Thanks for the great service on the Prelude Wizard! What is your Prelude story/experience? If we can’t find new rear struts I will source a good used one for the rt rear. This car is going to be put up for auction on Cars & Bids NO RESERVE! I will put a link on this thread when live. Here is the link to my overview video. Have a great day and happy motoring! ruclips.net/video/2pzc24_lQpM/видео.htmlsi=XcxcLsJmAbBWBhku
I owned 2 Preludes from the 80s. A red 1983 Prelude {automatic}, and a red 1984 {standard}. I totaled the '83, and got an '84. Both transmission types were great and silky smooth. 63/37 weight distribution with FWD meant you PULLED yourself thru turns. And, for such a small car, the FWD and weight tilted on the front axle made it great in the New England snow. The rear bench was a joke, but I was always driving so whatever. The fold down arm rest was great for stowing skis for ski trips. The engine is 4 cyl/12 valves, but some auto writers of the day had the opinion that, with a pre-chamber for each cylinder, it was almost like a 16-valve engine. Fabulous car.
Hi, kyb 333177 kyb 333176. These are the part numbers for it in the KYB brand. In south africa we seem to still have some in stock on some sites. Hope it helps
We had an 85 in a darker gray, five-speed manual. Had it for 275,000 miles and it still ran great when it was given to my brother-in-law but the back wheel wells rusted out badly. I saw a pristine navy Prelude a couple years ago at my doctor's office..it was a year newer with the four wheel steering. I have listed for another one. Love manuals and it was so fun to drive. That car was a joy and so reliable
What a jewel. I was in Atlanta several times in the mid nineties for training for my job and these things were everywhere! I'd say 50% of the cars I saw were preludes. Almost bought a four wheel steering one in the oughts. Couldn't give up my CRX's though. On my fourth one. 88Si.
Still driving my '91 Civic Dx Red Hatch with 82k original miles! Swear! I was so curious if I was alone! I drive a 2002 Viper Gts and HANDS DOWN the World goes Crazy for 80's-90's Hondas! I'll NEVER SELL😎
I had an 88 Si 4ws 5 speed. Its the most fun car Ive ever driven to this day and the car that got me hooked on Honda. The build quality of these were above and beyond anything on the road today, especially the interiors. Youd just sit in it and say wow. Coming from a plymouth reliant it was such a huge step up. Steeting brakes shifter clutch throttle all felt like they were engineered to work together to deliver a super fun handling car. I miss it.
I noticed a difference (you commented on my earlier comment, which I replied to), At slow speeds when you turned the steering a lot to make a tight turn (like in the city or a parking lot), the rear wheels turned opposite to the fronts to help the car make a tighter easier turn, and at higher speeds when you only turn the steering wheel a little, the rear wheels turn the same direction as the fronts which helped high-speed stability. And it was so cool to watch the rear wheels turn one way and then the opposite direction when you kept turning the steering wheel while it was parked! Between that, and later VTEC, Honda was so ahead of the game
@@mattl6584yep youd notice it when parallel parking or making an abrupt lane change on the highway but normal driving or corner carving in the twisties I didnt notice it.
@@elnyoutube123yep i now have a 2015 accord and 2016 odyssey, the interiors are noticeably cheaper than hondas of yore. My dads 03 CRV had the same high-grade quality as my 88 'lude, it was in the mid 2000s they started cheaping out. Same with Toyota.
This is what car companies need to make again. A reliable, simple. easy to maintain vehicle that doesn’t cost a fortune. No massive screens and gadgets to distract the driver from how much they paid for a poorly made machine.
I bought a 1986 Prelude Si manual transmission with 120K miles in 1992 and sold it in 1997 with 225K. Best car I ever owned! Nothing ever broke down and the guy that bought it from me kept it for 5 more years as far as I know. Bulletproof.
My friend had a prelude in early 90's and I remember how he was driving it redlining the engine all the time. Even in city driving he was pushing the engine to 4000-5000 rpm. I guess he liked the sound of it, the engine ran smooth.
@@Munakas-wq3gp Definately a quality build by Honda in those days and fairly cheap. It was the era when the Japanese manufacturers strategy was to buy US marketshare and were selling high quality products at a lower profit margins.
@@AB-jz9ns They were not cheap, look at the prices of them compared to American cars...pretty damn expensive relatively speaking. Worth the money if kept beyond the 200K mile mark though.
my friend Kenn owned a yellow 4 wheel steering Prelude that he LOVED but didn't keep up with the required maintenance ...We were going on a 7 days ski vacation - So I took it to my mechanic to get the clutch - front and rear brake job and a tune up .. The owner of the shop decided to take it for a " TEST DRIVE " after the work was done and he drove it back n forth to work all week long ! He LOVE driving it . When my friend went to pay for it the owner decided to take $400 off the repair bill and told him that was blown away as to just how nice it was to drive it !
My first car was an '84 Prelude I purchased during my senior year in highschool. This car was a fresh breath of liberty and very popular at the time. I am glad to see that Honda will be resurrecting the Prelude namesake but obviously with a modern touch. Thank you Wizard Fam and Hoovie for sharing this gem with us.
Reminds me that comment Ludea short for Preludes as I'm. Irish and Americans always have a nack of shortening everyrhing lol. Ludes from the film with Di caprio in it where he takes the Ludes
The lock for the back seats and seat release by the door is when you give the car to valet. The car came with two keys, a master key and valet key. The master key would unlock everything. The valet key would unlock the doors and start the car. This was so you secure you belongings in the trunk while the car was in valet.
Very weird set-up. GM had a computer controlled computer in Cutlass Ciera which I bought in 1985 that did not have that many vacuum lines and relied more on idle control soleniod and various other sensors. For once, GM was more advanced, although their build quality sucked compared to Honda and Toyota. GM V6 in the 19980's was one of the worst engines ever built from a maintenance standpoint. Hard to change sparkplugs. My first and last GM car except for 1979 Buick Skylark which my Dad bought as a graduation from college gift. I think the Honda Accord was a much better car than the Prelude as far as maintenance and reliability. I don't know they mean, I just like playing with emoji's.
Yeah, but it works very well. No flat spots in acceleration, no hesitation when cold, engine is so smooth you can’t tell it’s running when looking at it except for the rotating pulleys. Lol.
