Good or bad deal?

AKIRA

AKIRA

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Ok, so i'm going to buy my first car this summer and my budget is pretty low haha $5000.00 cdn max to spend on the car(i have to buy it with my own money :( )

so i stumbled upon this:
http://www.trader.ca/Search/Details...&subcategory=&CAT=1&ADID=6092499&ADS=6092499|

1993 Honda Prelude with 195,000km on it.

Now, it's a Honda and it is quite old but for $3600.00 do you guys think it's a bad deal?

I basically need to drive it almost everyday from Hamilton to St. Catherines for school, so do you think i should get it or no?
 
Pro: That model is generally accepted as the best-looking Prelude.
Con: (EDIT) SR is equivalent to the USDM Si model. No cons here.
$3,600 is about what I'd expect to pay for that car in that condition, which appears to be good.

Overall early to mid 90s cars kick ass.

Go check out the car and see if you can get a test run. If it's pretty sound, buy it. If he doesn't let you test run it, be wary.
 
Scratch that. If he doesn't let you go for a run in it with him, walk away.
 
PRO: It's a car.

CON: It's a Honda.

You could probably get a Camaro with your budget tbh.
 
That should depend on whether he has a mullet or not.

Oh, and kilometerage. It's not that high for the year and this would be a great first car.
 
Oh lawd, kilometerage, nvm.
Have you considered leasing?
 
sinkoman said:
PRO: It's a car.

CON: It's a Honda.

You could probably get a Camaro with your budget tbh.
Click to expand...

...why is it bad that it's a honda and why would you offer a camaro in its place?
He throws up a FWD 4cyl and you respond with a rwd v8?

sinkoman said:
(Just a personal vendetta against Hondas and how they're really popular cars to "rice out", was just a joke :()
Click to expand...
I don't really think he's going to modifying his car, since it sounds like he just needs an A to B car. The prelude would definitely be better than a camaro for that.
 
For that price, 200k milage is what you should expect. Just go to any car auction and you'll see.

Link is correct though - just say no straight up if he doesn't let you inspect it completely and test drive it. You aren't in the position to buy a car that needs more money put into it.
 
oh good point. 195,000km = about 120,000 miles. wow thats a cheap price for that milage. i say either theres something wrong with the car (be very cautious) or the seller is stupid. dont be fooled... get an inspection done on it before you buy it.
 
xcellerate said:
...why is it bad that it's a honda and why would you offer a camaro in its place?
He throws up a FWD 4cyl and you respond with a rwd v8?


I don't really think he's going to modifying his car, since it sounds like he just needs an A to B car. The prelude would definitely be better than a camaro for that.
Click to expand...

I really don't know shit about cars, was just messing around :\
 
just so you know.. whatever you buy... your prolly gunna have to dump some cash into it fixing somthing.
 
tehsolace said:
oh good point. 195,000km = about 120,000 miles. wow thats a cheap price for that milage. i say either theres something wrong with the car (be very cautious) or the seller is stupid. dont be fooled... get an inspection done on it before you buy it.
Click to expand...

I'm not so sure - I think the price is quite accurate to be honest.
 
Not a bad car ... and Hondas are pretty reliable anyway. I'd go for it.
 
Guys judging by the mileage this car was taken car of. 120k miles is not bad at all. I drive very seldomly and my 92 has 112k on it. The Prelude may be due for a water or oil pump, it might have some leaky seals, but other than that I doubt it will have problems. It looks great, it's an SI that's not riced out (rare), and the guy is asking what most 93 imports go for. This is a sweet deal and being a first car, nobody cares if you bash up a Honduh. ;)
 
Yea, i heard hondas are extremely reliable cars which is why i'm looking for japanese/german makes.

The prelude..is it better than the civic in terms of gas usage?
 
