eaeriel

Hi,

I hope this is an okay place to ask. I have the opportunity to get a 1992 prelude SI (non-vtec) that is spotless body and interior wise and seems to run perfect (I will ofcourse be taking it to a Japanese import mechanic if I decide to buy it). The owner seems completely legit, she is older and has had it for a number of years and knew the previous owner took care of it as well. It's blue and basically a dream car for me, so even with 200k if the inspection checks out okay it will be tempting NOT to buy it - it's $1900. Oh, the clutch and timing belt and bunch of more minor things have been done recently, but it's on it's original engine. I am not sure, even with all the care put into it that I can gaurantee it will last more than 50K more or something like that. Also, it was garaged almost it's entire life (i do not currently have a garage and am in the pacific NW).

My other option is completely different- a base level 2006 Toyota Prius. There is a prius speciality shop with an owner/mechanic with 5 star reviews across the board. He also resells priuses. I really liked it even though it's a totally different experience than the 'lude.

I am saving about 2k if I go with the prelude. the idea was to pack some of it away for repairs, but I won't be able to (most likely) replace the engine if it dies (what I reading is 3k for engine replacement, maybe less for a entirely new tranmission - the 'lude shifted like butter, just like my old 94 accord ex manual).

The other part of the equation is that I live in the country and commute 40+ miles at least 3 days per week (some days I work from home but still end up driving a bit those days). I can't really afford the hassle of having a car die on me in this situation (my toyota camry never did, but I was rear-ended/totalled a couple weeks ago, hence my situation), and since the pruis shop situation seems very reliable (he will replace battery cells, etc for a ton less than the dealer and pruis ICE parts rarely go bad, so it's a very cost effective and reliable situation most likely, compared to lightning striking the prelude!).

I wonder if anyone else has met a similar decision...going with something they really love (prelude) vs something more 'conservative' and hybrid like the prius?

Northernlightz

You'd have alot more fun and get more enjoyment out of the prelude, and it sounds like it was well taken care of too. Hondas last forever if they aren't redlined everyday and maintenance is kept up. Don't be afraid to ask for previous service records either. It's a 90's Honda and it probably will rattle and whatnot regardless of condition, but there's that feel you get when driving one that newer cars can't give you.

The only plus the the Prius is better gas mileage and being a newer vehicle. The more options and tech a car has, the more that can go wrong- in turn possibly costing you more down the road.

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eaeriel

Thanks - I've been looking for high mileage prelude stories (specifically 4th gen) for the past couple of days. It seems like the honda reliability factor is about the same as accords, civics, but that preludes are just less common...you don't hear many stories of 500K, but a lot of preludes (unlike the one I test drove yesterday) are driven into the ground. My joke from reading around is it's either a 'ricer' car or it's a female sportscar, and I take the female sportscar version (I never liked corvettes or similar ;-)

I drove a 1994 accord ex manual for about 10 years, after it had been a family car for about 11 years...I kinda drove it into the ground at the end, didn't take care of it as well as I'd of liked to (still regular oil changes, etc, just that the exterior started to show more signs of wear, and the interior as well). I let it sit for about the last year I had it (it got stolen and returned to me and by the time it was returned we had got a 2010 camry) and it started to show real signs of oil leakage at about 167 or 169k, mostly after it was sitting. It was a not a vtec but I don't remember/know the engine type. it was never really garaged and was always a commuter car with tons of in-town mileage.

I am under the impression this prelude did a lot of highway miles, she mentioned coming from Montana at least (she had just driven it back and forth from Montana to Oregon recently with no troubles at all). Plus all the work done to it makes me think it should last me a good 2-4 years at least as a daily driver, which is probably fine. and I would save a lot which could be put into repairs or buying another honda or similar commuter car if the 'lude engine were to fail. I just know I am also not good keeping a hefty savings account either, but the prius basically doesn't allow me to save anything, until after about 1 year of ownership then some gas savings (due to about 1k on a loan). What I read about the prius makes me think that regular maintenance of the ICE part of it is almost nothing, and since the mechanic is local and does discounted repairs on the vehicles he sells (and has a great rep around town) it makes me feel fairly comfortable...cells can be replaced relatively cheaply, and the only major problem computer wise is the multi-fuction display, but with that it's about $300 bucks and I can install a replacement myself. I still don't appreciate the prius other than it's practicality, or seeming practicality.