On a lot of these 80s Hondas people did Weber carb swaps to get around the vacuum system. You'd have to do more manual adjustment of the carb, but it reduced the vacuum line situation down to just 2 lines for brake booster and vacuum advance. The multitude of vacuum lines were almost all to adjust the original carb for different loads (like turning on the AC) and different weather conditions or stages of the engine warming up, and to control emissions. I have an 87 Civic wagon 2WD with that swap and it still runs beautifully that way and dramatically opens up the engine bay. Unfortunately it didn't come with half the original parts removed, so at this point it couldn't be brought back to stock without a donor, but I'd have a hard time saying goodbye to that Weber setup anyway. It's just so simple and clean and ridiculously easy to get to everything once swapped.
9:23 those exist to stop robbers from breaking the window and pulling that tab down to see whats inside the trunk. I don't know how bad car break-ins were back in the 80s, but they would serve a purpose now, especially in san francisco!
Still driving my 84 CRX in very similar condition to this. No joke on the vacuum system being both amazing and complex at the same time. Driving a car of this era will draw a crowd at every gas station, trust me.
Might want to talk to Koni. They have those "Cut-A-Struts" for less common vehicles and you may be able to find somehting that works. used them for my 2012 Mazda6. They use the old strut body and replace the hydraulic bit with a new cartridge that fits inside the old strut body. Good luck.
I had bilstein's on my 77 Accord. Had to cut open the front struts and World on a threaded cap for the Bilstein insert. Worked great and much better than stock.
I was going to suggest the same thing. This was very common in Australia in the 80s to convert “wet” struts into housing that could take a replacement gas shock insert. Cut at the right spot, weld on the ring, and away you go.
Honda and Acura FWD engines ran counterclockwise, when looking at accessories/drive belts. With engine redesigns in early 2000's, to promote better emissions, and allow transmissions by other makers, the engines now turn clockwise. So, the transmissions were mounted on the left side of engine compartment from then on. FYI.
Classic Honda feature that still exists to this day the extra locks is because the car came with a valet key which only unlocks door and starts this key does not allow access to the trunk or glove box. The main key is used to lock the trunk release handle or to also drop the back seat. Modern Honda still have the key lock on the floor and a switch in the glove box to disable the trunk release remote
Now, in more modern times you would simply detach the metal key from your proximity fob ,.,., lock your glove box after switching the switch down and lock the floor switch and just hand over the fob only. Like anybody's valeting their Honda anywhere LOL
Great video, wizard & Mrs. Wizard! I owned a red 1986 manual and a Geneva green 1991manual Prelude. Absolutely loved them both. Nothing ever broke on them! I cannot say that about any other cars I have owned over the last 44 years. Honda was really on their game in the 80's and 90's.
OMG! I love these. I had an 86’ Accord 5 spd that I bought from a neighbour for $250 in 1990. The interior was like it just came off the showroom floor. The exterior looked like it came out of the scrapyard RUST, RUST, RUST. It drove like a brand new car only had 150K kms on it. It was comical flying past new cars on the highway at 85 mph no problem, in a rust bucket that was a cream puff on the inside and tight driving, no leaks rattles or clunks. I miss that double wishbone suspension. They should’ve never gotten rid of that. Great video, keep it up!😁
I drove my drivingschool in one of those. It was a 16 valve variant with a manual. Imstill felt how the seats felt on my back with a narrow sholderarea above sidebolstering… that little car is a gem!
My uncle owns a pampered (mint) condition '88 SI 4WS (and no the 4WS has not been deactivated and works - makes for some interesting sensations) - so I do see one quite regularly in the summer (but yes your right - you don't see them often in the wild these days, and a pleasure to see this one so please thank Euroasian Bob for finding it and showing it off). 🙂 They sure are fun cars!
@@JT-dx1qk No, can't say it's a problem - but I know that people don't fix it or disable it because it can feel strange (like the rear end is pushing - never bothered me and I know my uncle likes how nimble the car is with it).
My grandfather bought one of these for my grandmother. Converted him, and he bought nothing but Honda for the rest of his life. This car got him off of Mercury.
I had one of those!!! The same year, and the same color!!!! That sure brings back memories of when I was young, single, and had no real responsibilities. I bought mine used in 1989 and it was a 5-speed manual. I used to love cruising in it with the sunroof open and the stereo going cruising with friends and looking for girls! Thanks for posting this one Wizard!!! I'd LOVE to have another one like that as a summer cruiser and to take to car shows! WOW! I miss that car.
I had a 1987 Prelude Si 5 speed. It was the same body style as this, but it had fuel injection. It was the best car I ever owned. I wish Honda would re-release their fuel injected cars from this era. They where bullet proof compared to today's standards. I sold this car with 200k on it. I outgrew the car had to sell, but it was still running strong. I bet the next guy put at least another 100k on it.
My second car was an ‘85 Prelude that had 68 thousand miles on it. That was in 1996, my Dad picked it up for $3500, it was so clean, we got such a good deal on it, and it was a fantastic car to drive, I’ve always wanted another one, and this one definitely ticks all the boxes, wish I had the cash right now. Those weird safety feature for the trunk actually disabled thieves from stealing my stereo out of there 😂🤣😂
My older brother bought one in ‘84. I loved driving that thing!! I was King of cool. 100 dual carbed horsepower. The stick shift was so smooth. Have to add 104 mph top speed. Verified many times.
I bought a red 85 Prelude, drove it for 28 years. Then my son drove it for 5 years and then gave it to my daughter. She's driving it now and loves it as much as me and my son love this car.
This was my first new car after college. A 1984 Silver 5 speed manual trans with 13 in mag wheel and BFG Euro Radial. A Jackson Racing Body kit and Koni Shocks. I know they do not make these shock anymore because we had a lot of trouble finding them in 1987. It was a very nice car but they were carb problems, seems the carb were vapor lock when the engine was hot and would be hard to start after a short down time . I liked this car a lot , good video Wizard
That was my first new car, 1985 preiude 5mt. Got chills as you walked through the car. I had the five band graphic equalizer option installed in the "hidey hole." A selling feature was the 'variable assist' power steering. The timing belt broke at 55k on mine. Replacement is recommended at 60k but not covered as a maintenance item, and no good will from honda. Fortunately, it's a non-interference engine, so a new one was put on for $150 and was good to go. I had that valve cover off several times to do a valve lash adjustment. Maybe that put extra stress on the timing belt. At 95k, the car was stolen from in front of my house in Paterson, NJ. It was returned stripped a week later and totaled by the insurance company. It had the alloy wheels, which I later saw in the neighborhood on a Chevy Spectrum with the honda center caps removed. They gave me 6k, which i put toward a pre-owned 1988 prelude si 5mt. Another great car, third generation, which ushered in four-wheel steering.
