Hi everyone. I'm brand new here so I apologize ahead of time if this is in the wrong section. The lease on my current car is up soon. I was going to finance a new Civic Si but it turns out that I could possibly be getting engaged sometime in the near future Anyway, in order to save some money, I want to buy a used car. I've always LOVED the 5th gen preludes so I've been searching and found this one on autotrader:
I know dealers can be a pain, but I'm just looking for some opinions on this car. The price is probably high but how does it look otherwise? Any help would be much appreciated. Gonna start modding immediately
Thats actually a pretty decent price of an 01 EBP with 50k on it. But of course you should try to hassle them down. Dealers are mostly desperate right now and should be able to bargain with a little bit. Car looks clean over all. And its a good thing its a manual, the SS are bad news.
I would say take a close look at it, see if all VIN plates are in place, etc. Although it only has 53k, its 7 years old. And I would see about maybe having the timing belt done once you buy it. The Auto Tensioners had issues before they released a new part for them. You dont want the TB to fail on you. But I wouldnt worry about it that much because it is still low mileage.
Overall looks good.
And, and pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaassssssee no body kits when you mod Lip kits are all you need!!
__________________
I design the world you live in.... Cheers for Industrial Designers!!
95 Integra LS <<<>>> 99 CBM Prelude SH
Thanks for the quick reply. I'm a complete Prelude, not to mention Honda newb. Is there anything I need to be aware of on these cars beside the timing belt? And I promise, no body kits!! Probably gonna do the usual: Intake, exhaust, rims, drop, lip kit.
Honda recommends changing timing belt at 105k or 84 months (7 years), whichever comes first. So its time for a new belt - rubber deteriorates with age. Check condition of all fluids, spark plugs, suspension - look for body repairs, rust, leaks, service records - perform a compression test - these engines burn oil, just want to be sure its not excessive. Check underside of oil cap for traces of coolant. Check trans, brakes, steering - get the car up on a lift and check everything. If you can't do it all yourself, find a qualified mechanic you trust. Spend a little now to save you major headaches later - once you buy the car its too late.
It looks pretty good, man. I would definitely have the price lowered some which shouldn't be too much of a problem as another member suggested as a result of the economy. Is it a Base or SH because it has a Base shift knob with SH rims. I'm guessing the previous owner switched the Base rims with the SH ones. Another member suggested having it checked out by a good mechanic and I would second that. A Honda dealership will probably rip you off so you might want to go somewhere else. As for the oil issue, I'm sure it burns some, but you probably won't be able to tell since the dealership probably topped it off before putting it on the floor.
Wow, even though I already bought one, I still go on those sites all the time to check up on prices, and man, that is actually an amazing deal. EBP with 53K miles on it going for 11.5, I'ts may be worth 10.5, so their not too out of step.
Wow, even though I already bought one, I still go on those sites all the time to check up on prices, and man, that is actually an amazing deal. EBP with 53K miles on it going for 11.5, I'ts may be worth 10.5, so their not too out of step.
Just treat it right if you do buy it.
Good luck.
Oh no doubt about that. I treat my LEASED car better than some people treat their children The good thing is, I don't NEED a car right now since I still have mine so if they can't get to the price I want, I can walk and worry about another car when my lease is up. I'm going to call the guy tomorrow and talk some pricing then probably go down to see it (its about a 40 minute drive). I'll let you guys know what happens. Thanks, everyone, for your inputs.
Here's some info that may be nice in this situation for anyone.
If you know any friends that are/used to be car salesman, take them with you. They know all the tricks they will use agains you and can counter them and get a better deal.
It is good for you to not immediately need another car(your exact situation redwing!) because some people can read emotions and reactions just by simple movements. Sometimes these reactions are involuntary, we can't control them. However, if you don't need a car, then you may not act like that so you will be more confident in the price you want, and thus you may get it, as they will see you more sturdy and serious.
Thanks, Pierce. There just one more thing I want to bring up to you guys. I ran a Carfax report on it last night and it's super clean....almost too clean. I'll try to summarize it here the best I can.
No accident reported: Great
No fire/flood/etc. damage: Real good
Carfax 1 Owner: Nice (but probably wrong)
Detailed history:
8/9/2001: 10 mi. Title issued, registered as leased vehicle. (supposedly 2 year lease)
8/25/2003: 27,899 mi. Vehicle offered for sale at Clinton, NJ dealership
9/8/2008: 53,510 mi. Sold at auction. Listed as fleet vehicle (wtf does that mean?)
And that's it. I'm glad the report is clean but there seems to be alot of information possibly missing. Like, what the hell happened between 2003 and 2008? What do you guys think? Quick replys are appreciated, gotta call this guy today. Thanks.
carfax is junk. My car was cleaaaaan on carfax. But once I got it, I saw that it was in two accidents (missing vin plates and non factory welds). Luckily the repairs were pretty damn good. But definitely don't use carfax as your sole judgment. If the car is not local to you, see if you can find friend in the area to check it out, etc. Otherwise, just go through what we mentioned above and you should be ok.
Its looks like a pretty damn clean car from that ad, so I think it should be good. And you are in good position to bargain the price. Good luck, let us know if/when you buy!
__________________
I design the world you live in.... Cheers for Industrial Designers!!
95 Integra LS <<<>>> 99 CBM Prelude SH
carfax is junk. My car was cleaaaaan on carfax. But once I got it, I saw that it was in two accidents (missing vin plates and non factory welds). Luckily the repairs were pretty damn good. But definitely don't use carfax as your sole judgment. If the car is not local to you, see if you can find friend in the area to check it out, etc. Otherwise, just go through what we mentioned above and you should be ok.
Its looks like a pretty damn clean car from that ad, so I think it should be good. And you are in good position to bargain the price. Good luck, let us know if/when you buy!
Thanks again. How many VIN plates do I look for and what are their locations?
Thanks again. How many VIN plates do I look for and what are their locations?
There should be one essentially on each body panel...
Two front fenders (along the bolt attachment lip underneath hood
On the hood
Trunk
Inside doors
etc..
Im missing them on parts of my car, so I dont really remember the exact locations, but here is a pic on the front of my car where I am missing the fender left fender VIN, etc....
__________________
I design the world you live in.... Cheers for Industrial Designers!!
95 Integra LS <<<>>> 99 CBM Prelude SH
Hey guys. Well unfortunately things didn't work out. After my initial plan to pay for it fell through, i needed to finance the amount. At 6% interest, the monthly payments were just more than I wanted to spend. If anyone else is interested in this car, the guy told me that the monthly price they gave me was for the car at $10,200!!!! They dropped the price like mad without me even asking. So, if anyone has 10k layin around, this might be a great pick up.
Thanks guys for all your help. Maybe I'll see you again when my lease is up. Happy Holidays!
There should be one essentially on each body panel...
Two front fenders (along the bolt attachment lip underneath hood
On the hood
Trunk
Inside doors
etc..
Im missing them on parts of my car, so I dont really remember the exact locations, but here is a pic on the front of my car where I am missing the fender left fender VIN, etc....
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Anyway, in order to save some money, I want to buy a used car. I've always LOVED the 5th gen preludes so I've been searching and found this one on autotrader:
Lip kits are all you need!! 
The good thing is, I don't NEED a car right now since I still have mine so if they can't get to the price I want, I can walk and worry about another car when my lease is up. I'm going to call the guy tomorrow and talk some pricing then probably go down to see it (its about a 40 minute drive). I'll let you guys know what happens. Thanks, everyone, for your inputs.
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