lovehonda03

Why hasn't the prelude been a popular choice like the civic and integra? Does it have worse handling? Does it not respond well to bold-ons? I heard that there are also a lot of electrical problems with them also. Is this true? Thanks.

Kronn 98SH

None of that is true. It was simply more expensive.

boostatic

not the cost..its that the prelude is heavy..its not as light as the civic or integra..and parts arent as interchangeable..people tend to want the lighter cars..they also like the choice of motors that u can put in the civics or integras

cheetoh

iTrader: (1)

I think preludes are barely starting to get down to a mod freindly price. You can always buy a dirt cheap integra/civic and throw a few g's and have a clean sorted car. The one thing for the prelude is at least you don't have to spend too much on the outside to make it look clean.

BOOSTED_BB6

i love my prelude. true not many ppl go this way. kuz there isn't much to do to the car. the integra civic market has sooooo many options....

autoluder

Your asking this question after buying one?

milkmanLCA

where did this assumption arise?

Rockstar21

i'd take my prelude's looks over the civics options anyday

then again, i dont either of my two honda/acura cars. they are built solely on looks.

the 87' 944 turbo is for speed

crxsleeper210

Personally, I always thought that it was a little on the heavy side...But after owning one I have come to accept the weight difference in exchange for comfort and looks....

95ludeVTEC

I def. agree. the preludes looks and rarity beat those of civics and integras anyday. and chicks deff digg the lude of all hondas. who cares about the weight really with the h22 compensates for it, lol

BB1 H22A LUDE

The Prelude has a fair bit more weight behind it but for the H22A engine and looks, it is no problem. I find civics and integra's a little sluggish down low, they need revs, especially when loaded. The Prelude is more forgiving in that regard. In the end the weight difference is under 10% so it's not that bad. The 3rd gen integra is around 1190kg and the 4th gen prelude is around 1290kg (BB4). Given that the H22A responds well to modifications I would go that way but it costs more, especially since you need an integra/civic ECU if you want tunable software.

SlimBB4

i dont get people using the weight as an excuse for disliking the prelude. the 4th gen prelude is what... around 2800-2900 while civics and integras of the same years weigh 2500-2700? the difference isnt significant enough to really cause an issue.

accords and preludes are interchangable just as civics and integras are. why would the civics and tegs be more popular? civics have a bigger aftermarket following because they are a more popular car. initially the reason for that was pricing but now pricing shouldnt be an issue either. you can pick up a decent prelude for 2500-5000 which is easily a going rate for civics and integras. as far as motor swaps go... why would any prelude owner want to swap a motor from a civic or teg? that would be a downgrade with the prelude heart being the h22. the prelude would do great with a k24 in it and it has been made possible for little expense just like civics and tegs.

the only thing that i can think of is that civics and tegs have been made easier to modify. from the very beginning they were more popular based on pricing which made for the larger aftermarket following and things just never changed even though the initial reasons are no longer pertinent.

_zac

Kronn 98SH

^ See? It was initially the cost that made it popular or unpopular.

crxsleeper210

true initially it was the cost....The weight does play a role for someone who is looking for a light nimble car....I passed up on a few preludes in favor of my crx back in the day....I wanted something light and quick for cheap.....$3000 bought me a crx dx and i had money for a full b16 swap with extras.......For the same $3000 i bought a stock lude that i have now (stock h22)....The crx was definatly faster (which is what alot of kids want), cheaper and lighter.....It just makes sense (from a $$$ standpoint) to get a lighter car and put an h22 (or b series or whatever) in it then to get a prelude from the start (unless the person is like us and realizes what a great car the lude is)

lovehonda03

I haven't bought one. And by the way, I'm specifically talking about the 5th gen. So how does the 5th gen compare to civic/integras in handling, response to upgrades, and electrical problems?

jah.tien

bcause its not rice..

FUR90

Weight is NOT the major issue. Its easier to find parts for the civic or integra. I now have owned three preludes... and barely 19. I am still technically a kid but in the time ive owned them I havent had any Electrical issues. the prelude is and will be a great car. It is a sports coupe so handling isnt the issue either. Every time i see some one selling their lude they ALWAYS say "Hate to see her go" even if shes bone stock.

