Honda Prelude 1997-2002

verozahl · April 2002

... Ann Arbor and Detroit-Metro Area should be separated. Around Rochester, yes, you are more likely to see a Grand Am Boy Racer Super Cladding or a modded Focus. Ann Arbor, of course, is Volkswagen/Honda/Nissan/et al. city... at least around campus. My aunt just moved into town with her mid-1990s Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight!

nyccarguy · April 2002

I believe the dealer I've been working with has located a 2001 Prelude Type SH for me. He's offered to sell me the car for invoice.

He just has to verify the color for me (I told him Red, White, or Silver). I want him to make sure the car is new with no demo miles (I know the VTEC engines are sensitive during break in). I asked him to see that there were no dealer installed accessories (especially the moonroof visor that covers 3/4 of the moonroof when it is open.

If all is kosher, then I've just got to scrape some cash together, put it in a paper bag, & head over to the dealership!

sphinx99 · April 2002

GOOD LUCK!

nore · April 2002

Hi,

I have read the last 200 or so messages, and the amount of valuable information posted on this vehicle (and its competitors) is staggering. Great job!

I am looking for a 99-and-up Prelude base w/ SportShift with under 30k miles... Can anyone tell me how much I should expect to pay? Edmunds' ~$18500 quote for a 2001 model sounds almost too good to be true.

Also, I live in NYC; if any NYC Prelude carshoppers can lend me some advice, that would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!!

sphinx99 · April 2002

Check the used car search on cars.com, which while not the same as Edmunds' numbers all the time, is often a great indicator of what cars are going for. Enter in a zip code, search for all Preludes within 500 miles, and just eyeball the prices to get a feel for the spread.

preludeed · April 2002

I have a 99 Prelude SS with 30,xxx miles on it. It is a lease and i have to turn it in come October. If you can wait until then, you can buy it from my dealership. I think the residual would be like 14k or so. Maybe there is some way that i could turn it in early of something???? I have done all scheduled maintenance and oil changes at dealership with records and only mods are Iceman CAI (have stock airbox and resonator in my garage) and a C/F interior kit (which can be easily removed) and Blue H's on hood and trunk.

nyccarguy · April 2002

I'm working with Honda of Nanuet (about 25 miles north of the city) and I believe they have some brand new base models with sport shifts on their lot. I'm sure they'd be willing to part with one of them below invoice for you. For a few thousand more, it makes sense to buy a brand new one. The gentleman I'm working with has been very accomodating (I believe he's located an '01 Type SH for me). His name is Steve. He's the internet salesman. I believe you can shoot him an email via their website at www.nanuethonda.com

Tell him Bradd (The guy in the who's looking for an SH Prelude) sent you. I haven't bought the car from him yet, but I'm sure he'll appreciate it!

Good Luck!

nyccarguy · April 2002

The guy's name is Steve Pincus. His email address is nanuethonda@hotmail.com

Good Luck!

shmang · April 2002

Did you get your car or any info. on the car? I am curious on what the deal will be on Prelude for now - if you don't mind sharing...

nore · April 2002

Thank you for all of your advice. Based on my brief cars.com search, either Edmunds' quote is off, or the dealers are leaving room for negotiation

I will contact the Nanuet Honda about their new base model Preludes, and if that doesn't work out, we might be able to work something out, PreludeEd

Again, thank you!

nyccarguy · April 2002

Well, this guy Steve at nanuet Honda apparently doesn't want to sell me a car, he wants to play games. he offered to see me a new Prelude Type SH at invoice if he locates one for me. He now says he wants a deposit just to locate the car. I emailed him and told him that if he finds me the car that I want, I'll gladly give him a deposit, but won't give him a deposit for him to run a locate on the computer for me. I then left him a voicemail and asked him to call me back so we can discuss matters further. He hasn't called or responded to my email or called me back.

stuartbonia · April 2002

http://www.driversseat.com/

Good luck

nyccarguy · April 2002

He called me yesterday & told me he's looking for the car for me and has found a few on the locator computer. He says now it is just a matter of calling to see if the inventory on the computer is up to date. He said there's quite a few Black Type SH Preludes out there, but I told him I want Red, White, or Silver. Steve is off today and will be back on Wednesday. The waiting is a killer:)

mikeg444 · April 2002

I am in the market for a either a used Prelude (92-96) or a used Acura Integra (94-98). Unfortunately it has to be an automatic so my wife can drive it as well. Does anyone have any thoughts on which one to purchase?

