Silent Black

I'm looking at a 94 Prelude (not VTech). Body is in great shape, red, only one flawed area, nice leather interior with only one area of scuffing, but 190,000 k miles on it.

I know that the engines are built to last if taken care off (and I'm going to try that take off the oil cap and swipe a finger test I read about here). I test drove it and it felt tight, no shaking, no knocks, no hesitations.

They are asking 4900 for it. Is this a decent price? I'm most concerned about the mileage, as the rest is great.

Also, other than the compression test and leak down, is there anything that I should look for specifically before buying? I don't know if there are specific issues for the 94 or not.

Bear in mind also that it is one of the only places I am able to get financing and it is a dealership.

Thanks for your time. I am hoping to join the family very soon.

Also, here is a pic I took of it last night after work.

Citystar

thats alot for the mileage if you ask me

preludeez

the price sounds a little high, especially for the non-vtec model.

ricoMugenlude97

get all the info on it like mileage, options, etc. and check out http://www.kbb.com Just put in the information and you can see what the expected price would be if you are buying from a dealer,local people, or how much you can get for a trade in. Hope this helps
-Nick

95PreludeSi

I thought leather only came in the VTEC's and SE's and it doesn't look to be either based on the wheels and the fact you say it isn't a vtec

sniffthese

That price is high....i got my 93 lude(vtec) for only 3200....had only 33,000 miles on it...

H22A4 Prelude

I did a rough kbb value on the car, total came to $3725.

thats based on my zip code and i rated it as "good" condition.

94h22a

im pretty sure that the 94 had an oil seal recall (correct me if im wrong) I didnt have mine when they recalled it, and also it is a vtec, so make sure you check on that

blackdelslo

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">(not VTech)</TD></TR></TABLE>
Well your in luck, the prelude never came with a vtech phone installed.

94h22a

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by delLudeVTEC &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well your in luck, the prelude never came with a vtech phone installed. </TD></TR></TABLE>


lol lol see sig below, I wonder why soo many people mess that up, but I forgive this guy, he is new to the whole honda thing I guess

Lude@Heart

hmmm oil cap finger wipe test????

hOndafienD 04

way too much....i got mine for $1900 with like 200k on it.

dand39

Looks clean, but you can get it for waaay cheaper from a private owner usually...

H22A4 Prelude

i know this is just me, but for a clean Prelude in decent condition, i think i'd put my cheapskate-ness to the side and give the seller what it's worth. Just cause its a lude and shouldnt be tossed around for cheap like some 94 four door civic lx. no offense to the civic guys, just preludes are a little more rare.

if it is in decent condifition and runs well, go ahead, pay the kbb value. you wont regret it.

Sticky Tires

That Prelude has VTEC wheels and leather, and it's not a VTEC model. Hmmm run a carfax to make sure. It looks like a VTEC model to me.

I bought a 94 Prelude VTEC back in November. It had 88K on the odometer. It had a valve job done, new timing belt, water pump, new rotors, brake pads, tires, battery and a Apexi N1 exhaust installed by the dealer.

I got it for $5K. That Prelude you're looking at has too much mileage and is over priced. I would pay around $3-4K for it.

BTW, that Prelude looks just like mines.

Kronn 98SH

i say go testdrive a Vtec Lude and then drive that one again....easy way to know if it is or not....and if it's not a Vtec, i can guarantee you won't want it (not after hearing that scream)....

also, you will always get a better deal through private sellers (they haggle and most are honest about the car)....i'm on my 4th honda and i've paid more than KBB's recommended price only once, but KBB couldn't take into account the pure flawlessness of that 91Si with only 50k miles (in 2001)....anyway, go private and go Vtec

Silent Black

Thanks for all the replies.

Like I said, the 190k worries me. I'm going to do a lot more looking into the engine for problems before I do buy it.

I'd love to go private but the big issue is that I don't have the cash to do so. I need the financing to settle into monthly payments sadly. Beggars can't be choosers.

As someone pointed out, I am completely new to Honda's and Preludes. I originally went to buy a Stealth but it had already been sold. I had done a little research on the Prelude before hand and so immediately moved on to this one. The more I've read and seen pics the more I like it. But newbie that I am, I could never have told at a glance that those were VTEC (spelling...thanks..lol) tires, etc... Is there something like a Prelude primer site or something that will tell me everything that should be stock on that 94?

I don't want to buy something overpriced BUT I am severely limited by what I can get financed for. I'd rather pay a bit extra for something that I like and will love and will put some time, effort, and money into. I obviously just need to make sure the engine is in as good a shape as it seems before I pay that amount.

Something I saw while searching the boards that I'd like to know more about was the 90K tune up.

Thanks again for so many quick replies.

Sticky Tires

Your main concern would be the timing belt, all other belts, water pump, valve adjustment. Just make sure they show you some paperwork stating that it's been done. You don't want it to kick you in the *** later down the road.

As for everything stock on a 94 VTEC, there's an essential prelude link stickied at the top of the forum.

I wouldn't rush into buying a car, do all your research first, then start looking around. I'm sure there are better deals out there. Good Luck!

preludeez

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Sticky Tires &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I wouldn't rush into buying a car, do all your research first, then start looking around. I'm sure there are better deals out there. Good Luck! </TD></TR></TABLE>

word.

also, have you tried to see if you can get financed by a bank - most of the time if the dealership can find financing for you, some bank will be able too. also that would allow you to by from a private seller. because if you finance this car through a dealership - you'll be paying a lot more than the 5k that car is not even worth right now, money down the tubes. good luck though.

Sticky Tires

Yep, try getting your bank to approve a loan for you, the interest rate is much lower.

prelude1897

Car looks good, but the price is too high for that kind of mileage

Silent Black

Sticky Tires, you say it looks like a VTEC model and with the leather interior, by all accounts it should be. I'm going to go check over the engine tomorrow. If it's not a VTEC then I will assume the engine's been replaced and won't have all those 190k miles on it.

I'll get all the service records and some pics tomorrow.

leonard1818

I got my 93 Si (non-vtec) from a friend from high school who had it in the family since its birth, always female adult driven, and had 204,000 when i bought it. if your looking into putting some money into the car, a 200,000 mile car is for you cause i certainly have put money in here and there. i'd say be cautious of the mileage, my car was bought from a trusted friend that told me all of what they knew of the car and it still had all the old car problems. good luck and i wouldnt pay that much for that car, tell them no you want cheaper!!!

homesauce

I don't recommend buying that car for that much. 5K now adays can get you a pretty damn nice car. Try to get a loan elsewhere and buy a nice *** car privately.

shl76

wheels - those directional alloys came on si and vtec models.

seats - 1st owner could have bought the car with the dealer installed leather seats. i saw plenty of brand new si's for the 4th gen preludes at dlrs with dlr installed leather seats.

price - if it's in good condition, i think $4k would be a good price. don't pay the full price they're asking for, esp since it's a used car dlr.