Shot in the dark...

[rinzler005]

hey everyone - need some assistance. I'm looking into purchasing a 2024 ITS from a dealer (used). The car has about 17K on the odo but is quite modified. I have some hesitations about it as it may have been tracked. I would like to track down the original owner of it and see if there was more info they could provide me. I was trying to see if anyone in Ohio (Cleveland/Columbus areas) owned a majestic black one. This one has a lot of PRL parts installed (coolant tank, intercooler, front strut bar) along with Infinity Design intake sytem, Boomba BPV and other exterior mods. The dealer mentioned it was tuned previously and had a catless downpipe which they switched to a catted one and de-tuned to stock again. Overall, I'm a bit hesitant pulling the trigger because the original owner seemed to have dropped quite a bit of money on the car only to get rid of it at 17K. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

2024 ITS in Majestic Black
17K Odometer

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[optronix]

Unless you specifically want THOSE MODS, I'd stay away.

It's not so much the "if it's been tracked", it's the haphazard "mod for the sake of modding" that I'd be concerned with. Truth be told I'm far more comfortable with a car that's been tracked, as that implies the owner at least has a chance of knowing what they're doing. People who track their cars are far more likely to take excessively good care of their cars, and (not in all cases, but...) less likely to slap unnecessary mods on their cars.

My guess is that's not the case here. Honestly, the PRL intercooler is a non-starter for me. That is a mod that has been proven to actively reduce track performance, if not ruin it completely by causing overheating issues due to restricted air flow to the radiator. I'll probably ruffle a few feathers but IMHO it's a telltale "poser mod". It might be effective at squeezing out a few more horsepower on a dyno, but there are loads of testimonials on this and the Civic forums of how guys would strap this thing on their cars just to have it ruin their trackday with overheating issues.

My guess, this was a guy who bought the car and wanted more power, realized it isn't a good platform for that and bailed on it for another AMG Mercedes or Camaro. Wouldn't be the first. This car is great for what it is, but it's important to realize what it's not. It is not a fast car relative to many modern performance cars, so people accustomed to big power or torque are likely to come away disappointed.

TL;DR, find another one. Preferably unmolested.

 

[rinzler005]

Thanks for the reply. I'm not familiar with the PRL intercooler issue but this would not be a issue for me as I do not plan on tracking the car (auto-x at most). Your point of a track person taking care of the car seems to be true. The service history shows oil changes every 3-7k miles.

Are there any wear and tear items I should be on the lookout for with these mods? I'm thinking of getting a PPI from a performance shop and see what they have to say.

Thanks.

Unless you specifically want THOSE MODS, I'd stay away.

It's not so much the "if it's been tracked", it's the haphazard "mod for the sake of modding" that I'd be concerned with. Truth be told I'm far more comfortable with a car that's been tracked, as that implies the owner at least has a chance of knowing what they're doing. People who track their cars are far more likely to take excessively good care of their cars, and (not in all cases, but...) less likely to slap unnecessary mods on their cars.

My guess is that's not the case here. Honestly, the PRL intercooler is a non-starter for me. That is a mod that has been proven to actively reduce track performance, if not ruin it completely by causing overheating issues due to restricted air flow to the radiator. I'll probably ruffle a few feathers but IMHO it's a telltale "poser mod". It might be effective at squeezing out a few more horsepower on a dyno, but there are loads of testimonials on this and the Civic forums of how guys would strap this thing on their cars just to have it ruin their trackday with overheating issues.

My guess, this was a guy who bought the car and wanted more power, realized it isn't a good platform for that and bailed on it for another AMG Mercedes or Camaro. Wouldn't be the first. This car is great for what it is, but it's important to realize what it's not. It is not a fast car relative to many modern performance cars, so people accustomed to big power or torque are likely to come away disappointed.

TL;DR, find another one. Preferably unmolested.

 

[Fred 930]

Others may disagree, but modified cars are always worth significantly less money than a factory stock car - at least they are to me. You should be able to negotiate quite a bit off the normal published used car values. But I personally would look elsewhere for a stock car without mods, unless there was something you specifically wanted, with a known record of reliability.

Since the car is at a Dealer (is it an Acura dealer??) - be certain to insure in writing that the factory warranty has not been compromised by the mods - especially anything engine related.

Oh - a PPI from a reliable (knowledgeable) independent shop is always a good idea and money well spent.

 

[rinzler005]

Others may disagree, but modified cars are always worth significantly less money than a factory stock car - at least they are to me. You should be able to negotiate quite a bit off the normal published used car values. But I personally would look elsewhere for a stock car without mods, unless there was something you specifically wanted, with a known record of reliability.

Since the car is at a Dealer (is it an Acura dealer??) - be certain to insure in writing that the factory warranty has not been compromised by the mods - especially anything engine related.

Oh - a PPI from a reliable (knowledgeable) independent shop is always a good idea and money well spent.

Thank you.

It's not at a Acura dealer but a CJDR dealership. I'm fairly certain factory warranty is most likely impacted here as each mod touches some aspect of the engine. You've got full intake system, a charge pipe, turbo inlet pipe, turbo BPV, exhaust, and previously tuned (dealership de-tuned it and also replaced the catless DP for a catted one).

