First Car. PRELUDE SL Might need some advice
11-12-2015, 07:33 PM
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First Car. PRELUDE SL Might need some advice
Hey all. Im new here. Im actually looking to get my first car.
I found one 91 prelude SL. My old man told me he doesn't mind putting some money down, to fix it up.
give me your thoughts. Is it good, or just walk away.
"THIS IS WHAT THE AD SAYS ONLINE"
This is a 1991 Honda Prelude SI.
This car has a lot of potential.
> ..... I purchased it for my son as a project, but we went another way before we even started.
I would say the condition is fair to good.
> ..... The Exterior - has dings and very little rust . The paint is fading .
> ..... The Interior - in really good condition
> ..... The Engine - Runs fine - Burns oil (common with this engine)
> ..... ..... Currently something drains the battery when it sits for a couple days
> ..... ..... ..... (Could be the after market CD player). It has done this since I have owned it.
> ..... The AutomaticTransmission - Works as it should.
> ..... The 4WS - Works as it should - Really a unique option.
Options:
> ..... 4WS - 4 Wheel Steering
> ..... Engine - 2.1 L 4 Cylinder
> ..... Transmission - Automatic
> ..... Moon Roof
> ..... Stereo - Sony MEX-BT333P Bluetooth CD player and after market speakers
I found one 91 prelude SL. My old man told me he doesn't mind putting some money down, to fix it up.
give me your thoughts. Is it good, or just walk away.
"THIS IS WHAT THE AD SAYS ONLINE"
This is a 1991 Honda Prelude SI.
This car has a lot of potential.
> ..... I purchased it for my son as a project, but we went another way before we even started.
I would say the condition is fair to good.
> ..... The Exterior - has dings and very little rust . The paint is fading .
> ..... The Interior - in really good condition
> ..... The Engine - Runs fine - Burns oil (common with this engine)
> ..... ..... Currently something drains the battery when it sits for a couple days
> ..... ..... ..... (Could be the after market CD player). It has done this since I have owned it.
> ..... The AutomaticTransmission - Works as it should.
> ..... The 4WS - Works as it should - Really a unique option.
Options:
> ..... 4WS - 4 Wheel Steering
> ..... Engine - 2.1 L 4 Cylinder
> ..... Transmission - Automatic
> ..... Moon Roof
> ..... Stereo - Sony MEX-BT333P Bluetooth CD player and after market speakers
11-13-2015, 09:01 AM
#2
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Re: First Car. PRELUDE SL Might need some advice
91 SI should not burn much oil if any at all. Its non-VTEC and it will only burn if rings/valve seals are bad.
The auto's on these are nothing to write home about, they work but the 5 speed is a better option if your looking to have fun.
It has an unknown draw on the car, it could be very cheap it could also be expensive. Stuff like this I would only consider if it were very cheap ($1000 or less) or you know the problem and can fix with ease. Otherwise check out other options.
IMO of course.
The auto's on these are nothing to write home about, they work but the 5 speed is a better option if your looking to have fun.
It has an unknown draw on the car, it could be very cheap it could also be expensive. Stuff like this I would only consider if it were very cheap ($1000 or less) or you know the problem and can fix with ease. Otherwise check out other options.
IMO of course.
11-14-2015, 08:02 AM
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Location: Originally from Guam now in Auburn, WA
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Re: First Car. PRELUDE SL Might need some advice
The 3rd gens are a unique Prelude. They do not share anything with other Honda's at all.
They are the lighter and more agile chassis in comparison to the newer Preludes and other Honda's at the time and even most to date.
The problem is that this car is scarcely supported aftermarket wise.
You can get the regular normal wear and tear parts like brake pads, rotors, plugs plug wires.
But once you start looking for parts like oil pump, VSS, the entire motor and trannys, body panels bumpers, interior pieces then you are in world of hurt because there are literally almost none.
You will need to scour junkyards and craigslist and join up on different forum for support.
And it also depends on where you live because you are rarely going to see these in the junkyards anymore.
If you do a motor swap then you can keep this car on the road and really have some new found fun.
So the first question is what are you getting the car for?
I support this chassis so I can help in keeping the car on the road, but you will need to first do a auto to manual swap before you go down the road of swapping motors.
