'99 Prelude Type S

I would shy away from it. And a hint: body kits aren't worth ANYTHING once they're installed on the car. I used to sell used cars. Does it have 4 tires and a spare? I don't care if they're stock or Bridgestone Potenzas

Has it got a radio? i don't care if it has a stock radio/cassette or an Alpine Am/FM/CD/MP3/Satellite with 12 speakers.

Does it have an engine? I don't care if it's stock or turbocharged, camed, etc. Actually, I *DO* care! I don't want to see all that crap! It probably meant you abused the car.

Open your eyes and take a look without a "gotta have it" attitude, and look for signs of abuse, racing, and esp at the body kit. Some of these things are flimsy at worst and will crack if you look at them too hard, or worse, were installed in a way that will cause water/road salt to accumulate and rot the body a lot faster than it would without having it installed.

Bring a magnet and a napkin; put the magnet in the napkin and check ares of the body for Bondo; if the magnet doesn't stick, look out...

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Modified often = LOWERED which = bad clearance in snow. Get stuck in a rutted road and you won't get out of the ruts without losing your body kit.

Stick to something STOCK and cared for. Not raced and modified.

'Curly'

Yeah, what they said... plus if it IS lowered, and it hasn't been lowered correctly (ie. with a proper camber kit and properly selected springs and dampers), it'll actually blow the handling to shit and make it terrible or even dangerous to drive in the snow. Not really something you wanna be hauling your child around in.

If you like the Prelude but need something a little more family-oriented, try an Accord; they're largely the same car. I've had three '87s now and they've all been great.

Matt Ion wrote in news:ZY03i.190845$6m4.120657@pd7urf1no:

I'll also add that those aftermarket body kits often are brittle fiberglass,and crack or break.I've seen lots of them cracked and broken,chunks missing. Good body kits use flexible urethane like the original bumper covers.

I second the suggestion about a 4-dr Accord.

Thanks for the advice guys ...think I'll keep the '01 Toy for a little while longer and maybe buy another Jeep CJ as a for-fun vehicle. The total cost of both vehicles equals the Prelude and the Jeep can come in handy once winter hits plus they are easier to fix as opposed to a potentially poorly-modified Prelude.

Cheers!

"griffin" wrote in news:nV33i.189235$DE1.159031@pd7urf2no:

Jeeps are not safe vehicles;they are too easy to roll over. Too high a center of gravity,short wheelbase.

does type S mean type slow? Just wonderin

Just a thought: if you're concerned about winter driving (and granted that this is a Honda newsgroup), you might look into something in a Subaru Forester - they're somewhere between a wagon and stretched 5-door hatchback design, so there's lots of space for the kid(s) and associated junk, and with the full-time 4WD, they eat snow for breakfast. Even my little FWD '82 Subaru GL went better in the snow than a couple of Jeeps on our block.

in this case, I wouldn't thin' so...

Until a year ago, I had an 01 (5th gen) Prelude. Great car, but not a good option for anyone who needs to sit in the back seat. As a senior citizen, I cared for the car and never abused it so when I sold it it went right away. Most Preludes I have seen have been modified and abused, so a stock one is rare. The automatic has been problematic, so a manual it better. Look at the maintenance records as well. I now drive an I4 Accord coupe automatic and like it. But, the Prelude is a lot more fun to drive, particularly when the VTEC cuts in around 5300 rpm.