Dogginator

I test drove a 97 Prelude and 97 GSR when I bought my GSR. The Prelude was more expensive and had a tiny trunk compared to a large hatch. The performance was similar but the GSR was far more practical.

GlassJAw

For some reason the 4th Gen does not appeal to everyones tastes asthetically, (I had JDM 2nd Gen & 4th Gen Preludes) people used to call my 4th Gen "the Fugly"
Handling was pretty good on the old girl, but trying to sell it was the biggest head ache ever!!
The fuel economy was crazy stupid on the 4th Gen also, thats not due to it being an H22A either as I now have an H22A7 powered Euro R Accord (1330kgs!) which does about 30-35mpg on the open road.

92civlude

As far as production goes, I think it was snubbed out by the S2000. The S2000 was introduced in 2000, The Prelude was dropped in 01. Sales were bleak in 01 for the Prelude. The Prelude and Civic/Integra are different class of cars. Its difficult to compare. Honda is re-introducing The CRX as the CRZ. Maybe the Prelude will come back after the S2000 goes bye-bye.

DrZFiNeSt

iTrader: (1)

Preludes are good cars,handle well,great power,it's just everyone in the Honda scene wants to be like everyone else and get a civic or an integra.

Sonin Fury

iTrader: (11)

I think the 92-96 style looks amazing, but everyone around here always says they think they are too heavy.
I am still looking into getting one, and once I get the money J swap!
Most honda builds work on a simple power to weight ratio, they are just light so they are fast. But I dont care how heavy a prelude is with 300+ HP you get just about anything to move.

dans4

Don't know why people are to listening to you.

a civic is a joke compared to a prelude. they just cost to much $ new.

1funryd

Well I can tell you all right now that the 3rd gen Prelude was and still is the best handling Prelude to date.
88-91 Preludes weigh in at 2600lbs and come with an all mechanical 4 Wheel Steering technology that is highly traded in the 3rd gen community to date, and has not ever had any fault or issue. I swapped in my 4WS system and it was used and its still working, Reliable!!!

The 4th gen came the better motor.

The 5th gen design took the similarity from the 3rd gen Prelude which was the highest selling generation sold. So Honda went back in a sence to try and grab the many loyal Prelude owners that loved the 3rd gen.

Sorry 4th geners but that was the reason so many former Prelude owners left the Preludes for other cars. There was an article on that very reason Honda started to lose its sales, as well as some other factors.

3rd gen:


5th gen:




And cost is the reason why the Preludes did not get as much attention as the cheaper lighter civics/integras.

From a business standpoint its much cheaper to support a universal chassis, like motor mounts, engines etc...

Most people who want to be fast and furious, dont want to pay a custom price. So they go for the cheapest thing out there, that is fact.

The true owners of the Prelude are aware of the aftermarket for the chassis and also appreciate the car for what it is, Honda's Entry Level into Performance, hence the name "Prelude", for those who do not even know what it means.

Preludes were designed to be the best handling sport coupes that sipped gas, but made the driver proud to be behind the wheel of them. And Honda did that very well for many years.

But as will all things, they come to an end, and cost was the demise of the Prelude.

Each Prelude model starting from the 2nd gen Prelude cost a pretty penny off the showroom floor which averaged from $16,000 2nd gen to $30,000 5th gen. And since they produced the S2000 to take over the Preludes lacking sales, cost was the main factor for losing its footing.

Another discrimination Honda had to fight was the old timer V6 V8 guys who laughed at them for making a car that was considered a sport car with no guts.

I know I was one of them as well, until I purchase my first Prelude - 86 Si 2.0 SOHC. That Prelude introduced me into the world of pure handling pleasure, and I have always gravitated back to Preludes ever since.

I owned a 1990 Toyota Supra Turbo, and even though I loved the power and styling, it was boat compared to the Prelude.

The bottom line was money is the reason it did not get much support. And the civic/integras are much more plentiful and cheaper and lighter and more universal so parts interchange.

But it takes much money to make a civic/integra handle even close to a Prelude in stock form, and the Prelude is much more refined car than the civic/integras.

I have to add that when you swap am H22 into the 3rd gen, you get the best of both worlds, Handling and Power, and guess what? I support this very swap, so mounts are sold through me to support it.

j3wman

yep just had to push my celica supra in my drive way cuz the starter died, wasnt fun with 3 people even, when i alone can push my accord up a hill.