Had a cousin who got rid of his because of the manual transmission starting to fail. Now that you said they're rare maybe he should have kept it and just fix it. He has a Chrysler now 200 now 🤦😑
I know a guy that’s almost stock except for the exhaust and intake but it’s under 100k miles or so and is a manual. Currently it’s had a random loss in mpg though that we can’t quite figure out.
the prelude i bought few month ago was a manual and was pretty stock too, but not in this good shape. Even so, it was a SH type, so 200hp, but the guy had bring it to the dyno and he said that he gave it 5hp more. But it's still a fun car to drive
Bryce Czirr maybe the 5th gen compared to competition, but the third gen had a mechanical 4WS, and at the time was literally the best cornering production car ever. 4th gen vtec also has a 0-60 of 6.3 seconds, which was pretty good for a 2.2L in 1993.
They are fun to drive for sure, but also loud on the freeway. The manuals really could have used a 6th gear overdrive! A buddy totalled his Prelude but it was still drivable, we had a blast driving the hell out of it before it went to the junkyard!
Its insane to me that he made that comment about Honda not making any true sport cars. An NSX was F1 bred and is made to be a driver cars. Oh, and an F20C from an S2K revs to 9k..... How can you say they have never made a sports car...… That comment cut me DEEP....
Honda is one of the best sports car builders of all time, they are just lazy when it comes to updating their designs. I owned an S2000 in 2004, probably the best car I have ever driven and many, Integras, Accords, Civics as daily drivers with no mod all are great cars....
Wizard hasn’t a clue about Honda,s only a while ago he was telling us the NSX was not a sports car, now he tell us a prelude is a sports car, and now he’s telling us Honda introduced the VTEC in the prelude in which it didn’t, that was the 1989 integra B16, he should let Hoovie do the cars and he should just fixed the foking things
Still driving my 01 , electron blue and its manual. Been 19 years on the road and it still runs like new. Never been in the shop and i proudly do all the work under the hood. Still love this rare jem.
I basically agree. I would do a few more 'mods' along the same line, like upgraded shocks, stainless brake hoses, paint the calipers. I might switch the coolant hoses to silicone if I am feeling really ambitious.
Absolutely beautiful car, Wizard! I had a 2000 Milano red Prelude SH. My sister currently drives a 1999 Automatic that is stock. I put an after market exhaust & cold air intake on mine. The intake ran down and behind a vent in the bumper. I also had 17" Enkei six spoke rims. Mine had about 40K miles on it when I purchased it. I had to repaint the hood, mirrors, & rear spoiler because the Texas sun had faded those sections pink. The car looked & ran fantastic. I once owned a 1992 Acura NSX, and I always felt that this Prelude was in many ways an equal to that car. I referred to my 'Lude as a "mini NSX'...it was just that good. Be prepared to be challenged by each & every Mustang driver you encounter. This car FLYS! "VTECH, YO!" 😎
Make sure you put the wheels on the correct side. They are marked left and right and the spoke patter shows you when they are misplaced. Also upgrade the suspension. having Eibach street spring will keep the factory ride confort but lower it few couple of inches for better look on the open wheel arch. I will keep it stock but fix the paint job that seems to be not color match (at least on video) and put back all the emblems. If you like the Vtec just add a proper cold air intake and you will enjoy the loud Vtec sound.
I have a hard time keeping the sound system stock in any of my vehicles, but otherwise that car is a time capsule and modifications will only devalue it. I'd drive it until the automatic inevitably dies (Honda autos have been junk for a long time) and then manual swap it and keep on going.
Wizard says “don’t buy a Northstar” then buys 2! Wizard advises “which Hondas to buy....NONE with automatic trans”....then of course buys a Honda with an automatic.
Literally one of the worst autos for Honda. Any Accord based platform with a auto, which includes this generation of Prelude, will literally be out by 100k
I had those same wheels on my accord. For the longest time I had em mixed up. One day this unexpecting dude walked up and said, you know those are directional wheels right?. Needless to say, I felt dumb🤦♂️😁
That car has directional rims the rear wheels need to be flipped. Great car though A manual transmission will make it even more fun to drive and not that expensive to do
BiggestComplainer haha you are the biggest complainer!!😂😂 Everyone that's done it says the same thing. It must be like going up Everest 2x. People only need to go 1x!
If I didn't want to swap the transmission on my own, how much does it usually cost to get it done? I've got a automatic 5th gen and I regretted buying it lol
Lucked out hard and found one for sale locally around where I live this summer. 2000 Prelude, manual, bone stock and clean as a whistle with 55000 miles on it. Paid a pretty penny for it, but what a beautiful little car it's been. They're at a weird place now where the clean ones are rare to come across and pricey, but there are still a decent number of them dirt-cheap and dirt condition to be found.
I own a 2001 prelude and I love it. The only two things I have done to this car is a new air intake for the VTEC function as well as new rims since mine were road rashed. The car by itself is really the beauty of it and I would not do much. Sooner or later I would like to get a new radio just to be able to listen to my music but that is not necessary. Really happy someone else in the car world is giving the prelude line some spotlight, the car deserves it in my opinion. It is really awesome to have Honda enthusiasts come up to me and question what car this is and why they have never heard of it. Enjoy your prelude wizard!!
I wanted one of these SO BAD when I first started driving, I got my drivers license in 2004 at the prime of these cars. Instead I ended up with a 1989 Honda accord SE-I because thats what I could afford. I will buy one of these preludes one day just because!
I have a 2001 5mt nighthawk black pearl. She was made 9/01...one of the last few made as production stopped 10/01. I'll never sell it, its safe in my garage😁
Looking at this prelude brings me back. My dad had an Acura CL which I'm pretty sure is just the Acura version of the same car. That car handled like a dream. You've got a really nice example here. The paint is gorgeous.
I love Hondas, especially mid-90s to mid 2000’s era. My mom had a Prelude that was the previous generation to this one and it had four wheel steering on it. That was a fantastic car. Since you have the ability and the shop for it, I’d love to see a manual swap on this prelude if it’s at all feasible. Keep it as stock as possible but putting a manual in would just make it that much more fun to drive.
i had one of those also automatic nice reliable car, wasnt screaming at me on the highways, fun to drive. I kept it pretty much stock aside from powder coating the valve cover and changing the seats.
