Any experiences of prelude vtecs?
11 July 2002, 02:57 PM
#1
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Hi,
Just seen your question. I used to own a K reg Prelude 2.2 VTEC and it was a great car which I still miss today. They handle well, have great engines and are very quick and pretty economical too, if you're not alway in the 'zone'... Realibility is excellent and apparently no standard VTEC engine has ever gone back to Honda UK for replacement after blowing up (that's a story I've heard a few times anyway). As well as all this they are great value for money and look pretty cool as well. I got one for all these reasons and was very happy with my choice only parting with it to get a WRX few years ago.
Some points to consider when buying one:
If you get an import make sure it has the 4WS (as this sharpens up the handling) as well as ABS and airbags (all these are standard on UK cars, but NOT imports). You can get imports with traction control as well and this wasn't an option on UK cars - get it if you can, but it's not as important as the above IMO.
All in all a highly recommended car then. Go for it!
[Edited by scoobysnacks - 11/7/2002 2:59:50 PM]
Just seen your question. I used to own a K reg Prelude 2.2 VTEC and it was a great car which I still miss today. They handle well, have great engines and are very quick and pretty economical too, if you're not alway in the 'zone'... Realibility is excellent and apparently no standard VTEC engine has ever gone back to Honda UK for replacement after blowing up (that's a story I've heard a few times anyway). As well as all this they are great value for money and look pretty cool as well. I got one for all these reasons and was very happy with my choice only parting with it to get a WRX few years ago.
Some points to consider when buying one:
If you get an import make sure it has the 4WS (as this sharpens up the handling) as well as ABS and airbags (all these are standard on UK cars, but NOT imports). You can get imports with traction control as well and this wasn't an option on UK cars - get it if you can, but it's not as important as the above IMO.
All in all a highly recommended car then. Go for it!
[Edited by scoobysnacks - 11/7/2002 2:59:50 PM]
07 November 2002, 10:59 AM
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Im after a cheapy runabout ..and am considering a 2.2 prelude vtec..approx K plater...has anyone had any good/bad experiences with these?
I am particularly interested in a) reliablity which I assume is good with it being a Honda
b) fuel consumption, which I'm not too sure how it will be.....what does it do on a tenner/twenty?
c) speed...I used to have an accorf type R and so I'm familiar with the whole vtec experience, but are these cars quick or just luke warm?Im not interested in 0-60 times, just real life experiences.....
d) general ownership tings!
Any help appreciated.
I am particularly interested in a) reliablity which I assume is good with it being a Honda
b) fuel consumption, which I'm not too sure how it will be.....what does it do on a tenner/twenty?
c) speed...I used to have an accorf type R and so I'm familiar with the whole vtec experience, but are these cars quick or just luke warm?Im not interested in 0-60 times, just real life experiences.....
d) general ownership tings!
Any help appreciated.
07 November 2002, 02:23 PM
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OK I'll try a diffrnt approach,..here goes...##
Drivin my scoob, lost it on a bend,im the best driver in the world,whipped loads of scoobies,mines got 1000bhp,cops r aresholes.there.done.
Drivin my scoob, lost it on a bend,im the best driver in the world,whipped loads of scoobies,mines got 1000bhp,cops r aresholes.there.done.
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07 November 2002, 03:08 PM
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I haven't owned a 4th gen but currently own a 5th gen so here's the deal as they ain't that different....
(a) Reliability - its Japanese! If you are buying an older one i'd suggest a UK car with a full history. Dodgy history could mean expensive bills. Most of the cars will be good for 150k+ miles without any major problems. If anything the electrics will go before the mechanicals. Not many people know that Honda do offer a used car warranty regardless of age - i think its approx £300 per year if the car is more than 6 years old and covers most things.
It sounds like a lot but if you end up with a 4WS one as i do and anything goes wrong with the mechanics the unit is a cool £2.5k to replace. OHMYGAWD!
(b) Fuel consumption - outta VTEC its a shopping trolley and will be happy pootling about around 30-35mpg. Wind it up and it'll soon drop to 20-25.
(c) Speed - you need to have it wound up at more than 5k rpm. Less than that there ain't a bunch of torque available so its harder to keep the power on tap. More revs mean more noise and (strangely) your passengers will think they are going faster than they are so if you run your granny to the shops every day you're probably gonna scare her!
;O)
(d) Ownership. Not a bunch of room in the rear (like kids only) but the boot is reasonable. Usual story for a Jap car - look after it and it'll look after you.