I hated the camry, got it 4 wrecks (2 of them my fault, 2 of them rear ended, not my fault AND the last rear-ender totaled the vehicle 2 weeks ago)...I've also come to the conclusion that I shouldn't be driving an automatic, I get lax in term of defensive driving in an auto...the manual accord I never all but nicked another car parking, that's it- I always felt more aware in that car, similar to how I felt in the prelude but the prelude has a little worse visuals than the accord. this all tips it in favor of the 'lude, pretty much, doesn't it? :-)

And wow, it really is like driving a high powered go-cart. I read somewhere it feels close to an italian sportscar...I tend to agree (without really having that experience of course), it's the first car I've really been able to drive in my adult life (besides a toyota celica which I hated) that has "that feel" at all....

TimiK

for what purpose you want/need the car?

for daily car prelude is not optimal, its small so when going to grocery shopping for example with girlfriend theres not really much room for things and it having only 2 doors its not very handy... but for weekend fun drive purposes its good

not really, accords are way more reliable cars than prelude, honda did a mistake with H engines when they put FRM cylinder walls there so they tend to burn oil more than other honda engines

Caoboy

In the long run, the Prius will save you money on fuel. Maintenance is a bit more expensive due to having more things like the hybrid system needing to be maintained.

It is boring (I have one) but every time I fill up and the pump clicks ~$25 I am reminded of why I purchased it. I drive 35 miles each way for work, 5-6 days a week, and I fill up about 1x/week.

Now the prelude would be a more fun commute, yes. but you'll tend to want to drive more aggressively, traffic sucks in a manual (especially after a 12 hour day) and harder driving means more wear and tear. BUT, it's more fun, which I miss in a daily commuter.

eaeriel

The space consideration is not really a big deal, especially right now in my life. I examined the trunk and back seats thoroughly. As far as the engine pretty sure it's an f22, it's 1992 non-vtec. Everything I am reading is that the f engines were standard on those prelude si's from that year, if someone can point me to a place that says otherwise I would appreciate it (it's christmas and I don't want to bother the owner more tonight!).

eaeriel

The accord ex made me very familiar with long stick-shift commutes (although not quite as long as I have now, I work from home part of the week usually). I do concur on the gas savings, I would see gas savings after the first year. One thing about the prelude is feeling like comprehensive insurance is mandatory because Honda's get jacked so often (although I read preludes not as much as civics or accords).

I never got into wrecks (15 years of driving) until I was given an automatic camry :-( for some reason I feel the stick on the ex may have kept me much more engaged in driving and more alert about what is going on around me. Thanks for your thoughts!

BTW, has your prius given you any high-dollar repairs?

Caoboy

The highest service fee I had to pay was $600. It was a major service, they had to change the hybrid motor coolant+the engine coolant plus some other stuff. That was at 90k. Other than that, no. 113k now.

I have a buddy who had to have some cells replaced in his battery, he paid someone $500 to do that. That was at 185k for him, he's almost at 300k now.

I had to change the brakes recently. They're nothing fancy compared to a 'normal' car, cost me $150 from rockauto.

Northernlightz

A stock '92 si comes with a non-vtec DOHC h23a1, the base model s had the f22 (single cam.) Honda started putting h22's in preludes in '93- modeled the si-vtec in USA and sr-v in Canada.

Have you checked either car out yet?

eaeriel

I've driven both (prius and prelude), the prelude drove fantastic, gears felt great (and like I mentioned it's had all regular maintenance done and low impact owners. I am taking the prelude for an inspection Thursday. Thank you for the info on engines!

Northernlightz

You're welcome! Hope the prelude works out for you.