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Comments
Honda does not receive enough credit for its styling accomplishments.
I was a huge fan of the radical styling of the 4th gen and it took me a year or 2 to warm up to the 5th gen styling.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Year-round, I've been using heavy rubber mats from http://www.weathertech.com for 8 years, and they keep the factory mats looking brand new. Definately worth the $.
good deal? how are the automatics in the Prelude? are they reliable, or do they have the Acura auto, in which case people should run screaming...
should a low mileage, but two year old Prelude, worry anyone? how could it have such low miles?
The Prelude autobox is well-known for being troublesome, and Honda has gone so far as to extend the warranty on it (a real rarity for Honda). Seems the problem stems from a torque converter that isn't strong enough to deal with the loads placed on it by the SportShift feature.
Frankly, I'd be more concerned about an auto Prelude with low miles than I would about a MT Prelude with average or high miles (like mine).
Sorry for the bad news. The Prelude is a great car, but you don't want to buy a headache.
I own a '98 SS Prelude and, although it has performed flawlessly so far, I am concerned after reading your post. I was not aware that the transmission warranty was extended. Do you know how long it is and whether it applies to '98's? Thanks.
Ken
BTW - does anyone know the details of the ignition switch recall? I just found out that my car is part of that recall and wanted to know what it included.
sphinx -- all the way down, dude! And the seatback in the full upright position.
since I've been driving this car, I have really noticed the minivan/SUV infestation on the roads. Just try driving in an unfamiliar neighborhood with a huge monster in front of you... good luck checking out those street signs.
Honestly... driving this car, I feel so... so.... SHORT!
Sphinx99: The weathertech mats are great. I've got them for my car. They really keep the factory mats looking good. My Dad's been using them for years. Get your originals steam cleaned. If they're really bad, you can purchase another set (after the wedding) from either manchesterhonda.com or handaaccessories.com for about $40 or so.
I drive with the bottom of the seat all the way down with the back of the seat reclined. I'd like to drive with it straight up, but then my head would be on the headliner. I'm 5'11".
And finally I'm merging onto the information super highway once again with the VTEC cam screaming on my new DELL computer (cable modem to come on Sunday). I want to get a DOHC VTEC sticker to put next to the Intel Inside sticker on the front of my computer. I'll be posting regularly again.
For now, we're getting between 1 and 2 FEET of snow dumped on us here in NYC.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
I stopped by a gas station on the way home and a guy next to me struck up conversation about the car. It was pretty cool, he went on at length about the '91 ABS he used to have, what a great car Preludes are, and how he hopes to get a used '99 or '00 soon. It was a cool feeling. I guess it's been a year and a half or so since Honda killed the Prelude, and yet I still get questions and comments about it. It's not unusual for me to park the car, enter a restaurant with my wife-in-three-days (!!), get a window seat, and hear some young high school girl behind me with her parents asking them if they would buy her a silver car like the one that's parked out front. It never fails to put a smile on my face.
Oh, I drive with the seat lowered fully. It just feels better. I'd kill for a telescoping wheel, however.
More questions:
1. What tire pressure is everyone running at? (Me, about 32 psi.)
2. Anyone here use the STP Gas Treatment, etc., that you see at stores? Waste? Useful?
The STP treatment won't do anything for our Preludes -- we run hi-test gas, so we're already getting a big bunch of detergents. It's more useful for cars that run rich on 87 octane (like my Subaru).
Yeah, a telescoping wheel would be nice...
It sounds like your girlfriend is using the valet key.
I'm new to the Prelude scene, she got this car about 2 months ago used, it has 40,000 on it and it runs like a Tiger waiting to pounce, but she only lets me drive it occasionally because I can't keep my foot out of it, it's just too much fun!! I've had a 86 CRX and 95 Civic and driven Honda's up til about a year ago, but I never had the cash for the prelude, and really never wanted one, but driving hers is a treat. If there's anything about maintenance that I need to keep up for her other than frequent oil changes and checks and the essentials, let me know.
Thanks
Keith
There aren't any real maintenance recommendations that I'm aware of. I change oil frequently (every 3k miles) and have switched to full synthetic, but otherwise that's about it. The only driving advice regards the rims - they extend a little bit out from the rubber, so it is especially easy to rub against a curb and scratch up the lips of the rims on the Prelude. Especially when driving them the way they were meant to be driven! So, pay careful attention to saying within your lane and don't get too close to the curb, or you'll scratch up your rims faster than you would on other cars.
On the other hand, a Honda is a Honda, but the the Prelude is the king of sport coupes in general. Trust me -- they really don't make 'em like they used to.
The Bimmer will give you lots of smiles on the tight & twisty stuff, but might leave you wanting on the longer drives. Keep in mind that Car and Driver did a comparo (back in '95, I think) between a 318ti Sport and an Integra GS-R (a car not exactly known for its overall refinement), and they picked the GS-R as the better of the two.
On the other side of that coin, the Prelude absolutely destroys a GS-R (I know this because I sold my GS-R for the Prelude) in the twisties, just because of its stronger, tighter structure and more sophisticated suspension. (This might be a good time to remind you of what the ti rides on: struts up front, and only three compact links in the rear. The three-link set-up was never that forgiving, as I recall.)
Not only is the Prelude a better friend on the back roads, but it's a relaxed long-haul companion, as well. It's very composed and well-mannered, thanks to the sophisticated suspension and good gear ratios.
