Honda Prelude 5th Gen

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Hi there

I currently have a Mk7 Fiesta ST which has been causing me a lot of grief lately and I am losing patience dealing with Ford in rectifying it. I am also in a situation where I am hoping to save more money and free up funds in order to secure future plans - so i am considering returning my car to the finance company as i will soon have paid off half my agreement.

In terms of what to get next, I definitely want reliability so im going Honda. I Really like the look of the 5th Gen Prelude 2.2, the running costs are about the same (maybe slightly more than the ST) and the performance looks to be comparable. The bonus is i would own it outright.

I have seen some nice examples but these seem to be difficult to find. Ideally im after the 2.2 Motegi model but as long as its manual i would be happy.

I have set myself a budget of about £1500 - £2000 which i think is reasonable. Would this be the expected amount?

Would anyone be able to advise what to look out for on these cars when buying, aswell as common problems and any experience with the cars. And if able, where the best place is to find them as I am struggling a little.

An alternative would be EP3/ Very cheap FN2 or Accord Type R models

Thanks

[CoolHands]

Check insurance costs before you buy, for some reason I find honda very expensive.

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CoolHands said:

Check insurance costs before you buy, for some reason I find honda very expensive.

I asked my insurance company what insurance was on a 2.2 Motegi and they said it was about the same as the ST

[rallycross]

I've had a couple of 2.2 vti manual UK cars, nice to drive, most have 4ws so you need to make sure its working ok as could be an expensive fix. The auto's are to be avoided due to g/box problems and really blunts the performance (which is not great anyway).
Drive one before you buy as they are quite soft and more a tourer than a sports coupe. Great engine, well built, nice inside decent spec, be aware its nothing like an Integra or Civic Type R, its a much softer higher gear cruiser in comparison.

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@rallycross . Thanks for advice. I'm struggling to find any that arent within silly distance at the moment. They seem to be like gold dust to find! Ive found a nice looking 4th gen for about £700 bit seems very cheap and not quite as nice as the mk5. I'm also considering biting the bullet and looking at a higher mileage FN2 civic for around £4k. Not sure if this would be a bad idea at this price or stick to Prelude hunting.

[Liggle]

Funnily enough I bought an FN2 after test driving the MK7 ST, I loved the car but you might find it harder work compared to the Fiesta if its your daily.

Performance wise they are pretty similar, FN2 felt more electric though because of the higher redline and nicer gearbox.

I got rid of my FN2 because of the hideous ride quality once my mileage increased, it became quite frustrating when commuting with the lack of torque too.

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Liggle said:

Funnily enough I bought an FN2 after test driving the MK7 ST, I loved the car but you might find it harder work compared to the Fiesta if its your daily.

Performance wise they are pretty similar, FN2 felt more electric though because of the higher redline and nicer gearbox.

I got rid of my FN2 because of the hideous ride quality once my mileage increased, it became quite frustrating when commuting with the lack of torque too.

See thankfully It wouldnt be used for commuting, mainly weekends and pottering about. Ive set myself a budget for about £3k but unfortunately there is nothing that is taking my fancy and no FN2's to be seen. Im calling it a day on the Preulude as finding a 2.2 manual is like mining for gold and have been advised to steer clear of the Autos.

I tried a last gen Celica but wasnt impressed with it and found the driving position odd. Also tried an EP3 Type R which was more along the lines of what I like however the examples in my budget have been ragged to death and the nicer examples are on the up - way out of budget.

I think the FN2 i think would be the best progression (side step?) from the ST however would upping the budget to about £4k really help he cause - or am I best to avoid these.

[rallycross]

Don't discount the Celica 190 vvti they are great to drive, and very good value at the moment and come with a nice spec.
A bit to sharper to drive than a Prelude 2.2, stiffer suspension and Revy'er engine.
Celica

You won't find a Newer shape civic type R fn2 model in your budget ( maybe a cat C clocked horrible nail). Good EP3's make £4k to £6k at the moment.

[Liggle]

Ads22 said:

Im calling it a day on the Preulude as finding a 2.2 manual is like mining for gold and have been advised to steer clear of the Autos.

Check out the forums - Lude Generation and PreludeUK

Ads22 said:

I think the FN2 i think would be the best progression (side step?) from the ST however would upping the budget to about £4k really help he cause - or am I best to avoid these.

I sold my 2008 Type R GT for £4.5k on 96k miles, was tidy but had a few common issues like rusty roof line and clicking front subframe

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rallycross said:

Don't discount the Celica 190 vvti they are great to drive, and very good value at the moment and come with a nice spec.
A bit to sharper to drive than a Prelude 2.2, stiffer suspension and Revy'er engine.
Celica

You won't find a Newer shape civic type R fn2 model in your budget ( maybe a cat C clocked horrible nail). Good EP3's make £4k to £6k at the moment.