We own a 4Runner, so I am not worried about space. We just need a fun commuting and reliable commuting car.

himiler · April 2002

You really can't go wrong with either, since they're both very reliable and well-built.

The Integra offers slightly better fuel economy, better utility (with the hatch), and lower insurance rates. Since you're looking for the autobox, you will have little difficulty locating one that hasn't been modded by the previous owner.

The Prelude gives you a better (if slightly odd) interior with really nice seats, a smoother, quieter highway ride, and more torque from the larger engine (which will match the auto tranny better). 4th generation ('92-'96) Preludes are fairly difficult to find, so you might have a tough time negotiating a favorable deal.

Good luck!

nyccarguy · April 2002

himiler: Are you sure the Prelude will have higher insurance? The Integra is a more widely stolen car.

mikeg44: Whatever you do, buy a car that hasn't been modified. If you're thinking Automatic, I'd definitely advise the Prelude. My best friend had one in high school and the 2.3L 160hp DOHC engine (In the Prelude Si) is matched very well to the automatic. It got us into plenty of trouble:) I like the styling better as well.

The Integra will give you more utility, but may not be as fun to drive with the automatic (140hp).

Both will give you great handling, good fuel economy, solid reliability, & a smile on your face every time you drive the car.

Of course my opinion is biased because I just bought a 2001 Prelude Type SH;)

kenjabi · April 2002

I have a 99 Base 5 speed Prelude with 33K miles. I've driven it about 2500 miles since its last oil change, and when I checked the oil the dipstick barely touched oil. I added a couple of quarts of oil and now it's between max and min level.

I've begun noticing a small puff of blue smoke and smelling burned oil when I start the car after it's been sitting for a while (like overnight). I also occasionally notice a large puff of blue smoke when I VTEC it, which is pretty rare for me. I have no mods on my car, use 10W-30 oil (like manual says), and don't drive it very hard.

I took it to the Honda dealer this morning since it's still under warranty, but the Honda service guys are telling me this is all normal. Is it? Are other 5th gen owners noticing the same thing?

I've looked at hondaprelude.com and preludeonline.com and quite a few have the same problem, but I know that a lot of those guys mod their engines and/or race them a lot, so I'd figure they'd get more wear and tear than a "regular" driver.

The car is still fairly new and I'd like to keep it for quite a while longer, so I don't want this to become a bigger problem down the road.

blacktalon · April 2002

I had the same problem when my 2001 Prelude was new. It burned about one quart every 1000 miles for the first 4000 miles. After that, the problem went away completely, and it's been fine for the last 3000 miles.

From the other websites, it seems like a pretty common problem, even with completely stock 'ludes.

hgiles · April 2002

98 SH - No oil loss so far and 44,000 miles.

himiler · April 2002

kenjabi---you should be using 5W-30 oil, which offers better start-up flow than 10W-30. A little bit of oil consumption isn't unusual for the H22, but your puff of blue smoke upon cold start isn't typical. I would ask the dealer to check the compression on each of your cylinders.
If the dealer won't do it for free, I'd be tempted to pay for the test, just so that if any repairs are required, they will fall under warranty.

I just hit 39,000 miles today and have yet to see any oil consumption. The moonroof has become pretty loosey-goosey, however.

nyccarguy--Re: insurance
I can speak only from experience. When I replaced my '98 GS-R with the '01 Lude, the annual premium went up $120, and that's factoring-in the ignition immobilizer on the Lude. Maybe it was just the difference in model years.

