring lap times, I just don't anymore. It's more about the sensory experience that as you mention has sort of been... refined? Over the years and I'm sort of hoping that the Integra can bring some of that back, at least just a little bit.

Also makes the price an actual positive, coming from cars like these. I guess that's the difference, and what Acura may have been keying on... folks like us, who've tried the "high end" cars and are just looking for a simplified sports sedan. I will readily admit that the execution of a near-perfect manual transmission is also what elevates the ITS to the top of the list- I'd take one over a G80 for that reason alone. I hate to use the word nostalgia because that also sets false expectations, but... that's probably part of it too.

 

[Integra23]

Hmm so what's everyone's thoughts on the K20C8

 

[raisedhaze]

Hmm so what's everyone's thoughts on the K20C8

I hope they secretly made some improvements to beef up internals...but so far, even insiders think it is the same as the K20C1. It is interesting that they gave it a new engine code nonetheless!

 

[Estoril]

https://www.youtube.com/live/toi8NyEInSA?feature=share
6:50, Mr Savagegeese seems like his video on Monday will have all the answers everyone's been after

 

[Grelco]

Does anyone know what time the embargo lifts, is it 9am est? Or earlier.

 

[Thatacuragirl]

we will not be letting anyone test drive it with out a credit check … the guy who test drove it l wouldn’t be surprised if he was fired .. Acura is on top of being firm with vehicle to tease the public.

wish l saw the video thou

 

[Rdrcr]

^^^^
I certainly wouldn’t be driving that particular ITS. No way would I let someone pull credit until ‘time of sale’.

Mike

 

[zozi8816]

Does anyone know what time the embargo lifts, is it 9am est? Or earlier.

I thought I read 9am EST somewhere .. cant recall where.

 

[Understeer]

Whats the point of pulling credit? Majority of buyers have subprime anyway. Worse the credit more money they make

 

[Midnight_VTEC]

I thought I read 9am EST somewhere .. cant recall where.

Yea it’s 9am EST

 

[optronix]

Whats the point of pulling credit? Majority of buyers have subprime anyway. Worse the credit more money they make

An easy way to get skin in the game, weed out the joyriders, while not being as restrictive as requiring a deposit. Some people will throw fits over it but if I was a dealer I could live with those folks who "won't give their business" because of a credit check. They'll sell these cars, at least the first few. I think it will be necessary to not just hand over the keys to anyone and everyone who wants to talk shit about it on Facebook.

I'll be looking at one at my local dealer Monday. They've offered a test drive, I expect "strings attached" but they haven't made any apparent thus far. By then the reviews will be out and I am VERY MUCH looking forward to the Savagegeese review- on their podcast last night they got into details on how it will be more of a "docufilm" than a review. Which coming from them, should answer ALL the questions any of us could ever imagine and then some. They got it out on their track (which no one invited to the press event in California would have been able to claim), did a dyno test, and have in-depth information straight from the factory.

I'm starting to deeply love their channel as it shines a beacon on all the underground stuff that goes into designing and manufacturing a car. It's a business and almost every single "enthusiast" out there loses sight of that on a continuous basis.

They are doing God's work, and I HIGHLY encourage everyone who calls themself an enthusiast to watch that podcast, at least the first 30-40 minutes or so.

 

[Rdrcr]

^^^^
I would NEVER allow a credit check for a test drive (unless it is at time-of-sale). Period.

I understand weeding out joy-riders but that should be part of the dealership/salesman's customer interview process. I would totally be fine with laying down a deposit to demonstrate actual interest for a test drive.

It makes zero sense for the buyer to have the dealership pull credit at the time of the test drive if they then have to wait for a vehicle and then have the dealership pull credit a second time when the vehicle arrives a month or months later.

This is a foolish request for those of us with exceptional credit.

Mike

 

[MrOhnoez]

we will not be letting anyone test drive it with out a credit check … the guy who test drove it l wouldn’t be surprised if he was fired .. Acura is on top of being firm with vehicle to tease the public.

wish l saw the video thou

Working for a dealership, we've been trained that that's called funneling and is against federal law. They can deny a test drive, but not demand a credit check, they can say they wanna work numbers first.
Dunno if true, just been trained with that information.

 

[CYBR808]

I'm anxious about the seats too but your hyperbole set me off... probably a little more than it should have.

I get that they're not CTR seats, I don't think that really would have been the move here for this car... but at the same time I have 18-way adaptive sports seats in my 718 and I quite like them and would like to think that the ITS would at least come close to that. The bolsters are not gigantic in these seats either, but they are also adjustable and mine are also alcantara (i.e., "race-tex") so they do just fine under all but the most extreme driving conditions. The alcantara does make a significant difference, because I had these exact same seats in a 991.2 in leather and while they were still perfectly serviceable, I did noticeably "slide" more in the leather seats.

Pics for reference:

The thing is, there's immense volume of debate on Porsche forums about the seats. Some swear by the 14-ways, which have far less bolstering than what's shown here. Others swear the carbon buckets are the most comfortable seats they've ever sat in. Everyone will have their own opinion here, and that applies to "user" reviews as well as "professional" reviews- I'm just going to have to drive it to know if I like them or not. Getting caught up in random people's opinions on seats is a fool's errand- so yes, today I'm the fool.



Don't let maintenance scare you away from alcantara. It's really not that bad as long as you don't completely neglect it- and even if you do, just pay a professional to restore it to like new. Monthly cleanings with a decent cleaner (Sonax works great for me but there are plenty others)- or just soap and water- will be more than adequate.

What other brands do you recommend other than sonax? Used it for my FK8 at the time because it was recommended but I never took the time to see what else was out there