Hey Guys

I am new to the world of cars and am thinking of eventually buying a Prelude but I just have one quick question I was hoping to get some help with.

What is the best Generation of Prelude to get? or more specifically what year would i be safest buying?

Thanks for the help in advance
Any advice would be appreciated

 

I think the 4th and 5th generation Preludes are the most common choices. 3rd gen is a little too old.
I personally have a 5th gen so I am going to be bias and say go ahead and buy the 5th gen.

 

You have to decide how much money you have to spend on a car before you figure out the rest. Clearly 5th gens are newer, though there are nice 4th gens available.

The 5th gen was the 'return' to the original notchback styling, and according to some still looks current with modern car styling. All cars were only available with VTEC, though the models differentiated in features. The type SH has ATTS, which makes the car corner faster/differently than other FWD cars. There is a sportshift/automatic version that will be cheaper than a base 5sp due to the fact it isn't as desirable, and the SS feature has an extensive history of problems. The "Base" model has the 5sp manual tranny.

With regards to 4th gen models, '92 was the first year of the model, and it didn't come with VTEC. There was the S, with the F22 engine, or the Si w/ a 2.3L. Some Si cars with that engine had 4 wheel steering, they are rarer, more expensive and more expensive to maintain (I have one). 93 to 96 saw the SiVTEC model brought into the line-up, for reasons of anomalies or weight, the 93 VTEC was the fastest Prelude in stock form, making it highly desirable among Prelude enthusiasts.

I'd recommend looking around at a variety of Prelude Specific forums to collect as much information as possible in this case: Try hpoa.org, preludeonline.com, absoluteprelude.com and so on....

 

my first car bought in june was a 93 prelude just found it in good condition, bought it from a mechanic selling it for a girl he knew, he drove it to the train station and back once in a while. only 60 thousand miles!

if you buy any car of this nature just try to avoid a car that was beat on previously by other kids, you dont want a car a kid revved high and pulled hard all the time. MIne was a one owner, so there wasnt much to worry about there.

and if you cant afford a 5th gen, or worse can just afford it, consider running costs and insurance, in MA w/ a clean driving record annual insurance for me 16yr old) is 3500 w/ a 500 deductible for full coverage
I like the look of the 5th gen better than the fourth ina lot of respects (except for size) and I only planned on looking at this older prelude to get a feel for them, and ending up buying it. for 3800, he didnt know what he was selling.

so if you can afford the 5th gen, go ahead, but if all you can afford is a 5th gen w/ 160k miles that is in tough shape, just take the step down and get something older.

you dont want to have to barely make it w/ the cost of the car, insurance and repairs.

wouldnt you hate to know that if your car were to break down, you would have no money to fix it?

good luck

 

I'd have to say go with the 5th Gen just because you will be less likely to have shakes and rattles that are hard to pin down and because it'll probably last you longer and retain some pretty good resale value.

I have to admit that the last body style didn't look all that great in some of the available colors, but if the car in the right color is dressed up conservatively and treated right it will turn heads for years to come.

 

Wow Mike, you scored on that car!

Anyway, if you want the "safest" buy get a 5g, cars from 92-96 tend to have weird hidden mechanical issues due to age, wear, rust... If you want the best car for the price right now, IMHO, get a 4g. Preferably one with all maintenance records intact.

Dan