Buying a gen 5 prelude vti-r auto guide?

[gwog]

Hello all, I am going to go inspect a 1997 prelude vti-r automatic tomorrow. I would love to ask you guys some questions about this car.

Firstly the main point of this car is to be my daily driver and I decided a prelude because it seems theyre good on fuel, priced well, lots of features, comfortable and has some power when you need it, and ofcourse the sound of vtec =)

Firstly is this car good on fuel? I consider 9.5l/100km good on fuel, would I see these kinds of figures driving around normally mostly on 60/80 zone roads?

Anything that I should really look at when inspecting the car? I heard the auto transmission isnt any good, but if its working properly I shouldnt have any problems as long as I look after it? I would buy the manual but its a daily driver I already drive something manual thats fast, so just an automatic to get me to work and back is fine with me.

What are servicing costs like on this car? What about if I ever need parts? I know honda parts usually arnt cheap!

I am buying the car to use just as a daily, but It has to be a little fun aswell! Otherwise id just get a slow mitsubishi mirage! What things could I do to the car to get it to become more responsive/powerful? Now it is just a daily so not looking to spend thousands lol, im talking about relatively cheap mods to the car to squeeze every bit of hp out of it such as a pod filter lol. Just some things I can do to the car to make it abit more zippy, not looking at 200+hp gains lol.

Now obviously I am a fan of vtec, what is the stock exhaust like on this car? Can vtec be heard or should I just get a cheap 2.25-2.5inch exhaust made up to make the whole vtec noise sound more alive? Now i dont want it to sound like a full race car, just wanna hear that vtec kick in without attracting to much attention lol.


I reckon a prelude vtir auto with intake/exhaust/headers would make for a pretty good daily =)

[curtis265]

As a previous owner i have the following advice
1. The prelude is a good buy, it's nice and comfy and comes with a lot "more" than the civic or integra of the same era.
2. It's not a fast car, but it's definitely fun in the twisties and it'll beat your mum's camry off at the lights if you so desire. There are two engine options, the F22 and the H22. you want the H (VTi-R).
3. You can hear VTEC sound with a stock system. Take out the intake resonator and you'll hear it better. Take off the entire intake if you wanna hear it snarl
4. i got 10L/100km with small drives like you
5. Buy a manual. The auto's are prone to shitting themselves,
6. I owned the car for 3 years and spent around $2000 servicing it. Nothing ever shat itself on me
7. You won't get much power from bolt on modifications, i'm talking about an optimistic 20hp untuned
8. Check the compression on the engine. They are prone to burning a lot of oil due to the cylinder sleeve material.


just some food for thought.

[gwog]

Wow thanks for all the info!

Yeah I was deciding between a honda integra gsi or a prelude vti-r, personally I like the look of the prelude more and I know its a more comfy car.

It is meant to be a daily but I want it to be a fun daily lol. Not expecting it to be a fast car, just as long as its comfy, easy to drive, good on fuel and has a bit of power behind it im happy =) my daily is currently a much faster car then a prelude which also drinks a lot more! Its also manual which I love, but would rather an auto as a get around car, save my manual car for the weekend lol. From what Ive read online these auto preludes arnt slow for a daily! Aparently reaching 0-100 in the high 7s-8 mark, more then enough power for a daily, but ofcourse id love to do a few little bolt on mods to the car just for that slight extra bit of power lol.

I heard some of the vtec kick ins on YouTube, even in stock exhaust they sound pretty good! Id imagine with a decent exhaust it would sound much better =)

10L/100km is pretty good! Much better then my current car lol. Id be happy with 10L.

I would love to get one in manual but this car isnt a daily just for me lol, I will be sharing with someone who doesnt know how to drive manual =( so I had to find a auto car for 5k or under, preludes are beautiful sporty luxury cars in my opinion so I thought they would be the best car on the market for what I am after. What exactly is wrong with the auto transmission? If the transmission is working properly I shouldnt have any issues providing I look after it right?

Im not looking for major power gains, just a few hp or so lol, id be happy with 20hp increase from intake/exhaust/headers.

seems like a car I am going to enjoy as a daily.

[curtis265]

http://www.preludezone.com/5th-gen-h...ure-guide.html

the other huge one is the oil issue. i was consuming around 1L/1000km

no other 'typical' issues.

[Squalled]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SehdNn8QCXc

Most areas about the car help no matter if it's in America. It does have ATTS and it's manual but it should help you get an idea what to look for and expect. Personally I'd stay away from the automatic transmission. Have heard to many bad things about them and it's so costly if it does go out on you.

[Anon22]

Ive got a 97 vti-r manual and it burns oil, every other h22 owner has said the same so i guess you gotta be prepared to top up the oil every now and again otherwise its a great car and its got great power for just an NA 2.2L 4cyl