Yes, I'm totally biased. Now go buy the Prelude.
The 318ti is a nice car (afterall, a BMW). There's a guy on the 3 series board who has a the Club Sport edition, races it, and swears by it as far as reliability goes.
The 318ti (or compact as it is known in Europe) has a rear suspension that is actually quite archaic (from the E30 platform, think 1980's) compared with the Prelude's Double Wishbone setup.
Considering the Compact was pulled out of the US market in 1997 (give or take, but don't quote), you'll be able to find a newer Prelude with fewer miles on it (which would make the Prelude a more sensible used car purchase).
Personally I think the Prelude has a nicer interior layout and materials. (remember, the Compact was the low-end BMW while the Prelude was pretty high on the price end for Honda). It has more horsepower/torque then the 318ti. It makes a great highway cruiser (and himiler has almost 100K miles on his '01).
The list goes on and on, but I don't want to waste space repeating what himiler said. Bottom line, GET A PRELUDE!
I get remarks all the time on my car. Many people (outside the car world) don't even know that the Prelude has been discontinued. I always get the Thumbs up at lights from the Fast and Furious crowd of Suped up Civics and Intergras. Driving this car puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.
As far as oil goes, I put Mobil 1 synthetic in the car. My feeling is that if it is good enough for a factory fill for Corvettes, Porsches, and Mercedes-Benz, it is good enough for my Prelude.
The weather here is crazy. 20+ inches of snow 1 day, 1.5 inches of rain in the same week. It is reeking havoc on our already poor roads here in the NYC area. I think the potholes are going to outnumber the people her in another week or 2. Due to the somewhat major suspension/exhaust damage I did a month ago, I'm going to take it easy and use my sister's Jetta (although my manhood is challenged by it's white exterior/beige interior, automatic transmission, and sorority sticker) for maybe another week or 2 until some of the major potholes get filled.
There's a dealership (in Queens I think) that advertises (in its screamer ad) that is still has 2 (was 3 a few weeks ago) 2001 Honda S2000s in stock and "No Reasonable Offer will be refused."
Sphinx99: Good Luck with the wedding!
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
C'mon, the Integra is discontinued before prelude and there are more than 1 thread talking about them and not locked, so why is Prelude????
Do you guys think it would be nice to have different thread to talk about Prelude instead of put everything into one place?
shmang: While I love the my Prelude as much as the next guy (himiler & sphinx99) on the board, it probably has to do with the low volume of posts or repetitive posts with little or no volume on other Prelude posts. There's a thread about the Prelude long term, well, you can talk about the prelude Long Term on this thread...
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Is it a normal time for the cat to go belly up??
The Quaife will give you most of the advantages of the ATTS in the SH (although you won't have the SH's second steering link), and also gives you a traction benefit on hole shots and on low-traction surfaces.
I had mine installed 5 months after I bought my car, and it has performed flawlessly. The Quaife carries a lifetime warranty, even if you use it in competition. http://www.quaifeusa.com
It's also worth noting that there is a better selection of aftermarket parts available for the base model than the SH (suspension bits in particular), just because the ATTS unit can be tricky to tune around. That was my primary consideration in choosing the base over the SH.
FYI--Not to knock the SH, but the ATTS unit is also heavy (~80lbs.), does require periodic service, and tends to give warning lights if you spin the tires alot on slippery surfaces.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Really, it's about exclusivity and ATTS. On the latter, when ATTS kicks in for those few brief seconds, the car feels like it's worth the premium. I sometimes feel that nobody believes me when I say that my SH actually seems to corner better (without losing traction) than my S2000 on tight corners. The flip side is that as I get older, I feel less and less inclined to push the car *that* hard, simply because by the time ATTS is kicking in, you're probably doubling or tripling the posted speed limit on that curve. ATTS really is useless on public roads unless you are planning to break some traffic laws.
Exclusivity has its value too I suppose. The Prelude is a relatively exclusive and unknown car in many parts of the country; here in Detroit a 5th gen is as rare as a Viper, and I get all sorts of questions about it. A Type SH is even rarer. A satin silver (only available in '01) SH is still harder to find. It's possible that there are only a couple hundred satin silver Type SHs in the world, maybe just two or three in all of Michigan. I'll pretty much never see another one on the road. I know it's silly, there's no performance or financial justification for such things, but it's still something that puts a smile on my face. In a similar vein, I've noticed that those who do know Preludes regard Type SHs a bit differently... with the base, you never know whether one on the road is a SS or 5-speed, but the Type SHs are pretty much an enthusiast-only car, so on those rare occasions where you see another one, there's a fair amount of honking, light flashing, etc.
At this point, getting ANY G5 Prelude has its own kind of exclusivity, if that's an important consideration for someone.
One of the advantages of a Quaife over ATTS is that you don't have to push the car to experience its benefits.
So we're supposed to go to her cousin's wedding at the end of march and she says to me, "if you want we can all go in 1 car either (a) with my parents or (b) my brother and sister-in-law. I told her we're going with option c, my Prelude.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Nothing better to take your mind off a long day at work than to floor it on a twisty on-ramp...
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
That said, if you are hearing of feeling any grinding or garunching when you shift, you should definately get it checked out asap.
Thanks for the quick response, himiler!