Looking at a 2003 VR-X
 

My son has found a 2003 Diamanté VR-X with 131k. It seems pretty nice. There are a couple of bubbling spots in the rear fenders and a couple other minor things. It drives really nice. But I'm concerned about reliability and repairs. He is going to going to college in the fall in the UP of Michigan. I worry about parts availability and knowledge of service people up there.

Looking on the Internet, it looks like the major problems are the heater core leaking and the transmission Control Unit. Is that right?

Are these reoccurring issues, or if fixed they stay fixed? The tcu issue appears to be caused by the leak. So does a replacement heater core last? Obviously, I don't know if either have failed on this particular car.

By the way, it is not the heater core leaking, these cars had a manufacturing defect in that the O-ring seals connecting to the Heater Core from the firewall bulkhead leaked. Once those O-rings are replaced, no more leakage. The reason you want to replace them when they leak is that it drips on the TCU under the dash.

I have had the 2002 LS from 10K miles to 127K miles and still going strong with all features and functions working. Standard maintenance on wear items is key. The Engine is strong.

You need service history on the car to understand your risks.

Good Luck !