Hey i've narrowed down the choices for my first car. Either a Honda prelude or an Acura integra.

prelude year ranging from 97-01 -se model basically the base model or i might get the sh model, one model above the base one.

or

integra year ranging from 97-01 -rs model, or gs if i can find one for the price range im in

Both cars are in the same price range and all from 7 - 10k price range with rougly around the same clicks on the motors.

honest opinions and why you would do it.

 

prelude all the way. it would be a tough choice between a prelude and a GSR but a prelude and a gs/rs/ls...? no contest, prelude all the way. It's faster, more refined, more features...the Integra does get a little better gas milage...but thats about it! I came from a 98 GSR to a 97 Prelude base and I love them both, I would be happy with either one.

BTW, you should be able to pick up a nice GSR for that price. the RS is the lowest integra model, no power anything and no sunroof, along with unpainted side moldings. If you go integra, at LEAST get an LS or a GS

 

IMO I would go for prelude if you can't get a gsr integra.

The integras without vtec are rather lack-luster just nicer civics but they will get better gas mileage than an h22 prelude.

The prelude is easily as nice inside and out as an integra but comes standard with an h22 in the 5th gen like you specified just say away from the tiptronic autos.

Pick the one you really want, both can have loads of potential for racing but are also very nice dd cars.

 

yeah im leaning more toward the lude because their also less stolen then the integra. Im only a little more toward the integra because its easier to drive stick on them then it is a prelude, Im a beginner so i dont really know how to drive stick but i've tried on a civic before and it was much easier to drive that then it was to drive the prelude. I still dont even know why that is, is it because of a different clutch or whats up with that?

 

i have no idea. i driven both and i like the preludes clutch better. ya if your not gettin a gsr, stick with the lude. the other teggies are real slow

 

yeah i geuss its only me because im still a noob and still stall and stuff haha only driven a few times which was for only 5-10 mins everytime and you cant get a hang of it in that amount of time because you start getting used to it then the person takes the car away and you lose the hang of it you know what i mean, so when i get my car ill get the hang of it and ill be good but it was rather easier on the civic because i stalled a few times where as the prelude i only stalled when i was rolling backwards going up hill. Ill probably end up with the lude my brother has one the same year as mine and i like it ill just get mine in a diff color

 

The prelude was probably harder for you only because the prelude is a heavier car than both the civic and integra but most of the difficult comes from lack of experience, once you get used to driving stick it won't matter one way or the other in terms of cars.

 

lol... how is this even a question lol. Prelude hands down. Looks, Handels, Feels, better than a Integra. Also for performance a stock Base 5th gen vs stock gsr, the 5th gen is the faster car.

 

i swear a gsr could take a prelude because of its weight?

 

There was a video on youtube a while back, that was factory spec integra gsr, prelude vtec, and a civic sirII in a race up a long straight then through a lap of a circuit, they finished prelude, integra, civic. As for beating it buy weight

Integra = 2667lbs with 170bhp
15.6 lbs/hp
Prelude = 2866lbs with 190bhp
15.0 lbs/hp

Winner prelude

Integra = 2667 with 128 ft-lbs
20.8 lbs/ft-lb
Prelude = 2866 with 158 ft-lbs
18.1 lbs/ft-lb

Winner prelude

 

so a prelude would take a gsr? lol dont give me the lecture about the driver, you know what i mean.

 

Bench racing ftl lol but yes... that is correct.

 

Hey benchmark racing looks great on paper, ya i know its lame but hey it gets the point across.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1.6 vtec civic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hey benchmark racing looks great on paper, ya i know its lame but hey it gets the point across. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Lol yea

 

i dont really care for speed, im dont race sometimes i like to speed a bit when its an open road with little to no cars on the road i've never been to the track but plan to do so in the near future.
Im going to go ahead and go with the prelude for its sleek styling and because it isnt as stolen as the integra. Ill update you guys when i get it in a few weeks or so.

 

7-10k is PLENTY of money to get a nice prelude and maybe even some bolt ons. if u dont mind salvage u probably have a few thousand dollars to spend on mods... damn wish i had 10k to spend

 

you're posting in a prelude forum, what kind of response do you except to receive?

 

i g0t a 5th gen prelude, if i were to get another car it would be 4th gen =P

 

why is that?

 

cuz the 4th gens are lighter. and me, i like the curvy body on em. im not that big of a fan of the new boxy 5th gens but hey prelude pride

 

Your 15 what do you know lol . The general public votes 5th gens for styling, 4th gens are an acquired taste lol.

 

yeah, well apparently "acquired" by many !!

Im sure the polls would be 50/50 between 4th and 5th gens

 

By the general public or prelude owners? Im really not trying to sound biased when I say this, because I love all gens. However every car event or even when preludes are brought up... every time people have said to me that they like 5th gen styling over the 4th gen. I guess that just because the 5th gen looks like a newer car by todays standards with flat sharp lines. I dunno. Theres nothing wrong with 4th gen styling, I just think you have to like it to love it ... u know? Everyone is going to have their own preferences, likes and dislikes.

 

IMO the 4th gen is a bit sleeker in styling than the 5th gen and most People around where i live never see the 4th gen them that much, so I always get compliments on how great it looks and how they would like to have one for themself, I myself love all generations of the lude but especially my 4th gen ill never change so the choice is yours bud id take the 5th gen over a teggie anyday. But there is that old saying "To each his own" so im pretty sure with whatever desicion you make it wont be a bad one.

 

I bought my 5th gen with little 5 speed experience and it was definitely harder to drive than any car I drove before it. About 6 months after I bought it I had to replace the clutch, cost a pretty penny so if you suck at driving stick and it has its original cluth still you might wanna take that into mind before spending your extra cash on bolt ons that wont even give you much gain if any. Also the sh is heavier than the base model but you said you didnt plan to race much so it doesn't really matter.