Whaddya think?

I'm trying to decide between a 1996 Prelude S with 99k miles on it and a 1997 Civic LX sedan with 85k miles. Quite frankly, I want the 'Lude. Thing is, it's red, and the paint is starting to fade, the weatherseal on the edge of the rear windshield is starting to peel a bit, and the Civic is in showroom condition.

How good are Preludes for reliability? I know, it's a Honda, but it's also 10 years old, and I'm planning on getting a 4-year loan. It'd probably be over 165k by the end of that, and I'd rather not have to do any major repairs.

Also, how's the backseat? I have a six-year old nephew I occasionally need to take places.

Aaaand I've gotten varying reports regarding fuel mileage, what can I expect in the city?

Uhhh . . and does anybody know how much a paint job might cost if I were to repaint it in the future?

And here's the URL for the ad: http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=182702522&dealer_id=578519&car_year=1996&adCertifiedCheck=n&search_type=both&make=HONDA&sponsorModel=&model=&distance=50&address=23693&advanced=&certified=&carfaxGeneric=false&max_price=7000&sort_type=mileageASC&min_price=1&end_year=2006&start_year=1981&car_year=1996&isp=y&lang=en&cardist=25

Ludes are reliable if you maintain them. The back seat isnt big at all, but a six year old will fit fine. As far as gas milage, around 25 mpg...give or take a little. As for paint it depends where you brong it.

Here's my biased opinion: If you're planning to mod/upgrade the car I'd say get the lude. Hell, even if you're not planning on upgrading - get the lude.

The '92 si lude I used to own was not taken care of by the previous owner. When I bought it, it was dirty as hell, the paint was faded and the interior was a mess (melted crayons and food in the carpet). The car looked like shit. I am 99.9% sure the engine was as neglected as the rest of the car, and it had 180,000 miles on it. But the thing is, that engine ran strong, and the tranny was as smooth as butter. It could lay out a patch of rubber in 1st gear and chirp 2nd as if it were brand new. I was constantly amazed that this car had seen 12 years of abuse yet it could keep up with any brand new Honda out there (well, except s2000 and nsx, and VTEC ludes of course). It always started up on the first crank, hot or cold, and it idled as smooth as it drove. It never gave me any mechanical problems. How's that for reliable?

Backseat? What backseat? That little area behind the front seats? I guess it could hold a 6 year old midget and his pet chihuahua, but that's about it.

I currently drive a 96 VTEC lude, and I get about 24mpg in moderately heavy city traffic. Highway miles I'd guess close to 28mpg. That's if I'm not heavy on the pedal - VTEC affects gas mileage a lot. I'd suspect the F22 in the S model will get similar or better mileage.

All I can say about a paint job is you can spend $400 on a paint job, and you can spend $10,000 on a paint job. Or anywhere in between. Depends on how much quality you want.

paint it ur self heheh:2cents: wats a bucket of paint cost not 10 Gs heheh:iceslolan
civics no fun ... lude all the way

Thanks for the helpful comments! I'll be driving my cosigner and my nephew down there first thing tomorrow morning, and unless there's something horribly wrong with it, I'm gonna put some money down so they'll hold it 'till I sell my Malibu. :cool:

Prelude BABY!!!!

Wait a sec . . . when I ran a title check, it came up with these specs:

VIN: JHMBA8149TC001364
Year: 1996
Make: Honda
Model: Prelude
Style/Body: 2 Door Coupe
Engine: 2.2L I-4 EFI SOHC VTEC
Country of Assembly: Japan

I knew the S model came with a 2.2L SOHC engine, but I didn't think it was V-TEC. Is it really? I mean, based solely on the VIN, it gave me this information. It's never been wrong before. But . . . is it whacked out this time, or does this 'lude really have V-TEC?

A normal S model w/ an f22 doesn't have VTEC. I don't know whatcha got there. Maybe a typo.

If it is, buy that shit up. You'll be better off anyway. All you have to do is check under the hood to see if it says VTEC. If the VIN says VTEC, and the car has the S motor, I'd be cautious about buying it as the engine has probably been replaced.

As far as paying 7 large for one.. I don't know where you come from, but that's a little steep here. You can find a '95 for cheaper than that and not have to deal with the OBDII for modifications.