To be fair Scotty uses clickbait as as a joke. Scotty calls it as it is, Car Wizard may be OK with some cars that in honesty you wouldn't consider if you cant fix it yourself, though I think that's obvious. Horses for courses.
@@jafp1617 what "facts"? He's a raging old man. Some of what he says is good information, but mostly he complains about anything that might require a little TLC. He's the epitome of US car ownership where we beat on and abuse everything and not take care of it, and call it crap when it fails.
When I bought mine back in 2001 the guy at the dealership was telling me how people didn’t really like this model but after discontinued every one wanted one. In my early 20s Honda’s were popular and the prelude was the higher end honda, it was a nice 4cilinder smoker.
I bought me a 2001 Prelude about a month ago with a bad transmission, and am currently working on a swap to manual.. I'm glad to see one of my favorite car UA-cam channels to be featuring one too, especially since mine is in Kansas also
Had mine since 10/1/01. Still running strong. Other than passenger side replaced from deer, she's still running strong. Gonna give her a paint job in a couple of months. Everyone wants to buy her but i CANNOT let her go. Been with me and more dependable than most women!
Just run it as is and enjoy it, if the auto dies like everyone says it will then swap it with a manual if you want more fun and leave everything else as it came
I had a '97 Base 5MT. Drove it from 15K to 160K, and did zero mods to the car. It really didn't need anything, as it was already a blast to drive. Plus, anyone I knew that did modify their preludes, only ran into several problems down the line. I regret not replacing the clutch at 160K, as I traded the car on a brand new Subaru WRX, which was not nearly as reliable, but otherwise was nearly as fun to drive as the Prelude. Thanks for posting up this underrated dream car.
I would manual swap for no other reason than reliability. That auto probably won’t last long but it really depends what kind of people drove it all it’s life. These cars are easy to work on though and I hope we get to see more content on it!
Absolutely correct. The integra xsi got the b16a back in 89 as well as the civic and crx sir in japan. Vtec first showed up in north america in the nsx. I think the first civic to get it in north america was the del sol vtec with the b16a as well.
@@acura2g Honda is Acura in the United States and it made in Japan for Domestic and export. As far as I am concerned I think he's off. If we are talking about Honda USDM alone that would be the Prelude
I just finished restoring a 2001 Prelude SH and did some minor tasteful mods. Bottom line this car is heavy and slow but it's got the vintage cool factor from Hondas of a bygone era, still looks unique and quite pretty 20 years later, and there's just something about driving around in an old school analog Honda. I love mine. Made my own short shifter and exhaust and did mounts and a few other odds and ends. Being that it's an AT I can't really recommend any mods, just keep it as is and enjoy. These Preludes are head turners.
7:49 the moment I saw that tread pattern, I IMMEDIATELY knew that was a Douglas Performance (i have the pleasure of installing them 5 days a week as a Walmart ACC Technician); so this Prelude or at the very least that rim has seen the inside of a Walmart Auto Care Center. fun little fact, Douglas tires are actually manufactured by Goodyear! i would definitely keep that tire as a good spare.
ipariszalonna An SH to me is a waste of money! The ATTS system was more of a gimmick than anything and a clutch job is 14 hours of labor plus 500.00 in parts!
Craig Jorgensen owning both 2000 base and 2001 sh both manuals they was a noticeable difference in aggressive driving especially sharp corners like entering highway
Casey McCulloch Well...I guess. I worked for Honda in those years and, yeah, there was “some” difference to those who drove aggressively but it was mostly a gimmick. Just like the 4WD Preludes!
@@craigjorgensen4637 I own a JDM type S (194,000 miles) right now and I've never experienced anything like this atts thing. If you begin to understeer you have to retrain your mind to put your foot down and not let off more..its like God pulls you round the corner haha
If I had this specific car I would seriously consider a manual transmission swap, but at the very least I would pay for some really good really sticky tyres, thicker anti roll bars, high quality brake disks and pads, high quality brake fluid, new brake hoses, and probably some polyurethane bushes for the suspension. That's pretty much it, it doesn't need forced induction or nitrous oxide, it needs to be enjoyed for what it is. With that in mind, that's exactly why it needs new tyres and new brakes. Both of those have come so far in the last twenty odd years it seems silly not to get them upgraded to modern standards.
Man I miss mine. 1997 5-speed, eucalyptus green pearl with the 2-tone interior and OEM chin spoiler. First car I bought on my own. Put tens of thousands of miles on that car, was a great road trip car for two. Had the VTEC solenoid get clogged, it loved to eat 1-2 quarts between oil changes, also ate a clutch at 80k miles and a few other minor quibbles but when she warmed up and got on the hot cam it was a blast to drive. I miss the precise steering that could tell you the brand of cigarette butt you just drove over by feel alone, the crisp turn-in, high quality (but simple) interior, manual radio/climate controls that never broke...the thing was a scalpel whereas my ‘07 CTSV is a brute sledgehammer with fragile Delco electronics that love to leave me stranded, or without AC or with an ever present CEL for an obscure clutch position problem. But alas I met a girl 10 years ago I knew I’d marry and would want babies, and the ‘Ludes back seat was good only for dogs and bags. Still miss that little Honda. Automatics suck the soul out of them though.
Take special care with that Sportshift transmission. Change the fluid regularly, add an external transmission cooler, and use sportshift as very little as possible. The Sportshift in my 1998 lasted until 223,400 miles.
@@mrgmc6314 IIRC rwd conversions on Preludes are not a cheap endeavor. Lots and lots of fabricating just to get a driveshaft under the already really low interior floorline.
This brings back memories from when I was a teenager and my best friend had this exact car with a manual in Canadian spec. Kilometers instead of miles on the speedo and odometer. I think he still regrets selling his because they're almost extinct now.
