Ok so basically making a long story short i came across a Pearl White 2000 Honda Prelude. It has a motor but the owner is selling me the shell for $1k without motor or tranny. It's in decent condition although it needs a new passenger side front quarter panel, new hood, and from bumper painted due to an accident. Now the question I ask is this the direction i should go in. After reading up a bit it seems that a better idea would be to find a lighter chassis to go with an drop a b18 in it or even an h22/h23. Obviously, I'm starting a project here. N/A is the direction I'd like to go in but Forced Induction is always fun and I'm an open minded kinda guy. Obviously, if I bought the Prelude I'd find a JDM H22 and not it's American counterpart. What would you do? I like the Prelude. I have $8k in pocket to spend on this project as well as a decent paying part time job. Does this shell have the potential I'm looking for or is it really just a Cow?

 

Buy a Honda Fit and swap a 3.2 liter into it....

 

I think the Prelude is a great dd that also handles really well right out of the box. W/ enough money, as they say, you will be able to meet about any reasonable goal, and get there in alot more style then most other hondas. If thats not what you are looking for then maybe find something that would meet your goals better.

It would help if you mentioned what you wanted to do w/ the car. (ie drag, Auto-x, Road Track, DD, sleeper, pimp-mobile, db drag, show...)

 

it would be a daily driving street car with occasional visits to the track. I've recently found a friend with a greddy turbo kit that he'd be willing to give me for 1100$. A step in the right direction.

 

5th gens are premium imo. where are u located? if u dont want to do it, i do anyways, 1k is a great price if all he takes is the motor/tranny/ecu. u can literally part out for more. u can get a JDM h22a or a typeS if u dont plan on breaking too much hp.
8k is plenty for a juicy DD

yeah it is a cow btw, but it feels fast imo
good luck

 

Now the problem I'm being hit with is how reliable is this build going to be? I know it all depends on the quality of the motor and tranny. Plus, I have that turbo kit being offered to me for 1100$. Supposedly, it's new-in-box. Now, all I need is to find a good mechanic or a friend in the Miami area willing to put the labor in for cheap.