When Honda first appeared as a car manufacturer, they were seen as a bit of a joke and weren’t taken seriously. Nobody could have foreseen just what a powerhouse they were going to become, and their success in various forms of motor-sport have demonstrated this. This Honda Prelude is a product of that thinking, and you will find it listed for sale here on Craigslist. It is located in the Artesia/Cerritos region of California, where it is being offered with a clean title. Barn Finder Miguel spotted this Honda, so I have to thank him for that.
The Honda isn’t perfect. There are a few marks and scars on it, and it would need a fresh coat of paint to look at its best. It does seem to be rust-free, which is a good thing. These Preludes really weren’t that prone to rust issues. The engine is the fuel-injected 2.0l 4-cylinder version, which produces 135hp. The transmission is a 4-speed automatic. This is where things get a bit confusing, so if I’m wrong about this, I hope that our knowledgeable Barn Finders will steer me right on this. The owner claims that this Prelude is a 4-wheel drive. Now, I’d never heard of this, so I’ve done a lot of scouting around, and I can find no record of such a beast. I also went looking for an aftermarket conversion, and once again, I had no luck. What I believe this car actually has is 4-wheel steering. Am I right on this? The car has recently had a complete transmission rebuild and has also recently passed its smog check. It is said to run and drive well.
The interior of the Prelude is in pretty fair condition. There is some wear on the edge of the seat bolsters, but that’s to be expected. The plastic trim has all held up really well, as this could be prone to becoming discolored, brittle, and cracking. The car has been fitted with an aftermarket CD player, but I’m okay with that. The seats in the Prelude are very comfortable, and this would be a pleasant environment to clock up some miles. This is all helped by the fact that the car is fitted with power windows and a sunroof.
It would be easy to dismiss this Prelude as being a bit irrelevant, but these are a great little car to drive, and you can rev the living daylights out of those little engines quite safely. It’s disappointing that it is an automatic, but that’s something that you would have to live with. Is it going to be a future classic? That’s hard to tell, but given the way the numbers have slowly dwindled over the years, anything is possible. What I see this as, is a comfortable daily driver that would be fine to drive in stop/start traffic, but would be a hoot when you pointed it at a bit of twisting bitumen. As a daily driver, it would be a good thing. With an asking price of $2,500, I think that’s what it will end up being.
I think you’re right, Adam, and the seller was confusing four-wheel steering with four-wheel drive.
That was an interesting option which, unfortunately, didn’t seem to have much effect except at very high or very low (as in parallel parking) speeds. The Prelude was a good enough handler that it didn’t much matter.
With a manual transmission I’m sure the asking price would be a good bit higher. Assuming, that is, the condition is as good as the seller asserts.
The photos aren’t great, and none of the right side, or the trunk, or from the back, or…..
Maybe just a reflection, or angle of the shot, but the left side looks like shade-tree bodywork on the rear quarter. Kinda rough, not exactly right. This car may have been rear-ended at some point in it’s life?
Even though the ’84 in another feature has 50% higher mileage, and is not the Si model, it has the 5-speed and appears to be in better shape. This car doesn’t impress me much.
The seller is correct in stating four-wheel steering. Very slight rear wheel steering, based on input angle at the front….if I recall there was a 4WS badge on the rear trunk lid.
It is definitely a 4ws model (four wheel steering), you can see the badge right below the honda badge on the steering wheel in small text. There should also be a “4WS” badge at the base of the b-pillar, where the small spot of residue is. The 3rd gen prelude 4ws system was the first ever in a production car and is also entirely mechanical. There’s a steering shaft that runs next to the exhaust back to a rear steering differential and a set of tie rods. It’s basically good for the life of the car, unlike later electronic ones that used servos, sensors, and other electronics. At a small steering angle, it turns the rear tires in the same direction as the fronts so that the car can “crab-walk” across lanes. If you keep turning the wheel sharper, the direction reverses and goes in the opposite direction as the fronts for a slightly smaller turning radius. Maximum turning angle on the rear wheels is about 5 degrees iirc. It’s also supposed to help make the car turn-in slightly faster and reduce the slip angle in corners, although 2ws preludes handle very well already. It certainly makes parallel parking a new experience as well. Here’s a picture of the whole system taken off a car, courtesy of MustardCat @prelude3g.com:
https://www.prelude3g.com/p3g/suspension/2wsto4wsinstall/1/mod.jpg
The badge is probably not on the b pillar in that year. I had one in hs (yes I’m showing my age) and I had I believe the 88 but could have been the 87. Mine was 4 ws but it didn’t have the little badge on the pillar. They changed that in the following year and there was a girl at my school that had one and for some reason I wanted mine to have that little badge.
In 1988, the 4WS option got you:
1. The 4 wheel steering, obviously.
2. A “4WS” badge on the bottom of the B pillar (which I don’t see on this one)
3. Alloy wheels. These look right. The hub caps look almost identical, except they had a cover over the lugs, where the alloys leave the lugs exposed.
4. Electric door locks. Can’t tell. The interior lock button is only on the driver’s door. And even if they had a photo of that, it’s almost impossible to see. (I just looked at my poor wrecked 4WS in my garage)
So, I’m not sure on this one. The lack of the 4WS on the pillar makes me wonder. The only things I can see that matches a 4WS is the alloy wheels.
In response to some comments above, I like the 4 wheel steering. Parking is cool. Mainly you notice a lack of sensation in some maneuvers. Like when you pull out turning left accelerating hard, and just let the steering wheel slip through your hands as it straightens back up. In a normal front wheel drive car, the back end leans to the right, then moves back left as it corrects. Kind of a sway left, then right, then back straight. In the 4WS, you are just suddenly going straight. The lack of the back end swaying back and forth is almost disconcerting. Same in a high speed lane change. The back end swaps lanes when the front does, but no swaying (well, less swaying, anyway).
It’s of limited value, but cool as a novelty.
l agree on the “lack” of 4WS badging on the trunk lid and b-pillars.My question is was that option only offered with a 5 speed manual transmission?
In 1989 they offered an automatic transmission with 4WS.
==> https://www.autotrader.com/Honda/Prelude/1989
I can’t find a similar page for 1988. but I’m pretty sure I have seen one for sale that way.
Oh, and I have never seen a 4WS on the trunk on 1988 or 1989. On my 1988, there is no place inside or outside that says 4WS except on the B pillars.
Another tidbit of trivia: Originally, you could get all colors on all models, except only the 4WS came in yellow. Towards the summer of 1988, some SI’s started showing up in yellow. But I don’t think you could get a yellow S in 1988. Could be wrong on that last sentence.
that (of course only with manual trans) and the CRX V-Tec (ED9) were my dream cars when i was 20, unfortunately my money was just enough to buy a Peugeot 205 GTI, my first new car, Honda’s never were cheap.