They are asking $43k for it which is down $1,600 from their original asking price of $44,600. The $43K drop is their own drop and not from my negotiating. I strongly believe it should be lower than $43k.

 

[rinzler005]

Some pics of engine:

 

[stan23]

i'm shocked the PO didn't remove anything prior to trade in. The intake alone is $$ and can easily be re-sold. I'd probably pass too. As tempting as having those mods, I also don't like that the car has been tuned prior. But that is just me.

 

[Victorofhavoc]

If you do want to autox it at least semi-competitively, focus on your rules classes and how the car fits. I know some regional stuff is lax in some regions, but big and traditional ones like the ones near me take classing very seriously. Those mods would bump your car into a fairly unfair classing most likely. Part of the fun in autox is the pax level competition. Nothing feels better than coming top 3 pax out of 120+ drivers.

That said, the fact it had a catless downpipe and intercooler, but nothing else to support cooling during potential track exposure is concerning. That suggests high power levels and with the intercooler, probably sky high coolant/oil temps.

Also though, I've found most people that like to modify cars hate buying modified cars. Cultural irony,

 

[optronix]

If you do want to autox it at least semi-competitively, focus on your rules classes and how the car fits. I know some regional stuff is lax in some regions, but big and traditional ones like the ones near me take classing very seriously. Those mods would bump your car into a fairly unfair classing most likely. Part of the fun in autox is the pax level competition. Nothing feels better than coming top 3 pax out of 120+ drivers.

That said, the fact it had a catless downpipe and intercooler, but nothing else to support cooling during potential track exposure is concerning. That suggests high power levels and with the intercooler, probably sky high coolant/oil temps.

Also though, I've found most people that like to modify cars hate buying modified cars. Cultural irony,

SERIOUS autocrossers take classing super serious. But those types are very, very focused and as much as I love autocross, I'm not into it that much. My car is a hybrid abomination as far as classing is concerned.

I'm more in line with your comment about coming in top 5 of a group of 80+ cars, mostly Porsches. That's a good feeling.

That said I have been enjoying it enough to justify a dedicated car, or possibly strip mine back down to B Street/Touring. I'm not sure how competitive it would be at a national level vs M2s and Supras but that's part of the fun.

Back on topic-

The pics show some attention to detail with tasteful mods (aside from my personal disdain for the intercooler on this platform...). With regular documented service intervals it isn't a HARD NO... but I'm still super sketch about the bypass valve. I don't know too many folks who do that on this platform- especially with the Infinity Design intake, which I also have and greatly enhances the noise of the bypass valve. That plus the tune puts it in "too many unknowns" territory. I'd still strongly advise to stay away, there HAS to be other examples out there that would give you better peace of mind.

But... if you save 5-7k+ vs the market, worse decisions have been made.

 

[slowcountry]

Just speaking to PRL intercooler (DE4) - paired mine with reverse flow radiator hoses and radiator shroud delete, and haven't run into the heat soak issues. I do have the 27won intake snorkel up there as well.

I haven't tested heavily, but tested a ~15 min spirited drive and kept it over 3k rpm the whole time, finished at ect 195, trans temp 191, and iat2 at 87. Upon idling, the trans temp crept up to 195, leveled, then dropped off from there. I'll be adding an ETL transmission cooler before summer.

On that car - same questions as others on why they didn't convert back to stock and part out, but could be as simple as they were modding for fun and got bored with it (and time is money). The one mod I'd key in on as being "dumb" is the bypass valve.

If you're planning to mod, personally would love having performance parts wrapped into the original car note Lol. Other problem, if you ever sell you don't have the OEM parts to convert back to stock. Honestly, if possible, a short conversation with the previous owner would easily clarify the go/no go question.

 

[optronix]

Just speaking to PRL intercooler (DE4) - paired mine with reverse flow radiator hoses and radiator shroud delete, and haven't run into the heat soak issues. I do have the 27won intake snorkel up there as well.

I haven't tested heavily, but tested a ~15 min spirited drive and kept it over 3k rpm the whole time, finished at ect 195, trans temp 191, and iat2 at 87. Upon idling, the trans temp crept up to 195, leveled, then dropped off from there. I'll be adding an ETL transmission cooler before summer.

On that car - same questions as others on why they didn't convert back to stock and part out, but could be as simple as they were modding for fun and got bored with it (and time is money). The one mod I'd key in on as being "dumb" is the bypass valve.

If you're planning to mod, personally would love having performance parts wrapped into the original car note Lol. Other problem, if you ever sell you don't have the OEM parts to convert back to stock. Honestly, if possible, a short conversation with the previous owner would easily clarify the go/no go question.

The anecdotes about the PRL are useful (even though you have a DE4...). I have no doubt it is JUST FINE on the street.

But balls-to-the-wall for 20+ minute sessions on a track- especially on a hot day- this has proven to be a detriment. Nearly all instances of these cars overheating on track I've seen on this forum and from YouTubers had one thing in common:

The PRL bar-and-plate intercooler.

They've in turn released a tube-and-fin intercooler just this last fall, in my eyes validating this concern.

https://prlmotorsports.com/blogs/ne...vadUrcc3k5uZZpj3zq76-owDlGldGeoPKSEDSIcIitmLx

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