Looking @ '89 Prelude, any suggestions?

[2k3windstar]

I'm looking for a first car for my daughter. I've found an '89 Prelude that I want to look at. Any suggestions on problem areas to look for? Any thoughts on reliability? Is visibility (seeing out) good, or are there any bad blind spots?

I've driven an RX-7 for 23 years. Old cars don't skeer me. I've got jack stands and I know how to use them...

Thanks

[AcesHigh]

A fellow Rx-7 owner..

Haha, you got that right, if you owned an Rx-7 nothing the 89 Honda Prelude could do would suprise you. Luckily, they are very reliable compared to the 13B and the back is a bit easier to see out of than even the nice big hatch of the Rx-7: visibility is really good for a sport coupe.

The only two things to think about would really be 1) carburation vs fuel injection -- carburators are very bothersome in my opinion in the winter where remote starters do not work because the carb requires you to throttle the gas once or twice before it will start. I live in the Midwest and our cold winters make it a huge problem for us.

2) Fuel economy. Maybe this is just me but this was one of the criteria I was looking at for an economy car -- 2.0L may not sound like much considering the crazy gas hogging 3.0L VTEC engine in today's Accord (Preludes/Accords have always been engine buddies) but the 87 Accord I am driving now sucks gas.. I see my friends and their Civics, CRX's, and Corollas and instantly get jealous of their 1.6's.. they can go for weeks on one 6 gallon tank. Wow! My Accord's A series engine (which is in the lower model second generation Preludes) I fill once every 1.5 weeks.

There's my rant anyways, when looking at an old Honda look for rust in the typical spots (behind the rear wheel wells), erratic idling, and especially make sure all the dash (electrical) buttons work. Keep in mind aftermarket is very small for these cars and you will be spending alot of time in junkyards looking for parts.

Good luck!