I just couldnt get along with the shift on the Celica, i found it hard work and notchy which apparently these are known for?
I did like the EP3 but the example i drove was a death trap - is it worth spending £4k when an FN2 isn much more and IMO a nice place to sit and has a more grown up image - dont get me wrong though Im sure a nice EP3 would be a riot!

[rich85uk]

I picked the FN2 Type R as there is plenty of choice and good value compared to something like the EP3 where prices are on the up, i would argue it is also the better car although i am not claiming it is a better Type R...

Engine and gearbox combo is bonkers for a hatchback, but the ride is VERY hard and i wish Honda went for a longer gear ratio on 6th

[rallycross]

Looking on autotrader its surprising how cheap the newer shape ones are once they have got past 100k miles.

Mileage is not a problem on these cars so 120k plus with FSH is nothing to worry about but gets you a very cheap Civic Type R FN2 - and I'd go for that over a lower mileage more / expensive EP3 model for £4k plus.

this one looks nice

http://www.dkcarsandvans.co.uk/used-cars/honda-civ...

or this one from a private seller

Honda Civic 2.0 i-VTEC Type R GT Hatchback 3dr
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

But would also say give the Celica 190 vvti another go, should be nothing odd about the gear change, they are a very under-rated car.

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rallycross said:

Looking on autotrader its surprising how cheap the newer shape ones are once they have got past 100k miles.

Mileage is not a problem on these cars so 120k plus with FSH is nothing to worry about but gets you a very cheap Civic Type R FN2 - and I'd go for that over a lower mileage more / expensive EP3 model for £4k plus.

this one looks nice

http://www.dkcarsandvans.co.uk/used-cars/honda-civ...

or this one from a private seller

Honda Civic 2.0 i-VTEC Type R GT Hatchback 3dr
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2017...

But would also say give the Celica 190 vvti another go, should be nothing odd about the gear change, they are a very under-rated car.

Maybe i overlooked the Celica. Its tricky as i must admit I have been spoilt with what the ST offers however id happily trade that for something more reliable that I own outright. Im having doubts bout the Prelude as this could turn into a restoration project at their age now.
I do still like the FN2 however there is alot of comments about how firm the suspension is. Is it really that bad?

The Golf GTi Mk5 pops up quite a lot in my price bracket too - however in terms of reliabilty i would have thought that Honda trumps VW?

[rich85uk]

Ads22 said:

Maybe i overlooked the Celica. Its tricky as i must admit I have been spoilt with what the ST offers however id happily trade that for something more reliable that I own outright. Im having doubts bout the Prelude as this could turn into a restoration project at their age now.
I do still like the FN2 however there is alot of comments about how firm the suspension is. Is it really that bad?

The Golf GTi Mk5 pops up quite a lot in my price bracket too - however in terms of reliabilty i would have thought that Honda trumps VW?

The Celica is always worth considering, someone at work had one with 140k and it never went wrong despite the fact he thrashed the fk out of it. Supposed to be a good steer and from memory a screamer of an engine built by Yamaha, the only problem is from what i have heard the engine and gearbox combo is not quite as good the Honda (to be fair not much is)

Yes the ride is very firm in the FN2 and anything else with a Type R badge, but i have owned mine for 14 months as a daily and tolerate it. People have commented that the ST ride is also very firm so you will probably be fine just steer clear of the 19's

Golf is a good shout, fast and probably a better all rounder if i am honest but i opted for the Civic as it was ever so slightly faster, abit lighter,more dramatic and the engine/gearbox combo is superb. When i get fed up of 8000 rpm,firm ride and the general hard line approach to hot hatches Honda take then something like a MK7 GTi with performance pack looks very appealing

All 3 are extremely reliable with a few well known niggles, both the Golf and Civic are known for using a fair amount of oil

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I do like the look of both. Theres a nice 180 Celica with areo kit local to me that I may take for a spin before I rule it out.
I think I'm leaning towards the Golf at the moment, and for some reason seem to be better value than same age Octavia VRS.
I like the ride quality of Golfs and I always said to myself that id get something less crashy next time.
Another option ive considered is the next size class up and something along the lines of the Mazda 6 (shape before latest) or BMW 3 series....but is a higher mileage a recipe for disaster.

[ericmcn]

A wild card here, albeit an easy one since I own one.

Legacy R Spec.B

All wheel drive, fully loaded and as fast (or faster) than all the cars mentioned here and bomb proof reliability.

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Well ive given a mk5 Golf Gti a spin just to compare and I'm finding myself leaning towards them. Ive abandoned the Prelude idea unfortunately as theyre just too rare.
So I'm down to the Golf gti and Celica 190 vvtl-I. I find the golf a nicer place to st and ride quality seems better, whereas the Celica seems more involving and I'm guessing more reliable.
At about £3-4k would would be the safer option? Both cars in this range are all popping up with high mileage examples.