hi im buying a 1997 prelude with a ss tiptronic transmission. 140,000 miles. the car sometimes blows a bit of white smoke. i was told by the owner that it was the valve seals, and that it wouldn't cost too much to replace. and the ABS light is on. he said he doesn't know, but could reset it. (?). anyway the car's exterior is in ok condition. and the oil pan is cracked and leaking. andddd the power steering belt and ac belt are cracked (common for older cars with high miles)? anyway do you think the car is a good deal for 3500? and how much do you think it would be to get it replaced w/ labor (don't have the tools/garage or know how to do it myself). thanks in advance



**** thinking of buying the car today. please let me know. (car is for sister who needs automatic) so please don't tell me to get a 5sp. just want some expertise of those who own 5th gen with autos or could help me out. thanks!

 

all these views and no one has any input?

 

So you want to buy a Prelude with a **** ton of problems and are asking if its a good deal?

White smoke is usually coolant related, ie a blown head gasket.
ABS light means ABS is ****ed, and is usually expensive to fix
Oil pan is cracked and leaking
Belts ****ed up
etc

Do you seriously think this person took good care of their car at all? It sounds like a giant POS and you should save up for a half-way decent car.

*edit*

Get your sister a nice lower mileage 94-97 Honda Accord EX Sedan in automatic. You're much better off.

 

I've got a 97 prelude and as much as i love thing, they can tend to be money pits. in my own experience, my transmission went out (unfortunately honda did a terrible job with the transmission that year). i got it fixed but it cost me $1800 (car was 3700 to begin with). just something to think about

 

thanks for your blunt and candid reply. i do appreciate it (no sarcasm). i was quoted 300 to fix the belts and oil pan. i was mainly referring to the white smoke. it isn't just valve seals?

 

What you have is what the owner is telling you - if they were cheap/easy things to fix, why hasn't HE fixed them himself? Instead he's trying to sell off the car because it is beyond (cheap) repair.

You don't know what the ABS issue is (whole modulator could be hosed), so let's say you ignore that and go without ABS and just have the ABS light on.

You then have white smoke, which is certainly coolant, he doesn't even give you a clue what's wrong there. If I had to guess it's probably the head gasket.

Then the cracked belts (these are not expensive) but show that the owner probably has not kept up on routine maintenance (who knows what the timing belt and water pump look like!)

Fluids, he gives you no idea when they were changed (oil, transmission, brake, coolant, etc)

And that's just from what he's told you. If you are dead set on the car, take it with him to a Honda dealership and have them do a pre-purchase inspection. They are $70 usually and will detail every little thing that is wrong/broken/damaged with the vehicle. Use that as a bargaining point against him depending on the damage and get a quote from Honda for the repairs.

 

wow. thank you so much. i was searching through forums for hours and you just answered all my questions/concerns. thanks i appreciate it.

 

Only idiots believe this line of sh*t. If it is so cheap and easy to fix, why wasn't it already done? The answer: Because it is NOT cheap and easy. Unless you buy that car knowing, full well, that you'll be immediately sinking a lot of time & labor into it you're much better off finding something else.

edit: Read the whole thread after posting. Listen to Muffinman.

 

10-1 the ac and ps dont work on there and he probably cut the belts because he can use that as an excuse to why there not working.

 

Dude. Just Keep looking.

I bought a 99 Prelude 5-SPEED MANUAL with OEM Lip kit, Tein Coilovers, Aftermarket Wheels, With No issues other than SRS for 3600. And it was in white. No rust. IN WHITE!

I think you can do better....