Hey Wizard....things I would do: get the paint squared away(entire repaint if necessary), polish headlights, new tires(have wheels professionally polished before you mount new tires), repaint valve cover, and last but not least a Borla muffler(everything else on exhaust leave stock). Replace all emblems and replace passenger door latch.......that’s it
Owned a 97 and 98 Prelude, both bought for $250 dollars. One needed a trans and one needed the immobilizer bypassed at the ECU. Definitely change the trans fluid using Honda fluids and do it every 30k or less (since changed the fluid to a newer version). Also recommend cleaning the EGR and replacing the gaskets there. Also pull all the EGR port plugs with slide hammer and clean out. Not many videos on this online so may be a good video for you. I had a green and red one so it Brough back some memories of mine seeing your red Lude!! Just subscribed and glad to see you have the same interest in the prelude as I had as well!
Too bad it's not a Type SH. Now that would be a rare Prelude. Overall, it's a great car. I always loved those. Glad to see one getting preserved. If it were mine, it'd receive a refresh/maintenance and just be driven. Zero mods, it's fantastic in stock form.
All I would change is to put in a nice tasteful media player and new speakers. 90's audio was absolute trash. Any rubber bushings probably need to be changed to. Keep it as stock as possible! nice find!
@@saiga12 Yes you can, but at least the ones I've used have never been the most reliable thing simply do to the fact my area is jammed with so many stations on the FM band so trying to find a clear one is tough.
@@CommodoreFan64 I'm talking about the ones that physically plug into the car's antenna connector. It sits, signal-wise, between the car's antenna and the radio's antenna input. The ones that broadcast an FM signal wirelessly are garbage.
I had a pearl white 1998 model with an automatic. Fell in love with the car after driving it in PS4 Gran Turismo. It handled great and still looks good twenty years later. It was a very expensive car in it's day so they didn't sell many. It's one of the very few cars i reget selling. I'd leave it completely stock, put the decals on the trunk and replace the door handle. It'll be much nicer than modding it. It's like seeing a 1998 Supra Turbo but some kid ruined it with gaudy wheels and a coffee can exhaust. These cars are best left stock and hold their value much better that way. Great find, I'm jealous. 😀
I happened to watch the 'totaled Prelude' video last night.....and now just seeing this was a newly-purchased car you had big plans for. Glad your daughter is OK, but I can't imagine how incredibly frustrating this situation must be. Hope you had good insurance to make you whole on this and look forward to the VW Beetle repairs and upgrades.
I had a 1997 prelude vti-r auto with 47k on engine 148k on the body, engine was replaced at honda dealer at a cost of 6k. Bought it for 3900 and transmission had an issue, planning to convert to manual but no time. Sold it for 4900. I miss it a lot and it was much more comfortable and sporty than modern cars i had. Modern cars have stiffer suspension to give you sporty feeling to hide cheap suspension set up etc. And sound system was awesome. Cheers from Australia
Hi Mr Wizard I am a proud owner of 97 prelude since I was 18 back in 99. I have owned a 87 prelude si prior to this model. As an 18 years old back in the day and at the height of the fast and furious era I too was tempted to "Rice out" my car. But I see the prelude as an elegant car in a sea of civics, integras and S2000. So my approach of modifying my prelude was strictly sticking with the honda oem accessory catalog and what other jdm catalogs I could find through out the years. This is also including unicorn parts that are listed on hondas sister company Mugen. It was very hard and took many years to obtain some of the parts that I have on my prelude but she looks very elegant and tastefully modified. Till this day I am still on the hunt for these unicorn parts but it's very fun and rewarding to me. I will never part with my BB6 and you sir just bought a really nice car. Congrats, Mugen BB6
Worked at a Honda dealer and had a customer roll in with a 2001 Prelude one day. A little over 15,000 kms in the (then) 16 years that the car had been on the road for. Turns out the lady's son grew up liking, and owning, several Preludes and eventually bought a new one. Only to suddenly die a few months later. So the mother kept the car and drove it a handful of times a year. The underside was beyond immaculate. One of the problem's with Preludes was Honda used it as a testbed of sorts for their new technology, so some things on the car aren't as interchangeable as the rest of the Honda line up.
I love the fifth gen Honda preludes. I would keep it some what stock but done very tastefully. I would add 17 or 18’ wheels and some bolt on stuff like maybe stainless steel exhaust and highflow cats. Tune up, bigger spark plug wires, air intakes( ones that actually make some hp on the dyno) and of course a dry air filter( no k&n’s k&n oil filters are not that great-dry air filters better). I would beef up the brakes and add beefed up suspension pieces and brace up the body with bolts ons. That’s about it. It would be nice cruiser. Good luck with it!
Welcome to Jacksonville when you get here and if I had that car I would wanna look at the timing belt and water pump maybe replace it for peace of mind
Wizard I would leave it as is. I'm very much a big fan of leaving cars as original as possible. I personally have a 1999 Acura 3.5 Rl that just went over 300k and it's 98 percent original. I Love your videos and have LEARNED a great deal from you. Thank you very very much!!! You and Mrs wizard are truly classy people and please stay safe through this whole cov-19 Situation.
###Thats crazy same car I love#### I would put new wider tires maybe 235/55/17 and maybe buff paint and fix handle. Also maybe get it tinted legal specs. Def keep stock headlight and tailight housings just upgrade to led lighting. Then if you really want a hard mod change to the manual lol. BUT Def a cool car one of my favorites.
still daily drivin my 97 SH. I've had it for almost 20 yrs now. fun and reliable. I see a lot of YT comments about folks missing their old lude, so I'm kinda hesitant to let it go even though my wife hates it...
They aren't as fun as the manuals, but from my experience with Honda's of that vintage, the automatics can be fun and peppy too. Just short a gear. My Civic peels tires in first and chirps into second on the 4 speed auto. My Accord did the same. Both would shift on demand no slop or lag like the American brands.
@@taylorc2542 accord coupe of this era with a stick would have been 150hp max. This has 195-200hp. Accord coupe v6 had 200 also but only automatic, weighed more and didn't handle nearly as good...far from an accord.
