So I found a car I really want on craigslist for a decent price: A 1999 Honda Prelude with 68,000 miles for $7000! It's got a clean title, and very little damage except for a tiny bit to the bottom because the car is low to the ground. I was going to buy this car asap, but I have limited knowledge on cars and need some advice. I live in northern MN where theres snow on the ground 6 months of the year and winters can get rough, and my friend who knows about cars said in order to saftely drive the Prelude in the winter I'd need to take off the body kit that was put on and get stock bumpers, replace the 17" black rims to stock or something else, and get rid of the new cold air intake the guy put on the car.

He said this would cost around $2500 with labor to do. Is he right on this? I'd be willing to spend up to $1000 to get this car ready to handle the winter, but I can't afford any more as I'm going to be a 1st year college student. Is it worth it for me, or should I look for something else then? Heres a couple pics of the actual car. Also, is this a good price to pay for the car, or should I try and go lower? Thanks!!



http://images.craigslist.org/0101070102020103052008073049050221af6f88ed7800e07c .jpghttp://images.craigslist.org/01010001021001030220080730c2fdd3bd7298085e75004fe2 .jpg

I think the body kit would definately have to come off! When there is 12 inches of snow beneath you ground clearance is a must! I do think you would be able to find a front and rear bumper at a salvage yard for relatively cheap. Only problem is they probably won't be the same color. They can always be taken to a paint shop or a Macco. (Just be careful and remember when it comes to laying paint on your car, you get what you pay for.) I also think you and your friends would be able to tackle this job by yourself. Even if you have never done it before, you just need some patience and some guidance (which I am sure members in the Prelude forum would be more than happy to help.)

The rims would probably have to go because by the looks of the pic there are some very low profile tires on there. Usually great for handling on dry streets but not so good on slick surfaces.

As for the cold air intake I really don't think it HAS to be removed. I have a cold air intake on my car. I lived in Cleveland my whole life and have driven through lake effect snow for many years. I never took my intake off. It wouldn't be a bad idea to remove it to make sure it doesn't get clogged with snow of suck up some salty water but I don't think it is completely necessary.

The price sounds pretty good. It is a Honda and if well taken care of should run for a long time. I would maybe look into getting a Car Facts report to make sure the car was never wrecked or flooded. If you can work the price down then great but it seems to be pretty fair. I like to work in a trip to the mechanic into the deal. A solid peace of mind is worth a whole lot. Just tell the owner you would like to take the car to your mechanic and if all checks out move forward.

Overall if you do the work (Removing body kit and installing bumpers) you will save a lot of money. But all in all sounds like a pretty good car.

ask the seller if he has all the stock bumpers n wheels for this thing n tell him i'll pay the full asking price n wont bargain if you can include this stuff, also another thing to look into is air ride!! if you get air ride, your car can be a foot off the ground and you can go 2 the junkyard n pick up some steel wheels with tires with 60-80% tread left on them for 40 bux for all four! i'd definitely do that if the bodykit is made out of Urethane or polyurethane. but if its fiberglass, then go for stock bumpers. I've owned 5 preludes (4th n 5th gen) all my life n i feel that they handle pretty darn well in snow when they are stock! with rimz, not so well cuz then ur messing up the camber. Also use well reputable suspension as they dont mess up ur camber 2 much.