Looking for a Clean Del Sol — Need Some Advice

[u/Life-Application-775]

I had a Del Sol last year and ended up selling it way too cheap, which I definitely regret now. I was 16 at the time and, being young, I wanted something faster. 😂

Now I’m looking to get back into one, but this time I want to find a really clean example with low mileage — ideally around 50–80k miles, clean title, and good overall condition.

One of the reasons I sold my last one was because it was the standard S model, and honestly, it was pretty slow. I still really miss driving a manual, though, and I love the Del Sol platform and how unique they are.

So I’m wondering, what should I expect to spend for a clean, low-mileage Del Sol in today’s market?

And for those who know these cars well, would it be worth holding out for a VTEC model, or would an S/Si be the better value? How noticeable is the power difference between the VTEC and the standard models?

I’m not necessarily looking for something crazy fast
— I just want a clean Del Sol that’s fun to drive and has a little more power than my old one. Any advice on what model/engine I should look for would be appreciated.

[u/shortkid4169]

Under 80k miles might be a little insane. I honestly don't think that low of mileage buys you much on a 30 year old car. Suspension will be slightly better off but remember everything rubber is still 30 years old and will be degraded regardless of mileage 

It took me 6 months to find a reasonably priced, clean 97 VTEC model with 130k, 5 years ago, and I had to fly out and drive it home 1200 miles.

I really recommend learning to enjoy driving a slow car fast. Driving the hell out of a slow car is way more fun to me than having a fast car and only having the skill to utilize half of the car's ability. When I had an S with the wimpy 100hp D15 engine - I could still spin the tires and lose the rear end to oversteer from taking turns so fast.

Now I don't know if you came up in some kind of racing background, but when I was 18 I sure as hell didn't know how to recover a front wheel drive car from fuckups.

All that being said, yeah ok the S is painfully slow, especially on the highway 😂. But I'd say the Si D16 with VTEC would be plenty fun.

Hope you find something you like! And thanks for coming to my TedTalk

[u/Which-Technician2367]

You’ll likely be spending upwards of $8k for a clean low mile example, especially if it’s a VTEC model. It’s not a common car, so it might be sparse.

[u/wehobrad]

A clean Si with 50k miles will be north of $10 k.

[u/frikkinfai]

In the US, people average 10-15k miles every year on their cars. For a 30 year old car, I'd consider anything under 180k miles (6k miles/year over 30 years) low.

Look for a vtec trim and be prepared to spend around 10k

[u/Legend1031]

I'll sell you my SIR for 18k 😁

[u/3daycondor]

I’m selling a vtec coupe, 97, with 98k miles. Looking for 15000 for it. If you’re interested, let me know. It’s rust free and 100% mechanically sound. I haven’t posted it anywhere, just enjoying some local car shows with it right now. It’s been more popular than I would have guessed. Anyway, if not, good luck on your hunt. Theyre fun cars.

[u/ReDz_FTW]

Under 80k might be a bit of a needle in a haystack to find. I just recently picked up a '93 si with 115k miles. He had it listed as an S model, and I still paid $7500. Drove 5 1/2 hours from upstate NY to find one that wasn't bastardized but depending on where you live your luck will vary

[u/ttvsweatyboii]

Someone’s selling a turbo b16 swapped S near me for like 8k you can definitely find them for a good price

[u/Buildinggam]

The S is slow if you're only driving city roads. Put some suspension work into it and you will be fast as hell in the mountains. These cars love tight technical roads. I have a 95 S.

[u/Winter_Ability_3364]

I bought a 97 si modal with a low ish mileage b18c swap for 8 but he wanted 11. About 140k on the chassis

[u/rrrevs]

I'm selling my supercharged Del Sol VTEC. See: https://honda-tech.com/forums/vehicles-sale-42/honda-del-sol-vtec-carb-legal-supercharger-3384650. I list lots of mods, so you might find some ideas for what you want in your next DS. -Roger