Should I buy a '99 Prelude? - Honda Prelude Forum

Pyezahn · 01-23-2009, 12:42 AM

Last year I sold my '99 Accord EX Coupe, it was a great car, but like all the others, the tranny crapped out on me at 70K, and I had to 'beat down' Honda to at least pick up the cost of the parts.

I'm now looking for an inexpensive 2nd car, I found a cherry Prelude with 98K for $6500, but I'm afraid of getting burned by the tranny again.

So, I'm asking for some thoughts from some fellow owners. Does the price sound right? What can you tell me about the potential tranny issue? What do you think about this model overall? Any comments would be greatly appreciated!

**Note: it's an auto, the wife won't drive a stick, whatever I buy will be an auto, so please spare the comments about changing, thanks.

Severria · 01-23-2009, 01:29 AM

Really depends on how the owner before treated the car. Most auto lude trannys crap out in the low-mid 100k but if the previous owner didnt drive like a maniac then you might be good for a little while.

silverbullit · 01-23-2009, 02:35 AM

DO NOT buy a 5th gen auto, save your money and find the lowest mileage 5 spd you can. You'll be thankful in the long run. 160K miles plus and on 3rd auto tranny (rebuild of second one)!!!!!!

Pyezahn · 01-23-2009, 10:29 PM

Thanks for your input. Judging by the excellent condition of the car, I'm certain this girl took great care of it, I'm sure it's been garaged, and I'd say from the looks of her, she's definitely not the maniac type. With only 98K on the car currently, I'll get in two years before hitting 120K, and if I could do that, then I guess it's worth the price of admission (?) Although, my alter-ego is wondering if maybe there's something brewing in the tranny, thus making the decision to sell it (?) Such a dilemma!

bo.link0 · 01-23-2009, 11:16 PM

Why take a chance with the auto prelude? Get a civic/accord instead.

At the very least, ask her to come with you to a honda mechanic to get it checked out. 6500 for a '99 with 98k isn't very cheap at all.

Pyezahn · 01-23-2009, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bo.link0

Why take a chance with the auto prelude? Get a civic/accord instead.

At the very least, ask her to come with you to a honda mechanic to get it checked out. 6500 for a '99 with 98k isn't very cheap at all.

Thanks for that. She's already agreed to let me take it for an inspection - there's no way I'd buy it without one. It's rare to find a 10 year old car that's truly in mint condition, and seeing that the blue book is $7100, I thought the price seemed fair. As I mentioned, I had an Accord and the tranny took a dump.

What's the deal with Honda/Acura anyway? Why do they put crappy tranny's in all their cars? I started thinking about spending a few more bucks to get something a little safer (less miles), and I'm seeing that the CL's and TL's have the same problem. Now I know why people choose Lexus and Infiniti. I very well could be driving a G35 or ES300 next week!

Prelude1897 · 01-24-2009, 10:25 AM

Like many others have said here and other forums, DON"T BUY AN AUTO TRANNY cause they are known to crap out on people. You're better off getting a 5spd. If you wanna buy an Auto, it's your money, and you'll be making the final decision in the end.