Ask the dealership for a complete vehicle history report as well. They all should have accounts with carfax and whatever the other one is. That'll give you a good idea of why it says VTEC and might have an S motor.

They run forever, don't worry about that. I can't kill mine for the life of me. 230k+ on the clock.

Prelude BABY!!!!
I got 60 days free vehicle reports from consumerreports.com. better than carfax if you ask me.. out of couriosity this is what i turned up ....... looks BAD. I would pass if you ask me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BEEN WRECKED, and no vtec here...


Vehicle 1996 Honda Prelude
VIN JHMBA8149TC001364
Body Style 2 Door Coupe
Country of Manufacture Japan


Vehicle History Checklist
Vehicle Description JHMBA8149TC001364
Title Check No records found
Problem Check No records found
Odometer Check No records found
Vehicle Information Records found
Full History Records Found

Title Check
Your vehicle checks out!

Abandoned No Abandoned Records Found
Damaged No Damaged Records Found
Fire Damage No Fire Damage Records Found
Grey Market No Grey Market Records Found
Hail Damage No Hail Damage Records Found
Insurance Loss No Insurance Loss Records Found
Junk No Junk Records Found
Rebuilt/Rebuildable No Rebuilt/Rebuildable Records Found
Salvage No Salvage Records Found


Problem Check
Your vehicle checks out!

NHTSA Crash Test Vehicle No NHTSA Crash Test Vehicle Records Found
Fire Damage Incident No Fire Damage Incident Records Found
Frame Damage No Frame Damage Records Found
Major Damage No Major Damage Records Found
Manufacturer Buyback/Lemon No Manufacturer Buyback/Lemon Records Found
Manufacturer Buyback/Lemon No Manufacturer Buyback/Lemon Records Found
Odometer Problem No Odometer Problem Records Found
Salvage Auction No Salvage Auction Records Found
Water Damage No Water Damage Records Found


Vehicle Information
Problems Found!

Accident Data Accident Data Records Found
Corrected Title No Corrected Title Records Found
Driver Education No Driver Education Records Found
Duplicate Title No Duplicate Title Records Found
Emission/Safety Inspection No Emission/Safety Inspection Records Found
Livery Use No Livery Use Records Found
Government Use No Government Use Records Found
Police Use No Police Use Records Found
Rental/Fleet No Rental/Fleet Records Found
Repossessed No Repossessed Records Found
Taxi Use No Taxi Use Records Found
Theft No Theft Records Found


Vehicle History Records
We have searched the Experian Automotive National Vehicle Database of insurance, DMV, and auto auction information and found the following 16 records for this 1996 HONDA PRELUDE . Note the highlighted rows for potential issues that could affect the value of this vehicle.

Date Location Mileage Description
1996-09-26 jacksonville, NC title
1996-11-21 jacksonville, NC registration event/renewal
1997-11-18 jacksonville, NC registration event/renewal
1998-10-23 jacksonville, NC registration event/renewal
1999-12-03 jacksonville, NC registration event/renewal
2000-03-31 NC front impact with another vehicle
2000-10-06 jacksonville, NC registration event/renewal
2001-11-30 jacksonville, NC registration event/renewal
2002-05-11 fredericksburg, VA 80225 title
2002-05-11 fredericksburg, VA registration event/renewal
2002-05-30 fredericksburg, VA 80500 title
2002-05-30 fredericksburg, VA registration event/renewal
2003-04-02 fredericksburg, VA registration event/renewal
2004-04-14 fredericksburg, VA registration event/renewal
2005-04-11 fredericksburg, VA registration event/renewal
2005-05-10 fredericksburg, VA 99242 vehicle in dealer inventory

Wait a sec . . . when I ran a title check, it came up with these specs:

VIN: JHMBA8149TC001364
Year: 1996
Make: Honda
Model: Prelude
Style/Body: 2 Door Coupe
Engine: 2.2L I-4 EFI SOHC VTEC
Country of Assembly: Japan

I knew the S model came with a 2.2L SOHC engine, but I didn't think it was V-TEC. Is it really? I mean, based solely on the VIN, it gave me this information. It's never been wrong before. But . . . is it whacked out this time, or does this 'lude really have V-TEC?

vtec vtec vtec vtec vtec vtec vtec vtec vtec vtec
vtec vtec vtec vtec vtec vtec vtec vtec vtec vtec
:grinyes:
V-TEC:lol2::grinno: