I went tonight to look at a 2000 Prelude. The guy told me it was a salvaged title. He said the front bumper, front metal part of bumper, drivers side fender, drivers side headlamp, both airbags, and stereo were missing. I drove the car and checked it on Carfax. I have never driven a Prelude before so I am not sure how it feels exactly. So my question is, how can I tell if anything major is wrong with this car?

Where are the Vin numbers to try to match to each other? Is there a way to tell if a car has had an engine swap? How about if any of the front collision damage was bad enough to screw up the frame? Lots of questions, and looking for any answers.

 

I would do a cold start and see how the engine sounds/feels and was this car already rebuilt? if so, then it depends on who repaired it, but salvaged titles aren't always terrible. My car was totalled and rebuilt, and it runs like a champ still...maybe if u can, do a quick compression test, and of course look for leaks under the car

 

check the frame where the bumper mounts to the car for any signs of damage. if its bent it'll need to be put on a machine that will straighten out the frame if possible.

 

check the vins, check the frame, if you have a friend that knows hondas, you should take them with you to listen to how the engine sounds...Bust it into VTEC and be sure the VTEC works...just cuz the check engine light is not on, the VTEC may still not work...It happened to me last month...You can tell when it hits VTEC..

 

Check all VIN numbers and be sure they match. There is one on the doors, windsheild, motor, tranny, on the firewall in the engine bay, sometimes on the windows, I believe there a few more places, but I can't think of where they are. Just remember, the car isn't going to be the same as when it just came from the manufactor since it's been wrecked.