@@taylorc2542 very wrong there Sir steering, suspension tuning interior exterior everything about the prelude is different. Similarities maybe but not the same.
I had the h22a in a 94 Honda Accord- we modified it with a new pod filter, ignition, ECU and after market manifold and exhaust that gave it a low dark growl.. very reliable and fun to drive
I had a 1997 type SH red 5th gen. All were manual. 👍🏼The pink doors are factory painted. Honda red doesn’t hold up at all. What a fun and great looking car for a young guy in college. 😃
The information source I used was incorrect. This was not the vehicle that VTEC was as introduced on. It was the Integra. Thanks for the help guys.
Cough nsx cough lol
Had a cousin who got rid of his because of the manual transmission starting to fail. Now that you said they're rare maybe he should have kept it and just fix it. He has a Chrysler now 200 now 🤦😑
In 1989
Yea it was the NSX that had vtec first.
The NSX in 1990 was the first.
And in 1983 the Honda CBR400 had the prototype version of VTEC called Rev-Up.
I´ve come here again to pay respects to this car.
A stock Prelude, wow that’s rare!
-Automatic
Oh, that’s why
That and the fact that 99.9% of these cars have been beaten and modded to death.
I know a guy that’s almost stock except for the exhaust and intake but it’s under 100k miles or so and is a manual. Currently it’s had a random loss in mpg though that we can’t quite figure out.
@@lildwell2 not even good mods
Mods that leave the car half broken and poorly running.
And like most base models, 2 wheels are on the wrong side.
the prelude i bought few month ago was a manual and was pretty stock too, but not in this good shape. Even so, it was a SH type, so 200hp, but the guy had bring it to the dyno and he said that he gave it 5hp more. But it's still a fun car to drive
Glad the preludes finally getting some recognition, hidden gem in Honda’s lineup
Love mine. If they made them rwd they be much more popular and selling today
Bryce Czirr maybe the 5th gen compared to competition, but the third gen had a mechanical 4WS, and at the time was literally the best cornering production car ever. 4th gen vtec also has a 0-60 of 6.3 seconds, which was pretty good for a 2.2L in 1993.
Bryce Czirr I don’t think the prelude needs to beat the best fwd car of all time to still be a really good car.
That h22 engine in that car can handle a ton of power
They are fun to drive for sure, but also loud on the freeway. The manuals really could have used a 6th gear overdrive!
A buddy totalled his Prelude but it was still drivable, we had a blast driving the hell out of it before it went to the junkyard!
Little did he know, that in two months, that car would be totaled. :(
@8:20 famous last words
Wizard: 'Honda doesn't make cool sports cars'
Wizard one month later: 'this Honda Prelude is a cool car'.
jjmarz1001 obviously you haven’t ridden in a NSX! Defiantly a great sports car and very fast!
Its insane to me that he made that comment about Honda not making any true sport cars. An NSX was F1 bred and is made to be a driver cars. Oh, and an F20C from an S2K revs to 9k..... How can you say they have never made a sports car...… That comment cut me DEEP....
Honda is one of the best sports car builders of all time, they are just lazy when it comes to updating their designs. I owned an S2000 in 2004, probably the best car I have ever driven and many, Integras, Accords, Civics as daily drivers with no mod all are great cars....
Wizard hasn’t a clue about Honda,s only a while ago he was telling us the NSX was not a sports car, now he tell us a prelude is a sports car, and now he’s telling us Honda introduced the VTEC in the prelude in which it didn’t, that was the 1989 integra B16, he should let Hoovie do the cars and he should just fixed the foking things
he did say this...
Still driving my 01 , electron blue and its manual. Been 19 years on the road and it still runs like new. Never been in the shop and i proudly do all the work under the hood. Still love this rare jem.
my 4th gen is painted the 2001 electron blue. BEST color honda made.
R.I.P this 2001 Honda Prelude.
I'd manual swap it with all the factory parts to do so, interior and exterior, and leave it there.
I absolutely second this statement. It would make this Prelude “Most sought after” = PERIOD.
@@johnnyBqwazy are more sought after would be a factory manual. A swapped car and a stock one isn't same value wise.
EXACTLY! Manual swap and leave it!
Thank you Car Wizard for giving the Prelude the love it deserved!
Underrated car!
I've always love the 5th gen Prelude, such a nice, understated design.
It's funny how this was a suggested video right after I watched the video where your daughter ruined the Prelude.
I'd keep it standard, maybe swap out the exhaust for a stainless one. They're too rare to butcher with heavy modifications.
I basically agree. I would do a few more 'mods' along the same line, like upgraded shocks, stainless brake hoses, paint the calipers. I might switch the coolant hoses to silicone if I am feeling really ambitious.
@@RandomVids519 It prevents rust...?
@@superdupergrover9857 calipers and rotors always rust no matter what.
Manual transmition plz...But that would spoils the originalty of the car.....
@@MrDuceOwen Agreed. From getting hot/cold and the road debris/water from being low to the ground and having some bare metallic surfaces.
The directional rims on the wrong sides is killing me!
Absolutely beautiful car, Wizard! I had a 2000 Milano red Prelude SH. My sister currently drives a 1999 Automatic that is stock. I put an after market exhaust & cold air intake on mine. The intake ran down and behind a vent in the bumper. I also had 17" Enkei six spoke rims. Mine had about 40K miles on it when I purchased it. I had to repaint the hood, mirrors, & rear spoiler because the Texas sun had faded those sections pink. The car looked & ran fantastic.
I once owned a 1992 Acura NSX, and I always felt that this Prelude was in many ways an equal to that car. I referred to my 'Lude as a "mini NSX'...it was just that good.
Be prepared to be challenged by each & every Mustang driver you encounter.
This car FLYS! "VTECH, YO!" 😎
Make sure you put the wheels on the correct side. They are marked left and right and the spoke patter shows you when they are misplaced. Also upgrade the suspension. having Eibach street spring will keep the factory ride confort but lower it few couple of inches for better look on the open wheel arch. I will keep it stock but fix the paint job that seems to be not color match (at least on video) and put back all the emblems. If you like the Vtec just add a proper cold air intake and you will enjoy the loud Vtec sound.
