I'd like to know in general would it be wise to keep throwing money at one of these? Its almost guaranteed ball joints and bushings as far as suspension goes correct?(at least on mine it is) I'm in love with the car so anything wrong with it, in my head IT MUST be fixed at all costs, and I will ponder on it in fear of the worst till it gets fixed. Hence why I'm on HT at such weird hours!

My situation: 93. F22. 140xxx. Needs timing belt/wp/crank seal $450-$500. Noisy suspension on rear passenger side wheel when driving over bumps. I also notice a strange clunking during cold mornings coming from the driver side axle while going over the slightest bumps. It does not do this when the heat of the day comes along. Passenger side axle(no CV boot lol). Plus a quarter panel dent I made an insurance claim for, cause some dumb *** punched it in, so that's a $500 deductable plus $167 cause I already spent their check lol. Oh yeah and a shop actually did tell me I need ball joints and such. I'm not rich and I have no family support whatsoever so if my car fails I am SOL until I can afford it.. I'm not looking for explanations to my repair concerns, I'm just seeking advise on what YOU would do in my situation(besides swapping out the f22)lulz

 

if i were you i would worry more about the mechanics over cosmetics first. i would have your timing belt/wp/crank seal done first and then pick away at your suspension. if you are in a pickle for money then i wouldnt worry about a swap yet. if you do get the timing belt and all that fixed and the ball joint and axle replaced then you can worry more about saving up for a swap or depending on how your f22 is running after all that you can focus your money on the body of the car. as long as your not out running the **** out of your car and almost baby it the car should last you long enough to get it all patchedd back up

 

Beats having a 400 dollar a month car payment. I maintain my daily and my racecar for less than I spend on my wife's new car every month.YMMV

 

lol exact reason why i just keep putting money into my lude. no body likes car payments.

 

I have a 92 with a jdm h22a. I bought it for $1000 and knew it needed work. Good thing Im a hands on guy and do it all myself.

Timing belt
water pump
new transmission(twice) yes, i changed it twice
complete clutch system. COMPLETE.
exhaust
complete brake system.


If anything else needs to be fixed, ill fix it. I love this car and ill never get rid of it.

 

On the other side of it though, I really like having the new car and IMO its worth every penny. It gives me piece of mind knowing the wife has something safe to drive that isnt going to break. Plus she doesnt bitch about my beater being dirty or full of car parts since we take her car whenever we go anywhere together.

 

yeah you have to make the wifey happy! the first thing i did after me and the ex fiance split up was get rid of the new car and payment though!

jwarren as long as your not getting married anytime soon no need for a new car and payment! have fun with your honda while you can!

 

All depends where you are in life, and how much you plan to spend on it at once.

I love my 4th gen, but it also sits most of the time, since I drive my other vehicles, as they are better for the roads and climate here most of the year.

When my Prelude was my only car, I learned how to do the work myself, instead of paying a shop to do it. Cosmetics have always taken a backseat to mechanical, as long as the car was safe to drive and lined up right.

 

Wow very excellent point! I can only dream of having 400 a month to throw on a car @.@

 

I know exactly what you mean about piece of mind. Its bad enough dealing with the constant issues of my own car.

You guys definitely resparked my interest in this particular 4th gen. I do love it and couldn't see me in anything else

 

It pretty much comes down to can you afford to have downtime with the prelude at all to fix. If you need it sometimes its better to have a second car. Some people cant afford to have it down to maintain it. So that is what is going to be your own personal selling point.

 

you could always scourer craigslist for a reliable daily beater. you can always find some pretty cheap older civic on there that you could put around in while you work on the lude

 

That seems like the most logical idea, but for some reason I cannot grasp the concept of saving money. I plan to do major repairs when I get my income tax check haha

 

^^ That is very true.

3 years ago I spent a little less than $2000 rebuilding an engine and transmission from the ground up. That's held up fine for the last 40k miles besides fuel, tires, oil and brakes. I've had to fix a few things since but it's $20 here and there.

Preventitive maintenance is a lot less expensive, though often inconvenient, than running the car into the ground and trying to dig it out after everything's broken. Who cares about a ding in the quarter panel next to rotting suspension, failing ball joints and axles? If that timing belt snaps you'll be shopping for an engine swap to replace the F22, Warren.

Apparently, neither can any other American out there.

I cannot grasp the concept of living hand to mouth. Maybe I could if I lived in a lush island paradise where food was growing everywhere and 'home' could be a hammock under a palm frond... I live in the desert though. I can't eat sand or sage and it's 20˚F right now. It takes money to keep the heat going and the lights on.

 

Back in 2011, I met up with a guy selling leather seats for my 5th gen. After swapping the seats into my car, there was an impromptu Prelude meet (as you do), and a few randoms came over and asked about the cars (as they do). This old Japanese guy rolls up in an Accord, a really really really old Accord. He gives us a nod so we asked him, what year is that? "1983... original owner." We got to talking with him about the car and he said the most work he has to do on it is recharge the AC every summer because it leaks.

That car has long been paid off, and throughout its years of service has paid for itself many times over. It has lasted and been so reliable because he took care of it and kept on top of the maintenance. It is a lot cheaper for him to maintain it, even though the parts are harder to get, than it is to buy a new car.

I believe it IS worth it to hang on to an older car, as long as you keep on top of what needs to be done with it. Especially if you can do the work yourself. The reason there are so many beat up 4th (and now 5th gens) is because the people who can afford them now don't understand how to take care of a car and make it last. They can't prioritize what needs to be fixed either. If their clock/radio fuse blows, and they need a wheel bearing, they'll replace the fuse because they want music.

Who cares about the bald tires, as long as it has nice rims and is stanced? They'll spend $2000 on a stereo instead of an engine rebuild/swap, and then wonder why the car left them stranded somewhere.

Older cars are worth the price of admission and maintenance if you invest in the important things before the BS and frills.


Another thing that is good about older cars is all of the bugs have been worked out. All of the recalls and TSBs have been issued. The information is out there. Every aspect of the car has been documented, blueprinted, and reverse engineered. For instance, we now know about the auto tensioner, and its problems. We now know about the automatic transmission etc. Over the years there have been workarounds developed to help us. On a brand new car, especially a new chassis/generation, you're in uncharted territory. You're also at the dealer/manufacturers mercy because of the warranty. Sure they'll pay for a recall, but in the meantime, if your brand new car has to go in multiple times to troubleshoot an unknown problem, its costing you big time. This, on top of step car payments and higher insurance, (because you have to have full coverage on an encumbered vehicle).

!

 

I don't think ill ever get rid of my 4th gen.