**Note - The B21a1 is FRM sleeved and was the first of its kind and is notorious for burning oil. It is the worst between the B20a5 and the B21a1.
It would be recommended to swap to the B20a5/A to replace it for more reliability.
If you just want to keep it stock then the only things to do that are supported will be:
Suspension - lowering with springs and Tokico Blues shocks(found out they still make them).
Or if you want true full bodied coilovers then Ksports are my recommendation. I got them to make their current kits for the community in 2007 and I can assist with that as well.
Exhaust - you will have have it custom made or go to Truebendz.com and get a kit from them and have it installed and welded together at your local shop.
Rims - Pretty much most 4x100 rims
Header - Only options left are - OBX(DC Replicas) or PaceSetter
Intakes - you will have to custom make yourself, there are different custom setups on a different site.
Also understand that the B20/21 motors do not do well with trying to make NA power, they are only good for what they are.
No vtec conversions and no relation to the B16/18/20b platforms.
Everything that has ever been done past and current is on another forum.
If you have questions just contact me and I can point you where you need to go to get support to make your own decisions about this chassis.
After you understand what you are looking at and still decide you want in on this chassis you will enjoy driving this car.
It is amazing for what it was built for and very unique looking when lowered a little and combined with some nice rims.
But understand the struggle to own a 3rd gen is a very real and hard one. So if you are not a dedicated enthusiast who can and will keep pushing through to get things done then this car is not for you.
It takes a certain kind of person to stick with an old car that has little to no aftermarket support which by the way is expensive.
Send me an email for more details: 1funryd@comcast.net
Don't go searching anywhere else searching for answers because hardly anyone in this community knows much about this car other than me and a select few who used to own them.
They are the lighter and more agile chassis in comparison to the newer Preludes and other Honda's at the time and even most to date.
The problem is that this car is scarcely supported aftermarket wise.
You can get the regular normal wear and tear parts like brake pads, rotors, plugs plug wires.
But once you start looking for parts like oil pump, VSS, the entire motor and trannys, body panels bumpers, interior pieces then you are in world of hurt because there are literally almost none.
You will need to scour junkyards and craigslist and join up on different forum for support.
And it also depends on where you live because you are rarely going to see these in the junkyards anymore.
If you do a motor swap then you can keep this car on the road and really have some new found fun.
So the first question is what are you getting the car for?
I support this chassis so I can help in keeping the car on the road, but you will need to first do a auto to manual swap before you go down the road of swapping motors.
**Note - The B21a1 is FRM sleeved and was the first of its kind and is notorious for burning oil. It is the worst between the B20a5 and the B21a1.
It would be recommended to swap to the B20a5/A to replace it for more reliability.
If you just want to keep it stock then the only things to do that are supported will be:
Suspension - lowering with springs and Tokico Blues shocks(found out they still make them).
Or if you want true full bodied coilovers then Ksports are my recommendation. I got them to make their current kits for the community in 2007 and I can assist with that as well.
Exhaust - you will have have it custom made or go to Truebendz.com and get a kit from them and have it installed and welded together at your local shop.
Rims - Pretty much most 4x100 rims
Header - Only options left are - OBX(DC Replicas) or PaceSetter
Intakes - you will have to custom make yourself, there are different custom setups on a different site.
Also understand that the B20/21 motors do not do well with trying to make NA power, they are only good for what they are.
No vtec conversions and no relation to the B16/18/20b platforms.
Everything that has ever been done past and current is on another forum.
If you have questions just contact me and I can point you where you need to go to get support to make your own decisions about this chassis.
After you understand what you are looking at and still decide you want in on this chassis you will enjoy driving this car.
It is amazing for what it was built for and very unique looking when lowered a little and combined with some nice rims.
But understand the struggle to own a 3rd gen is a very real and hard one. So if you are not a dedicated enthusiast who can and will keep pushing through to get things done then this car is not for you.
It takes a certain kind of person to stick with an old car that has little to no aftermarket support which by the way is expensive.
Send me an email for more details: 1funryd@comcast.net
Don't go searching anywhere else searching for answers because hardly anyone in this community knows much about this car other than me and a select few who used to own them.
Last edited by 1funryd; 11-14-2015 at 08:18 AM.
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