Any opinions on a Honda Prelude around 195/96?

Time to consider what next after the Saab. Fancy an Alfa 75 or 33, but widening my Scope a little.
The 4th gen Preludes seem to be coming down in price a little. Are Hondas as reliable as they are claimed? Prelude looks cool, even the older 2 and 3 gen models have fairly tidy interior layouts (even if they appear to rust like a skoda and have all the cosmetic exterior appeal of a door wedge). And parts shouldn't be to difficult to obtain (standard or upgrade, not ricer).
Fuel economy should be way better with a decent vTec engine with performance should i choose to use it, without having to face the ricer tag every time I drive it unlike a civic.
Opinions?

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yeah i looked at some and liked them, early ones rust but after 1990 there meant to be ok except for rusty boot lids
2.2 vtec see's 0-60 in just under 7 to and 4WS is meant to be excelent

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If looked after, yes - like all cars they need servicing, at this age possibly every 6,000 miles.
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Heh, erm, a bit, 80s? :)
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A boss of mine ran a series of Preludes, reckoned nothing could come close to the blend of smoothness and performance without going to five or more pots. His driving style was kinda on-off-on too, so was never especially kind with fuel consumption, but managed significantly less with the Golf V5 pantsmobile he had...
-- The DervMan www.dervman.com

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no probs, the Saab gets an oil change every 3k miles. The rest as when I see it needs doing.
Don't need anything like the lastest flappy paddle gear shift type stuff a straight 5 speed manual is perfect.
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nowt wrong with 80's mate. only one of the 3 cars I've had has been 1990 +, and it was the cheapest, to both buy and run.
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Cool. The Saab is OK, but to really enjoy it, you need to flog it, with it being an old fashioned laggy T3 turbo, that drinks fuel, otherwise it is a bit dull and flat.
a nice 2 litre built properly, in a smallish coupe (I still consider the Prelude smallish) would do me nicely, especially if I can find a vTec one. Got to be better than average 27-29 to the gallon.

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Rightio!
The automatics are nice, but probably expensive if they need fixing.
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Aye, but was everything wearing a sticker that says, "electric mirror" on the control? :-p
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to
ricer
close
especially
V5
Aye, it's an older style turbocharged engine... nice!
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Easily, I averaged just over 42 from his 2.2! :)
-- The DervMan www.dervman.com

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Ah see there is the magic work. Worth spending a couple of grand on a mid 90's vTec Prelude and saving money in the long run.

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Pussy ;)

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the
Heh, says the chap who's too scared to meet up and be toasted by a Ka! >:-)

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You, Sir, drive like a girl.

wrote:
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the
Not necessarily, maybe he had an Ecotec valve...

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Bwahahahahaha.

wrote:
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the
I did this car, for sure! Mind you, to be honest driving from Norwich to London with the boss half asleep next to you, it's not difficult to get a splendid economy result. His Golf V5 would squeeze just under 40 mpg too.

in slurred : > Time to consider what next after the Saab.
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I have one of those. A '93 K reg, 2.3, 4ws.
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Pretty much. I've had to replace the lambda sensor in mine (just gone over 100k), but that's pretty much all I've done in 3+ years, except consumables, and that seems to be pretty much par for the course.
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Parts are slightly harder to come by than for european models, but a lot of them are the same as used on Accords, so there are lots of pattern parts and bits in scrapyards.
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I tend to drive mine pretty hard, and average about 32. I've had it down to 25 when really ragging it, and I suppose it's a bit better on the motorway, but I don't use it for that very often.
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The 2.3 is a pretty good engine - it'll pull in 5th from about 20mph (i.e. tickover), and revs quite happily to over 6000. Very smooth for a 4 cylinder. That said, I'd go for a 2.2 VTec - they are noticeably less torquey at very low revs, but obviously quite a bit quicker if you cane them.
The handling is very good, grip is excellent, although the ride is quite firm and probably not to everyones taste. I think the 4ws is pretty good, but I wouldn't pay extra for it. The automatic aerials all pack in (as on accords of the same age).
*cough* Mine will be on sale shortly, after I've re-MOTed it - I need an estate (expect request for suggestions shortly....)

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Simple, Volvo T5 or if you are looking for newer Saab 9-5 aero.
Not a lot of choice unless you fancy one of the jap import 4x4 estate specials.

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Well, the T5 is a possibility, but an outside one - I'm looking for something quick, tough, practical and reliable. Also prefferably not too expensive. I did consider the mondeo v6, but they don't seem to be _that_ quick. I'm currently favouring a Legacy 4-cam turbo estate from somewhere around a '94 vintage. They seem to keep going and there are quite a few around for under £2k.
I'll probably do a proper post nearer the time, but anyone have any experiences with them/things to look out for, and or alternative suggestions?

Albert T Cone wrote:
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Well your choice is very, very limited then !
Legacy and Volvo T5 are pretty much your only options. The Impreza hatch is sort of a small estate I suppose...
406 V6 Estate carries 200bhp.
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That's cos they're not. At all.
:)
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Good choice, but they truly are the epitomy of bland.
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Quick estates for reasonable money, are very few and far between !

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is
Yea, get that one, bound to be the best :)

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Yup, that's another possibility. In fact, my list thus far is:
BMW 325i touring (probably too small) Mondeo v6 estate (probably too slow) Pug 406 v6 estate (heavy?) Subaru Legacy 4-cam Vaux omega 3.0 24v est. (heavy?) Volvo T5 estate
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Heh. Fair enough - scratch that one.
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Meh. Bland doesn't bother me - I want quick and practical. Image and styling are worth about this ->||<- much to me :-)
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Yup, seems so, but there are a couple of options, and I'm not in any immediate rush.

Albert T Cone wrote:
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Audi S2? Dunno what price they fetch and parts can be a tad expensive but its just oh so good!
-- Chet http://www.retro-renault.com 1991 HF Integrale 16v - Gettin there! 1992 Renault 19 16v - Roll on 21/07/2004

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Oh yes, that would be superb. Thing is, they start at around £5k, which is a bit more than I wanna spend. Might not depreciate too badly tho....