1988 Honda Prelude Reviews - Page 3 of 12

1988 Honda Prelude Si from North America

Model year1988
Year of manufacture1988
First year of ownership2004
Most recent year of ownership2007
Engine and transmission Manual
Performance marks 9 / 10
Reliability marks 10 / 10
Comfort marks 8 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper) 9 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)
9.0 / 10
Distance when acquired126000 miles
Most recent distance160000 miles

Summary:

My favorite car

Faults:

Timing belt broke at 149,000 miles resulting in bent valves and cylinder head. Don't let it happen to you!

Passenger side seat belt won't latch.

Car completely overheats before the fan kicks on initially, then maintains temperature. Does anyone know why?

General Comments:

I bought this car for only $1000 because I needed something "disposable" that got good gas mileage. After driving it for only a short time I realized this was anything, but a disposable car.

Except for the rust spots on the outside, this car is in showroom condition. Everything on it works and it is seriously fun to drive.

I do a lot of highway driving and the Prelude has the pick-up to quickly pass anything else on the road.

I can't recommend this car highly enough. I would buy another in a heartbeat.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th July, 2007

1988 Honda Prelude 4WS 2.0 SI from Spain

Model year1988
Year of manufacture1988
First year of ownership1988
Most recent year of ownership2007
Engine and transmission 2.0 SI Manual
Performance marks 10 / 10
Reliability marks 10 / 10
Comfort marks 10 / 10
Dealer Service marks 10 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper) 8 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)
9.6 / 10
Distance when acquired0 kilometres
Most recent distance125000 kilometres
Previous carHonda none

Faults:

The A/C compressor leaks due to O-rings that were left off. It is the only thing that failed on my car after 20 years. Still not one single drop of oil leaks from the engine.

The car runs perfectly at 200Km/h. What I like most about it is the smooth balance at any speed. The trick was not to let any mechanic try to align the wheels, since they never had any problem.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th July, 2007

1988 Honda Prelude Si 4WS 2.0L B20A5 from North America

Model year1988
Year of manufacture1988
First year of ownership2006
Most recent year of ownership2006
Engine and transmission 2.0L B20A5 Manual
Performance marks 9 / 10
Reliability marks 10 / 10
Comfort marks 7 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper) 7 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)
8.3 / 10
Distance when acquired369000 kilometres
Most recent distance380000 kilometres

Summary:

Quality, affordable, quick car that is perfect for young or old

Faults:

Worn clutch

Leaking power-steering pressure hose

Heater knob

Front driver side speaker

Slow moving power windows

Rear defroster stopped working

Some rust.

General Comments:

The car is great and reliable. Starts in -15C temperatures with no problems. It does pretty good in snow and ice as well. Not too difficult to control. Very quick and responsive, but desperately needs a sixth gear. At about 100km/h (highway limit) engine runs at about 3400 rpm. The four-wheel steering makes it possible to get into any parking spot no matter how close. Gets about 27 mpg in the city. The transmission is great for city driving. Not really the best highway vehicle or long trip vehicle. It needs a bigger fuel tank. The A5 engine is great. I put a short ram intake with a cone KN filter and an Apexi cat-back exhaust system and it sounds and responds great. The car is very fast, but the 4WS made me a little nervous at high speed. I got up to 190 km/h (120 mph) and did not feel too safe. The cabin gets really noisy (5500-6000 rpm) and steering is uneasy.

With repairs, an OEM replacement clutch kit cost me about $400 CDN, the power steering pressure hose was $250 CDN and that is all that I have had to fix. The last owner replaced the engine for less than $1000 CDN.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th November, 2006

1988 Honda Prelude Si 2.0 from North America

Model year1988
Year of manufacture1988
First year of ownership2005
Engine and transmission 2.0 Manual
Performance marks 10 / 10
Reliability marks 10 / 10
Comfort marks 10 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper) 5 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)
8.8 / 10
Distance when acquired200000 miles
Most recent distance200586 miles
Previous carMazda Protege

Summary:

Cheap and fast as hell

Faults:

When I first got the car the motor was blowen and thir was a lot of rust on it the paint was bad.

General Comments:

I am sixteen and all about power so I re did the motor I got the head port and polished after market cams, gears, header, pistons, intake and re painted this is my second car I owned and I love it it's got around 250HP.

I love to drag race my friends who think their escorts and cavilers are fast I out handle them I have had it well over 140MPH on the highway it's a true V8 eater. I hope all the prelude owners love their car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th March, 2006

29th Mar 2006, 16:19

Idiot, the 7.5 will eat you with time.

30th Mar 2006, 23:57

There is no turbo or supercharger I would like to turbo it just don't got the time or money yet to do that. I have not had it dynoed 250HP is a guess. I can beat Mustangs with no problem and a mustang is a v8 against a 4 banger.

2nd Apr 2006, 22:41

What the hell is a 7.5 that will eat me with time.

Average review marks: 8.0 / 10, based on 51 reviews