BTW, how's the SH working for you?

nyccarguy · May 2002

Insurance, was probably the change in model year from '98 to '01. While shopping for Insurance, I realized that Insurance Companies consider the SH to be a "high risk" car not for theft, but as a Sports Car. I'm 26 (not assigned risk) and have a perfect driving record from the day I got my license on August 31, 1992. I had to register & insure the car in my father's name to get my annual premuim DOWN to $2200!

My new SH, I love it! I have pictures and can't stop staring at them. The handling is nothing short of telepathic (and I haven't pushed it). It seems very easy to drive the car around town. The clutch is light. I haven't opened the car up yet. I'm going to do my best to adhere to a 1200 mile break in period (dealer says 600, but what does he know) I haven't driven it much though as I live in NYC and keep my cars (Prelude & Saab until 12/02) at my parents' house in the suburbs.

verozahl · May 2002

That's TWO (2) reasons not to live in New York City (NYC).

nyccarguy · May 2002

Argue That point!

wayde · June 2002

Hey Guys. Wondering what a "good" price is for a "new" car that is really 1 (and almost 2) years old?
nyccarguy - if you don't mind, can you share with us what you got your SH for?
I'm looking at either a white sportshift (yes, I like shifting - but a shoulder injury makes it sometimes painful) or a red base 5 speed (I would have to deal w/ the reoccurring pain!). The sticker is about 24... what "should" it go for?
Thanks guys!
Wayde

sphinx99 · June 2002

A friend of mine recently bought a new silver Type SH for about $22.5k with the carbon fiber dash kit and some other junk (wheel locks, something else) thrown in. He traded his '01 SS in for something like $18k and is absolutely ecstatic.

I'd imagine that you should be able to get the base 5-speed or a SS for around $21k. The dealer where my friend got his had received a $500 or $1000 rebate coupon from Honda Motor Co (can't remember which) and they were selling the car at either $500 or $1000 below invoice. Not bad at all. This was about four or five weeks ago now.

I saw a white Prelude on the road the other day, a Type SH, and must say that it looked gorgeous. It was clean, and with the side skirts shining it was definitely drawing some stares. My recommendation is for the 5-speed, but drive both and decide which appeals to you more. The SS works nicely but the relatively high-strung Prelude is happier with the manual transmission. Either car is a bargain if you can still find one new.

nyccarguy · June 2002

first and foremost I'm going to recommend the 5 speed:) That being said, thw Sport Shift is fast enough for a lot of people. Many of the nuts over on hondaprelude.com and preludeonline.com have modifyied their Sport Shift cars and are happy with the results. The dealership where I bought my car from (Honda of Nanuet) had about 6 Sport Shift models sitting on the lot which they were willing to part with quite cheaply (I don't remember the exact dollar figure).

Sphinx99's friend paid less than I did for his SH. I paid Invoice ($23,700) for my car at the end of April. I probably could have done better if I had found it sitting on a dealer's lot somewhere, but the local dealer near my house located it for me, swapped a Civic Si for it, and sent someone to get the car, so I'm happy. For the SH, I was quoted anywhere from $1000 under Invoice (dealer in North Carloina) to invoice (which I paid) to about $400 to over invoice and the highest was about $2000 over sticker from a dealer in the Maryland/DC area. The 5 speed is so easy to drive. It is my first stick and am having relatively little problems with it. Even with your shoulder injury, you should consider it.

sphinx99 · June 2002

hondaprelude.com and preludeonline.com are full of nuts!

verozahl · June 2002

Did your friend, by any chance, get that Prelude at Honda of Troy? You said he bought a silver Type SH.

I was talking to a friend of mine over dinner (another Economics student from Metro Detroit, connections to Ford through family) who currently has a Contour. Says he'd really like an Accord coupe... ugh! I like the Accord coupe, but what's with these people? Oh, right, you can't find new Preludes around anymore anywhere.