Keeping the trunk secure means someone can't break into the car through a window and gain access to the trunk where someone might have valuables or firearms stored.
I was 18 in 1984. My neighbor just took delivery of a new red 1985 Prelude 5 speed. What an awesome car. I drove it quite a bit. I loved how low the hood line was on it. I was also shocked at how smooth and refined it was compared to other cars on the road at the time. One of the things that sticks in my head about it was the tiny radio knobs. I thought that was funny. I ended up with a new black 1997 Prelude SH later. I sold it in 2001 for nearly what I paid for it. I hear you have a little experience with a 5th Gen Prelude.
No Mrs Wizard - the key-cylinder above the back seat back is actually a release - not a lock. Prevents the seat from folding unless you release the latch with the key.
Try "Hoshi Motors" in Boulder, Colorado, Wizard. Although in recent years, they now also service Subaru and Toyota cars, for many years they serviced only Hondas, so they have a good supply of older Honda parts. Give them a try! (P.S. ... They are extremely customer oriented and will post any complaint letters they receive on the wall in plain sight (because they get so few of them.)
Started in a 1987 Accord sedan, 5spd with carb. Loved that car. This vintage Hondas are prone to rust on the top section of the rear fender, right above the tire. Love vintage Hondas!
I had a RED 84 Prelude from HS through college at UCSB and loved it! Fun to see the interior after all these years. It wasn't fast but it handled well with my Continental CH51 tires that saved me from a few car accidents.
A red 1983 Prelude was my first car and I bought it with my own $$ when I was 16 months n 1989. I wish I had never sold it. Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I never realized (I was a kid) that the car had that unique vacuum control system.
Thanks for the memories. Beautiful, well maintained car. I owned a 1985 Honda Prelude, 5 speed stick in Charcoal Gray. Bought it new. Came with Dunlop tires. Hidden headlights were quite the thing back then. The interior seats were very much like those shown by Mrs. Wizard in the video. The little hatch in the back seat was to put skis through. Great car, fun to drive, a sharp little sporty car. Plenty of pep. Put a smile on my face. Ps. The Southern California based Honda dealership I serviced my car at got in big trouble with Honda because they were putting 10W50 weight oil in every Honda that came in for service!
Thanks Wizard! As an '80's Toyota owner, I always admired these for their styling and reliability. IIRC at that time, Hondas were much in demand and a smidge pricey for my budget. Euroasian Bob for the win!
The Preludes, especially the Si, were not cheap. I got an Integra in 1990 because it was a lot less expensive. The base Prelude was slower as well, nicer though.
9:32 I have a '97 and the locks on these are pretty cool. When you bought them new for the 5th gen, you got two black keys and a grey key. The black keys turn every cylinder on the car, but the grey key was a "valet" key. You could lock the cylinder on the trunk switch and the glove box with your black "master" key and the valet key couldn't open them. You can only start the car with the valet key.
I bought a 1981 Honda Accord in 1984. 1.8 liter engine with 40K miles on it, 5 speed stick. 45mpg on the highway, plenty of power for Freeway Driving. By far the best car I ever owned. Great video, Thanks for sharing!
This is why I enjoy this channel so much. Seeing interesting content like this. Getting to learn about a cool little car that has survived throughout the years. Thank you!
I love these! The mid 80s Prelude was a dream car of mine when I started driving. I remember when they were everywhere, too. I did end up getting a 1986 Honda Accord LXi hatchback years ago. Such a cool car. Loads of space, super well built, comfortable. Looked sporty and it handled pretty well too. Man I miss that car!
The Honda Prelude was the hottest high school / college car of the 80's and 90's. They were sharp. Offered in a base and an Si. They really weren't as reliable as they were thought to be. They had front CV Joint issues, leaky valve guides, fuel issues, and typically everything except the windshield and tires would prematurely rust out.
I agree, I'm going to 44 years old and these were everywhere. I remember them falling apart on their last legs and ppl just kept pushing them. Especially kids in high school. This is a keeper. I have an '88 Camry that's a keeper, but getting harder to find parts for that too! Especially comedic. Good luck with the struts, It gets very frustrating. Might have to take a similar struct and have a machine shop fabricate it. Even if you source NOS, the ods are it will be bad/dried out.
Ball bearings were common in Australia. Smart mechanics used ones that were slightly larger than the ID of the hose, and were almost undetectable. Dumb ones used huge ones so the vac lines looked like a snake that had just eaten a rat. Instant fail during the annual inspection…..
My mom had a 1985 carbureted Prelude with an automatic transmission just like this one back in the day. Hers was gray. Since then, I have always wanted to come across one of these cars because today they are classics. My dream car is to find one of these in the SI trim level, which is fuel injected and I would also like to find one with the optional 5 speed manual transmission.
@@BurntOrangeHorn78 at one point, my mother and both of her sisters had Hondas with automatic transmissions in the 80s. My mother obviously had the Prelude and her sisters both had Honda Accords.
I have a 2001 manual transmission prelude sitting in my garage right now it’s been there for 20 years has 152,000 miles has been fantastic and an absolute dream to drive. I argue to this day the greatest four-cylinder ever made was Honda 2.2 L VTEC.
I also have a black,2001 Prelude 5 speed, leather interior in my garage right now. Just had the whole front end repainted and with brand new genuine headlights installed ,looks brand new. 175 thousand kms. I’ve had it since 2004 It was built on October 10 of ‘01 so it’s gotta be close to one of the last ones ever built I’m thinking. Hello from British Columbia 😊
1984=40 years old, dang it means my Kid is middle aged. Now that I'm thoroughly depressed, I'm going out to my garage and look at my 1984 Toyota PU and hope nothing breaks. Been stockpiling parts for a few years.
I drove a '86 for years. The odometer quit working at about 300,000 miles, and I drove it off and on for another 10 years. I sold it to a coworker after a divorce because I didn't have anywhere to put it. I know that he was still driving it a few years ago. I still regret selling it.
