How much did they cost brand new. Tiptronic shifter.

About how much would you pay for one with 70k miles on it and in near perfect condition?


Also, I've heard some stuff about the pre 99 auto trannies on the lude's having some problems. Can anyone elaborate on that?

 

A 1997 sportshift was around 22,500. I'm not sure if that is exact. I'm just going by what mine stickered for (23,500) with price adjustments accordingly. I think you can expect to pay about 12,000 for one right now with that mileage. Yeah, there have been some issues with the sportshift transmission on early Preludes. But by this time if they haven't had problems with it, I don't think there should be too much to worry about. Just make sure you have the fluid changed -- a full change, not just a drain -- the day you buy it, and then every 30,000 miles after.

 

Its going for 12k in fact. But where can I get warrenty information about the prelude tranny? I can use it to help get the price down if needed (pull out a bunch of the mechanical jargon and freak the sales guy out).

 

You might be able to call Honda and give them the VIN number. They can tell you if there are any concerns about that particular car (recalls, TSBs, etc.) You may also be able to have a Honda dealer (another one if it's at a Honda dealer) and just see if they would be willing to check over the car and pay attention to the tranny.

 

Would signs of the problem show up at 70k miles though? I did test drive it and it went through all the gears just find, both upshifting and downshifting. No jolting. No hesitation (well, slight hesitation when manualy shifting, but that was only milliseconds). The car seemed perfect. Might this lude have escaped the problem? If it hasnt, what are early signs?

 

Mabe someone with a sportshift will post in this thread, because I really don't know what it performs like or what the problems feel like. Having a Honda technician look at it is what I'd do, though.

 

I have a 98 sportshift lude with just over 40,000 miles on it.
i got it for $13,000 2 years ago with only 25,000 miles. the tranny problems were a big concern for me too. I have never had a problem with mine though. There is a slight lag when using the sportshift- which is hardly noticeable.
Of all the people i've talked to with the ss lude, the majority have not had a tranny problem. However, people have made websites dedicated to the lude tranny problem so i'd recommend doing a search for one of those for more info (thats what i did when i bought mine)
some signs people mentioned were rough shifting (in sportshift) when the car was cold. but felt fine after warmed up.
and trouble with the shift 1st to 2nd. Those are just a few early signs i remember and have luckily never experienced.
if you do get the car- i also recomend the tranny service (the one thats about $200) that should be done around 30-40k.
hope this helped some.

- Mike

 

Well, as for the 97 lude I called the guy back and offered him $10,500. Thats all I have. He got it down to just under 11k, but didnt want to go any lower. That was Friday afternoon. So he may or may not call back. If not its no big deal, I'm still looking for a lude. And honostly I dont care if its 5spd or auto. I've driven both and would be fine with both. At least the auto would help prevent me from dumping thousands into it in mods.

 

also, keep in mind for a relatively new car like that, even if you're way over warranty on mileage, if something were to go bad on your tranny, there's a good chance a honda dealer would take care of you. They're usually pretty good about transmissions like that.

 

All I have to say is that you should do it right the first time and buy a 5spd....