I’ve been into cars for as long as I can remember. My first car was an ‘02 Ford Focus SVT, a high-performance hot hatch built to obliterate backroads. Next, came a ‘92 Mazda Miata, a bubbly Japanese roadster with cute little pop-up headlights, the perfect amount of power, and no practicality whatsoever outside of aggressive driving.

The problem with trying to buy an enthusiast’s car at a young age is that you’re always going to wrestle with finding the right balance between practicality, reliability, and fun. Sure, you could buy a Subaru WRX and have a safe, practical sedan, but it would probably blow up on you within the year. You could get something more reliable like any Toyota Corolla made after, I don’t know, the seventies, but unless it’s the legendary AE-86, it’s not going to move you in style.

The 1996 Acura Integra RS, then, is perfect: a zippy commuter sports car built with all of the Honda reliability people have come to expect from cars like the Accord or Civic. That’s right, underneath its flashy Acura badging, this is basically a glorified Civic. Except it’s much, much better. 

The “RS” in the Integra’s title designates it as the lowest trim level of Integra offered for the final generation of Integras we received in the states, but it shouldn’t be dismissed because of its lowly form. In fact, outside of the GS-R and Type-R versions, the RS is the most driver-oriented of all the Integras; just well-equipped enough to use every day, but the RS drops the sunroof and a few other unnecessary amenities from the other trims.

Its relatively spartan interior is its largest draw for the enthusiast. There’s no touch screen infotainment to fiddle with, no satellite navigation to wrestle against. The air conditioning controls are just a few sliding tabs that really like to resist moving because you have to work for A/C. The only buttons on the steering wheel are for the horn because this is before it was located in the center with the airbag, and there are no controls for cruise because you just have to put your foot down. 

All of this means the Integra RS is exceptionally light, clocking in around 2,500 pounds. Combined with Honda’s one-point-eight liter B18 engine, making 140 horsepower and an insignificant amount of torque, the Integra RS can be tossed into corners with gusto. You won’t find the legendary Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) in this version of the B18 like you will on the GS-R or Type R variants, but all that means is you’re not paying for premium gas.

The two-door liftback design of the RS also means it’s spacious. Open the hatch, fold the rear seats down, and boom, you’re moving out of your college dorm: stuffing your Razor scooters in the back or transporting a new engine. The Integra RS uses its small frame well, making good in the amount of space available.

In short, there is little that can rival the perfect balance of reliability, practicality, and fun found in the Acura Integra RS. The light design, usable interior, and faithful Honda engineering mean the perfect blend of car for the young enthusiast, all without skipping a beat. If you’re going to snag one, though, do it fast because the rest of the world is starting to catch on.