30th May 2006, 15:30

"Power door lock actuator failure."

It's actually not the actuator, but corrosion at the connectors, any DIYer would know this.

"ABS problems."

More like ABS rear wheel sensor, that goes bad after... 10 years of use?

"Alternator failure 3 times within 10 years."

I would guess that you're running a lot of electrical accessories, ALL the time. 200k miles, and on first alternator.

"Hot starting issues (Main EFI relay)."

The main relay is a HONDA KNOWN ISSUE, not Vigor related.

"Fuel pump."

Never seen one go, and I've seen plenty of Vigors and know plenty of Vigor owners.

"Squeaky suspension."

I guess if you never had to replace anything in there for 15 years, it would probably squeal once in a while, but is that a bad thing that you never have to replace anything in there for 15 years?

"Noisy interior."

The Vigor is a bit picky on the shoes it wears; try the Yokohama Avid db tires, works great on sound.

"Intermittent rough idling problem."

Cleaning the throttle once in a while would fix this, another DIY kinda thing.

"Oil pickup clogs."

I guess if you never changed the oil, then yeah.

"Master cylinder out at 60,000."

Master cylinder does go on Honda's pretty often, but again, not a Vigor specific issue.

"Sunroof stuck in open."

Wow, just wow.

"Ignition switch failure."

The ignition switch gets its share of use, and the contacts get gummed up. A simple scrape from a screwdriver, or a proper Dremmel job makes it as good as new. Slap some di-electric grease on there, and you're golden, another DIYer.

"Driver’s side door lock seized up."

Another.. wow.

"Radio display went black."

The display for the DSP GS trim has a tendency to blank out, but not go "black". It's due to poor contacts after years of vibrations in the unit. Panasonic has released that they are aware of the problem, and can tell you the points to re-solder to fix the issue.

"Engine coolant temp sensor out at 55,000."

Never had mine go out, original at 200k.

"Oxygen sensor replaced 2 times under warranty."

If you get Bosch, then yeah... try an NGK.

"ECU replaced once under warranty."

Triple wow...

"This has to be one of the most dreadful cars I have ever had the displeasure of working on myself. And unfortunately many things seem to fail frequently, and are expensive to replace (see below).

I am the second owner (first owner was my grandmother who stopped driving 3 years ago)."

Maybe she should have changed the oil in those 3 years, huh? I find it fun and satisfying working on my Vigor.

"Honestly, there is nothing that appealing or extraordinary about the Vigor to warrant such good reviews."

You mean, besides that it looks awesome, and is one of the very few vehicles that still has that distinct style and class to it, even after 15 years? But yeah, nothing that extraordinary at all. I get 20-25 with my 4 speed, and 22-30 on a 5 speed.

"It is EXPENSIVE to fix (not a car for the do-it-yourselfer, as the engine compartment is overly crowded). For example, to change the oil cooler gaskets (common leak point); a 1 hour job in a regular car, takes 6 hours on the Vigor. As unbelievable as it sounds, you must remove the battery to change the distributor cap and rotor! Apparently the engineering team designing this car hadn’t considered that someone would actually need to repair it someday! "

The oil-cooler was a 0.6 hr job, as quoted by Acura, and 0.8 when I did it myself. If you have the right tools, the battery can remain intact for the dizzy change. Ever done a timing belt job on a V6 Accord? You would appreciate the inline design, REAL FAST! BTW, the cap and rotor doesn't get repaired, it gets replaced.

"Problems that are the most uncommon on other cars seem to plague the Vigor. From electrical issues that are intermittent (main relay, A/C system, security system, etc.) and odd mechanical issues (oil cooler gaskets leaking at 60K?, master cylinder at 65K), this car takes the cake in my book as one of the WORST cars I have ever owned."

Well, it is after all, a unique automobile. I've never had trouble with the above listed items, except for the master cylinder at 180k, and the oil cooler at 190k. Your book must be not too big.

"It’s not much of a wonder why this car was only made for 3 years. And to those who had such great things to say about the car, I wonder if they are up to date on repairs, or have ever attempted to fix the car themselves (it is a 14 year old car, and I would assume most of the current owners will be tackling most repairs)."

We tackle them day-by-day, and once it's done, owners don't usually ever have to worry about them again, except for the regular fluid changes of course. Take a look over at the acuravigorclub.com, you would wish you had when you owned the car. I'm proud to own a car that was in production for only 3 years, designed by the same guys to bring us the NSX, and for the price I got it for, it'll make you want one too.

"There are FAR better used cars you can buy for the money, so if you still insist on purchasing one think twice, actually talk to some mechanics about repair cost, and consider other options."

Which is why I owned 3 at one point, and this is my 4th one. This car is truly part of Acura's golden years. It's an automobile wonder in my opinion, along with the Legend. It's unfortunate that not many people know the potential that this car has, but it's also fortunate that they don't. How else can I purchase a 34k car, for only under 2k. I could have gotten an Accord, or a Civic, for 6k instead, but then I would be paying much more, for less car.

FINAL NOTE: I hope those that have read this, to strongly consider looking at the whole picture of this vehicle. It's not a car to modify, and "supe" up. You won't find aftermarket parts readily available for this car, and you will find that it's going to be the way it is, stock. If you want to own a piece of the Honda/Acura history, when it was at it's greatest, or if you simply want an awesome car, at an awesome price, get this car. If you want a car that everyone else has, get yourself an Accord.

www.acuravigorclub.com - THE place on the Internet for Acura Vigor enthusiasts.