Well, the time has come to get a new set of wheels. This time around I’m foregoing the sort of 4x4 warhorse I’ve always liked, in favor of something smaller and sportier. I figure it’s time for a change; my personal style has changed over the years and now I feel a different kind of car would suit me better. I have narrowed down my preferences to the Honda Prelude and the Acura Integra. I would also consider an Accord Coupe, if it had the sport package.
My budget is roughly $8000. I’m looking for a Honda Prelude or an Acura Integra, mid-to-late 90s. I would prefer an automatic transmission - a stick is fun but I’d rather have my hands free for other stuff, and I also like to drive with my left arm resting outside the window during the summer.
I’m planning on test driving a few of both, if I can find them locally. Until then, I’d like some comparisons between the two from anyone who has had experience with both. Also, if you own either of these cars, tell me about yours, if you like it, if you’ve had any issues with it, etc. Thanks.
My daughter has a '95 Accord and my son has a '94 Integra. He used to have a '97 Civic. I know you asked about Preludes, but that’s as close as we’ve had to one.
I’d say, as far as fit & finish, the difference between Honda and Integra is hard to tell, after ten years of wear. They are all good dependable cars. The Civic and Integra seem to feel a bit more ‘tinny’ than the Accord, if that makes sense - it seems heavier and more solid. All of them age really well if you take reasonable care of them.
The Integra, of course, is the best handling especially since my son added some front & rear anti-sway bars. He has an aftermarket suspension but it’s not a big deal really - the car is a bit low but not much.
The Accord still seems very ‘cushy’ to me - has a leather interior and the shifting is incredibly smooth for its age. My daughter absolutely loves the car. It has been trouble-free outside of regular maintenance and the one time she bumped someone from behind.
We did find out that the Civic is quite crash-worthy; my son totaled it (ran into a tree) and walked away.
As far as finding one to purchase, the Integra was a bit hard to find. We eventually went to Atlanta to buy his. There seem to be more of them in specific areas of the country. I think you will find some very good ones in the price range you’re talking about. I also think you’d be happy with either the Prelude or the Integra, they are very similar.
Happy hunting!
ETA: Here is a photo of my son’s car (his is the black one).
I had a '93 Integra that I just recently got rid of. After about 260,000 miles it still ran fairly decently. The guy that had it before me took great care of it, and if I had done the same when I first got it (I was about 18 at the time), I’m sure it would have been running even better. Overall it was a pretty good car, though.
Just asked my son’s opinion of Prelude vs. Integra. He says that in his opinion there isn’t much difference, although he thought that Preludes weigh a little less and have a little more horsepower (probably he means stock). In terms of sportiness he ranked them Civic - Integra - Prelude.
Your choice, of course; but I drove standard transmissions until I got my Cherokee. (The Prius has an automatic CV transmission.) When I was your age I was driving around in MGBs in the desert. My left arm was resting on top of the door and I steered with my right hand most of the time. No worries not having a hand free while I was shifting; IMO when you’re accelerating there’s little else you should be doing. If you’re using both hands to eat a burger and steering with your knee, you should be in a steady state situation. Just my opinion. Oh, and there were no cup holders in the MGBs. Cups (soft drinks from fast-food places) went on the seat between my legs, or else between the seat and the door. (On the sill.) No problems shifting.
Just saying don’t avoid standard transmissions just to ‘have a hand free’.
That’s not a particularly safe practice. If you’re in a crash you have all the forces transmitted through the one arm on the steering wheel instead of through both.
I have an Acura Integra. It has 190K on it and still is going OK. Might need a new clutch and leaks oil, but it goes pretty well.
I never had a Prelude, but as far as I can tell, they’re pretty much the same car. I think I would have bought it if I had researched it more. Only because I believe they are pretty much the same car and IIR, the Prelude was slightly less expensive at the time.
They’re essentially the same car. Both Hondas, both hatchbacks, and both have limited rear seating.
The top of the line Prelude (VTEC model) has a 2.2 liter, 190 HP engine, while the top of the line Integra (GS-R model) has a 1.8 liter, 170 HP engine. (I excluded the Integra Type-R because it only comes with a manual transmission.)
I’ve never owned a mid-90s Prelude or Integra, but I have friends who have, and all of them have driven their cars past the 200K mile mark without any major problems.
I just got rid of a '94 Integra LS hatchback that I had for about a year. While I’m sure it was a great car when it was new, I think mine had been owned by an incompetent modder at one point. It had somewhat crummy aftermarket wheels, and it seemed like the rear suspension had been toyed with at some point, because it was way too low. Any more than two people in the car or over 150 lbs or so in the trunk and the wheels would scrape the body on slight bumps. It had about 130k on it, and the engine was still in pretty decent shape, though not nearly as sporty as I’m sure it had once been. Mine was a California car for most of its life before coming to Michigan, and the paint on the hood, top and trunk was in pretty sorry shape. The other thing to keep an eye on is the rust underneath, because we sheared two bolts trying to replace the rear suspension. I also lost part of the exhaust between the catalytic converter and muffler, and it wasn’t cheap thanks to it being stainless. I liked the car, but mine just had too many issues. When I bought it I was more motivated by not driving a minivan anymore than whether or not the car was any good.
