Is a 98 automatic prelude safe investment? It has 131,880 miles on it. I'm 17 and I really want this car to last me quite some time. I know honda's are built well and can go for quite some time. I really wanted a manual but my mom was being a complete tweak. So don't go flaming me. The women selling this car is absolutely clueless. She divorced her husband and got the car, she thinks the car is a Automatic type SH. I facepalmed on the phone when she said that since an automatic sh doesn't exist. I assume her husband put a badge on the car trying to impress people. (I'll be scraping that off lol)
The body of this car is near perfect. I plan on checking it sometime next week. She wants 2700 obo. Is that about the right price for this car assuming the engine is working?
Offer her $1700 cash and work your way up. The timing service will need to be done unless she can prove it was already, and the transmission may give out. A timing service will be around $600 to $800, and a transmission rebuild/replacement will be between $1000 and $1500.
Buying this car means you have to expect doing both relatively soon. The automatics in Preludes are terrible and sporadically die without warning at random mileages. A couple years ago I had a 97 with 20k miles on it and the auto started slipping into first by 30k miles.
thats a lot of mileage...those autos as you know were notorious for randomly failing, some went at 30k miles, others at 150k miles...then again, any autos back then didn't last longer than that, but for a Honda it was terrible lol.
I was about to buy an auto 98 lude a few months ago myself...for $4 grand, and it was even beat up a bit. Thankfully my parents told me not to buy it lol...ended up finding a nice fully loaded 5spd 4th gen lude instead. So if you can, hold off from buying and have some patience and youll find a nice gem. I'd probably save up a bit more and find a 5spd if I were you, because youll end up having to drop in a new tranny or even do a 5spd conversion.
Anyways, test drive it if you can and see how it shifts...depending on how that goes you can try to work it down a bit.
I really wish I could go 5 speed but my mom is against it and my dad doesnt care. Says if I get a stick she'll refuse to pay for insurance ugh... Im stuck lookin for automatics. When I'm out of college in a steady job I plan on gettin a newer civic ha. Im stuck workin at a movie theater making next to nothing. I need a car asap since my older brothers grand prix gtp I was supposed to get crapped out a few days before I was supposed to get it (engine is shot).
For me right now though Prelude>Eclipse>Integra.
I like how eclipses and preludes look. Integra just because they last a long time ha. My Cousins 2000 integra is almost at 300k (he bought it new)
Last edited by siriusvirus; 08-06-2011 at 01:34 AM.
I really wish I could go 5 speed but my mom is against it and my dad doesnt care. Says if I get a stick she'll refuse to pay for insurance ugh... Im stuck lookin for automatics. When I'm out of college in a steady job I plan on gettin a newer civic ha. Im stuck workin at a movie theater making next to nothing. I need a car asap since my older brothers grand prix gtp I was supposed to get crapped out a few days before I was supposed to get it (engine is shot).
For me right now though Prelude>Eclipse>Integra.
I like how eclipses and preludes look. Integra just because they last a long time ha. My Cousins 2000 integra is almost at 300k (he bought it new)
weird...just because driving a stick sounds difficult to her, means it will be for you? No, at first stick is difficult, yes--but then you master it, its fun, you get more out of your car, better gas mileage and you become a better overall driver because you wont have that useless arm to do things that would distract you. gotta tell her the facts and see if you can convince her to let you lol.
but if she wont budge, you might as well get something cheap till you have full independancy. In this case, Id suggest a 4th or 5th gen Accord EX. faster than a civic and not a tin can like one, good handling and is the most reliable car. period. people like to stick h22's in these...but stock they have great engines for tuning (f-series sohc).
Thanks. Auto preludes look nice but sadly unreliable. Im lookin into accords and eclipses. But right now it seems like I'm gonna buy the first good car that comes my way.
dont get me wrong but... just buy cheaper car and learn to be good driver with it. If you're only 17, dont buy expensive/powerful car! you propaply end up crashing it in couple years - money and nice car wasted. your health also.
sorry but I know how young dudes drive. over their limits and that doesnt end well.
and btw girls doesnt understand anything about cars, so it doesnt matter how "cool" it is
The automatics in Preludes are terrible and sporadically die without warning at random mileages.
should have said only in 5th gens the automatic trans is terrible.
4th gen Prelude auto trans is some of the best ever, usually lasting over 200k, and function flawlessly even when the Ludes are junked or motors blown.
did further research, also 2nd and 3rd gen Preludes have some of the best auto trans ever built.
To the OP, Instead of rebuilding the auto trans on your 5th, maybe invest that money and get a manual trans, convince your mom that auto trannies on 5th gen Preludes are not that good. Also you never know if your trans is gonna go, I have seen 5th gen Ludes with over 180k that have smooth operating auto trans. But like Shimee should have said, 5th gen trannies are faulty.
Heh.. Convinced her to let me get a manual. The whole it'll prevent me from texting and driving worked. I really dont want to wait a long time to find a manual. I was looking for a CRX apparently those are near impossible to find in chicago But I really wanted a prelude but people have been telling me that stupid cash for clunkers bs has made it slim pickings for finding cars. Im only in a rush to get a car because school is gonna be starting soon and its going to be hell getting from school to work taking the bus. And money is burning a hole in my pocket.
fyi, my originally own 98 prelude auto has 323k miles drive and feel like brand new ! The tranny was last till 275k miles. Now I have about 50k miles on the rebuilt tran. It just depend on how the owner drive the car and taken care to make it last. With the condition right now I can see my prelude will past 350k by next year, then keep going ... 400k... 450k easy. You can't beat the low cost maintenance of the Honda, toyota sport cars man. Best car for me !
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98 Prelude auto black/black, K&N air filter, Eibach system, Potenza Sport 760RE - Original w/340k miles. Running smooth.
Sound: Alpine CDA9835, Alpine V12 MRV-F540 Amp, Infinity Kappa Perfect 6.1 Speakers, Red Optima Battery.
09 IS350 black/black, K&N air filter, Nav, luxury package. Smooth Power!
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So if you can, hold off from buying and have some patience and youll find a nice gem. I'd probably save up a bit more and find a 5spd if I were you, because youll end up having to drop in a new tranny or even do a 5spd conversion.
But I really wanted a prelude but people have been telling me that stupid cash for clunkers bs has made it slim pickings for finding cars. Im only in a rush to get a car because school is gonna be starting soon and its going to be hell getting from school to work taking the bus. And money is burning a hole in my pocket.
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