You may look at some cars and assume you know what it should be good at. A Chevy C10? A useful hauler that is undoubtedly a classic. A Volvo 240 wagon? Durable, cheap to own, and loved by car enthusiasts everywhere. A Honda Prelude? Well, it has a somewhat muddled identity, owing to the fact that it has a seriously sporty appearance but it’s never been considered a true sports car. The third-generation model, however, began moving it closer to being at least a sporting model, with sharp styling, four-wheel steering, and a torquey – if not particularly exotic – engine. Find this clean 1988 example here on craigslist for $10,500.
That’s a pretty strong price for one of these 80s coupes, especially given it’s equipped with an automatic transmission. The Prelude is considered by many import fans to be one of the more iconic offerings of the 1980s, especially from an era wherein Honda and Acura were both cranking out home run after home run. My first car was a 1987 Honda Accord, and I can still remember how high quality the switchgear was, and how much equipment came standard – and given I inherited it in 2001 from my parents, the fact that I can still recall those details is telling.
The bucket seats in the Prelude were phenomenally supportive, and the side bolsters in the seller’s car still appear to be in great shape. The wrap on the steering wheel is unfortunate, but it doesn’t hide the great-looking 3-spoke wheel that came standard. The automatic is not surprising as the Prelude was never marketed as a hard-charging sports car, not like the CRX or even the Civic Si was. Even to this day, where Honda is considering introducing a modern-era Prelude “reincarnation,” it’s not intended to be a sports coupe. The best era of the Prelude was the 5th-generation model, if you ask me, as it got the closest to being an actual performance car.
As an Si model, this Prelude was equipped with the more powerful of two available B-Series engines, and I believe this particular engine was good for around 140 horsepower. That’s not a lot, but like most Honda products, it was enough – and again, it made the Prelude feel close to being a sports car. However, this example isn’t up for hot rodding, as its preserved condition is what will bring a new owner along. The seller is likely ahead of the market by a bit in asking for top dollar for an automatic, but $7,500 seems like a fair number for a survivor like this one.
4 wheel steering can be handy on the trail with a 4wd too Lavery.
I worked at a Honda dealer in the late 80s detailing cars. I used to the new cars to put gas in before the customers would pick them up. These things handled like they were on rails. I always liked them. Jeff hit the nail on the head about the quality of the switchgear and the solid build quality of all the Hondas. Does anyone remember the comedian Jackie Mason doing those commercials for these?
I remember when the “flip up” headlight Accords hot the market…every Honda dealer automatically added $1,000 to $2,000 to the sticker price, due to high demand. The Prelude is very nice find. Funny that 140hp was “enough” at the time. Fast forward to 2001…I had a 2001 Acura CL Type S…fully loaded, 265hp…it was fast, no torque steer, great car (Honda stood by the transmission issues at the time). It was my favorite car I should have kept. I remember talking with the parts counter guy about compatible performance parts that could boost hp to 300…never followed through
Get the timing belt and water pump done and you have yourself a nice reliable rig
I liked the first of this gen. The 83 coupe was the one l fell in love with. The low stance and wide body was a instant hit with me. This is basically the same car though. Nice car.
I had a 1984 Prelude and traded it for a 1986 Prelude SI. Best handling car I’ve owned. Comfortable on the road too.
may B a ’21 model? What a pain in the (all body prts) it was to wrk on. Might
have beena clutch job? cant remember. The whole cradle (2 ft by 2 ft square sub frame) & transmis (a transaxle) had to come down to do the wrk. Kept the motor in (one of those engine support tubes) too, I think. Dont even think we used the transmission jack (what a handy item – for everything) if having a ‘crete floor ! Never worked on, never mind inspected a 4w steer system. Can believe it would B worth the increased complication & cost. It probably IS when every thing is on the line tho.
Thnx, Jeff.