For Sale A Prelude to a nightmare

[J-T]

I really should keep off ebay! I have no use for this thing whatsoever, other than the fact I've always quite liked them. I saw it this morning with no bids on an auction that ended today and it was only 20 mins away, and it looked quite straight so I went and had a look and...well you can guess the rest! Don't even have a petrol station shot as it had a quarter tank in it, I is failing at the collectionz...

 

 

Eric the cat had a good look and deemed it worthy. So it's a '92 Prelude auto (as they always seem to be) 87k miles, giffer bumper protectors, giffer fog lamps and is quite a nice old thing really.

 

 

Sadly, my cat has no head.

 

 

Very deep space 9 in there.

 

 

That's brand new. £240 for a mid and centre section, jeeez!! No wonder there's not many left.

 

 

Dealer plates and shiz. Got they keyring too. Not really travelled far in 23 years.

 

 

Still got the mats too.

 

Drives nicely. It's not all sweetness though, it needs one or both wheelbearings at the back, one rear arch has a bleb at the end and the other is just starting, there's a similar bleb in the corner of the rear windscreen too but I don't think that's too bad for a 23 year old Honda. It's obviously been looked after and has clean oil. The gearbox has a sports mode which appears to put a light on the dash and not much else, it's certainly no ball of fire but can be cajoled along nicely. Although I did shit myself when the limits of its 'Tigar' tyres were reached somewhat earlier than I anticpated in the wet earlier. I think you'd get more grip from soap dipped in washing up liquid but there's loads of tread on them all so they're staying. Oh yeah, check out my OZ rims yo! The bloke selling it said it desperately needed 'a good set of 18"s" about which I quietly witheld judgement so I'm at least glad it's been saved that indignity in it's autumn years.

 

So what now? Errrr, don't know really. I'll clean it up a bit, give it a service and probably move it on again when I'm bored. I'm cornering the market in 90s coupes.

 

Oh and how's this for annoying - I had a load of change fall out my pocket when I got in as it's sat on the frigging floor and a coin rolled into seat mechanism. For reasons unknown my stepdad got in and immediately decided to adjust the backrest (it was fine) and now it's jammed virtually bolt upright, so looks like I'll be ripping the seat apart. Thought the 20p was meant for the handbrake?.....

[Station]

My first true love had one of these brand new years ago. We went to loads and loads of gigs around the country in it. It was awesome and felt very solid inside, it was a manual P reg with digital dashboard. I forgot these existed, it's something I want to own soon, they can't be cheap for long.

[trigger]

I used to drive a lot of these and the electronic dash that light up always had me in awe, so futuristic!

[Ghosty]

Nice, great for just wafting about. Good colour too! 2.0 or 2.2? It'll handle well, don't have a bad word to say.

 

Wheels look good, but the 'proper' wheels are great:

 

 

[J-T]

The dash looks fairly modern now, it must have looked from the future in 1992!

 

It's just the 2.0, single cam I think, no VTEC gubbins here so quite sedate but nice to bumble about in. I'm not mad on the wheels but they're faily in keeping with the car. If I can find some standard ones or some off a Civic VTI I may swap them.

[Station]

Yes, get the standard wheels on.

 

I remember lifting the seat recline lever would make the seat fly backwards if someone was sitting in it.

[Lacquer Peel]

Civic VTi wheels won't fit, 4x100 versus 4x114.3.

These are really appealing, even in 2.0 SOHC automatic form. They represent the peak of Honda as a car manufacturer - their later cars were uglier, less focussed, more cheaply built.

[J-T]

Good job you said that, I just assumed these would be 4 x 100!

 

Oh, insured it for £99 too. I suppose getting older does have some benefits!

[vulgalour]

When you do sell it, be sure to tell MikeKnight because he has the hots for Preludes, especially in this flavour.

[Bren]

I remember when savoy had a dealership in penketh, Warrington.

 

Now it is atlas bathrooms.

[Ghosty]

The seat recline lever is a general Honda 'feature' - 3dr Civics up to 2001, later Preludes and such do it too, it's a real PITA to adjust.

 

It's only the 1.8 five door VTi that's 4x114.3, the 1.6 3dr with fanblades is 4x100. There's a host of '90s Honda wheels that'd suit it.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

I don't like a lot of Japanese cars, but I really like these and always have. Lovely cars.

[PiperCub]

I like these old 'Ondas, my cousin had  a similar age & spec one with the fancy-nancy electronic dash. I turned my nose up a bit at first when she offered to loan it to me, I was less picky when I drove it, I was impressed, not a ball-of-fire with the self-shifter but fun & I borrowed it quite often after that!

I agree with the sentiment made earlier that these were pretty much the zenith of Hondas style-wise I think.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

I remember when savoy had a dealership in penketh, Warrington.

 

Now it is atlas bathrooms.

I remember it well.

[Junkman]

If Eric approves, it must be good.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Is lush m8. I is propa jelose.

[Jim Bell]

If I was, I would. Glad you did.

[Sealtainn]

Never had a Honda but these do look particularly lovely. Did borrow a neighbours 99 Civic Coupe in 1.4i flavour with factory bodykit. I thought it was all show and no go until I gave it a spanking - impressed I was

[purplebargeken]

Preludes are wonderful, I had a wedgey 1985 one. It shifted. 

[purplebargeken]

Just looked at the piccies again, that is rather nice, and auto as well. Well Jel.

[Bren]

What month was it registered?

[phil_lihp]

That's rather lovely, the dash is awesome and it's nice to see the original dealer bits still intact.  Selling it on when you're bored, you say?  

[J-T]

What month was it registered?

Twas put on the road in May 1992.

 

Yeh, I'll be punting it on at some point. Still in the new purchase honeymoon period at the moment but I shall update on here when it's going.

[Lacquer Peel]

It's only the 1.8 five door VTi that's 4x114.3, the 1.6 3dr with fanblades is 4x100. There's a host of '90s Honda wheels that'd suit it.

 

Are you sure? The 'Rover 400 shape' Civic? They definitely have 4x100 hubs as well.

[r.welfare]

They represent the peak of Honda as a car manufacturer - their later cars were uglier, less focussed, more cheaply built.

You're right but not just Honda, all Japanese cars peaked at that time before the bubble economy went belly-up. However Honda seemed to lead the others in terms of innovation. The design, engineering and build really was cost-no-object, as I suppose Mercedes-Benz used to be.

[brickwall]

I do like those mats.

[Asimo]

Please can we have a night time dash picture?

[IanMacfarlane]

I like very much, local to me too.

[robinmasters]

I like these, a lot. I imagine Michael Knight would have had one of these, if he was 73 and lived in a bungalow in Eastbourne. They seem (and I could be totally wrong about this) to have avoided the VTECKICKEDINYOSUBWAYRINGSTANCEJDM bellendery.

 

Another request for a night-time dash picture please.

[Ghosty]

Are you sure? The 'Rover 400 shape' Civic? They definitely have 4x100 hubs as well.

VTi is an exception. with 4x114.3, all the other normal 5drs, and all the 3dr ones have 4x100.