Go an, go an, go an.....
If you want to know more just ask.
(a) Reliability - its Japanese! If you are buying an older one i'd suggest a UK car with a full history. Dodgy history could mean expensive bills. Most of the cars will be good for 150k+ miles without any major problems. If anything the electrics will go before the mechanicals. Not many people know that Honda do offer a used car warranty regardless of age - i think its approx £300 per year if the car is more than 6 years old and covers most things.
It sounds like a lot but if you end up with a 4WS one as i do and anything goes wrong with the mechanics the unit is a cool £2.5k to replace. OHMYGAWD!
(b) Fuel consumption - outta VTEC its a shopping trolley and will be happy pootling about around 30-35mpg. Wind it up and it'll soon drop to 20-25.
(c) Speed - you need to have it wound up at more than 5k rpm. Less than that there ain't a bunch of torque available so its harder to keep the power on tap. More revs mean more noise and (strangely) your passengers will think they are going faster than they are so if you run your granny to the shops every day you're probably gonna scare her!
;O)
(d) Ownership. Not a bunch of room in the rear (like kids only) but the boot is reasonable. Usual story for a Jap car - look after it and it'll look after you.
Go an, go an, go an.....
If you want to know more just ask.
07 November 2002, 03:38 PM
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Hmmmm.........a Scoob is quicker no doubt and you will notice the difference. There's a big difference in torque so a Scoob will have more ooommfffff too and as i said above its harder to keep in the power band.
BUT.........that's not to say that it won't be fun though.
If you are looking at a 4th gen then the chances are it'll have covered 80k miles or so (make sure the timing belt change was done at the 60k service) and it'll be nearing 10 years old so the handling will defo not be as sharp. Replacement springs and shox will help.
If you can live with an extra ~1.5 secs to 60 and put up with working the car a bit harder to keep it on tap (not to mention it being slower point to point) then you'll have a blast.
It makes me grin when a passenger asks if the needle is really past the 8k rpm mark!
BUT.........that's not to say that it won't be fun though.
If you are looking at a 4th gen then the chances are it'll have covered 80k miles or so (make sure the timing belt change was done at the 60k service) and it'll be nearing 10 years old so the handling will defo not be as sharp. Replacement springs and shox will help.
If you can live with an extra ~1.5 secs to 60 and put up with working the car a bit harder to keep it on tap (not to mention it being slower point to point) then you'll have a blast.
It makes me grin when a passenger asks if the needle is really past the 8k rpm mark!
07 November 2002, 05:15 PM
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For loads of VTEC related info go to http://www.vtec.net/
Ahhh memories... I still miss that change over to the VTEC zone at just over 5k revs and the great sound that followed...
Ahhh memories... I still miss that change over to the VTEC zone at just over 5k revs and the great sound that followed...
07 November 2002, 05:51 PM
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Make no mistake the VTec in these blighters is superb, I always like the Prelude, its not as in your face as alot of Jap Coupes and is quite understated.
Nice car, but shame thay never made a realy really quick one.
Nice car, but shame thay never made a realy really quick one.
07 November 2002, 07:12 PM
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Perhaps you could look at a Type-S, that is pretty quick, has around 218BHP stock, and sharpened up handling etc, so would be very near a stock scoob in regards to performance.
They are import only thou, so depends if you want to take that risk, or stick to UK cars.
Only thing im not sure on is if a Type-S was available on a previous shape prelude, thou the Honda-R people will know...
They are import only thou, so depends if you want to take that risk, or stick to UK cars.
Only thing im not sure on is if a Type-S was available on a previous shape prelude, thou the Honda-R people will know...
09 November 2002, 03:11 PM
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I had a K reg prelude vtec and agree with all the good things said about it.
But one thing I hated was the numb steering, it never gave you a clue what was happening at the wheels.
But one thing I hated was the numb steering, it never gave you a clue what was happening at the wheels.
10 November 2002, 03:46 PM
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I used to have a M reg 2.2 VTEC before the scoob. IMHO these cars are superb! I had it for 2 1/2 years and put 130,000 miles on the clock. It was serviced entirely by Honda and I never once had to put oil in the engine outside of the service. It broke my heart to sell it for £3,100 last year as I'm sure it would have covered another 100,000 no problem. Make sure you get one with full service history because those engines are highly stressed.
Paul
Paul
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