Hello everyone. Back in 2007 I purchased my second car which was my first Honda! Additionally my first manual car too and I loved it!! It was a 2000 Honda Prelude Type SH. The car was previously leased out by a local business and used as a company car up to nearly 100k miles on it. I ended up owning it for 7 years when the motor finally gave out. Although I loved the car, I was in a financial situation where I didn't see the value (now I wish I had) in fixing it, so I ended up selling it. Since then I've driven a '09 GTI which I have fun in but not the same as my old Prelude. I would love to get back to Honda for a couple reasons now. I am a bike mechanic by trade and have been so for 15 years so I am mechanically inclined however I never knew how to do much in the way of automobiles. I want to expand my knowledge to the point of being self-sufficient. I grew a love for Honda when I had mine and know that parts are widely available so I am hoping to find a new-to-me "project car". I have a great support system in that my father-in-law, used to be a car mechanic for many years offered his help as well as use of his garage! I look forward to it as much as a bonding experience as a way to learn. I am excited to start my adventure this spring/summer with a little bit of cash. So as I grow and learn from this experience, I am hoping to utilize honda-tech as much as I can as well as return the favor in the future for others!

I have developed a very strong interest in the look of both the eg hatch as well as the ek. I also find well done em1 coupes when done right to look the best three options for my taste. I am strictly in the market for a manual. Furthermore, living in Wisconsin, we get a lot of snow and salty roads I know I can't avoid rust however a man can dream! I have done what seems to be a lot of research on what to expect when looking for used civics such as common problems however I find my struggles to lock down a solid number for what I should expect for a budget. I would like to spend $3000 at most on one that hopefully comes with a VTEC at least but am trying to stay away from overly done cars that are just too frankenstein'ed. I don't know if this is a feasible goal of mine or a pipe dream, but I was hoping for some guidance from you all who have much more experience than I.

Locally I have found some that to me just don't seem worth it. For some reason posting online people love the number $2500 no matter what condition (rust buckets, D series but stripped interior?, no engine but good shell)... I know its a starting price and negotiations are had of course however, should I really be expecting this out of this type of car? Is this really the supply demand relationship on egs/eks? Please tell me if I'm barking up the wrong tree here on what to expect and maybe tell me what I should expect to pay if someone wouldn't mind.

Additionally I have attached two listings of which one I drove today with the intention to negotiate down $500+ from $2500. However after driving it, it didn't even feel like a car worthy of $1500 with all the things that needed to be addressed. Needless to say, I walked away. The second listing is a potential purchase obviously upon inspection and test drive listed at $4000 locally. Its out of my budget but I would be willing to go up if its worth it. So i guess if someone could look at what I'm finding and tell me im right or wrong and if what I'm looking at is of good value, then that would mean the world to me! Thank you so much in advance for all that can help.
-madkitty

$2500 walked away from
$4000 Good option?