A good friend of mine (whom I'm still friends with) in the 90s, had a 1985 Honda Accord stick shift lowered and straight pipe exhaust. I rode all over the place with him in that car. Brings back good memories.
I was literally just telling a co-worker how much id love to have my grandpa's old 80s accord because of the beautiful blue interior and the Pop up headlights and boom theres a mint 80s honda with Mr. Wizard standing by it. I hit that play button so quick all u saw was a frickin blurrr
I had one of those, it handle like a dream, The main problem i remember with them is that the cowl would rust out causing all kinds of issues and the sunroof as well. But that would be if you lived is a rust belt area... I really liked that car.
In 1986 at the ripe age of 22 i had a decision between buying a new Toyota MR2 or a new Honda Prelude both with manual transmissions. i went with the MR2. don’t regret it one bit but i always loved the simplicity of the prelude. watching this brings back memories of what it could’ve been. Love the dashboard layout and the simplicity of the analog controls. this one was definitely garaged. beautiful condition
JMO, the Hondas of that era seem to have more durable plastics and interiors than Toyotas of the same timeframe. Of course, this one has been properly babied and likely garaged (which is great).
My ‘87 (GM) Holden has headlight flippers giving a semi-concealed headlight appearance and they still work flawlessly. It’s not just the Japanese who can make reliable mod-cons.
Those Prelude's were the coolest! Reminds me of my first Honda, an '86 Accord hatchback LXi with those pop-up headlights. Had it for 14 years and about 160k trouble free miles on it when I got in a fender-bender accident and sold it to my mechanic. What a great car.
I used to have a brand new 1997 Prelude base model. Let me tell you none of the late model Hondas are built like what they used to in the early 80s and 90s. Right now everything is cutting corners.
Yep, I had an 89 Nissan 240sx back in 00 and it already had huge rust holes in the rear rockers that entered the cabin. Those cars simply do not exist in the rust belt, even 20 years ago spotting one was ultra rare.
My 40 yr old son's first car was a 1985 Prelude, his second car was a 1989 Prelude which he sold many years ago, he loved that car so a few years ago he bought another 89 and I'm currently in the process of restoring it, almost finished rebuilding the engine but like you I'm struggling to find parts, even something as basic as injector seals were hard to find, been waiting weeks for a timing belt tensioner spring which somehow got lost.
I had the ALTERNATIVE Honda Prelude... A 1989 Acura Integra LS 2door with moonroof. Pop up lights...1.6 dohc 4 cylinder...118hp....and a 5 speed. It was awesome. 😄
Thanks for the great service on the Prelude Wizard! What is your Prelude story/experience?
If we can’t find new rear struts I will source a good used one for the rt rear. This car is going to be put up for auction on Cars & Bids NO RESERVE! I will put a link on this thread when live. Here is the link to my overview video. Have a great day and happy motoring!
ruclips.net/video/2pzc24_lQpM/видео.htmlsi=XcxcLsJmAbBWBhku
I owned 2 Preludes from the 80s. A red 1983 Prelude {automatic}, and a red 1984 {standard}. I totaled the '83, and got an '84. Both transmission types were great and silky smooth. 63/37 weight distribution with FWD meant you PULLED yourself thru turns. And, for such a small car, the FWD and weight tilted on the front axle made it great in the New England snow. The rear bench was a joke, but I was always driving so whatever. The fold down arm rest was great for stowing skis for ski trips. The engine is 4 cyl/12 valves, but some auto writers of the day had the opinion that, with a pre-chamber for each cylinder, it was almost like a 16-valve engine. Fabulous car.
Hi, kyb 333177 kyb 333176. These are the part numbers for it in the KYB brand. In south africa we seem to still have some in stock on some sites. Hope it helps
There is stock in Europe for KYB brand. Around 100e per shock. I have sent it to you on direct. RUclips is constantly deleting link to those shocks.
We had an 85 in a darker gray, five-speed manual. Had it for 275,000 miles and it still ran great when it was given to my brother-in-law but the back wheel wells rusted out badly. I saw a pristine navy Prelude a couple years ago at my doctor's office..it was a year newer with the four wheel steering.
I have listed for another one. Love manuals and it was so fun to drive. That car was a joy and so reliable
What a jewel. I was in Atlanta several times in the mid nineties for training for my job and these things were everywhere! I'd say 50% of the cars I saw were preludes. Almost bought a four wheel steering one in the oughts. Couldn't give up my CRX's though. On my fourth one. 88Si.
Still driving my Red 91, all stock, 75k miles.
You don't drive.... with that low mileage. 2016 with 169,000 on here...
@@bsgarey It was my Dad's, parked in a garage for 2 decades. Guess he saved on it for me. Now teaching my daughter to drive stick on it.
nice
Lucky you
Still driving my '91 Civic Dx Red Hatch with 82k original miles! Swear! I was so curious if I was alone! I drive a 2002 Viper Gts and HANDS DOWN the World goes Crazy for 80's-90's Hondas! I'll NEVER SELL😎
I had an 88 Si 4ws 5 speed. Its the most fun car Ive ever driven to this day and the car that got me hooked on Honda. The build quality of these were above and beyond anything on the road today, especially the interiors. Youd just sit in it and say wow. Coming from a plymouth reliant it was such a huge step up. Steeting brakes shifter clutch throttle all felt like they were engineered to work together to deliver a super fun handling car. I miss it.
Oh and it you wanted to know if the 4ws made a huge difference, answer is no it did not but you got street creed with the 4ws badge lol.
I noticed a difference (you commented on my earlier comment, which I replied to), At slow speeds when you turned the steering a lot to make a tight turn (like in the city or a parking lot), the rear wheels turned opposite to the fronts to help the car make a tighter easier turn, and at higher speeds when you only turn the steering wheel a little, the rear wheels turn the same direction as the fronts which helped high-speed stability.
And it was so cool to watch the rear wheels turn one way and then the opposite direction when you kept turning the steering wheel while it was parked! Between that, and later VTEC, Honda was so ahead of the game
Hondas interiors used to be really nice
@@mattl6584yep youd notice it when parallel parking or making an abrupt lane change on the highway but normal driving or corner carving in the twisties I didnt notice it.
@@elnyoutube123yep i now have a 2015 accord and 2016 odyssey, the interiors are noticeably cheaper than hondas of yore. My dads 03 CRV had the same high-grade quality as my 88 'lude, it was in the mid 2000s they started cheaping out. Same with Toyota.
