Was wondering if I could get some input on the value of my Mother's 1999 Prelude. She bought this car new and it has sat in her garage most of the time since new. It wasn't her "daily driver", so it has just a couple miles over 20,000. 100% stock with exception of the battery, and in showroom condition. Automatic, and has the rear spoiler. I will most likely try to sell her cars this spring (if the snow ever melts here in MI) due to her having a stroke and is now in a nursing facility.

I know it's not like a barn find of a 67 big block convertible Corvette, but just wondering if it's a little more desirable than what the NADA used prices show (+/- $5,300), or is that in the ballpark?

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Carl

P.S. Pics from phone make paint look faded, although it isn't.

 

Low miles for sure, but being an auto really drops the value to most people who are interested in Preludes. Best thing to do is post it up on the high end and see if you get bites, if not, drop the price until it does sell.

At that small an amountof use in such a long time, it could be a concern that hoses, belts, and seals have dried out over time due to lack of use, so anything rubber should be checked well by anyone interested in the car.

 

6 stacks

 

i would say 6500 - 7500 as long as it has no blemishes

thats not just low mileage thats super low mileage

 

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I think I will start out at $6500. We can only go down from there.....


I hear ya on the manual/auto trans. I am a "manual" guy. (even raised my wife well. In our 27 years of marriage, she has always driven a stick) It's a shame that the U.S. culture has crammed autos down our throats.

Here's a list of the cars I've owned in my life:

64 VW Beetle 4-speed Manual
68 Camaro SS 3-speed Manual
75 MGB 4-speed Manual
83 Ford EXP 5-speed Manual
85 Ford Escort 5-speed Manual
90 Honda Civic STD 4-speed Manual
94 Chevy Cavalier 4-speed Manual
97 Cavalier Z-24 5-speed Manual
03 Pontiac Vibe 5-speed Manual
04 Saturn Vue 5-speed Manual
*05 Dodge Magnum AWD 5-speed auto....
14 Subaru Forester 6-speed Manual
10 Subaru Legacy 6-speed Manual (wife's car)

*Only car I had transmission problems with.....

Too bad the CR-V and Pilot aren't available with manuals because I would have bought either of them over my current Subie Forester.

Anyways, sorry to get off on a rant about how much automatic transmissions suck.

Thanks again for the replies.

 

chrysler transmissions are garbage

 

I agree with the others...Start around $6500, but the fact that its an Automatic, granted it can be manually shifted and it has about 5-10 more horsepower than a manual, it's hard to sell an automatic Prelude. Here's the cars I've owned.

93 Honda Civic DX 16valve 5speed (Sold at 235,000 miles)
95 Acura Integra GS 5speed (Hit by a teen driver who hates stop signs 93,000)
97 Honda Prelude H22A4 5speed (In a life threatening accident 179,000)
95 Acura Legend Automatic (sold 250,000)
99 Honda Prelude H22A4 Automatic (still driving it and currently 220,000 miles. Bought it for $4900 three years ago)

My Next car WILL be a stick.

 

No, it's the other way around... Manual Preludes have more horsepower than automatics.

 

Get a mid 80s corvette with a 4 on the floor. Those 80s vettes are getting dirt cheap nowadays. For a piece of the 170 mph dream, 4 grand is sounding pretty good.

 

This is kind of weird............I did not list my "project car" that I've had for about 15 years, but just started working on it last summer. It's an '85 Vette that I repainted last summer, and this winter I'm about 1/2 way done with a new 383 engine for it. Should be around 425 to 450hp.
When I bought the car, C4 Vettes were still up there in value, so I'll never get out what I paid for it.

But you are right about them being dirt cheap nowadays. Since mine is an auto and I really want a manual, I picked up a 91 6-speed (it's in pretty rough shape though) last year for $3500 just for an organ donor. Planning on (some day) swapping out the transmissions & rear ends, put a coat of paint on the 91 and re-sell it.

Problem is with C4 Corvettes (84-96), they might be pretty cheap right now, but they can be VERY costly to restore or repair. But if you are going to work on it yourself, you can save a ton of money.

But you are getting a very capable car. V8 torque, independent rear end, decent brakes, relatively light, and can put up some impressive lateral G's.

 

Those electronic spaceship dashboards from the eighties will total one of these vettes when they crap out, that's how expensive they are to fix.

 

Just out of curiosity, where in MI is this car located?

 

Near Midland, West of Bay City, NW of Saginaw. I was just over to my Mother's house today and started the Prelude for a while and took it down her road & back to keep the fluids movin'. Took some more pics today.









No, it's not faded, it's dust.....

 

Right on. I'm from Traverse City. If you get serious about selling it, let me know.

 

Op, one thing that will help you sell this very quickly is have someone do a good paint detail on it. Not one of those Octupus car wash details, but a professional detail, having that paint shine perfectly will catch a lot of attention when people first see it.