At one time, 200 horsepower through the front wheels was a big deal. That may seem quaint to modern eyes. As today’s Nice Price or Crack Pipe RSX proves, quaint doesn’t need to mean free from fun, just as long as the price is equally enjoyable.
Do you all remember Brenden Fraser? He seemed to drop off the face of the planet about a decade back, but apparently has been doing time on TV since then. I wouldn’t know since I don’t watch all that much TV.
I was reminded of Fraser, and his immensely fun and dumb Mummy movies while looking at the pictures for yesterday’s 2002 WRX-modded Subaru Impreza Outback Sport. One of that car’s modifications was thermal wrap on the exhaust headers, making them look like an orgy of mummy snakes, and that made me think about Brenden Fraser and his movies. See? That’s how my mind works.
Sadly for that Subaru’s seller, his $15,000 price didn’t work, and it fell in an overwhelming 85 percent Crack Pipe loss. Maybe a TV career is in its future?
Along those lines, what sort of TV show do you think might feature a hero who drives today’s 2003 Acura RSX Type-S? Would it perhaps better suit a villain?
The RSX replaced the three-door Integra starting in 2002 leaving its four-door sedan variant high and dry without a successor. The Type-S similarly replaced the Integra’s Type-R and I’m sure we’re all lamenting the fact that RSX itself didn’t have a successor, thus denying us with a Type-Q in the marque’s reverse-alpha order model nomenclature.
While the model line may have contracted from the Integra, the fun was still there in full-force and especially so with the range-topping Type-S. This car carries a 200 horsepower edition of Honda’s K20 2-litre four. That’s up 40 ponies on the base car and makes its way to the front wheels by way of a six-speed stick. An automatic was never offered in the Type-S because Honda used to be cool. Other Type-S specific updates included a suspension retuned for more aggressive action, bigger brake rotors, and a BOSE stereo.
This 163,000 mile example comes in Premium White Pearl over a boojie-beige leather interior. The dash is clean and demonstrates that Honda once really knew how to do interior design. The factory double-DIN head unit has gone AWOL here, replaced by an aftermarket single slot stereo and a storage box. That might be something you’d want to undo. The factory unit looks a lot better as its faceplate extends to surround the hazard switch and really ties the whole room together. A crazy-big sub loaded in the back adds impetus to re-factory-ing the sound system.
The upholstery looks decent everywhere except on the driver’s seat. That has a big split on the squab, evidencing either every one of those 163,000 miles or the owner’s penchant for Taco Bell. A pine tree air freshener on the turn signal makes me lean towards the latter.
Some wear and tear is evident on the shifter and steering wheel, but if you aren’t expecting a show car then you probably won’t be excessively offended in here.
Outside things fair similarly. The bodywork looks reasonably solid with no major road rot evident and paint that covers the whole car in one color. There is however, something going on at the confluence of the curb-side rear wheel arch and the bumper. There’s also what appears to be a star map in black dots on the hood. I’m not sure what’s going on with either of those issues. Aftermarket wheels and a suspension drop are additional mods that you might want to undo.
The ad notes that everything on the car works and, according to the seller, overall it’s in “excellent” condition. It comes with a recently refreshed clutch and is said to bathe exclusively in Mobil-1.
The title is clear and the price is $5,100. That’s almost exactly a fifth of what this car cost back in 2003 and it’s now incumbent upon you to decide if that’s a fair deal based on how the car is presented in its ad.
What do you say, could this seemingly nice but somewhat worn Type-S be worth that $5,100 asking? Or, for that much is this RSX too big a RISK?
You decide!
El Paso, TX Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to FauxShizzle for the hookup!
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