This is what car companies need to make again. A reliable, simple. easy to maintain vehicle that doesn’t cost a fortune. No massive screens and gadgets to distract the driver from how much they paid for a poorly made machine.
They can't.
Stop, you'll make Elon cry
I'll buy one if it's like a Honda HRV and I can get it with a 5, or even better 6 speed manual transmission .
@@johnossendorf9979 Haha-
It's illegal! There is around $7500 in mandatory safety / electronic/ epa equipment required on new cars. We'd have to gut the EPA first.
I bought a 1986 Prelude Si manual transmission with 120K miles in 1992 and sold it in 1997 with 225K. Best car I ever owned! Nothing ever broke down and the guy that bought it from me kept it for 5 more years as far as I know. Bulletproof.
had a 86 Si 5 spd, fastest car i ever drove..135 mph ..200 rpm below redline in 5th, scared the crap outta me, never did it again
My friend had a prelude in early 90's and I remember how he was driving it redlining the engine all the time. Even in city driving he was pushing the engine to 4000-5000 rpm. I guess he liked the sound of it, the engine ran smooth.
@@Munakas-wq3gp Definately a quality build by Honda in those days and fairly cheap. It was the era when the Japanese manufacturers strategy was to buy US marketshare and were selling high quality products at a lower profit margins.
Yes, "Bulletproof", by Godsmack!
@@AB-jz9ns They were not cheap, look at the prices of them compared to American cars...pretty damn expensive relatively speaking. Worth the money if kept beyond the 200K mile mark though.
I love watching old shows from the 70's and 80's just to see the old cars in the background.
Seinfeld has the best Hondas.
my friend Kenn owned a yellow 4 wheel steering Prelude that he LOVED but didn't keep up with the required maintenance ...We were going on a 7 days ski vacation - So I took it to my mechanic to get the clutch - front and rear brake job and a tune up .. The owner of the shop decided to take it for a " TEST DRIVE " after the work was done and he drove it back n forth to work all week long ! He LOVE driving it . When my friend went to pay for it the owner decided to take $400 off the repair bill and told him that was blown away as to just how nice it was to drive it !
Don't let your daughter drive it!!
😂
😂😂😂
Under no circumstances!
Dont let a Woman drive it
😂😂😂
My first car was an '84 Prelude I purchased during my senior year in highschool. This car was a fresh breath of liberty and very popular at the time. I am glad to see that Honda will be resurrecting the Prelude namesake but obviously with a modern touch. Thank you Wizard Fam and Hoovie for sharing this gem with us.
Just picked up an 89 accord for $800 here in Wichita. It was to good of a deal to pass up. Love cruising it around
I just loved the Preludes, my favorite is a red, manual version.1984 1985, 1986..love them so much.
yes, but red in and out :)
You're right, used to see these old Ludes everywhere, and I no longer see them. Time really does get away from us!
If you were old enough to see those on the road. Thats mean you are no longer young, danm time is cruel.
Reminds me that comment Ludea short for Preludes as I'm. Irish and Americans always have a nack of shortening everyrhing lol.
Ludes from the film with Di caprio in it where he takes the Ludes
The lock for the back seats and seat release by the door is when you give the car to valet. The car came with two keys, a master key and valet key. The master key would unlock everything. The valet key would unlock the doors and start the car. This was so you secure you belongings in the trunk while the car was in valet.
The vacuum system is rather frightening 😮
Very weird set-up. GM had a computer controlled computer in Cutlass Ciera which I bought in 1985 that did not have that many vacuum lines and relied more on idle control soleniod and various other sensors. For once, GM was more advanced, although their build quality sucked compared to Honda and Toyota. GM V6 in the 19980's was one of the worst engines ever built from a maintenance standpoint. Hard to change sparkplugs. My first and last GM car except for 1979 Buick Skylark which my Dad bought as a graduation from college gift. I think the Honda Accord was a much better car than the Prelude as far as maintenance and reliability. I don't know they mean, I just like playing with emoji's.
Yeah, but it works very well. No flat spots in acceleration, no hesitation when cold, engine is so smooth you can’t tell it’s running when looking at it except for the rotating pulleys. Lol.
it is but a Benz w123 is equally as frightening with its Vacuum hoses.
On a lot of these 80s Hondas people did Weber carb swaps to get around the vacuum system. You'd have to do more manual adjustment of the carb, but it reduced the vacuum line situation down to just 2 lines for brake booster and vacuum advance. The multitude of vacuum lines were almost all to adjust the original carb for different loads (like turning on the AC) and different weather conditions or stages of the engine warming up, and to control emissions. I have an 87 Civic wagon 2WD with that swap and it still runs beautifully that way and dramatically opens up the engine bay. Unfortunately it didn't come with half the original parts removed, so at this point it couldn't be brought back to stock without a donor, but I'd have a hard time saying goodbye to that Weber setup anyway. It's just so simple and clean and ridiculously easy to get to everything once swapped.
Common for the time period. A few of older guys still know how to diag and work on them. No OBDII port on these to gather information.
9:23 those exist to stop robbers from breaking the window and pulling that tab down to see whats inside the trunk. I don't know how bad car break-ins were back in the 80s, but they would serve a purpose now, especially in san francisco!
I had a 1983 Accord, it was the best car I've ever owned and that was only a few years ago. Felt so comfy.
Still driving my 84 CRX in very similar condition to this.
No joke on the vacuum system being both amazing and complex at the same time.
Driving a car of this era will draw a crowd at every gas station, trust me.
40 years old & looking good. We don't get younger otoh... Golden era indeed for Japanese automakers.
Might want to talk to Koni. They have those "Cut-A-Struts" for less common vehicles and you may be able to find somehting that works. used them for my 2012 Mazda6. They use the old strut body and replace the hydraulic bit with a new cartridge that fits inside the old strut body. Good luck.
Example: www.koni-na.com/CorporateSite/media/itt/NA/pdf/boltstrut.pdf
Who knew? I sure didn't. Very cool.
I had bilstein's on my 77 Accord. Had to cut open the front struts and World on a threaded cap for the Bilstein insert. Worked great and much better than stock.
I was going to suggest the same thing. This was very common in Australia in the 80s to convert “wet” struts into housing that could take a replacement gas shock insert. Cut at the right spot, weld on the ring, and away you go.
