Honda Car Forum

I might buy this car tomorrow 7/13/06 can u give me advice on this car the car looks good the price there asking is 1,200 for it can people who has had a car like this tell me if its good i am a first time buyer and the color is white please help ASAP

I have a 1990 Honda Prelude 2.0 S model so I envy you getting the Si. Mine has 230,000 miles on it and is going strong. Sure, I work on it myself but I guarantee I've saved a ton of money with this car!The one you are looking at is the same exact model as mine as they ran this style from 1988 to 1991. The best thing you can do for yourself is to get the service manual for it. Go to www.helminc.com and get one immediately after taking ownership of this car. You don't state how many miles are on it but the national average of 15,000 miles per year puts it at 255,000 miles and justifies it's price tag of a mere $1200.Honestly, unless a Honda fanatic that meticulosly worked on his own cars owned this car, I would say you need to ask a lot of questions. First and foremost, all Hondas have interference engines which makes changing the timing belt a necessity or repair cost would skyrocket should the old belt break. These belts are only good to 75,000 miles or so, you had better ask. Brakes are cheap enough to replace yourself so that's not a real concern. Is it an automatic or a stick shift? Stay away from high mileage automatics as there is just too many sealing parts that are lucky to have made it that far. A manual transmission is much easier and much more fun to drive in this vehicle. However, the clutch is a major expense to replace and should be tested thoroughly before buying.Here's how I judge a car....$1000 allowed for a good, clean, non-damaged interior.$1000 allowed for a good, clean, non-damaged exterior$500 allowed for a valid state inspection sticker$250 allowed for tires with at least 50% tread remaining.$250 allowed for meticulous maitenance recordsThis adds up to $3000 already! So, if this Honda starts right up will little or no cranking, has no obvious leaks under the car, stops straight (mash the brake with no hands on the wheel), and is relatively clean. You have yourself a good deal!I love to talk about my Honda Prelude so you are welcome to contact me via chat where I would be glad to give you my email address so I can get your through all the details of keeping that Prelude interesting and reliable.Good luck, chat via works4us1 on yahoo messenger.