New member, what to look for when buying a used prelude?
Hi there,
I am looking to buy a used 5th gen. My first two craigslist encounters were not very enjoyable to say the least -first ended up being a rebuild, second lied about all the claims.
Basically what would you look for? From what I have read the Sport shift automatics seem to end up with tranny problems. Standard is the way to go? Some of the transmission failure talk is almost scaring me away from buying a prelude. What are common problems to look out for? At what mileage do the timing belts need replaced? That sort of stuff. What are the things you made sure you checked before purchasing your prelude?
Around here in British Columbia a used 5th gen usually goes for 10 000. I am trying to find a better deal, and a reliable car without getting screwed. Help me out?
can you go look and touch the car maybe test drive. that would be your best craigs list option. Bought my lude from craigs list and before that my 90 crx b16a both were good buys. belt are done around 160km or between 80k and 100k miles.check for leaks, wrecks, make sure everything works, lights, odometer, brakes feel good, clutch if that applies to the type you are buying, oil leaks, body condition.
Avoid the auto tranny at all costs. Timing belt is due at about 100k miles. Manual transmissions are known to have issues with weak shift forks, so just make sure you can engage all the gears easily. Other than that, look for the same things you would on any other used car.
If you can find a prelude that has been reasonably well maintained, you can expect a reliable, fun, relatively low maintenance Honda. If all you can find are dogged-out abused ricer-mobiles, you can expect a long list of problems. Good luck.
yeah, follow all the advice presented and definitely go with a manual.
my first prelude was a automanual or however you'd like to present it, and after is started banging into gear within the first week of driving it I convinced the dealer to replace the tranny...12,000 miles later it went up again. it was a $3k repair order, and I owed $3k on the car. I cut my losses, sold it for $1500, and bought a 00 SH. I wish I would have found this website prior to buying my first prelude.
Listen to what these guys have to say, they know what they're talking about.
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97 Red AUTO base (blown tranny)
00 Black SH (smooth sailing)
Thanks for that link, i printed out that list --was exactly what I was looking for. I did search but it didn't come up.
The tranny problems are kind of steering me away. I am looking for my FIRST vehicle so reliability is number one.
One more thing. If I can get a hold of the VINs, is their a resource to check up on the car history for free? Or do i have to pay for sites like carmax etc.
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