stressin over the auto..

[SexyTeg]

well i've had my 96 integra se auto for about a month now and i'm really getting frustrated that its an auto .. now people on other boards have suggested (quite rudely I might add) that I should just sell the car and buy a manual..
Here's the dilemma though ..firstly, I've driven auto's for 3 years and I have never driven a manual before. I'm a very busy college student and I just don't think i can make time to learn how to drive stick, sell the car, and go looking for a another car.. also I like the auto as a daily driver but I really hate the fact that I can't have much fun with it and it drives me crazy knowing that my slushbox is eating up power :mad: I ran with my friends 5speed 2001 civic ex w/ only CAI from 0-60 and he beat me by about a half carlength.. sooo dissapointed.. Another thing is that it was my first time purchasing a car and I had a bad experience buying the car from a really rude dealership. I'm sort of reluctant to get into all of that again.
I was planning to mod the car lightly with the basic i/h/e and some suspension mods, but I'm wondering if it may not be worth the effort or the money..
Anyone else in a similar situation? Need some good advice and/or encouragement .. :|
Thanks for listening.

[2ndGenTeg]

The problem with the slushbox isn't that it eats up power, it's that the gear ratios are longer. As for losing to the EX, chalk it up to the fact that he's got shorter gear ratios and a lighter car. Don't get disheartened.

You've reached what I call "The Great Crossroads" in building up a car, and early on. You need to come to the realization that the car will never be fast without a major investment. Bolt ons may supply a little additional torque, but you'll never get the power you're looking for out of them. So you have to choose: Major investment in modification, major investment in another car, or live with what you got.

If you go with modification, realize that the gear ratios of an automatic will make it extremely difficult to build a fast car the all motor route- I'd go turbo.

As for learning to drive stick- don't look at it as a time investment. The learning curve isn't as steep as you may have been led to believe. The beginning may be a little rocky, but you'll get it in no time. Just be sure to leave home 5 minutes early, and leave yourself an extra car length between you and the car in front of you at the stoplight.

The worst thing about car shopping is that it really is a pain in the ass. Don't get me wrong- I thoroughly enjoy it, but the actual point of purchase and dealing with some of the chimps that sell cars for a living (no offense to any car salesmen here) is about as painless as being beaten to death with my own arms.

So how important is going fast to you? Worth about $4,000? Worth dealing with cro-magnons peddling used cars? It may look like a long, dark road right now, but will it be worth it when you've got that shiny new GS-R in the driveway, or when the blow off valve hisses as you take out the third Mustang that day? Or does it all seem like a little too much trouble, and dealing with stop and go traffic with the aid of your automatic suddenly doesn't sound so bad?

Decision time...

[SexyTeg]

Wouldn't the auto tranny burn out rather quickly if I turboed (turbod?)it? I wouldn't mind going this route in the longer run if there was a way to keep it a reliable daily driver too (is there?). Also, my engine has almost 61k miles on it right now. Would it be worth it to save up for a turbo for an engine of this age(taking into account that it may be fairly older when I have the money for the boost)?
Thanks for the reply. I may just keep the car til the summer and sell it then .. but I'm still deciding. I have a clearer view of my options now, thanks.

[TruHeel142]

Ask tightteg52, he's in the exact same situation as u, he has a 94 Teg auto, but wants 5-speed as well. Personally, I would sell the thing quickly, and go 5-speed.

[SWIFT]

yeah, it's better to advertise the car now while the mileage is still low...we know that honda motors will run good even w/ high miles but people still look at your odometer.
plus, if you wanna go turbo in the future, having a manual car will be easier coz the aftermarket parts are everywhere esp. for the clutch and all that...
if you cant find a gsr for a good price, i'd still go w/ an LS or GS or RS one...goodluck

[SexyTeg]

Thanks guys.
I plan on selling asap. But probably won't be for a few months ..
But once I get my manual teg I will be extremely happy ;)

[tightteg52]

Originally posted by SexyTeg
Thanks guys.
I plan on selling asap. But probably won't be for a few months ..
But once I get my manual teg I will be extremely happy ;)

Ok im not gonna type out any thing long first are you REALLY gonna sell it if so i can give you some advice as to selling it secondly if you dont wanna sell it how fast do you REALL want to be??? examine that before you start modding a car cause each and every car has major advantages!!! hit me back i will help you in every way i can!!

[SexyTeg]

At the moment, it wouldn't be practical for me to say that I want to go really really fast since I don't have the money to do it .. but I want to have fun driving the car and I want it to be a little respectable at least. I used to have a little fun with the auto gear box until I found out it's bad for the tranny! So now I just d4 it.
I'm not completely sure if I want to sell it. Mostly because I don't want to go through the hassle .. but I think if I don't get a 5speed now, I'd regret it down the line after I've put a considerable amount of time/money into the auto.

[tightteg52]

Originally posted by SexyTeg
At the moment, it wouldn't be practical for me to say that I want to go really really fast since I don't have the money to do it .. but I want to have fun driving the car and I want it to be a little respectable at least. I used to have a little fun with the auto gear box until I found out it's bad for the tranny! So now I just d4 it.
I'm not completely sure if I want to sell it. Mostly because I don't want to go through the hassle .. but I think if I don't get a 5speed now, I'd regret it down the line after I've put a considerable amount of time/money into the auto.


ok my suggestion is to do what im doing make sure your car i ready to sell ya know everything trhat you check befroe buying make sure it is up to par. then submit it to autotrader.com and if you have it in your area autotrader magazine. Then keep a look out for cars that you like that are in your price range. i have a 15k range and have found a lot of cars just keep ya eyes out.


About the little punch with little money set a budget and work with that you know start of basic considering you KNOW you dont have the cash flow for turbo start with i/h/e then mayge mildly more aggresive cams and even a shot of nitrous NOTE i did not say NOS it is a company not a product.

[SexyTeg]

Do you think buying from a dealer is better or a private sale? I know dealerships overprice .. but they are probably more reliable to buy from.. I don't think I'll be able to cough up the extra dough to buy from a dealership though..

[tightteg52]

Originally posted by SexyTeg
Do you think buying from a dealer is better or a private sale? I know dealerships overprice .. but they are probably more reliable to buy from.. I don't think I'll be able to cough up the extra dough to buy from a dealership though..

when buying a car the most important thing is credit. dealers overprice and are better liers then private sellers they've had training first find the car you want and have it checked by a mechanic you trust then haggle with them all they can say when you try to haggle is no also they normally price 500 over what they want because some people wont haggle and if they figure you wont haggle why not suck you for every dime they can. anymore questions let me know im happy to help.

[TruHeel142]

They always find a way to screw wit ya though. When I got my car it wuz 9,9 originally, but we talked it down to 9,5. BUT, when I showed up to pay them, they threw in some mysterious "labor fee" as they called it, which wuz 100. Plus another 100 for plates, etc and another couple hundred for taxes, I ended up paying the more than it wuz originally. The "labor fee" is BS, does it really take $100 to fill out a damn form, mail it away, and receive my damn license plates and a sheet of paper(title)???? No, it doesn't, I could understand like a $20 labor fee, but $100 really pissed me off. Oh well, anywayz, they'll find someway to screw ya. Point is, just find someone u can trust to get ur car from.........though I know thats probably impossible.:yes: