Testdrove a Prelude VTI today...

Soldato
Joined
16 Jan 2003
Posts
4,948
Location
Kirkcaldy, Scotland
Was visiting my Mum and Dad today and I happened to remember that a local garage had a Gen 5 Prelude VTI, so I took a little trip down for a look.
After 20 seconds of looking at it the guy came out and asked if I was ok, I said I was looking for a faster car than the Accord, he instantly offered me an unsupervised test drive. 10/10 for service on his part :)

Ok, where to start. Looks:
Never really been properly close up to a prelude VTI and I have to say, even without the motegi bodykit the car looked very nice. It was an unfaded dark red which I have to say wasn't really my cup of tea, but it wasn't too deterring and I could imagine it looking stunning in other colours. Apart from that it was a good height from the ground, had a very nice rear and quite a presence compaired to a lot of hondas range.

The interior unfortunatly was the beige option (preludes had an option of beige, black and possibly black leather). If you pretended all the material was black then it was quite nice. The seats were very comfy and gave lots of buckety side grip on your body. The wood trim was a bit old man and the dashboard was very to the point, just black dials. All in all it felt very well put together inside. The cruse control, lighting control, aircon settings etc were all very easy to get too. It even had a cool ajustable cup holder and lots of little things that were quite "neat" and very jap.

The drive: I have to say I loved driving this car. I was very surprised as I thought it was going to be far slower than it actually turned out to be.
Even pulling off from the garage I noticed the brilliant turning circle that the four wheel steering gives. Very handy for parking and it does add to the handling of the car too.
The fuel tank was pretty empty so I decided not too venture too far, luckily a bit of motorway was near by so I could open it up a bit :). Before I talk about how it performed when flooring it can I just say bellow 5k RPM the car feels and sounds so sedate. It still has enough power for just tottling around and the engine wasn't struggling or anything, but if you never went past the 5k mark you would think your just driving a 1.8 litre vectra or similar.
Now to the VTEC Yo part. As soon as the engine past 5k RPM there was a very large surge in speed and engine note. This is quite dissimilar to a lot of other VTEC engined cars I have been in. Most of them the VTEC change over is very hard to tell, this was very defined and the car rapidly changed speed. In 2nd gear I was at 8k RPM before I knew it, a gear change and I was at the limiter again and going far far faster than I should have been. I was very impressed with the high end grunt the car had to offer. The engine note was also lovely under VTEC, much louder than my Accord. I can quite beleive the book figure of 0-60 in high 6s to be true.
While I didn't get to test the car on twisty roads due to their being none near by, I did drive it pretty hard into roundabouts just to test its limits. I have to say it stuck to the road like glue. I dont know if it was the chasis or the 4WS or both, but it felt very sure footed when turning and didn't display any nasty snaps that could throw your into trouble. All in all a very sure footed car.

So, in conclusion I was very impressed. The exterior looked nice although I know its an aquired taste. The interior, while a tad old man, would have been nice in black. Ok it wouldn't win any awards but I have a living room for looking pretty, the cars for driving :) The ride its self I loved to bits.
I think I will be selling my Accord very soon and this car will probably be its replacment. The one I drove was £5.5k for a 68k 1998 model which I wouldn't pay. Luckily there are similar age, slightly higher mileage cars for the 3k mark. Making them very good bang for buck. I still think I should test drive a 200 SX and possibly an Ocavia VRS before I make my mind up, but both these cars cost more.

Anyone here got a Gen 5 Prelude? If so how do you find it?
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Feb 2003
Posts
8,612
Location
Brighton/West Wicklow
*Insert generic sarcastic Gaijin Honda's are gash comment*


Nice motors, was contemplating getting one over the S but I couldn't bring myself to love the looks enough. Excellent chassis, engine and steering system though.

Can't stress enough to try the Nissan before you leap though, that only lost out to the S because of running costs for me.

Psycrow said:
Inspiring comments :) Theres one for 3k on Honda Rev thats done 100k with full serice history. I take it the Prelude can take high miles so long as its been looked after?

The engine will probably outlast you providing its serviced regularly and the oil is changed frequently, but just be careful of age related stuff like paintwork (rust), stone chipping (Honda paint is softer than mozzarella), consumables (clutch, pads, discs, bushes etc) and definately check the suspension and 4WS system out.

4WS system will cost a kidney if it gives out, check the rear wheels physically turn as bogus sellers remove the warning light bulb on the dash.
 
Last edited:
Soldato
OP
Joined
16 Jan 2003
Posts
4,948
Location
Kirkcaldy, Scotland
Associate
Joined
3 Dec 2003
Posts
2,486
Location
brighton
The guy I got my Type R from got a 5th Gen VTI and had it for about about 2 months , I talk to the guy all the time and he missed the accord so much he still wants another one. I Know you like the Accord type R so I would recommend trying one aswell
LIKE THIS ONE
 
Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
37,804
Location
block 16, cell 12
Psycrow said:
Will check the 4WS thing on any I see so cheers for that Gaijin.
Was looking at this (its the one from honda rev but wont need a log in to view).
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4649201798&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Seems a good deal if its in as good nick as he says it is. The fact he is willing to deliver anywhere in the UK is also a huge bonus since I cant be bothered traveling far :)


aggh that is one FINE example of a prelude right there. i love that shape and that particular colour! minter!
 
Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
8,016
I've got a 4th Gen Lude 2.2 VTEC, and I have to say I love it :)

Check out PreludeUK, there's some 5th gen owners on there who'll be able to answer any questions :)

I'm not too keen on the looks of the 5th gen, I prefer the 4th myself.


Mine has now done 175k miles, and it's still going strong :) Mileage is nothing on these cars if properly maintained.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
16 Jan 2003
Posts
4,948
Location
Kirkcaldy, Scotland
ConfusedTA said:
Mine has now done 175k miles, and it's still going strong :) Mileage is nothing on these cars if properly maintained.
Thats good to know, the only thing putting me off the above example was the fairly high mileage. It has full service history so has been cared for.
Skywalker, thats lovely but its far far away. To be honest I prefer the looks of the Prelude over the Accord, even the Type-R. The only thing the Type-R has as a bonus is the LSD.
 
Soldato
OP
Joined
16 Jan 2003
Posts
4,948
Location
Kirkcaldy, Scotland
Quiet you, its only 15bhp more, the ludes seats were buckety enough, HID kits are quite cheap, you got me on the brakes front.
I would really love an ATR, but for a decent example I would have to pay a fair bit more.
 

Ev0

Ev0

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
14,152
nice cars, was on the list of cars to replace the 19 when it got smashed up, just none came up in time :(

The interiors are tres 'orrbile though in that beige, the black leather is the best but really rare :/
 
Back
Top Bottom