I don't know any Honda dealers with Preludes left on the lot, nyccarguy, around here. Suburban Honda, Howard Cooper Honda, Fischer Honda, Brighton Honda, Anderson Honda, Friendly Honda, et al. here in SE Michigan are more than happy to sell you an Accord, though. If you guys are still finding new 'Ludes, more power to you!

nyccarguy · June 2002

myself blessed to have found one of the few remaining Type SH Preludes around:) I put in my first aftermarket modification, a hands free kit w/ speaker phone for my cell phone. Talking on a cell phone and driving here in NY is illegal. I detest those ear buds (they don't stay in).

himiler · June 2002

As long as you're not planning on racing your car, the SS Prelude is a safe bet. The H22A4 motor has more than enough torque to keep the car light on its feet with the autobox.

Good luck in your decision. Please let us know what you end up doing.

blacktalon · June 2002

I recommend test driving both models, both for the pain/comfort factor and to see for yourself the difference in performance. The SS is reasonably quick, but the 5-speed is much faster.

If you can bear it, I would strongly recommend the 5-speed. But if not, the SS is probably the fastest auto 4-cyl sport coupe you can buy...

verozahl · June 2002

Oh, if they still sold the Prelude SS, I would be at the dealer everyday drooling at every one of them on the lot.

nyccarguy: everyone with a cellphone should use those units in their cars!

sphinx99 · June 2002

verozahl, yes my friend bought the Type SH at Troy Honda. I hope you don't mind, as I noticed your post and sent it his way, much to his delight. Still in college and you're already a pretty darn good salesman

We put the OEM front lip on the car this past weekend. It was a royal pain to get it to sit flush, but after a few hours in the heat we finally got it. Beautiful looking car and I miss mine already... well, miss the stereo at any rate. A satin silver Type SH will be a very rare car. I doubt there were more than 200 or so of them made. He's looking to dress it up with some luxury - leather seats, upgraded sound and hang onto it as a long term daily driver. But if something else jumps out at him, I might buy it from him!

verozahl · June 2002

I don't like Acura of Troy that much. Nice dealership, but prices high and service not exactly the Department of Warm and Fuzzy Feelings. However, across the way, I'm sure Honda of Troy was in the itchin' mood to sell that 'Lude, but why? It stood out on the lot like a shining beacon, a shining city on a hill among cars.

My uncle says I'm a great salesman whenever I mention the TL, but you're talking to someone who, along with his Ford-employee wife, had twin Accord fastbacks back in the day.

sphinx99 · June 2002

I have no idea how it lasted so long there. It's a silver Type SH selling for way below invoice. It was spotless. It sat on the lot for months...

verozahl · June 2002

... there's a completely good explanation for why. People these days just don't get affordable sports coupes with timeless looks.

jreddy · June 2002

for a 96 'lude, manual, Vtec, leather and fully loaded. Mint Condition with 75k miles. Its a stock car. thanks!

wayde · June 2002

selling price: 21648 (w/ spoiler)
MSRP: 24639 (w/ spoiler)

Milano Red :-) (how does the milano red hold up over time?)

Am upside down on my current car, will be financing the difference.

Another question (which is personal opinion, I know - just gathering other's opinions) -- is an 01 Prelude "better" than an 02 RSX-S? I like the preludes cleaner styling. some interior stuff I like on the rsx-s more. acura service is probably better. acura warranty is better. Opinions gladly accepted here.
Thanks!

nyccarguy · June 2002

Glad to hear you want to go with the 5 speed:) You won't regret it. The RSX definitely has some nicer amenities that are not available on the Prelude such as a 6 disc in dash CD changer, leather, & automatic climate control. The RSX is faster. You get an extra gear with the RSX. The Prelude is an old school "VTEC" engine that kicks you in the pants at 5200 RPM. The RSX has the newer i-VTEC that spreads power more evenly and doesn't give you that kick in the pants. The RSX is louder (on the highway) than the Prelude. You get more torque (156 lb-ft as opposed to 142 lb-ft) at a lower RPM (5250 as opposed to 6200) because the engine has an extra .2 Liter of displacement.