Keep it *STOCK*!!!
J37 swap
I have a hard time keeping the sound system stock in any of my vehicles, but otherwise that car is a time capsule and modifications will only devalue it. I'd drive it until the automatic inevitably dies (Honda autos have been junk for a long time) and then manual swap it and keep on going.
@@406Steven those speakers are really crap allways
I disagree. What this car needs is some 22's and hydraulics
@@406Steven the one in my prelude is stock at 212k and still works good, idk how..
Stings like hell to see this show up in recommended
Lots of people re-watching this one now. Sorry it's gone. Can your daughter drive manual?
Such a fun car to drive, steering is so precise, I think this generation of prelude is my favorite. It has that 80's prelude retro look.
Wizard says “don’t buy a Northstar” then buys 2! Wizard advises “which Hondas to buy....NONE with automatic trans”....then of course buys a Honda with an automatic.
His suggestions have the disclaimer "unless you are a mechanic."
Literally one of the worst autos for Honda. Any Accord based platform with a auto, which includes this generation of Prelude, will literally be out by 100k
@@goldendevereaux 4cyl should be okay
Its tip-tronic....you can shift it like paddles, but with the stick.
Hoovie is a very bad influence!
Car Wizard! Don't let your daughter drive it!
she took while he and Mrs. Wizard was away
The rear wheels have been swapped from side to side. Those are directional rims back ones are on wrong side
Came looking for this comment haha
@@Julian-do7bv same here.
I had those same wheels on my accord. For the longest time I had em mixed up. One day this unexpecting dude walked up and said, you know those are directional wheels right?. Needless to say, I felt dumb🤦♂️😁
Ha ha almost posted this exact comment good eye
My inner 'Rainman' was freakin,'Rear rims are backward,rear rims are backward....'
If Hoovie bought Hondas hed run out of content to make. On this weeks episode all of my cars are running and there are no leaks! Goodbye!
That car has directional rims the rear wheels need to be flipped. Great car though A manual transmission will make it even more fun to drive and not that expensive to do
Actually the rear are correct the front need flipped
Just do a transmission swap for a manual. The car is perfect as is.
It's a survivor, so I Would only do maintenance, a good set of tires, brake pads. MAYBE a manual swap, but very unlikely.
agreed - the H22a doesnt lend itself lightly to tinkering unless - its all out tinkering..like a weekend bender.
Manual swaps are mandatory. These era Honda Automatic transmissions are trash.
A real, honest project for the car would be a manual transmission conversion.
Oh yeah! Automatic on a Honda Prelude??? It spoils the whole experince of the car....plz wizard just put an manual transmition on...
He would have to modify a lot but, that could happen. is it worth the expense? I would not for me but, it would sell a lot of content on youtube.
BiggestComplainer haha you are the biggest complainer!!😂😂 Everyone that's done it says the same thing. It must be like going up Everest 2x. People only need to go 1x!
I think a t2t4 transmission would utilize the power quite well.
If I didn't want to swap the transmission on my own, how much does it usually cost to get it done? I've got a automatic 5th gen and I regretted buying it lol
My favorite Honda ever! Such an awesome looking car!
Lucked out hard and found one for sale locally around where I live this summer. 2000 Prelude, manual, bone stock and clean as a whistle with 55000 miles on it. Paid a pretty penny for it, but what a beautiful little car it's been. They're at a weird place now where the clean ones are rare to come across and pricey, but there are still a decent number of them dirt-cheap and dirt condition to be found.
He was so excited about it... RIP :-(
Back in 1998 I had a H22a Vtec and 5 speed from a 95 Prelude swapped into my 92 Accord Coupe. A sleeper for sure, especially back then.
one of my favorites of all time, still looks modern today
Better the over styled cars of today, imo
William C exactly
RIP Prelude 2001- May 2020
I own a 2001 prelude and I love it. The only two things I have done to this car is a new air intake for the VTEC function as well as new rims since mine were road rashed. The car by itself is really the beauty of it and I would not do much. Sooner or later I would like to get a new radio just to be able to listen to my music but that is not necessary. Really happy someone else in the car world is giving the prelude line some spotlight, the car deserves it in my opinion. It is really awesome to have Honda enthusiasts come up to me and question what car this is and why they have never heard of it. Enjoy your prelude wizard!!
I wanted one of these SO BAD when I first started driving, I got my drivers license in 2004 at the prime of these cars. Instead I ended up with a 1989 Honda accord SE-I because thats what I could afford. I will buy one of these preludes one day just because!
i can wholeheartedly recommend it :)
got a 2001 myself. love it. you really do never see them
I have a 2001 5mt nighthawk black pearl. She was made 9/01...one of the last few made as production stopped 10/01. I'll never sell it, its safe in my garage😁
@@DaNiElLl430 Same here! 2001 Electron Blue Pearl 5mt! I'm up in Canada so they're even rarer... the rust has gotten most of them :'(
@TableRocked not in North America for the bb6 chassis
I had a 2.3 Litre 4 wheel steer version from 1992 wish I never sold it great car.
Looking at this prelude brings me back. My dad had an Acura CL which I'm pretty sure is just the Acura version of the same car. That car handled like a dream.
You've got a really nice example here. The paint is gorgeous.
I love Hondas, especially mid-90s to mid 2000’s era. My mom had a Prelude that was the previous generation to this one and it had four wheel steering on it. That was a fantastic car. Since you have the ability and the shop for it, I’d love to see a manual swap on this prelude if it’s at all feasible. Keep it as stock as possible but putting a manual in would just make it that much more fun to drive.
As always they messed up the directional wheels at the tire shop :)
i had one of those also automatic nice reliable car, wasnt screaming at me on the highways, fun to drive. I kept it pretty much stock aside from powder coating the valve cover and changing the seats.
not screaming at you on the highway...are we driving the same car? 4000rpm at 80 baby
@@devilish2319 I drive at 60-65 so ye same car
The Car Wizard: Great REAL Content and an honest opinion.