Honda and Acura FWD engines ran counterclockwise, when looking at accessories/drive belts. With engine redesigns in early 2000's, to promote better emissions, and allow transmissions by other makers, the engines now turn clockwise. So, the transmissions were mounted on the left side of engine compartment from then on. FYI.
I see a Prelude, I click! Love my 1995 Si with H23A VTEC swap. 😄
Even the last Gen preludes are rare to see now, I'm starting to think the world just generates random perfectly mint old cars 😂.
Classic Honda feature that still exists to this day the extra locks is because the car came with a valet key which only unlocks door and starts this key does not allow access to the trunk or glove box. The main key is used to lock the trunk release handle or to also drop the back seat. Modern Honda still have the key lock on the floor and a switch in the glove box to disable the trunk release remote
Now, in more modern times you would simply detach the metal key from your proximity fob ,.,.,
lock your glove box after switching the switch down and lock the floor switch and just hand over the fob only.
Like anybody's valeting their Honda anywhere LOL
Great video, wizard & Mrs. Wizard! I owned a red 1986 manual and a Geneva green 1991manual Prelude. Absolutely loved them both. Nothing ever broke on them! I cannot say that about any other cars I have owned over the last 44 years. Honda was really on their game in the 80's and 90's.
OMG! I love these. I had an 86’ Accord 5 spd that I bought from a neighbour for $250 in 1990. The interior was like it just came off the showroom floor. The exterior looked like it came out of the scrapyard RUST, RUST, RUST. It drove like a brand new car only had 150K kms on it. It was comical flying past new cars on the highway at 85 mph no problem, in a rust bucket that was a cream puff on the inside and tight driving, no leaks rattles or clunks. I miss that double wishbone suspension. They should’ve never gotten rid of that. Great video, keep it up!😁
Honda was on top of the world in the 80s in terms of quality and design. I was in high school in the 80s and the cool kids had these.
I drove my drivingschool in one of those. It was a 16 valve variant with a manual. Imstill felt how the seats felt on my back with a narrow sholderarea above sidebolstering… that little car is a gem!
My uncle owns a pampered (mint) condition '88 SI 4WS (and no the 4WS has not been deactivated and works - makes for some interesting sensations) - so I do see one quite regularly in the summer (but yes your right - you don't see them often in the wild these days, and a pleasure to see this one so please thank Euroasian Bob for finding it and showing it off). 🙂 They sure are fun cars!
I'm an old Honda tech from that era , I owned one for 200k , never had any major issues , the 4ws was never a problem either
@@JT-dx1qk No, can't say it's a problem - but I know that people don't fix it or disable it because it can feel strange (like the rear end is pushing - never bothered me and I know my uncle likes how nimble the car is with it).
@@nukedathlonman Always handled perfectly , never heard of anyone disabling it , I never would
My grandfather bought one of these for my grandmother. Converted him, and he bought nothing but Honda for the rest of his life. This car got him off of Mercury.
I had one of those!!! The same year, and the same color!!!! That sure brings back memories of when I was young, single, and had no real responsibilities. I bought mine used in 1989 and it was a 5-speed manual. I used to love cruising in it with the sunroof open and the stereo going cruising with friends and looking for girls! Thanks for posting this one Wizard!!! I'd LOVE to have another one like that as a summer cruiser and to take to car shows! WOW! I miss that car.
What a treat to see such a nice example of this car. Thanks Car Wizard!
I had a 1987 Prelude Si 5 speed. It was the same body style as this, but it had fuel injection. It was the best car I ever owned. I wish Honda would re-release their fuel injected cars from this era. They where bullet proof compared to today's standards. I sold this car with 200k on it. I outgrew the car had to sell, but it was still running strong. I bet the next guy put at least another 100k on it.
My second car was an ‘85 Prelude that had 68 thousand miles on it. That was in 1996, my Dad picked it up for $3500, it was so clean, we got such a good deal on it, and it was a fantastic car to drive, I’ve always wanted another one, and this one definitely ticks all the boxes, wish I had the cash right now. Those weird safety feature for the trunk actually disabled thieves from stealing my stereo out of there 😂🤣😂
My older brother bought one in ‘84. I loved driving that thing!! I was King of cool. 100 dual carbed horsepower. The stick shift was so smooth. Have to add 104 mph top speed. Verified many times.
I bought a red 85 Prelude, drove it for 28 years. Then my son drove it for 5 years and then gave it to my daughter.
She's driving it now and loves it as much as me and my son love this car.
I learned something new today about vacuum in vehicles. Thanks. And I mean that meaningfully, not meaningless. Good Job
This was my first new car after college. A 1984 Silver 5 speed manual trans with 13 in mag wheel and BFG Euro Radial. A Jackson Racing Body kit and Koni Shocks. I know they do not make these shock anymore because we had a lot of trouble finding them in 1987. It was a very nice car but they were carb problems, seems the carb were vapor lock when the engine was hot and would be hard to start after a short down time . I liked this car a lot , good video Wizard
i love those preludes
That was my first new car, 1985 preiude 5mt. Got chills as you walked through the car. I had the five band graphic equalizer option installed in the "hidey hole." A selling feature was the 'variable assist' power steering. The timing belt broke at 55k on mine. Replacement is recommended at 60k but not covered as a maintenance item, and no good will from honda. Fortunately, it's a non-interference engine, so a new one was put on for $150 and was good to go. I had that valve cover off several times to do a valve lash adjustment. Maybe that put extra stress on the timing belt. At 95k, the car was stolen from in front of my house in Paterson, NJ. It was returned stripped a week later and totaled by the insurance company. It had the alloy wheels, which I later saw in the neighborhood on a Chevy Spectrum with the honda center caps removed. They gave me 6k, which i put toward a pre-owned 1988 prelude si 5mt. Another great car, third generation, which ushered in four-wheel steering.
Keeping the trunk secure means someone can't break into the car through a window and gain access to the trunk where someone might have valuables or firearms stored.
That and the Japanese and even German cars marketed these features heavily when valeting your car so the valet driver can't get into your possessions.
San Francisco feature
@@thndr_5468 Dem-run city feature.
There weren't any of these preludes in 80s in my old hood. But definitely were a couple in 90s. Exquisite example. Rare as gold. ❤💛💜👌😎
Around here you can bairly find a door of one let alone a beautiful example like that !