If you're price shopping, the Prelude is a slightly better deal right now because you won't get an RSX Type S for $21,600.

Acura gives you a 4year/48000 mile warranty while you only get 3 years/36,000 miles from Honda.

The Prelude looks great in Milano Red. As long as you keep up on it (polish it once or twice a year) you should be able to reatin the shine.

Since they discontinued the car, you won't see as many Preludes on the road (if exclusivity means anything to you).

Again, you've got to go sit in and drive both cars to find out which one you like better.

Personally I like the styling of the Prelude much better. The RSX is growing on me in certain colors (Desert Silver, Blue, Red), but you can only get a black interior (mandatory for me) with a Silver, Blue, or Black RSX.

Good Luck!

himiler · June 2002

It all comes down to what you want from a car. The Prelude has little filler and is more of a "pure" driver's car than the RSX.

While the kit levels on the RSX certainly fall into the "nice to have" column, I find none of them as essential (to my driving priorities, anyway) as the Prelude's far more sophisticated suspension (and accompanying ride/handling characteristics). Remember, you can only listen to one CD at a time, and it's not like the temperature adjustment on the Prelude's manual climate control requires much effort.

As far as the RSX's leather goes, who needs to sit on something slippery when you're bending the chassis into tight corners? Not me, that's for sure.

As far as the dealer service question is concerned, I would attribute the quality of any service to the individual dealership and not to the badge on the car. My experiences at the Honda garage have probably outshined those I had at the Acura shop, and that's without the presence of a leather sofa and big-screen TV in the customer lounge area.

wayde · June 2002

thanks for the info nyccarguy.

i just got back from a long drive to see both the rsx-s and prelude. (the lude was sonic blue and could only see thru the fence.) i think i've figured out why i don't like the rsx - it doesn't look "sleek" enough for a sports car (very tall and bulky near the rear). My 98 GS-R was the perfect look (my biggest mistake was getting rid of that car!! ugh)
brings up the point of why i am even looking at an 01 prelude - i loved my 98 GSR so much. got rid of it. have had a vw gti (sucked - reliability crap) and currently a mazda Protege 5 (which is great - handles very well. high quality). So, why am i even looking? i miss the feel of a honda, not to mention the sound of the screaming vtec. it seems all the new designs coming out are bland. and, if the design is ok/good, the interior pieces just aren't what they used to be. thus, the prelude enters the scene. do i grab one while there is still a new one around? and live w/ the neg. equity (which i financed in to my mazda cuz vw resale sucked!)?
i know, all personal decisions. just airing it out on the prelude forum to see what ya'll say.

BTW - does the 01 Prelude come with keyless entry standard?

wayde · June 2002

i completely agree. i was going to address this in above post, but thought it was getting too lengthy.
leather - i really don't like it. especially when it's not heated (i live in minneapolis).
6 disc - also agree - i've had a 6'er and ended up with the same discs in there for months. w/ 1 i keep changing 'em.
auto climate - 3 for 3 - i agree again. whenever i've been in a car with this, i always end up putting it to manual control.
the suspension and "old" vtec (and cleaner interior) are what I loved about my gs-r and the prelude.
can't find either used in this area (at least ones that haven't been heavily modified).

anxiously awaiting response on keyless entry :-)

himiler · June 2002

Small world! I too owned a '98 GS-R. It was definately the gold standard thru the '90s.

I went with a Prelude over the RSX (and a WRX wagon) for many of the reasons you mention: quality interior feel, smooth controls, snarky styling, and for the want of something "different." Going from a GS-R to a RSX-S just wasn't enough of a change for me.