Scotty Kilmer: Random Rambling, Clickbait King
Endless money pit!!
scotty kilmer a fact talking guy.
To be fair Scotty uses clickbait as as a joke.
Scotty calls it as it is, Car Wizard may be OK with some cars that in honesty you wouldn't consider if you cant fix it yourself, though I think that's obvious. Horses for courses.
^^^^^^^ big big facts In my opinion Scotty and the car wizard are both excellent when it comes to being honest ab what they’ve worked on.
@@jafp1617 what "facts"? He's a raging old man. Some of what he says is good information, but mostly he complains about anything that might require a little TLC. He's the epitome of US car ownership where we beat on and abuse everything and not take care of it, and call it crap when it fails.
Honda Prelude is an underrated gem. I really wish they would make this again
When I bought mine back in 2001 the guy at the dealership was telling me how people didn’t really like this model but after discontinued every one wanted one. In my early 20s Honda’s were popular and the prelude was the higher end honda, it was a nice 4cilinder smoker.
I've owned 2 of these wonderful cars and they are rapid, reliable and unusual! In the UK some had a 2.0 l engine, I had a 2.2 with 4 wheel steering!
I love my prelude. He so right about how rare they are I might see a few other ludes a month.
I owned a manual red one just like this one , one of my favorite cars that I ever owned .
I bought me a 2001 Prelude about a month ago with a bad transmission, and am currently working on a swap to manual.. I'm glad to see one of my favorite car UA-cam channels to be featuring one too, especially since mine is in Kansas also
Had mine since 10/1/01. Still running strong. Other than passenger side replaced from deer, she's still running strong. Gonna give her a paint job in a couple of months. Everyone wants to buy her but i CANNOT let her go. Been with me and more dependable than most women!
Just run it as is and enjoy it, if the auto dies like everyone says it will then swap it with a manual if you want more fun and leave everything else as it came
I had a 98 Prelude.
I really loved driving that car!
Felt like driving on rails!
But 12 years later it was wrecked in a flood. :_(
also part of that 98 Club Miss my old old girl.
One of the few Hondas with soul. A well bought car, Wiz. Keep up the great videos and ignore the automatic haters.
Mike Engblom-Bradley i love my automatic lol
I had a '97 Base 5MT. Drove it from 15K to 160K, and did zero mods to the car. It really didn't need anything, as it was already a blast to drive. Plus, anyone I knew that did modify their preludes, only ran into several problems down the line. I regret not replacing the clutch at 160K, as I traded the car on a brand new Subaru WRX, which was not nearly as reliable, but otherwise was nearly as fun to drive as the Prelude. Thanks for posting up this underrated dream car.
In the UK these were sold as 2.0 and 2.2 manual and a 2.3 auto. Awesome motors and the 4 wheel steering is insane
I would manual swap for no other reason than reliability. That auto probably won’t last long but it really depends what kind of people drove it all it’s life. These cars are easy to work on though and I hope we get to see more content on it!
1:31 "This is actually an automatic..." Womp, womp, wooooooomp!
Sad face. :(
He gets to ride around relaxed with one hand on the wheel unlike us manual owners,... auto has it’s place
@@noahtoombs9351 Not in a car like this though.
Noah Toombs
That’s the thing, he won’t get very far with the automatic.
@Clorox Bleach yes he said it had the minivan engine .
I thought that VTEC started in the Integra in Japan and in the United States was introduced to it with the VTEC in the NSX
Absolutely correct. The integra xsi got the b16a back in 89 as well as the civic and crx sir in japan. Vtec first showed up in north america in the nsx. I think the first civic to get it in north america was the del sol vtec with the b16a as well.
@@jamesarmenti8876 Maybe he's speaking USDM Honda? Otherwise, ya he's off
@@acura2g since wasn't specified.. It's then wrong to say.
@@acura2g Honda is Acura in the United States and it made in Japan for Domestic and export. As far as I am concerned I think he's off. If we are talking about Honda USDM alone that would be the Prelude
Maybe he was referring to the 4th gen prelude that came out in '93 and introduced the mainstream us market to vtec
I just finished restoring a 2001 Prelude SH and did some minor tasteful mods. Bottom line this car is heavy and slow but it's got the vintage cool factor from Hondas of a bygone era, still looks unique and quite pretty 20 years later, and there's just something about driving around in an old school analog Honda. I love mine. Made my own short shifter and exhaust and did mounts and a few other odds and ends.
Being that it's an AT I can't really recommend any mods, just keep it as is and enjoy. These Preludes are head turners.
7:49 the moment I saw that tread pattern, I IMMEDIATELY knew that was a Douglas Performance (i have the pleasure of installing them 5 days a week as a Walmart ACC Technician); so this Prelude or at the very least that rim has seen the inside of a Walmart Auto Care Center. fun little fact, Douglas tires are actually manufactured by Goodyear! i would definitely keep that tire as a good spare.
I sold my 98 SH (manual) with 100k miles in December. Loved it to death but needed something more practical. I'll miss it forever.
ipariszalonna An SH to me is a waste of money! The ATTS system was more of a gimmick than anything and a clutch job is 14 hours of labor plus 500.00 in parts!
Craig Jorgensen owning both 2000 base and 2001 sh both manuals they was a noticeable difference in aggressive driving especially sharp corners like entering highway
Casey McCulloch Well...I guess. I worked for Honda in those years and, yeah, there was “some” difference to those who drove aggressively but it was mostly a gimmick. Just like the 4WD Preludes!
@@craigjorgensen4637 I own a JDM type S (194,000 miles) right now and I've never experienced anything like this atts thing. If you begin to understeer you have to retrain your mind to put your foot down and not let off more..its like God pulls you round the corner haha
I’ve got a 95 accord in the same color, very pretty cars
I had a 95 Accord EX with a manual. I really enjoyed that car.
I had 2 95 accords and both were stolen within a year. Loved those cars but in the early 2000 they were thief magnets.
