Purchasing a Honda Del Sol

[dinks]

Hi,

I was wondering if you guys could give me a little advice in what to look out for when buying a del sol.

Many of my friends are against the idea as they say Hondas have a problem with rust and if my del sol were to break it would be a costly venture to repair.

My main concern is with the boot and roof removal as this is the only car I know of with this feature. Have any of you had problems with this?

I have my heart set on owing a del sol, but not if it's going to cost me more money in the long run, so any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks

[MarkE]

DONT buy one with an electric roof - the motor will invariably crap out on you :cry:
Most roofs will rattle and leak a little - just something you have to live with im afraid. Still, thats the only real problem ive had with them, generally theyre a very nice little sports car, especially the DOHC VTEC 8)

[Bullitt]

Try searching, considering the limited number of del sol owners on here this has probably been covered more times than anything else.

Basically its just a civic with a different body so theres nothing mechanically complicated and I cant think of any problems there. Once the ks start getting up check the condition of the gearbox as far as synchros etc but thats not a major problem although replacement gearboxes are rather pricey.

THe roof will probably leak when you first get it. New seals are available but they are around $1000 and will only remain new for a short time . If you regularly spray silicon spray onto them you wont have any problems.

Rust seemed to be a problem with the earlier CRX's but I dont know anyone who has had trouble with a del sol.

You will hear advice on both sides but personally Id try and stay away from the electric roof. Mine had one when I bought it but shortly afterwards started playing up and it cost me 2 grand to convert it to a manual roof. They are very impressive when they work properly though.

There are two models the VXi with rear drum brakes and a 130hp SOHC VTEC motor and the SiR with rear discs and a 170hp DOHC VTEC. There are a few other differences between the cars too (such as the SiR has larger front brakes and a front strut bar etc). Try and find an SiR if you can as they are considerably different to drive

Good Luck

[Bullitt]

Originally Posted by MarkE

sports car

haha

[dinks]

I have read through 10 pages of posts which I thought were relevant to my question, but didn't quite cover it.

Sorry to be a pain in the butt, I just figured here would be the best place to ask as you guys seem like quite the honda enthusiasts.

The car I have been eyeing up is a SiR with new roof seals and a full service history, but no mention of the k's or whether it's an electric or manual roof.

Thanks for the advice.

[Jimmy]

yea man, dont touch the vxi, i had one.....aint great.

sir kicks ass. and manuel roof is safer in the long run although its a lil annoying.

and no i have never heard of rust probs in the delsols.

where abouts are you located?

if you got the dosh and want one of the sweetest sols out there, buy toyvti's. its in vehicle exchange forum. very nice!

[dinks]

Heya,

I'm in Auckland.

I saw that post, but I think it's out of my price range. I'm looking around 8k at the moment.

Also, it's a little too kitted up for me. I'd like a nice car, but not something that is going to get people staring at me while I'm driving around

I'm currently driving a little corolla II and the del sol is going to be my second car ever.

When you guys talk about a manual roof, you mean you take it off yourself right? Where do you store it?

[Py7h0n]

The roof just clips off and weighs i guess around 5kg ... there is a specially designed rack in the boot for it and you still have HEAPS of space under the rack .... if you want to have a good look at one I am willing to bring mine round (for petrol money prolly $5 )

[Bullitt]

You take it out yourself and put it in the rack in the boot that looks like this

Apoligies for the size of the pic, i recenly formatted and dont ahve any photo editing software yet
With practice you can do it quicker than an electric roof although it is more hassle

[dinks]

The whole boot and roof thing is getting me down, that's one of the reasons I wanted to get one

Thanks for the pic Bullitt, that makes more sense now.

I could post the ad for the one I'm going to look at in the weekend and you guys could tell me what you think? But no one is allowed to steal it from me!! :twisted:

http://www.trade-exchange.co.nz/TEPr...p?adID=4451865

[Bullitt]

Looks like a reasonable deal.

If you buy it throw out the vtec controller as itll only be costing you power.

Check the condition of the paint as most of the reds have faded quite badly, especially on the plastic parts (bumpers, mirrors, sail panel). Look in my pic and you can see the edge of the sail panel looking very pink

[Py7h0n]

Yeah mine is also looking very pink ... quite sad seeing it looks so good other than that....

[dinks]

Yeah, ultimately I would prefer a silver or blue del sol, but it seems the people with these colours are keeping them close to their chests

Bullitt, I might be back in a couple of weeks asking about how to 'throw out the vtec controller'

[Jimmy]

that looks like a great deal. and hes keen to sell, id jump on it and offer like 6000 and see how desperate he is!!!

[dinks]

YAY!

It's mine. I drove, I liked, I made an offer and paid a deposit.

Thanks heaps guys for the advice. It has a manual roof and boot, both of which I wouldn't have known to look for without talking to you guys first.

So... how much you reckon it would it cost to have it repainted?

[Bullitt]

How bad is the paint?

If your going through the hassle of painting it you might as well fit a bodykit etc.

probably 2-3 grand for a cheapish job

Congratulations

[Jimmy]

do u want to paint it a diff colour or the same as your original colour?

Because if u are changing the colour of the car you'd want to do the engine bay and inside of the boot which is a lil more expensive.

but i got mine changed from red to Alaskan white incl. engine bay and boot for $2250 which aint bad.

[endles]

As an owner of a delsol with electric roof. Get one
There is no problems with rust in hondas, your mates are full of it.
Rattles, leaks? im running well over 400 hp and have no probs.
cost of parts, I think you will find there are many aftermarket factory parts to fix a honda with, you dont need to by genuine, and being the most popular modified car world ide, there is a much greater aftermarket performance market than other brands.
Reliability, well, honda are the #1 engine manufacturer in the world by volume and efficientcy, supplying many "other brands"
Ive owned Hondas for the last 7 years, and never had an issue in reliability.
At the end of the day, have your friends ever owned a Honda, if not, how do they know what there like? Go for what you like

[Jimmy]

no offence endles, your car is mad!!

yes your an owner, but are you a delsol driver?

so do u really kno about rattles and leaks?

8O

[endles]

Ive owned it for almost 3.5 years
It has been daily driven for 1.5 years of that, but sadly while it has been in the build it has been undrivable....
That however will all change soon....

[Jimmy]

ok sweet as

my roof rattles or squaeks quite a bit, does anyone kno wat to do about it?

[Bullitt]

Take off the trim panels and undot the mounting points for the roof and replace them with a washer underneath them so the roof sits slightly lower.

Put grease on the rods that slide from the roof into the car

If you do both of these you should have any more problems with rattles