'01 R/T Neon vs '97 Prelude

[Rotary Noob]

Hi, I'm 16, and I'm working my ass off to save up enough money(~7k), and I'm just going nuts trying to choose b/w one of these cars.
They'll both be 5spds
2k1 Dodge Neon R/T
2.0L SOHC I4 150hp@6400rpm
137lb-ft@3950rpm
Curb Weight ~2700lbs

0-60 mph in 7.5s with a quarter mile time of 16.1s at 88 mph and a top speed of 129 mph.

OR

1997 Honda Prelude(H22),
2.2L I4, 195hp@7000rpm 158lbs-ft@5500rpm,
Qtr Mile--15.3@94mph
0-60 ~7s
Curb Weight~3000lbs

Neon: Good looks, underdog, slowER,

Prelude: UNORIGINAL(just another honda), lacking torque, Faster, VTEC

You know how it is when your my age, you have a job, only one car, don't make much money(~700$ month for me); Although 100% of my money will go to this car, I'm probably going to stick w/ bolt ons, can't do anything extreme(i.e turbo, nos, internals), cuz it'll be my only car.
And I wanna be able to smoke some of the kids in my school, (namely a BMW 328i lol) so I need to be able to run anywhere from high 14s to low 15s

I really wanna get the Neon to surprise ppl, (my bro had a base model one so I kinda have a thing for them) but I don't know if I'll be able to run low 15s with bolt ons (intake, cat back, tb, ignition sys, pulley, header, 12 crane cam)

So basically which one would you choose if you were me?

Thanks for any help in advance

[kman10587]

The Prelude is going to be much faster, more solidly built, and better-looking. But you're right, it's just another Honda (although Preludes are rarer than most). I'd take the Prelude, no question. Preludes are unique enough that I wouldn't worry about falling into the stereotypical Honda driver category, and as a FWD sport coupe, it has the Neon R/T soundly beat in just about every area.

[NISSANSPDR]

In the mindset of the late 90's Honda's...the Prelude was a torquey beast at 160 lbs...lol

[TatII]

its funny that you call the prelude torqueless when it has more tq then the neon. haha

anyways prelude anyday. theres so much more aftermarket for them. not to mention you have to spend money on the neon just to make it as fast as a lude out of hte box, and you'll have alot less problems with build quality also. theres tons of turbo kits for the lude too, and the lude has waay better suspension. its better then the macpherson strut up front with struts in the rear ( if i remember correctly )

[kman10587]

The Prelude may not look very torquey on paper, but it feels like it has a ton of it, and the power up top is nothing short of spectacular. It'll have no problem beating a Neon R/T, from a dead-stop or from a roll at any speed. I'm not a big fan of the Neon R/T, really; the Cavalier Z24 and its GM clones (1996-2002) have it beat as far as American sport coupes go.

[del]

preludes may be just another honda, but they have created a unique following within the whole tuner crowd. as a former prelude owner myself, i could say prelude owners like to distinguish themselves from that typical honda stereotype. you'll find your fair share of modded preludes in bad taste, but for the most part, i would say say a better percentage are tastefully done. great handling cars, top-notch build quality. fairly quick and very fun cars to drive. easy vote for me, even if i never owned a prelude.

[Neutrino]

Get a neon ACR and get into autox.

[drdisque]

I think a neon makes a better realistic teenager car

[CanucksRT]

I'd go with the Prelude personally, from the box it has everything the neon has and than some, but like the previous poster said, the Neon is more of a teenager car, things like insurance, and just having that less power from the get go is good for a new driver.

Unless you feel fine with it, I'd go with the Prelude, I think chicks will dig it better than the Neon also.

[Rotary Noob]

Originally Posted by TatII

its funny that you call the prelude torqueless when it has more tq then the neon. haha

anyways prelude anyday. theres so much more aftermarket for them. not to mention you have to spend money on the neon just to make it as fast as a lude out of hte box, and you'll have alot less problems with build quality also. theres tons of turbo kits for the lude too, and the lude has waay better suspension. its better then the macpherson strut up front with struts in the rear ( if i remember correctly )

The Prelude has a little more torque than the Neon(19lbs-ft) but not much for something its weight. Keep in mind that the Neon weighs ~300lbs less than the Prelude.

Another important thing is that the Neon will feel more fresh cuz it'll most likely have less than 50k on it, as opposed to a Prelude which'll probably have more than 100k...

I'm aware of the fact that the Preludes faster, but with the Neon it'll be more worth it cuz people that I CAN beat will fuckin CRY cuz they just got smoked by a Neon.

It's still killing me...maybe after a few more replies

[v10_viper]

Get a freakin' Neon man. If you could find a 2 door Neon R/T they're pretty neat little cars and you'll get one to be respectibaly fast I'm sure.

[del]

you don't even have the car and you're already talkin smack.

seems like you already have your mind set on the neon. have you driven either? do that first then decide. insurance would be less on the neon but the resale value won't hold up as well as the prelude. just a couple other things to think about.

[Rotary Noob]

Yea your right, I guess it just comes down to that now. And no I haven't driven neither, not even close lol, the only cars I've driven are a 99 Camry, 2k Neon, 2k4 Corolla. All ATXs

Well the moderator dudes are probably gonna delete this thread cuz I just realized I was supposed to make a 10 day limit LOL

[kman10587]

I'd be willing to bet that a Prelude with 120K will feel more fresh than a Neon R/T with 70K. The only Neon whose reliability I trust is the SRT-4; the rest are really iffy.

[TatII]

yup, i'm almost positive that a prelude with 100K miles will have less squeecks and rattles then a neon with 50K miles. plus their plastics are the same ones used on rubbermaid trash cans. which is cheap.

also things on paper is very different from what they all appear to be. my 240sx when it was stock made 160lb ft of tq and weights 200 lbs less then the lude, and guess what? the lude felt torquier ( spelling? ) then my 240. and that thing will hardly ever lug in 5th gear, even at 40mph. that is alot of low end tq for you. my 240 when i'm at 40mph in 5th, the whole car is lugging and shaking like crazy.