Me and 3 college friends, 6 30 packs, suitcases, and whatever else we packed...getting 37-38mpg going on spring break.
If I had this specific car I would seriously consider a manual transmission swap, but at the very least I would pay for some really good really sticky tyres, thicker anti roll bars, high quality brake disks and pads, high quality brake fluid, new brake hoses, and probably some polyurethane bushes for the suspension.
That's pretty much it, it doesn't need forced induction or nitrous oxide, it needs to be enjoyed for what it is. With that in mind, that's exactly why it needs new tyres and new brakes. Both of those have come so far in the last twenty odd years it seems silly not to get them upgraded to modern standards.
Phil Atkins why? Waste of money! Those are just fine totally stock!
Tyre?
Man I miss mine. 1997 5-speed, eucalyptus green pearl with the 2-tone interior and OEM chin spoiler. First car I bought on my own. Put tens of thousands of miles on that car, was a great road trip car for two.
Had the VTEC solenoid get clogged, it loved to eat 1-2 quarts between oil changes, also ate a clutch at 80k miles and a few other minor quibbles but when she warmed up and got on the hot cam it was a blast to drive.
I miss the precise steering that could tell you the brand of cigarette butt you just drove over by feel alone, the crisp turn-in, high quality (but simple) interior, manual radio/climate controls that never broke...the thing was a scalpel whereas my ‘07 CTSV is a brute sledgehammer with fragile Delco electronics that love to leave me stranded, or without AC or with an ever present CEL for an obscure clutch position problem.
But alas I met a girl 10 years ago I knew I’d marry and would want babies, and the ‘Ludes back seat was good only for dogs and bags. Still miss that little Honda. Automatics suck the soul out of them though.
Take special care with that Sportshift transmission. Change the fluid regularly, add an external transmission cooler, and use sportshift as very little as possible. The Sportshift in my 1998 lasted until 223,400 miles.
are the wheels on correctly. seems to be directional. I love the car. My first personal car was a Prelude.
I want to see that engine run free with a manual,no more mods are needed.
Rwd would be a great mod
@@mrgmc6314 IIRC rwd conversions on Preludes are not a cheap endeavor. Lots and lots of fabricating just to get a driveshaft under the already really low interior floorline.
Manual swap is piece of piss easy to do on 4th and 5th gens, so that would be my vote. Beyond that, just restore the paintwork and enjoy it, imo!
This brings back memories from when I was a teenager and my best friend had this exact car with a manual in Canadian spec. Kilometers instead of miles on the speedo and odometer. I think he still regrets selling his because they're almost extinct now.
Hey Wizard....things I would do: get the paint squared away(entire repaint if necessary), polish headlights, new tires(have wheels professionally polished before you mount new tires), repaint valve cover, and last but not least a Borla muffler(everything else on exhaust leave stock). Replace all emblems and replace passenger door latch.......that’s it
Owned a 97 and 98 Prelude, both bought for $250 dollars. One needed a trans and one needed the immobilizer bypassed at the ECU. Definitely change the trans fluid using Honda fluids and do it every 30k or less (since changed the fluid to a newer version). Also recommend cleaning the EGR and replacing the gaskets there. Also pull all the EGR port plugs with slide hammer and clean out. Not many videos on this online so may be a good video for you. I had a green and red one so it Brough back some memories of mine seeing your red Lude!! Just subscribed and glad to see you have the same interest in the prelude as I had as well!
Too bad it's not a Type SH. Now that would be a rare Prelude. Overall, it's a great car. I always loved those. Glad to see one getting preserved. If it were mine, it'd receive a refresh/maintenance and just be driven. Zero mods, it's fantastic in stock form.
Love all these people complaining about the auto when 99 percent of you trolls drive auto’s
Jay Breeze
They say swap it yet 99% of them have never swapped a battery.
@@12yearssober got em
Jeffery Epstein probably true in USA
It's just a two door Accord without a manual.
Taylor C
Different engine, different suspension, different gearing, modified chassis.
All I would change is to put in a nice tasteful media player and new speakers. 90's audio was absolute trash. Any rubber bushings probably need to be changed to. Keep it as stock as possible! nice find!
I agree, these days you need a system with Bluetooth to pair your phone. Nothing outlandish, just tasteful, and near stock looking.
@@CommodoreFan64 You can get a bluetooth antenna bypass FM modulator that allows one to retain factory radios while adding bluetooth.
@@saiga12 Yes you can, but at least the ones I've used have never been the most reliable thing simply do to the fact my area is jammed with so many stations on the FM band so trying to find a clear one is tough.
@@CommodoreFan64 I'm talking about the ones that physically plug into the car's antenna connector. It sits, signal-wise, between the car's antenna and the radio's antenna input. The ones that broadcast an FM signal wirelessly are garbage.
@@saiga12 got ya!! I will have to look into one of those at some point then.
I had a pearl white 1998 model with an automatic. Fell in love with the car after driving it in PS4 Gran Turismo. It handled great and still looks good twenty years later. It was a very expensive car in it's day so they didn't sell many. It's one of the very few cars i reget selling. I'd leave it completely stock, put the decals on the trunk and replace the door handle. It'll be much nicer than modding it. It's like seeing a 1998 Supra Turbo but some kid ruined it with gaudy wheels and a coffee can exhaust. These cars are best left stock and hold their value much better that way. Great find, I'm jealous. 😀
I happened to watch the 'totaled Prelude' video last night.....and now just seeing this was a newly-purchased car you had big plans for. Glad your daughter is OK, but I can't imagine how incredibly frustrating this situation must be. Hope you had good insurance to make you whole on this and look forward to the VW Beetle repairs and upgrades.
Wizard is turning into Hoovie, starting his own hooptie fleet
htwhls19 I’ve been noticing that too
Manual transmission swap, then keep it stock from there!
It's in such great condition because it's an automatic. They didn't want to drive it :)
I would buy it. Prelude is not sporty car. It is nice coupe. Manual is great. Auto is different flavor but nice also.
