‘24 ITS a long story…w/pics

[bdisco]

How we got here…

I had sold my 2015 Subaru STi to a friend (who blew the motor 4 months later)and ordered a new Bronco Wildtrak. So after driving the Bronco for a while I came to realize I missed rowing through the gears. I know the Bronco can be had with a manual but it doesn’t handle like a sport sedan. You can hustle it around (at the expense of your passenger’s comfort) but it rolls through corners like a hippo on skates.

Before the STI the list was:
(not counting the previous 2 decades)
1999 New Beetle TDi 5 speed
2002 Subaru WRX bugeye 5 speed
2005 Subaru Legacy GT 5eat
2010 VW Golf TDi DSG

I began looking for something sporty with a manual transmission but it needed to have a usable back seat that could fit a full size adult (our daughter still lives with us).

A Mustang would have been cool. Soon the next generation won’t know the sound of a V8. Was looking at used GT350s the high revving Voodoo engine sounds glorious but it’s made of glass and buying one out of warranty would be a huge gamble. Plus I sat in the back seat and while I had legroom (barely) headroom was non-existed.

I test drove a VW GTI. The tartan plaid seats are a neat throwback. It was sporty but offered no sense of drama. It was quick enough but lacked character. The Haptic Touch buttons were a huge turnoff. I like buttons and knobs so I don’t have to take my eyes off the road to change stations or temperature. Yes I’m old, I can remember the high beam switch being located on the floor operated with y foot.

Camaro same issue as the Mustang.

BMW M cars were intriguing. Too expensive and costly to maintain once the warranty expires.

Caddy CT V Blackwings nice. Again too pricey.

Honda Civic Si. Local dealer wanted 2k over MSRP bitch please f’ that.

Mazda 3 hatchback. I actually had a deposit down for one of these. Polymetal gray with red Napa leather interior. Near luxury for about $32k.

What I got was a dealer optioned Integra Type S. I paid more then I wanted but the copper wheels are sweet.

So far 1800 miles and I’m happy. Good highway cruiser, a little road noise in the cabin but can be drowned out by the excellent stereo. Handles great , forget it’s FWD, don’t know what witchcraft Honda did but no torque steer. The suspension will pogo on rough New England back roads when in Sport+. Makes nice noises not V8 rumble or Suby rumble but pops and crackles.

Rev match is silly, even blips the throttle on down shift in comfort. The fuel tank is tiny. Low fuel light comes on and only 10 gallons to top back off. No spare tire, I for one would gladly suffer a few pounds more weight a couple more gallons of gas. No rear A/C vents or USB.

Sponsored

 

[bdisco]

While I was waiting for the dealer to prep and register the Type S they gave me a A spec loaner (CVT boo).
I didn’t hate it. It was a good little car. When these hit the used car market they wI’ll make a great first car for a new driver with a manual transmission of course.
The little 1.5 was surprisingly peppy. It didn’t throw you back in your seat but it never left me wanting. The CVT was ok, on par with my daughter’s Subaru Legacy, not like the Nissan loaner car I had, that thing groaned no matter what speed you were going.

Seats maybe a little bit more cushy compared with the Type S.

 

[bdisco]

So we traded my wife’s Mazda CX-9 Signature for the Type S and she’s now driving the Bronco.
She used to race the old square body Broncos with her family when she was young. We have been on the hunt for an old one to restore but the prices are still way high for rust buckets with no floors or motor.

 

[bdisco]

Type S Stock summer Michelin tires perform very well in the rain. I have driven through a couple of downpours that have drenched New England this summer and they did well. There were several accidents on one trip and we cruised right on through. I did get the stock gray wheels from the dealer and mounted a set of Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 for the winter.
The Type S can be surprisingly quick be careful when rowing through the gears entering the highway. It is a very smooth, not very loud, trip up to near triple digits when merging. Pay attention to the heads up display for your speed.

Piano black does not belong on a center console! Just stop!

 

[Lflouie]

Type S Stock summer Michelin tires perform very well in the rain. I have driven through a couple of downpours that have drenched New England this summer and they did well. There were several accidents on one trip and we cruised right on through. I did get the stock gray wheels from the dealer and mounted a set of Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 for the winter.
The Type S can be surprisingly quick be careful when rowing through the gears entering the highway. It is a very smooth, not very loud, trip up to near triple digits when merging. Pay attention to the heads up display for your speed.

Piano black does not belong on a center console! Just stop!

Why not have a stealth ppf wrap on the console?

 

[bdisco]

Why not have a stealth ppf wrap on the console?

Carbon fiber wrap in on birthday wish list.

 

[bpebler]

Awesome story! I had a few of the same cars on my list. Due to a family of 4, the ITS made the most sense & I wanted the nostalgia of my old car back. I had enough dreams throughout the years of driving it again. I wanted the GT350 or 1LE the most probably, but it still would have been used to get it at the same price which I didn't prefer. I think the only other vehicle I might pursue after this is the Nissan GTR. But I plan on never letting go of the ITS for now, so it would just be an addition to the stable.

 

[Azkyrie6]

How we got here…

I had sold my 2015 Subaru STi to a friend (who blew the motor 4 months later)and ordered a new Bronco Wildtrak. So after driving the Bronco for a while I came to realize I missed rowing through the gears. I know the Bronco can be had with a manual but it doesn’t handle like a sport sedan. You can hustle it around (at the expense of your passenger’s comfort) but it rolls through corners like a hippo on skates.

