Hmmm... interesting, I didn't know modern cars didn't need to stay idle before using the car. My parents have always taught me to idle my 1999 Honda Accord LX. Although recently they told me it's no longer necessary, which I guess is true because you guys are saying it also. Of course, I'm not sure if it applies to my '99 Accord. :P

 

1) Get a remote starter if you want the cabin temp to be warmer when you take off and leave the seat warmer *** to 3 when you get out.
2) I personally don't like to take off until my rpms are stable doesn't matter if its the lex, truck or bike. To me they are sleep and im waking them up so I give them a few seconds maybe a full minute to open their eyes and breath some air before I make them work.
3) In the cold I would certainly use a different oil viscocity
4) I used a remote starter on the inline 4-vtec in my integra and it worked like a charm, all the time everytime for years!

 

Coming from a 99 Accord to my current 08 IS250, I can confirm that no, it's not necessary to idle the car before driving it. Start it up, give it 30 sec to a minute to let the revs stabilize, then drive it easy (easy being nothing over 2.5k rpms) for like 5 mins.

 

the best thing to warm up your car is start and drive.

 

Thanks guys. I am getting the hang of it. I might even decide to put my summer car out in the cold since im not driving it during winter anyways.