5th generation Prelude

[luokyio]

Hi all!

I've been way too quiet here in the forum, so I decided I should post about my latest car swap.

I had driven my C 220 Merc for couple years now, and had a constant car fever. I decided to put the car on Finnish car sales site to trade it to a newer Merc. After about two days of selling, a guy sent me a mail asking if I wanted to trade my car for his Prelude. I considered his offer for a while, and after some discussion we came to an understanding about him paying me a bit money in addition to the car. We agreed to meet about half-way (distance between us was 500 km). We both saw the cars, thought they were what they were supposed to be, and made the trade.

So, here is the result:

1997 Honda Prelude with 149 000 km (92 500 ml), 2.0 engine, 5-speed manual. The car has a couple problems that need repairing: some ***** idiot has kicked the passenger side mirror in and broke it and another idiot had reversed too close to the Honda and broke the rear bumper.

After getting used to the Merc, the interior noise and stiffness of the lowered Japanese suspension is quite a shock. The lowering has made the car unable to fit my garage, which has about 5 cm step when entering it. Middle muffler is too low for it... Also the lack of automatic transmission does town-cruising a little more effort-needing job.

Sounds like I don't like the car? Sure, it is far from what I'm used to drive, but it has it's plus sides too. I really like the fact that you don't see these here very often (all my previous cars have been really common, like Ford Sierra, Mazda 626, Mercs W124 and W202 which you see a hundred times a minute), the interior room is surprisingly good. I'm 195 cm and have no problem at all fitting in. Of course, there is absolutely no room in the back seat behind me, but it really isn't my problem, isn't it? It is also pretty nice to drive (as long as you're on good tarmac), fuel consumption is very good for a car like this (the good side of being pretty slow for a coupe), really light steering etc etc.

Simply put: I like it.

Anyway, here are some pictures, which you just wanted to see instead of the long boring speech (click to see the bigger version):



I know, I need a new set of wheels immediately.

[Kip_6666]

Looks great, nice and clean.

I've always had something for those Preludes.

[Final Daihatsu]

Prelude

[MXM]

Originally Posted by luokyio

Heh, not the most flattering angle for a prelude (or any car probably).

[kEv H]

Nice Car, I've always loved Preludes.
Too bad it has the F20 instead of the H22A, that would be a nice swap.

Any further plans for mods?

[deltableh]

My friend has one of those in black, only he got the H22 model. Heck of an engine, heck of a car.

[luokyio]

Originally Posted by kEv H

Any further plans for mods?

Nope, maybe extra soundproofing and some 17" summer wheels, nothing else. I don't really like tuning...

[jensked]

My grandmother used to drive a Prelude, on of those earlier models. The one with the headlights that pop out. I loved that car when I was a child and I still do.

On this one, just the wheels/rims look a bit odd, a bit too small, but for the rest: fine example! Congrats

[Ianspeed]

Nice and clean without any badges. Good looking gen.

[matyas]

Luokyio, nice car!

Is it usual in Finland to travel 500km just to see a car? I have been looking at old mercs, w123 and w126 here, and most are about 300km from where I live. How good an idea is it to travel 500km to buy a car?

[anti-net]

Thats a really nice looking car I was thinking about getting a Prelude but I can't get insurance

[luokyio]

Originally Posted by matyas

Luokyio, nice car!

Is it usual in Finland to travel 500km just to see a car? I have been looking at old mercs, w123 and w126 here, and most are about 300km from where I live. How good an idea is it to travel 500km to buy a car?

Well, I've never bought a car closer than 200 km... Just ask high quality pictures so you get a good idea of the car in question. Sure, some times I have traveled hundreds of km's just to see a piece of s*it that was in brilliant condition on the phone, but it's always cheaper to drive back without a new car than get some crap you repair for huge loads of money...

[matyas]

One last question, before I start going off topic too much.

When you got it, did you use nettiauto? Is it worth buying papers like keltainenporssi, or should I stick to nettiauto?

[luokyio]

Originally Posted by matyas

One last question, before I start going off topic too much.

When you got it, did you use nettiauto? Is it worth buying papers like keltainenporssi, or should I stick to nettiauto?

Yep, nettiauto is the number one media for used cars. No doubt about it. Of course, you are looking for a car that is most likely to be driven by old dudes who have no clue about how to use the Internet, so old-school papers might be a good place for you to start searching.

[scathing]

I remember, when I first saw these things, that I thought they were hideously ugly with stupid square headlights.

Its just that this car was way too far ahead of its time. I think they look great now.

[Vector]

I have always liked the Prelude styling, whatever the year. Those are RWD right? It's just too bad I associate them with ricers with big stereos. Still, I might not mind having one.

[Final Daihatsu]

^ I think it's FF layout.

[scathing]

Originally Posted by Vector

Those are RWD right?

Negative.

Aside from the NSX, S2000 and Beat, I can't think of a modern Honda passenger car that's been RWD.

[luokyio]

Yep, it is an front-wheel-drive, which is a shame. I have pretty much always driven RWDs at winter, and FWD just plainly sucks on ice/snow.

[tedb43o2o3]

Prelude is a great car, keep it clean man.