Faults:

I am very picky when it comes to working on my car. Therefore all repairs are done personally, by a Honda dealership, or by another specialized professional.

Dealership jobs include:

-Transmission fluid flushed at 104,000 miles, correcting shifting problems in transmission, cost $70.

-Timing Belt and water pump replaced at same time as transmission fluid flush, cost about $950.

-Clutch master cylinder blew a seal at 108,000 miles, cost $250.

-Clutch replaced at 122,000 miles due to a problem with the clutch pressure plate not engaging clutch, cost about $1,100.

Jobs done by myself:

-Rear brake pads replaced at about 106,000 miles, cost about $60.

-Radiator replaced at about 115,000 miles, cost about $120.

-Front driver's axle half shaft replaced at about 124,000 miles, cost about $50.

-leaky exhaust manifold gasket replaced at about 125,000 miles, cost about $30.

Other:

-Front leather seats cracked out and reupholstered by a local upholsterer at about 118,000 miles, cost about $1,000.

General Comments:

One of my high-school cars was a Si Prelude with the 2.3L 160 horse engine. The Si was a good car with a lot of pep, but the VTEC Prelude blows it out of the water. The VTEC Prelude is very responsive over 3-5k rpm, and flies at about 5-7k rpm. It has fairly strong torque over 3k rpm, but hits most of its power when the VTEC kicks in at 5-7k rpm.

It is a great every day car as it is quite reliable around town, or out on the road. It also provides enough performance to keep up with or pass any Mustang, 240sx, Civic, or Integra.

It is a very comfortable car, if you ride with no more than 2 people. The back seats are useless, except to lower my insurance rates. The body is sleek, and is about as close as you can get to a fastback without actually having a 60's Mustang.

I have had several "upkeep" repairs, however, I don't have any payments that come with a new car, and accept some of the problems that come with any car that is built with performance in mind. Even with the maintenence, it is still a Honda, and performs excellently, and reliably.

I also enjoy the ability to upgrade the car with ease. There are a phenomenal amount of performance parts made for Preludes as with any Honda. Although I like the stock look of this car, I have installed a AEM ram air intake, Jet chip upgrade, and dynomax muffler.

Faults:

Both CV boot seals needed replacing. Road debris wrecked the condenser for the air conditioner (critical in Arizona). Always replace Honda timing belts after 60,000 miles.

Stock sound system (cardboard speakers!) had to be torn out and seriously upgraded.

External rubber rear window seal rotted away; so I stripped what remained with a razor and carefully painted the metal black: almost looks like new!

General Comments:

After appropriate after-market performance upgrades (larger air intake, cat-back exhaust, ceramic coated headers, front strut bar, light 16" wheels, Potenza tires) car handles better than it ever did! Nearly (barely?) a real sports car. Though not classic 'muscle', it should still run 15's in the 1/4 miles (400m to World).

Snappy acceleration, great torque above 3000 RPM, fantastic cornering, tight feel, loud road roar though.

Got the weight under 2800 lbs (without the passenger seat) ; if I lose the amp, sub-woofer, and spare tire, and add a carbon fiber hood, light weight battery and fly-wheel, I could probably get under 2700! A professional (warrantied?) turbo install (and attending engine rebuild) to push the HP over 250 is currently too rich for my blood.

Comfortable, but not roomy inside. Rear seats are for groceries only, but the single flip down rear seat is great for stowing skis, etc. Small cabin space means even moderate (500+) watt sound systems can damage hearing.

Great Italianesque styling (92-96). Milano Red needs re-painting after 10 years.

Th' only car I ever loved.