The prelude is kinda like hondas mid-class sports car. Not better than a civic as far as gas goes but hondas overall tend to be pretty decent mpg. Looks like a pretty good deal, tho you could prolly talk the seller down a bit if you're smooth.
 
anyone know how big the engines are in this particular prelude? is it over 2.0 L?
 
hmm, a bit too big for my liking but is it efficient? Right now i have a 98 plymouth neon which is a 2.0 and let me tell you that it's HORRIBLE on gas..but i'm sure a Honda would be wayy more efficient than a shitty neon lol.

Well i think i'm going to get it, but i have to wait till my exams are over to buy it because right now i don't have the money yet, so i hope no one buys it till then.
 
The way Hondas are designed is they produce very little power at low rpms. This lends them to have better fuel economy while driving normally at the cost of low speed driving comfort. This requires most Hondas to have very low gear ratios which makes shifting say, in a traffic jam, a pain.
The advantage is when you get on it the power comes on pretty hard.

I imagine with this car you'd see about 22mpg city. Remember his is the top end SI/SR model. My car gets about 17. x_x
 
I'd consider checking out the Mercedes 190 range, plenty of good solid cars around. Also have a look at the E34 BMW 5-series, they're fantastic cars for their age.
 
Just make sure whatever you get doesn't need any major repairs. Bring someone knowledgeable with cars with you to look at it, so they ask the right questions.
 
a black book search said that a 1997 honda prelude should go for between $3000-$5000, a 1993 for that price seems high ..I've owned a prelude (1989) ..nice car but make sure it has power steering as rack and pinion steering is a bitch to park ..also hondas tend to need a new timing belt at around 150,000km ..if it breaks kiss your engine good bye ..so make sure it's been replaced


also if you go to the ministry of transportation for a fee you can get a printed record of your cars accident history ..that way there's no surprises of a bent frame or a rebuilt engine
 
in the description it said it had a new timing belt so that's good. The problem is where I live, there aren't many good deals on early 1990's mercedes and BMW's. They either have high mileage or they;re too expensive.

I guess i'll just have to stick to japanese cars then lol
 
dont buy a mercedes ..if you find one for $3000 chances are it's junk



just make sure a mechanic takes a look at it before buying
 
CptStern said:
a black book search said that a 1997 honda prelude should go for between $3000-$5000, a 1993 for that price seems high ..I've owned a prelude (1989) ..nice car but make sure it has power steering as rack and pinion steering is a bitch to park ..also hondas tend to need a new timing belt at around 150,000km ..if it breaks kiss your engine good bye ..so make sure it's been replaced
Click to expand...

What trim level did you search? The SR not only has power steering but electronic four wheel steering.

If you are worried about timing belts get a Subaru. Their engines are non-interference. /svxplug
 
Does the inside of a 92 or 93 prelude look like this:
PRELUDE_interior1.JPG


I haven't had time to check out that car yet but if it the dashboard is like that in the 92 or 93 model then wow i'm getting it.

Coolest freaking dashboard i've ever seen. Why more cars don't have dashoards like this is beyond me.
 
Like I said, that's the top end Prelude, arguably the best one ever built. The lower trim levels are vastly different.
 
Mileage is fantastic for the year. Body looks sweet.

It is modified though, so there is a chance it was raced or driven hard.

People who modify cars tend to abuse them and sell them just before they fall apart. Then again, mileage is great.

Both cars are worth the money. The red ones paint is a little faded in comparison to the garaged black one. Here's the thing. Black trim level isn't listed, it might not be an SR. It might not be as fast or have as cool a dash board as the red one, but it will definitely get better fuel mileage.
If the black one is an SR, get it, if it's not, decide what you want more. A little more speed, or a little better fuel economy.
 
hmm, well i guess i'll call the guy up, and have a look see. I'll definately take it for a test drive and have it checked out at a garage. I may even do a complete search on the car to see if it's been in an accident or anything.

But yea, the mileage is amazing, but ultimately, i'll have to go with which ever one is more efficient in terms of gas usage.


But thanks for all the advice everyone, i really appreciate it :D
 
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