Before the STI the list was:
(not counting the previous 2 decades)
1999 New Beetle TDi 5 speed
2002 Subaru WRX bugeye 5 speed
2005 Subaru Legacy GT 5eat
2010 VW Golf TDi DSG

I began looking for something sporty with a manual transmission but it needed to have a usable back seat that could fit a full size adult (our daughter still lives with us).

A Mustang would have been cool. Soon the next generation won’t know the sound of a V8. Was looking at used GT350s the high revving Voodoo engine sounds glorious but it’s made of glass and buying one out of warranty would be a huge gamble. Plus I sat in the back seat and while I had legroom (barely) headroom was non-existed.

I test drove a VW GTI. The tartan plaid seats are a neat throwback. It was sporty but offered no sense of drama. It was quick enough but lacked character. The Haptic Touch buttons were a huge turnoff. I like buttons and knobs so I don’t have to take my eyes off the road to change stations or temperature. Yes I’m old, I can remember the high beam switch being located on the floor operated with y foot.

Camaro same issue as the Mustang.

BMW M cars were intriguing. Too expensive and costly to maintain once the warranty expires.

Caddy CT V Blackwings nice. Again too pricey.

Honda Civic Si. Local dealer wanted 2k over MSRP bitch please f’ that.

Mazda 3 hatchback. I actually had a deposit down for one of these. Polymetal gray with red Napa leather interior. Near luxury for about $32k.

What I got was a dealer optioned Integra Type S. I paid more then I wanted but the copper wheels are sweet.

So far 1800 miles and I’m happy. Good highway cruiser, a little road noise in the cabin but can be drowned out by the excellent stereo. Handles great , forget it’s FWD, don’t know what witchcraft Honda did but no torque steer. The suspension will pogo on rough New England back roads when in Sport+. Makes nice noises not V8 rumble or Suby rumble but pops and crackles.

Rev match is silly, even blips the throttle on down shift in comfort. The fuel tank is tiny. Low fuel light comes on and only 10 gallons to top back off. No spare tire, I for one would gladly suffer a few pounds more weight a couple more gallons of gas. No rear A/C vents or USB.

seems like you’ve never had an Acura; but you’ve made a great choice. Very easy and inexpensive to maintain.
It’s practical and looks great even Tom Brady would approve.

you should be able to get around in winters with FWD in New England, I’ve driven fwd in Colorado for a long time. Proper tires and you’re good to go

 

[bdisco]

seems like you’ve never had an Acura; but you’ve made a great choice. Very easy and inexpensive to maintain.
It’s practical and looks great even Tom Brady would approve.

you should be able to get around in winters with FWD in New England, I’ve driven fwd in Colorado for a long time. Proper tires and you’re good to go

Reply actually we have had two.

The wife’s soccer mobile a 2002 MDX white with tan interior. Those were the years when Acura/Honda were having transmission troubles. Ours starated clunking and was replaced around 40k miles, the new transmission started acting up again at 80k. When bringing the car in for service the dealership had several transmissions sized crates outside the workshop. The service rep told me the techs could swap out a tranny in 3 hours. When it came time to replace with a new vehicle before the warranty expired, she chose a 2006 MDX white on tan.j

Other vehicles we have owned.

1978 VW rabbit/golf 4 speed (my 1st car)
1986 VW GTI mkII 5 speed
1992 Honda Civic ex coupe 5 speed (1st new car)
1996 Land Rover Discovery 4 speed automatic
‘02 & ’06 MDXs
2012 VW Touareg TDi (dieselgate by-back = $$$$$)
2017 Mazda CX-9 signature

 

[bdisco]

80+ degrees figure good time to switch to winter wheels and tires.

Stock Enkei Honda gun metal wheels.

CONTINENTAL EXTREMECONTACT DWS 06 PLUS

tires

Thoughts the stock Michelin Pilot summer tires (2400 miles so far) are way more sticky. Maybe too sticky, as they were great at picking up the cold patch used to fill potholes and flinging it at the underside of the car. The Pilots did perform very well in the many downpours we experienced this summer. My STi would hydroplane more than the Type S did in heavy rain. AWD does not prevent hydroplaning.

I will update on the Continental‘s performance. So far the grip does not feel as strong but haven’t real pushed it. A little bit louder. Rain is expected this weekend.

I think I prefer the copper wheels better on the white car. The copper color is just on the face of the wheel and fades to aluminum. For the price they should have done a more full spray. (sorry didn’t snap a pic)

 

[bdisco]

Tuxmats big thumbs up!

Carbon fiber console cover the fit is ok, difficult to center, slight overhang on edges, but stI’ll better than piano black.

 

[SlippyFist]

i almost got an m340ix, it's an amazing car for its price. german cars still have this stigma of unreliability staining them, but it seems that their quality and reliability has vastly improved over the past decade or so. both of my parents have different BMWs (a '12 and '14) and have had no mechanical issues with them whatsoever while they were in their warranty period. i've heard even audi has gotten a lot better lol

 

[Padre Dave]

Tuxmats big thumbs up!

Carbon fiber console cover the fit is ok, difficult to center, slight overhang on edges, but stI’ll better than piano black.

I got one of those on Etsy and really like it. Stays nicer than the piano key material.

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