HEY ALL I JUST SOLD MY BMW AND HAVE 7 K LEFT OVER AND AM GOING TO BUY A PRELUDE I WAS LOOKING AT A 98 WITH A MOTOR SWAP TO A 01 PRELUDE ENGINE oops capsi wanna know some stuff before i buy it

1 is a prelude good for performance moding as in speed?
2 what is the best year preludes to buy and why?
3 is there anything i should be aware of or specifically look for when i buy one this week?
4 whats a fair price to pay for a 98 with 150k on the body and 62k on the motor?

thank you all so much for the help and welcome to the board

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by poooch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">HEY ALL I JUST SOLD MY BMW AND HAVE 7 K LEFT OVER AND AM GOING TO BUY A PRELUDE I WAS LOOKING AT A 98 WITH A MOTOR SWAP TO A 01 PRELUDE ENGINE oops capsi wanna know some stuff before i buy it

1 is a prelude good for performance moding as in speed?
2 what is the best year preludes to buy and why?
3 is there anything i should be aware of or specifically look for when i buy one this week?
4 whats a fair price to pay for a 98 with 150k on the body and 62k on the motor?

thank you all so much for the help and welcome to the board </TD></TR></TABLE>

98 and 01 engines are basically the same except for lower miles. I got my 98 prelude for $8500 with 63xxx miles, OEM lip kit, and fog lights. I don't know what is the best year to get maybe get a 2001 since its the last year they made them and its newer. What kind of modding are you planning on doing? Basic Intake/Headers/Exhaust can only get you into high 14's maybe mid 14's. Ever thought about buying an 02 RSX type-S? They are great on performance and the K-series engines are whats hot now-a-days.

 

bump is there anything i should be aware of with buying this?

 

Don't even think of buying an automatic (tranny problems), and on a 5spd, make sure it shifts well, so that the synchros are in good shape. Check the normal stuff, engine leaks, axles, then sign the papers and enjoyyyyy...

 

My friend has a 99 with the tiptronic trans and he has problems with it all the time so stick with a manual. As far as performance, the 5th gens(97-01) come with h22 dohc vtec stock while the 4th gens(92-96) come with three different options. S with a f22a sohc, Si with h23 dohc, or si vtec with h22a. The forth gens come with a closed deck block making them a better choice for Forced induction and stock weights are

4th Honda Prelude S MT 2809
4th Honda Prelude S AT 2862
4th Honda Prelude Si MT 2866
4th Honda Prelude Si AT 2921
4th Honda Prelude VTEC MT 2932

5th Honda Prelude Base MT 3009
5thHonda Prelude Type SH AT 3042
5thHonda Prelude Base AT 2954

sh (sports handling) comes with atts which is like an electronic lsd. Good for driving on rainy days and stuff but makes the car weigh more and h22 is different block which means if something goes wrong repair bill will be a bit more expensive depending on what you mess up.

On personal preference i would go with the fourth gen. Easier to swap a Japanese engine with lsd trans into. Do some more research before running out and buying one

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread/689805

that thread has a lot of info to offer and you would be better off knowing the car inside and out before buying it. Good luck with your purchase and let us know what you get.

 

Another thing is dont expect too much out of bolt on's. H22's come fairly well equiped from the factory so it is tought to improve upon.

 

i thought preludes were good for bolt on performance thats what i've bin hearing and what is the exac problem with the automatics?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by poooch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i thought preludes were good for bolt on performance thats what i've bin hearing and what is the exac problem with the automatics?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Like I said above, the H22's come with good equipment from the factory, (intake, header, and exhaust) so there isint much that can be improved upon with just bolt-on's. Don't get me wrong, there is power to be made just dont expect any tremendous gains. If you want a fun Prelude I think suspension is where its at. Also, read up on the 5th gen's nutoriosity for burining oil. The automatic tranny is also a notorious problem. They begin to slip and just give out, some people are on their 2nd or even 3rd tranny. Its not worth risking it and that is the reason people recommend the 5spd.

 

right to all
basically everyone has it covered. headers will probably help a good bit on a 4th gen, Si atleast as the oe headers are quite restrictive (or so Ive heard)