Faults:

Nothing went "wrong" with the car. It was neglected by myself and the previous owner who really raced this car. Before I sold it:

Timing belt/water pump were changed.

It needed a new cat to pass SMOG.

Valve cover gasket was leaking.

Shocks/springs were dead - replaced.

General Comments:

Excellent car for the money. Handles great when lowered and on Z rated tires, otherwise feels like you are in a boat and understeers like crazy. Fat, heavy car, but once you engage the VTEC system, you open up the fun!

Seats are OK - and not meant for long trips, somewhat econo seats. Car ran perfect with no problems whatsoever, except that it burned a little oil (1 qt every 1000 miles). It even ran out of oil, car shut off, I put in a qt and it ran fine thereafter.

Transmission started to give at 160k, needed new syncros and would grind going into second gear. But I completely understand why it came to be - I REALLY drove this car hard I must say, and any other car would have definitely been done.

Faults:

Had to replace the entire rack and pinion system when the power steering pump went. Luckily I purchased an extended warranty from the dealership. Also the real wheel barrings went and needed to be replaced. Don't know exactly how much these to repairs cost but I know it wasn't cheap. Thank goodness for warranty's.

General Comments:

I bought this car when I graduated University. I was moving up from an89 CRX SI. This car was a blast to drive. Not necessarily the fastest car off the stop but more of a touring machine. I use to routinely drive from Windsor Ont to Toronto (about 350 km) and looked forward to every trip. I don't think there has ever been a better handling car for under $30,000 Cdn. It definitely could have used a 6th gear. The car was not very fuel efficient when driving over 135 km/h. But that aside, I loved to drive the car. My brother had a 2000 celica GTS at the same time and we use to race all the time. The GTS was definitely quicker, and a lot lighter, but it could not compare to the fit and finish of the Prelude.

Faults:

I have had very few things wrong with this car. One being that the brake light tends to stay on when the brake is off. This usually only happens in cold weather.

The rubber on the drivers and passengers windows has dried up and peeled off.

First Gear doesn't engage nicely, because of a safety feature on the car stopping you from going into first on mistake.

This car has held up amazing even when I have pushed it to the limit.

General Comments:

If you are looking for a nice little sports car that won't get you a few too many tickets, than this is the one. This car will get up and go, when dropping it down a gear and the Vtec kicks in this thing will cook it. It has a very strong pull for such a little engine. Handles like a dream. Very fun to drive. It is sometimes hard to see because the A-pillars are so wide. All the seats are very comfortable, and has a very good looking dash configuration. A lot of Bang for the buck, and it looks a lot more expensive then it actually is.

Faults:

I replaced the radiator & the upper radiator hose at 60,000 miles. The clutch master cylinder & slave also have been replaced recently at 125,000 miles.

General Comments:

The Prelude is definitely a great car. It has an excellent build quality & craftsmanship. This is definitely one of the best car Honda ever produce.

Power wise, 195hp might sound a little too low for a car weighed slightly above 3000 lbs, but once you open up the throttle pass 5000RPM, I guarantee that you will have a lot of fun with it. Low end torque is somewhat disappointed, but this engine is build more for high rev fun.

Handling is definitely the specialty of this car, especially the Type SH which is equipped with Honda's Active Torque Transfer System (ATTS). I must be honest though, the ATTS unit isn't really useful for street driving. On the twisty & windy road, you still won't feel it as much either, but if you take it out on the weekend to a local road racing circuit, you will appreciate the ATTS unit a lot more. This car will slightly behave like a rear wheel drive when hit the throttle hard at exiting the corner.

The 5-speed short ratio manual gearbox shift smooth as a butter. If you live in a city that has winter season with a temperature under 40F, you might be feeling quite disappointed with the gearbox when you just start driving the car. You need to drive it for about 5 miles to let the engine & transmission warms up up to the normal engine operating temperature to truly appreciate the gearbox.

The cabin is definitely one of my favorite. The driving position is really low. For a moment, you'll feel like you are actually driving a sports car instead of a sports coupe. I wouldn't recommend it though for anyone who is taller than 6ft. I'm 6ft tall & I must say that on a long trip, this car can be very tiring for me. The seats felt more like a sports seat than a touring comfortable one. The Acoustic Feedback audio unit is definitely one of the best factory audio unit in its class at that time. In the past, I've always replace the OEM audio unit for an aftermarket one, but this is the first car that I didn't feel like it is necessary.

One thing that I would complaint to Honda is the tire. If you are just using the car to commute daily & isn't really an aggressive driver, you'll appreciate the quietness of the OEM Bridgestone Potenza RE-92 but it is definitely not the right tires to truly enjoy & appreciate the capability of a Prelude. I replaced mine as soon as it worn out with a Bridgestone Potenza S-02 which dramatically change the personality of the car. It isn't as quiet, but stick to the asphalt like a glue.

Overall I think the Honda Prelude is an excellent car. I honestly wouldn't trade my Prelude for most cars in its class. I bought mine brand new back in 1997 for $26,000 & till this day, I must say that it worth every penny of it.