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Honda Prelude 1997-2002

2496 messages,  Last post on May 08, 2012 at 11:07 AM

You are in the Honda Prelude Forum.

What is this discussion about? Honda Prelude, Coupe

Messages Page 1 of 250

#1 of 2496 A continuation of topic 629 by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Nov 24, 2000 (5:52 pm)

Hi Everyone,


This is a continuation of the popular Honda
Prelude topic, which now has enough posts to start
a Part 3.


For newcomers, you can review all the posts in
Parts 2 and 1 by linking here:




Honda Prelude--Part 2 (topic 629 now retired)


For "regulars", please continue your discussion
here, and thanks for your enthusiastic
participation!


Host

#2 of 2496 WOW! by ommoran

Nov 25, 2000 (7:02 am)

A new topic! JOY!


All the posts... all the old debates we get to rehash again!

#3 of 2496 Hi ddavis1070- by pocahontas

Nov 26, 2000 (4:27 pm)

Your post#2 (advertisement) has been deleted, because it is in violation of our Town Hall rules. Please feel free to participate here within the guidelines of our Participant Agreement. Thanks.


And now back to the subject of the Honda Prelude.


Pocahontas,
Edmunds.com/Roving Host


#4 of 2496 yeah.. by only1harry

Nov 27, 2000 (2:03 am)

all that valueable information gone.. oh well I guess we 'll repeat everything all over again..


Maybe I can sum it all up in a few words?


Prelude = a GREAT CAR!

#5 of 2496 by jk111

Nov 28, 2000 (2:41 am)

oh well, I think we achieved this many posts due to trolls..hehe.

#6 of 2496 old car by alomchin

Nov 28, 2000 (10:54 am)

  Mr.Shiftright , thank you a lot for your answer for another topic , now i want to ask your advice about a Honda Prelude 1981 , auto , 115K . the main question is about reliability of it . engine , gearbox . is it a strong car ? thank you .
  Tatiana .

#7 of 2496 '81 Prelude by only1harry

Nov 28, 2000 (9:44 pm)

Don't know. A friend of mine had an '82 and had problems with it. Got rid of it when it had around 130k on it. He went through a radiator, starter, water pump, brake calipers, voltage regulator, alternator and many other things. I don't think they compare to today's Hondas or mid-late '80s ones.
My other friend had an '86 Prelude Si (that's when I became a Honda fan - he let me drive it a lot). That car was awesome as far as handling, high speed stability, gear box, drivetrain.. I liked everything about it (except it was a little cramped in there). He sold it in '91 when it hit high 90's and bought an Eclipse GS (he regreted it - way too many problems with that car). He didn't have a single problem with the Prelude. I think he only replaced the front brake pads the whole time he had it. He didn't even follow the regular maintenance schedule and changed the oil every 5-6k mi. He was never good at taking care of his cars. I remember begging him to replace the air filter on the Prelude which was pitch black from the dirt. I don't think he ever did that or got the car ever tuned up. Ran great though. He paid $14,900 for it new and sold it for $8,000 5yrs later with almost 100K on the odo! Anyway, we ran into the owner a couple of years later and he said he had sold it with 150k mi. and no major problems. So my advice to you would be to get an '85-88 Prelude if you can. Early 80's ones were not as reliable from my experience.

#8 of 2496 tatiana by canadiancl

Nov 29, 2000 (1:05 am)

An '81 Prelude would be a 1st generation Prelude.
Unless you're getting it for next to nothing, I would go for a later generation one. A friend of mine had a 1980 model. It was cramped and underpowered. He only had it for about 5 years, and near the end it was falling apart. Rust was also a problem, like all earlier Hondas. I just think the 1983 - 1987 generation was such a huge improvement over the 1st generation.

#9 of 2496 prelude sh by dug5

Dec 01, 2000 (5:38 am)

Hey everyone.....just had a few questions about the SH model. I'm buying a black '97 SH tomorrow...and was wondering if someone could give me some info. The car I'm buying is lowered with 17'' rims and I was wondering if that would mess up the upgraded suspension that comes with the SH model. Also, it has a different head unit, and I was wondering if the distortion reduction audio uprade(microphones in the speakers) works without the factory cd player and if anyone knows the specs on the facory system. thanks, Doug.

#10 of 2496 SH by 5gen_prelude

Dec 01, 2000 (9:04 am)

1st, 17 inch wheels will most likely be heavier, unless they are good quality.


2nd, the ride will be somewhat rougher because of the lower profile tires


3rd, the suspension is almost identical to the base lude, it's the ATTS that is the big difference. The tires won't make much of a difference to the handling of the car (I'm guessing this is what you are really asking). In fact, it may improve it in perfect conditions, but it will hinder it in not so perfect conditions.


4th The head unit will not work with the Acoustic Feedback Control. It must be disconnected (it probably is) for an aftermarket head unit to work. This in the end is a moot point - crank the stereo and listen to it. Number one thing they teach you in Audio classes is that everyone hears differently. Bottom line is, don't be concerned with what does and doesn't work (and I don't think it makes that big of a difference - it's not like it cuts out road noises - it simply tries its best to cut out distortion - but you can still make it sound like crap if you try). The head unit is pretty week in the lude, which is why he probably changed it. It works fine for me though, I don't listen to any system cranked (killed my hearing mixing live shows at a younger age).


The specs you can find online with a bit of sifting - I don't know them off-hand.


Here is some things to watch for though:


Cracked seals
Rattle in the sunroof
Clunking sound in the trunk (It's the suspension having fun over bumps)

Messages Page 1 of 250

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