1989 Honda Prelude S 2.0 Gas from North America

Summary:

Awesome little sports car

Faults:

Stock B20A3 motor blew at 210,000. (Replaced with a japanese specs B20A6 fuel injected & Turbo @ 12 psi, added Computer chip.)

Rust developing around both quarters. (Made new quarters and fixed all rust)

Seats are showing significant wear. (Replaced with racing seats)

Clear coat chipping all around the car. (Finished car in a nice skyline blue.)

General Comments:

New motor provides awesome power, 230 horsepower with a chipped Computer and Turbo.

With the new transmission came new Japanese gear ratios, which are awesome... they bring this little rocket to 240km/h.

I have also changed the 2 wheel steering to a 4 wheel steering setup, added strut tower bars, and airbags. Since these upgrades this car handles better than most of my friends sports cars.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th March, 2004

1989 Honda Prelude S 2.0 from North America

Summary:

Lots of bang for your buck

Faults:

Front passenger seat is broken. Glove compartment is jammed shut.

General Comments:

Wow. This car is a lot of fun to drive. I'm amazed at how much power I have at my fingertips. Even hills are no problem for this car. It cruises comfortably at 80.

The seats are surprisingly comfortable. I'm 5'1" and my husband is 6'1" and we both are comfortable in the car.

The handling is amazing. It's a lot of fun to drive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 26th February, 2004

20th Apr 2005, 00:45

I actually felt that this vehicle was a weak performer, It accelerated like a snail. Although I must admit where it lacked in performance it made up for in its legendary reliability and excellent fuel economy.

12th May 2005, 09:08

I think maybe something is wrong with your car. I have an 88 and a 83. My 83 gets going pretty good, so You need to get that checked out.

1st Mar 2007, 00:59

This car is not that slow. Please keep in mind that the engine is Dual Carbed and only runs 12 valves. If you have the Automatic version though you have access to Sports Mode which makes it a whole different car! Very fun!

1989 Honda Prelude Si 16v from North America

Summary:

Excellent when there are no problems

Faults:

I have owned this car for 2½ years and I really like it unfortunately it did have some problems so right now I'm here to worn you that be careful before you buy.

-First thing I had to do was replace the timing belt (450$)

-I then had to replace the speedometer cable (34$)

-Lots of lights, then go out all the time. Cool looking though. (10-25$)

-The alternator went out about 9 months ago. (350$)

-Then the axel to the front right wheel broke in which I found out is only held on by a quarter inch bolt and since I have an automatic it was connected to my transmission, if I had been going 15 mph I would have destroyed the car! ($425, including towing)

-Recent problems I have been having have been that I noticed that the car is sensitive to heat and can over heat really easily if used all day in stop in go traffic.

-The transmission when sitting out in the sun does not work as well as if it was left in the cold.

-The antenna broke (65$)

-You must warm up the car 15 minuets every morning or it won't shift for the first 5 minuets when driving.

-Very little backseat room

-Also one last thing is I think the "computer" in the car that controls like the gages, the seatbelt sensors, etc... seems to be sensitive to the heat too and will be on when not suppose to be.

General Comments:

Over all for what I have paid for this car it has been kind of worth it. If you get this car and it has no problems then enjoy it because it's a beast even to this day. I have found out that in cold weather and night the car works the best. I have been able to get the car at 0-60 in 8 seconds. It has lots of power. Very small though for a car. Front 2 seats have lots of room, can fit anyone into. I would recommend that if you are buying a prelude, you should probably get a newer version, although a little more expensive, well worth it! If you can relate to any of the problems listed above please let me know or if you have any questions. Xavier934@comcast.net.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 13th February, 2004

1st Aug 2005, 00:35

I have also had huge problems with this car being sensitive to heat. it will not start when the engine is hot or the temperature outside is too high. Besides that it is an awesome car though.

17th Nov 2005, 11:39

I'd buy a new radiator (don't just rebuild the old one). Even an aftermarket one is okay. The cooling system is very important in these vehicles and if they overheat too much you'll have major engine problems down the road. A small investment in a new radiator will save you $$$.

16th Dec 2007, 22:23

Anyone reading this about the 89 Prelude having problems in the heat there is a simple fix. The 89 had issues with a relay that would overheat. I am not sure which one, but any Honda mechanic worth his salt will know. I have 398,000 kilometers on my car. (Yup, no typo) Original owner and I am just now looking at getting an SUV. I will probably give my Prelude to my Daughter. The engine STILL does not use oil and all four cylinders are within spec for compression. The Honda Dealer I take it too calls my car the "energizer bunny" :P

If you find one of these in decent shape (Look around the rear fenders for rust, some of them had problems.) you would be nuts not to buy it.