Wanting an automatic might give you problems, though. The sporty GS and sportier Type R models are both almost exclusively manuals. However, you may be able to get an LS with the VTEC engine, which would at least be quick. A quick look on Auto Trader shows that you should be able to get a decent late 90’s or early 00’s LS, though I didn’t see many non manual VTECs.
What you really want to watch out for with any of the cars you listed is if/how it’s been modified. There are some that will be very carefully thought out and put together well. There are others that were owned by an idiot teenager who put $800 into the stereo, graphics, and Type R badge for their LS, then chopped down the coil springs and replaced some engine bits with low-end “performance” parts. Then there’s stuff like this. Yeesh.
Agree with most here that say they’re pretty much the same (excellent) car. As one has the ‘Honda’ brand and the other the ‘Acura’ brand, I would expect repairs, tuneups, etc to be a bit more expensive for the Integra. As you’re looking at used, that would push me towards the Honda.
That said, I think you’ll be buying a good car either way.
The one I’m thinking about is a 2001 Prelude, red, with leather interior, sunroof, automatic transmission, and a factory rear spoiler. It is about $6,000 and is being sold by a car dealership, not a private party. My dad and I are going to go to Indianapolis to look at it in a few days; hopefully it will turn out to be a good deal.
I used to have a '90 Prelude (which I know is lots earlier than you’re looking for) and it was a champ. My father bought it, it travelled through my sister, then down to me. Had easily 250K miles on it before I traded it in.
The timing belt broke at about 120K miles (I know, but I wasn’t driving it then) and the engine needed rebuilding, but other than that, the thing ran. I didn’t want to get rid of it, but my parents didn’t think it was safe anymore for the long distances I was driving (college --> home was 4ish hours, college --> boyfriend’s college was 5ish).
I had a '91 Integra LS for 13 years. It held up well and had some good acceleration and handling. BUT it was expensive when it did need work. I have an '04 Accord now and love the feel of solid luxury it gives off. I’d go with a Honda now just on the basis of maintenance. Or maybe go for an Acura RSX.
Very nice. What’s the difference between them? The right hand car with the twinned pairs of headlights is the version I see in the UK, but cars from Ireland that pop up north have that strip headlight. Is it a grey import of some sort or just a lowlier model?
I bought a 93 Integra LS special (if you dont know all that means is its an LS that looks like a GSR and only comes in green) anyways, I love this car, I’ve had a lot of different types of cars, from muscle cars to big trucks and i have to say this has been my favorite as far as the total package goes. Mine is really lightly modified, pretty much a high flow cat and 2 1/2 inch exhaust with a skunk2 muffler, stock manifold. I bought this car with 130,000 miles on it a little more than a year ago, a week after i got it the starter relay switch went bad, i’ve heard this is one of the few common problems with this car, long story short i bypassed it through my ignition and put a 70s style Ford selinoid under the hood wired to my starter, this more than fixed the problem in fact i think it was overkill and it only costed $10 at autozone (instead of like $170 or so from honda). The only other problems i’ve had with this car is i had to put a fuel pump in it at about 140,000 miles and a pair of axles shortly after that (totally my fault on the axles). I drive this car REALLY hard every day of the week and rarely have problems with it, it still runs just as well as the day i bought it (gets maintained on scedule if not early). These cars are tough as nails, they handle really well, and they’re just a lot of fun in general. i only paid $1800 for mine with rims, and extra set of rims and a sound system, if you shop around you can deffinatly find a great deal on an awesome running car.
I’ve had friends who have had preludes and accords and they loved them and they always seemed to be really nice all around cars too. only one i can speak of personally is my integra and I love it. its an awesome total package car. only thing i really do not like about it is the cup holders are in the most retarded place and you cant get a drink larger than a medium from mcdonalds unless you wanna wear it on your floor lol.
I had a '90 Integra LS (mid-level trim). I bought it in '93 with my Wheel of Fortune winnings.
I finally had to put her to pasture last year, after 16 years of service and 215,000 miles. Two clutch jobs, a transmission, sundry other mechanical issues likely due to me being young and cheap. But a great car.
Think of the Integra as a low-grade Acura and the Prelude as a high-grade Honda. So they’re about the same, quality wise. I think Preludes cost a little more.
The Prelude is based on the Accord platform, and despite being sold as a Honda was actually slotted above the Integra in terms of price and prestige. The Integra is based on the 92-95 Civic platform. Both cars feature 4 wheel double wishbone suspensions with 4 wheel disks and 4-cylinder engines, with or without VTEC, but the Prelude is bigger, heavier, and more cramped. When they were both new the Prelude was a tough sell, since it generally cost thousands more, but at this point it all comes down to personal preference. I’ve always preferred the Integras because I like light cars, I like the interior better, and the shifter is attached to the transmission with a metal linkage instead of cables. But the Prelude is sexier.
In either case, get a manual transmission. Please.