I was 18 in 1984. My neighbor just took delivery of a new red 1985 Prelude 5 speed. What an awesome car. I drove it quite a bit. I loved how low the hood line was on it.
I was also shocked at how smooth and refined it was compared to other cars on the road at the time. One of the things that sticks in my head about it was the tiny radio knobs. I thought that was funny.
I ended up with a new black 1997 Prelude SH later. I sold it in 2001 for nearly what I paid for it. I hear you have a little experience with a 5th Gen Prelude.
No Mrs Wizard - the key-cylinder above the back seat back is actually a release - not a lock. Prevents the seat from folding unless you release the latch with the key.
Try "Hoshi Motors" in Boulder, Colorado, Wizard. Although in recent years, they now also service Subaru and Toyota cars, for many years they serviced only Hondas, so they have a good supply of older Honda parts. Give them a try! (P.S. ... They are extremely customer oriented and will post any complaint letters they receive on the wall in plain sight (because they get so few of them.)
Oh ya... "Hoshi Motors" are great! They might have the parts Wizard needs.
Mrs. Wiz...in 87 i had 4 adults and 2 100 lbs dobermans in that 84 Prelude for a 150 mile road trip...it was a little close quarters i must say...lol
Started in a 1987 Accord sedan, 5spd with carb. Loved that car. This vintage Hondas are prone to rust on the top section of the rear fender, right above the tire. Love vintage Hondas!
Had a 1987 accord Lxi fuel injected. Great car. Was a 5 spd. Handled like a race car.
Loved my 88 accord 5 speed manual coupe with the pop up headlights. So much fun to drive.
Love these 80s/90s Hondas I plan to get ef hatch myself love those little things
Beautiful car! My friend's Dad had a red one, loved it.
Loved that generation of Prelude. Honda in general was awesome in the 80’s. My favorite car was an ‘84 civic S
I had a RED 84 Prelude from HS through college at UCSB and loved it! Fun to see the interior after all these years. It wasn't fast but it handled well with my Continental CH51 tires that saved me from a few car accidents.
Cleaner than my toilet!
Same here lol
1 broken vacuum line and the car wont idle or work...😅 Fuckin annoying i bet..
@@MeisterSchaft13isn’t that how all cars are lol
@@MeisterSchaft13 Not really, and it depends what the vacuum line is for. EGR valve? Will still idle smooth as silk.
Cleaner than Skeeter's peter!
A red 1983 Prelude was my first car and I bought it with my own $$ when I was 16 months n 1989. I wish I had never sold it. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I never realized (I was a kid) that the car had that unique vacuum control system.
The '86 Luda Si was fun to drive. Earliest Honda I ever owned. Thanks for the flash back.
Thanks for the memories. Beautiful, well maintained car. I owned a 1985 Honda Prelude, 5 speed stick in Charcoal Gray. Bought it new. Came with Dunlop tires. Hidden headlights were quite the thing back then. The interior seats were very much like those shown by Mrs. Wizard in the video. The little hatch in the back seat was to put skis through. Great car, fun to drive, a sharp little sporty car. Plenty of pep. Put a smile on my face. Ps. The Southern California based Honda dealership I serviced my car at got in big trouble with Honda because they were putting 10W50 weight oil in every Honda that came in for service!
Awesome!
Thanks Wizard! As an '80's Toyota owner, I always admired these for their styling and reliability. IIRC at that time, Hondas were much in demand and a smidge pricey for my budget. Euroasian Bob for the win!
The Preludes, especially the Si, were not cheap. I got an Integra in 1990 because it was a lot less expensive. The base Prelude was slower as well, nicer though.
9:32 I have a '97 and the locks on these are pretty cool. When you bought them new for the 5th gen, you got two black keys and a grey key. The black keys turn every cylinder on the car, but the grey key was a "valet" key. You could lock the cylinder on the trunk switch and the glove box with your black "master" key and the valet key couldn't open them. You can only start the car with the valet key.
I bought a 1981 Honda Accord in 1984. 1.8 liter engine with 40K miles on it, 5 speed stick. 45mpg on the highway, plenty of power for Freeway Driving. By far the best car I ever owned. Great video, Thanks for sharing!
Sweet Prelude!!
two-point-two-yeah?
Believe yeah. Thing fockin flies yeah.
I worked on those when they were new. Honda also had fog lamps that had electrical operating doors on them.
I loved those and wanted one so bad. I had a silver Civic hatchback that I absolutely loved. But I always wanted a Prelude, or especially, a CRX.
This is why I enjoy this channel so much. Seeing interesting content like this. Getting to learn about a cool little car that has survived throughout the years. Thank you!
I had an '85 5sp Prelude and it was awesome
I love these! The mid 80s Prelude was a dream car of mine when I started driving. I remember when they were everywhere, too. I did end up getting a 1986 Honda Accord LXi hatchback years ago. Such a cool car. Loads of space, super well built, comfortable. Looked sporty and it handled pretty well too. Man I miss that car!
The Honda Prelude was the hottest high school / college car of the 80's and 90's. They were sharp. Offered in a base and an Si.
They really weren't as reliable as they were thought to be. They had front CV Joint issues, leaky valve guides, fuel issues, and typically everything except the windshield and tires would prematurely rust out.
I agree, I'm going to 44 years old and these were everywhere. I remember them falling apart on their last legs and ppl just kept pushing them. Especially kids in high school. This is a keeper. I have an '88 Camry that's a keeper, but getting harder to find parts for that too! Especially comedic. Good luck with the struts, It gets very frustrating. Might have to take a similar struct and have a machine shop fabricate it. Even if you source NOS, the ods are it will be bad/dried out.
5:12 the damn golf tee hose plug! 😂
I bought a used car once that done to it.
In our end of the woods they used marbles.
Ball bearings were common in Australia. Smart mechanics used ones that were slightly larger than the ID of the hose, and were almost undetectable. Dumb ones used huge ones so the vac lines looked like a snake that had just eaten a rat. Instant fail during the annual inspection…..
There’s a guy in my town that has a Prelude like the own you showed. Also pristine and a pleasure to see. What a great car.
I love the cars from the 80s Honda was the best kind of car that you can possibly get back in the day
My friends still had his grandfather's 84 Accord in this type of shape a few years ago, and I imagine still does.
