First off, you can take the Legend talk and throw that crap out the window. Sheer numbers do not make the Civic great. Take your turbo charged Legend and give me a semi built B18C Spec R hatch and I'll have you trading in your Legend for a Civic in no time flat on the strip and most definitly on the track. The Legend is a brick and not worth the cash.
Oh and the Prelude thing.......let me just say, buy your Prelude and see how many Civic's out there can hand you your ass. The Lude is a great car but the Civic has much more possibilities. Your post alone tells me that you have done some homework but not enough. Study up.