I had a 1997 prelude vti-r auto with 47k on engine 148k on the body, engine was replaced at honda dealer at a cost of 6k. Bought it for 3900 and transmission had an issue, planning to convert to manual but no time. Sold it for 4900. I miss it a lot and it was much more comfortable and sporty than modern cars i had. Modern cars have stiffer suspension to give you sporty feeling to hide cheap suspension set up etc. And sound system was awesome. Cheers from Australia
Hi Mr Wizard
I am a proud owner of 97 prelude since I was 18 back in 99. I have owned a 87 prelude si prior to this model. As an 18 years old back in the day and at the height of the fast and furious era I too was tempted to "Rice out" my car. But I see the prelude as an elegant car in a sea of civics, integras and S2000. So my approach of modifying my prelude was strictly sticking with the honda oem accessory catalog and what other jdm catalogs I could find through out the years. This is also including unicorn parts that are listed on hondas sister company Mugen. It was very hard and took many years to obtain some of the parts that I have on my prelude but she looks very elegant and tastefully modified. Till this day I am still on the hunt for these unicorn parts but it's very fun and rewarding to me. I will never part with my BB6 and you sir just bought a really nice car.
Congrats,
Mugen BB6
Always wanted one of these! 5spd would be amazing!
I low key want a prelude 😍
Love the previous model!
Worked at a Honda dealer and had a customer roll in with a 2001 Prelude one day. A little over 15,000 kms in the (then) 16 years that the car had been on the road for.
Turns out the lady's son grew up liking, and owning, several Preludes and eventually bought a new one. Only to suddenly die a few months later. So the mother kept the car and drove it a handful of times a year. The underside was beyond immaculate.
One of the problem's with Preludes was Honda used it as a testbed of sorts for their new technology, so some things on the car aren't as interchangeable as the rest of the Honda line up.
I love the fifth gen Honda preludes. I would keep it some what stock but done very tastefully. I would add 17 or 18’ wheels and some bolt on stuff like maybe stainless steel exhaust and highflow cats. Tune up, bigger spark plug wires, air intakes( ones that actually make some hp on the dyno) and of course a dry air filter( no k&n’s k&n oil filters are not that great-dry air filters better). I would beef up the brakes and add beefed up suspension pieces and brace up the body with bolts ons. That’s about it. It would be nice cruiser. Good luck with it!
Manual swap, yo.
Welcome to Jacksonville when you get here and if I had that car I would wanna look at the timing belt and water pump maybe replace it for peace of mind
Months ago: No good sportscars by Honda
Right Now: Prelude is real good
it s an automatic..no real sport here
maarten yzer eh, you can shift through the gears and it’s got 200hp, not a bad deal
Wizard I would leave it as is. I'm very much a big fan of leaving cars as original as possible. I personally have a 1999 Acura 3.5 Rl that just went over 300k and it's 98 percent original. I Love your videos and have LEARNED a great deal from you. Thank you very very much!!! You and Mrs wizard are truly classy people and please stay safe through this whole cov-19 Situation.
###Thats crazy same car I love#### I would put new wider tires maybe 235/55/17 and maybe buff paint and fix handle. Also maybe get it tinted legal specs. Def keep stock headlight and tailight housings just upgrade to led lighting. Then if you really want a hard mod change to the manual lol. BUT Def a cool car one of my favorites.
a lot of these preludes where destroyed by ricers.
I really miss my ‘97 Prelude! I need to find another one in a 5 speed manual
still daily drivin my 97 SH. I've had it for almost 20 yrs now. fun and reliable. I see a lot of YT comments about folks missing their old lude, so I'm kinda hesitant to let it go even though my wife hates it...
@@Phrancis5 DONT EVER SELL YOUR 'LUDE! - I regret selling my 2000 EM1 Si and my 2007 FG2 Si coupe....Don't sell your car! LOL
I like the car but wouldn't have bought one with an automatic. But that's just me 😎
Definetly not just you :D For me it would be little bit boring, but still nice looking car :)
They aren't as fun as the manuals, but from my experience with Honda's of that vintage, the automatics can be fun and peppy too. Just short a gear. My Civic peels tires in first and chirps into second on the 4 speed auto. My Accord did the same. Both would shift on demand no slop or lag like the American brands.
It's just an Accord coupe without a stick.
@@taylorc2542 accord coupe of this era with a stick would have been 150hp max. This has 195-200hp. Accord coupe v6 had 200 also but only automatic, weighed more and didn't handle nearly as good...far from an accord.
@@taylorc2542 very wrong there Sir steering, suspension tuning interior exterior everything about the prelude is different. Similarities maybe but not the same.
AEM cold air, Mugen header, magnaflow cat, 2.5in exhaust, muffler of choice, tein street basis coilovers, acura legend dual piston front caliper mod (fun!), powerbreak drill/slot rotors. JDM fog lights complete the look.
I had the h22a in a 94 Honda Accord- we modified it with a new pod filter, ignition, ECU and after market manifold and exhaust that gave it a low dark growl.. very reliable and fun to drive
"Honda sports cars have mini van engines" - the wizard about a month ago
By that measure, the Corvette behind him came with a shitty truck engine.
I have an 09 sienna. 3.5 v6. 295HP. The V8 in the 09 Mustang GT made about 315HP. Just what exactly is wrong with MiniVan engines?
@@blakestone75 if you throw a turbo onto one of the 3.5s it turns into something pretty awesome
otherwise known as - parts bin special
Honda is actually the other way round. They started as a bike company, so they actually adapt race/sports engines in to everyday cars.
He had me till he said automatic.
Such a waste
Bro honestly who cares if it’s Manual or Auto, I have a 5 speed and I’m more jealous of his clean auto than my piece of shit.
@@marksanchez7575 Its trash, the auto transmission that is. They're known to go out
Manual swap, the honda gear box is one of the best things about these old cars.
I had a 1997 type SH red 5th gen. All were manual. 👍🏼The pink doors are factory painted. Honda red doesn’t hold up at all. What a fun and great looking car for a young guy in college. 😃
Love these! I have a mint 2001 Honda Accord coupe EX-L myself. Sad what happened to it (just saw the latest vid).