My mom had a 1985 carbureted Prelude with an automatic transmission just like this one back in the day. Hers was gray. Since then, I have always wanted to come across one of these cars because today they are classics. My dream car is to find one of these in the SI trim level, which is fuel injected and I would also like to find one with the optional 5 speed manual transmission.
We're not all the Honda manual transmissions 5 speed in this era?
@@BurntOrangeHorn78 surprisingly no, there was a lot of Hondas that were produced both with automatic and manual transmissions.
@@mds2465
Oh yeah I know that, but my comment pertained only to the manual transmissions. The automatics were forgettable in the extreme.
@@BurntOrangeHorn78 at one point, my mother and both of her sisters had Hondas with automatic transmissions in the 80s. My mother obviously had the Prelude and her sisters both had Honda Accords.
@@mds2465
I remember the Accord had pop up headlights, but I liked the Acura Legend blended fixed headlights better among a few other things.
what a wonderful museum piece, i would love to have a car while that styling, but with some more modern features in the engine
I have a 2001 manual transmission prelude sitting in my garage right now it’s been there for 20 years has 152,000 miles has been fantastic and an absolute dream to drive. I argue to this day the greatest four-cylinder ever made was Honda 2.2 L VTEC.
I agree, I have an 85 Prelude like the one in this video - but with that H22 2.2L VTEC motor swapped in :)
I also have a black,2001 Prelude 5 speed, leather interior in my garage right now. Just had the whole front end repainted and with brand new genuine headlights installed ,looks brand new. 175 thousand kms. I’ve had it since 2004 It was built on October 10 of ‘01 so it’s gotta be close to one of the last ones ever built I’m thinking. Hello from British Columbia 😊
Thanks for the cool visit today! I enjoyed peeping around the shop and appreciate you giving up some of your time.
1984=40 years old, dang it means my Kid is middle aged. Now that I'm thoroughly depressed, I'm going out to my garage and look at my 1984 Toyota PU and hope nothing breaks. Been stockpiling parts for a few years.
Been stockpiling parts for my 1984 Toyota SR5 truck for 22 years. You're basically 14+ years too late for most stuff by now.
I drove a '86 for years. The odometer quit working at about 300,000 miles, and I drove it off and on for another 10 years.
I sold it to a coworker after a divorce because I didn't have anywhere to put it.
I know that he was still driving it a few years ago. I still regret selling it.
Such a beautiful car, back in the 80's I really wanted one of these. This example look incredible! Amazing to see, thank you.
I want that so bad. In the 90s I had an 86 accord all lowered like fast and furious way before that movie existed and all I wanted was this prelude!
A good friend of mine (whom I'm still friends with) in the 90s, had a 1985 Honda Accord stick shift lowered and straight pipe exhaust. I rode all over the place with him in that car. Brings back good memories.
WOW! Should b in a museum!! How spotless!
Most of the ones I see are 95 and newer!
Time capsule!
I was literally just telling a co-worker how much id love to have my grandpa's old 80s accord because of the beautiful blue interior and the Pop up headlights and boom theres a mint 80s honda with Mr. Wizard standing by it. I hit that play button so quick all u saw was a frickin blurrr
That is literally your phone or computer spying on you.
That car is so clean that I have to remove my shoes before entering it.
That's how I'd feel! Wow!
I had one of those, it handle like a dream, The main problem i remember with them is that the cowl would rust out causing all kinds of issues and the sunroof as well. But that would be if you lived is a rust belt area... I really liked that car.
I had a 88 red
In 1986 at the ripe age of 22 i had a decision between buying a new Toyota MR2 or a new Honda Prelude both with manual transmissions. i went with the MR2. don’t regret it one bit but i always loved the simplicity of the prelude. watching this brings back memories of what it could’ve been. Love the dashboard layout and the simplicity of the analog controls.
this one was definitely garaged. beautiful condition
A Honda is one of the only cars of that age where the flip-up headlights will still work!
JMO, the Hondas of that era seem to have more durable plastics and interiors than Toyotas of the same timeframe. Of course, this one has been properly babied and likely garaged (which is great).
@@NVRAMboipeople forget in the era Honda was beating Toyota in performance and quality
My ‘87 (GM) Holden has headlight flippers giving a semi-concealed headlight appearance and they still work flawlessly. It’s not just the Japanese who can make reliable mod-cons.
Those Prelude's were the coolest! Reminds me of my first Honda, an '86 Accord hatchback LXi with those pop-up headlights. Had it for 14 years and about 160k trouble free miles on it when I got in a fender-bender accident and sold it to my mechanic. What a great car.
As a proxy shipping service based in Japan, I will fetch you the parts! Tell me the parts list/numbers.
Nicest car you have worked on this year. Best wishes from UK
I used to have a brand new 1997 Prelude base model. Let me tell you none of the late model Hondas are built like what they used to in the early 80s and 90s. Right now everything is cutting corners.
Honda 1.5Ts blowing head gaskets at 80k miles now. They are just not made to last like before.
What a great blast from the past! Thank you!
I was in Kindergarten in 1984
Same here...
Pop Up up and down Headlights!!!!
Most of those Preludes and other 80s Japanese cars ran until the bodies rusted away, which happened pretty quickly.
Yep, I had an 89 Nissan 240sx back in 00 and it already had huge rust holes in the rear rockers that entered the cabin.
Those cars simply do not exist in the rust belt, even 20 years ago spotting one was ultra rare.
I do feel for the rust belt folks. Many a great vehicle has succumbed to years of road salt exposure.
Down here in Georgia I still see late 90’s Hondas and Toyotas pretty often. It’s rare to see anything as old as this Prelude though.
@@volvo09 Even Euro. cars
My 40 yr old son's first car was a 1985 Prelude, his second car was a 1989 Prelude which he sold many years ago, he loved that car so a few years ago he bought another 89 and I'm currently in the process of restoring it, almost finished rebuilding the engine but like you I'm struggling to find parts, even something as basic as injector seals were hard to find, been waiting weeks for a timing belt tensioner spring which somehow got lost.
I had the ALTERNATIVE Honda Prelude...
A 1989 Acura Integra LS 2door with moonroof. Pop up lights...1.6 dohc 4 cylinder...118hp....and a 5 speed.
It was awesome. 😄
Great video as always, love the 80s cars, used to be standard street furniture, now almost all gone. Thanks Wizard, top work fella!
Gas cap locks were so 80s cuz of the fuel crisiss