Yes, keyless entry is standard on the 'lude. Unfortunately, so is some pretty hefty depreciation. Per NADA, my car (2001, Base, 5spd in like-new condition) with 50K miles is currently worth ~$15,500 at trade-in. Not a cause for celebration, but since I plan on putting 250,000-300,000 miles on the car over the next 3-4 years, I can happily ignore standard depreciation tables.

If you plan on keeping the car for 5 or more years, you might as well buy a new (and un-abused) one. Even at the rate at which I put miles on a car, I prefer to buy new so that I can be sure it gets broken-in and serviced properly. Yep, it's probably more money in the long run, but my peace of mind is worth it.

wayde · June 2002

isn't this all old school stuff?
i never did anything special w/ my other new cars (civic ex, gs-r, gti, protege5). i didn't rev the crap out of em.... but i did take a 600 mile roundtrip cruise home with all of them w/in the first week i had 'em.
curious as to what others' opinions on the oft discussed question is.
- the prelude i'm looking at buying is at a dealership which is 200 miles away - so i'd be driving it home (freeway) -
Himiler - yeah, i saw in your profile you had a 98 GSR. geesh - i didn't realize how much i loved that car til i got rid of it!!!! (was frost white/black. tinted windows. cool looking..... must stop... thinking.. about... it... )

himiler · June 2002

If you do get the Prelude, DON'T drive it home on the freeway.

The way the car is driven in the first 100-200 miles is critical to the proper wear-in of the piston rings. If you take the freeway, you'll be tempted to hum along with the cruise on, which is bad because the engine will be operating withing a fairly narrow RPM range with a fairly constant load on the engine. Doing this usually leads to oil consumption in the engine's later life.

The best option is to stick to secondary highways, preferably those that will take you through lots of towns with lots of speed zones. The key to proper break-in is to vary your RPMs as much as possible. Try to avoid rapid acceleration or, as is the case with a Prelude, engaging VTEC until you've got at least 500 miles on the ticker.

wayde · June 2002

miles is out of my hands.
the car has 191 miles on it.
probably from test drives. can't do anything about that. do you think that's bad?

jk111 · June 2002

You shouldn't pay the full price if the car has that many miles on it already. Most test drives won't last 5-10 miles, and 191 miles is a lot. Not to mention people probably floored it a bunch to test out the performance. If I am paying for a new car, it better have less then 20 miles.

sphinx99 · June 2002

It's a fair amount but ask the dealer why. Many of those miles could be for transport from one location to another. Usually intermittant test drives on a car that's been sitting on the lot amount to a pretty good thing, actually.

The RSX-S is an attractive car. Thinking of the two, I think of the RSX-S as the latest high power amplifier, the Prelude as the four year old professional-grade not-as-powerful-but-twice-as-well-built amplifier. Prelude is quieter and heftier, and IMO the suspension system is far more sophisticated. I also like the braking feel, visibility and seating better, as well as the stock stereo which is kind of weak at low volumes but phenomenal for a stock system at higher volume. RSX is faster but I think the Prelude handles curves much better.

blacktalon · June 2002

I bought a Milano Red a little under two years ago. It's my daily driver, and it's made it through two Boston winters -- and with regular washings, it still looks like new.

verozahl · June 2002

Well, my Integra is fine without leather seats. Good thing that Acura offers them (Integra/RSX) with leather, but it's not something I feel I need. Automatic climate control, power heated leather seats, etc. are the domain of, say, Lexus and Benz. Which is fine, because I've never seen a speeding Lexus or Benz. I fall asleep on leather seats. zzzzz

The Prelude was the best deal in the market for so long, I am very sorry to see it go. The RSX, IMO, does not replace the Integra and Prelude well. It melds them together, which is still good, but then adds the 'corporate look' on.
I don't dislike the RSX, but if I was to replace the Integra today, it would be for a 'Lude.

Honda Prelude 1997-2002

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