Faults:

The first thing to go on my prelude was a couple of the hoses under the hood. Along with that was the alternator.

Then I had a couple of oil changes and new brakes.

Then just a week ago, the Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS) went and its gonna cost about $600.

General Comments:

The Prelude handles great and the manual transmission is still great.

Except for the hoses going like every month the car is OK.

Faults:

The master and slave cylinders for the clutch hydraulics had leaks at 104,000 miles. I paid $600 to have it fixed along with a leaky axle and transmission service.

Emergency brake light randomly turns on when you use the brakes and then turns off after a few minutes while car is in motion.

The rubber stripping along door windows keep popping out. I've been able to keep it under control, but now it's beginning to rust.

I'm noticing slight rusting around the exterior of my sunroof.

General Comments:

My prelude has been very reliable and great on handling. I can take sharp turns without sliding.

The interior is cozy and still in great shape after 6 years.

Lots of trunk and backseat space, although the foot room in the backseat is quite limited.

The exterior is so sleek, it looks like it costs more than it does.

Faults:

The Sportshift transmission failed at 124000 km, cost was CDN$ 3200.00 to repair. Honda Canada would not do anything, even though I had reported slushy shifting on the 1-2 shift, while still under warranty. I have had two rear wheel bearing failures (covered under warranty). The CD player failed at 120000 miles and heater cable seized (replaced under warranty).

General Comments:

The car handles great, looks and sounds great (above 5000 RPM) and is reasonably quick. I have had a tough time finding good tires (Pirelli, Bridgestone and Continental) for this car: they were either really noisy or uneven wear (even with alignment) and puncture prone. Next spring will see new Michelins on this car.

It is actually not a bad winter drive, with 195/60-15 Blizzaks on steel wheels, but is very scary in the snow with the summer "all season" tires.

This is one of the easiest handling, predictable cars to drive hard through the corners; it never comes up with any nasty surprises!

I had a 1991 Mazda MX6 Turbo 4 that would likely outrun the Prelude to about 140 KPH. It was more comfortable seating, but the Prelude really out-handles the Mazda.

Faults:

Recalled faulty ignition switch, dealer covered.

Replaced clutch master cylinder and clutch slave cylinder at 110,000 km - of course, right after the extended warranty ran out. No help from the dealer here. Estimated cost thru dealer was approx. $350CND for parts and with labour, could have ran up to $1,250CND. Thank goodness my dad is a mechanic!!!

Slight rust developing on the fringe of the sunroof (interior side). Rubber moulding still good.. probably had some seepage because I have a plastic cover on the sunroof and it collectied there. This car was winter driven.

Temperature control (the slider) seized due to a rusted over cable at 75,000km. No help from dealer as warranty did not cover. Parts was about $100! Labour done by friend who worked for Honda!

General Comments:

This car is great. Great looks stock, and good quality. Handling is fine, but you need to drop it, add some torsion bars and wheee!!! Replace the rubbers with Yokos and it delights!

Power supply is ample, VTEC will kick in at 5000 RPMs. But, it's a heavy car and sometimes feels sluggish on take off. Smooth gear shifter, but I think I'll still put on a short throw kit to make it feel right.

Interior finish is smooth and classic. But it feels a bit small and tight inside. Grab a large coffee and it'll get in the way of the stick shift for sure.