1994 Honda Prelude Consumer Reviews

I owned a 1994 Prelude VTEC back in the day. It replaced a 1992 Prelude Si that my niece wrapped around a tree! It was March 1994 and after that wreck (she was ok), the insurance company paid me off and off I went. I looked at an Acura Legend, but felt it was to staid. I decided to get another Prelude, this time, the VTEC. The VTEC has a few added features over the Si: * Engine is different, 2.2 vs 2.3 liters, VTEC head, 190hp and a 7700 RPM redline * Bigger front brakes * Leather interior * Subwoofer (not that it was all that impressive) * Rear wing with 3rd brake light - the interior mounted brake light was gone and a different headline installed There were, I am sure, a few other small changes, but they weren't all that important. The Prelude was based on the 1990-1993 Accord platform, as such, it was very well built and stout. The unibody was solid as a rock. The only downside... owners complained about the firm ride of the 1992/1993 Prelude. So they softened it. And that really threw the handling balance right out the window. Easy fix, I put Koni shocks, Eibach springs and an adjustable upper control arm mount to allow for the 1" drop. It handled like it was on rails after that. I sold the car in Oct 2000, 6.5 years after I bought it. It had 175k miles on it and ran like a Swiss watch. In that time, the only repairs were related to maintenance... axles, radiator, alternator, belts, clutch, tires... that's it, really. I never did race it, but I did autocross it once! If you have one, there was a recall on balance shaft seals failing. I am assuming, some 20 years later, that had been fixed. Find a nice one, upgrade the suspension and enjoy the ride. Keep all stock parts, it's an easy un-do, so do it! Neuspeed used to sell the shocks. But that was eons ago. Do a web search... Tein seems available at a fair price. The front brakes use the same pad as the Acura NSX of that era. If you can find the 2 piston NSX front calipers, get them. Add in a spacer - meaning using an old pad, cleaned of pad and leaving only the metal plate - to compensate for the thicker Acura rotor, you now have an upgraded brake system. Newer rims would help... tire fitments from that era are getting slim. A nice 17" or 18" rim would work. Again, keep the OEM parts, all bolt on upgrades!!! Otherwise, keep it stock and just drive.

A fun experience. Admittedly, the check engine light was on, but my friend fixed it the week after.

I love almost everything about the prelude in fact the only thing I don’t love is changing the fuel filter. If you know you know. I love the way they look, the way they drive and the way they sound. They’re reliable and great for daily driving. They also do well in snow with a decent set of tires. The interior design is probably my favorite thing about the car. It’s futuristic and fun to look at. If you can go with a vtec model I say get one. Even an si will do.

I absolutely love the Honda Prelude!!. I had a job where I drove 100,000 a year, so traded every two years. (Of course tried a few other vehicles in the interim — anyone remember Knight Rider?? (What a piece of Junk, but a very nice looking car with removable piece moon roof, that was a pain and where do you store the roof? Plus has some very not so nice person throw a cobblestone thru the moon roof!!). Back to the Prelude, Changed the oil every 3K and spending that much time driving, comfort, ease of handling and comfort couldn’t be beat. When I purchased the 1992 Preludenever thinking I would still own it 25 years later. People complain about the back seat, my solution was to let them drive and I can sit very comfortably in the rear seat. When my daughter was born, first 18 months, car seat needs to be rear facing. No passenger seat airbag allowed her to be right beside me. When she reached school age, purchased a Honda CRV to handle the gravel roads and bad weather, that could also be used for school field trips! Yes the Prelude sits low to the ground and has been great, but gravel/rain/Prelude do not mix well. Can’t tell you how many people have asked me to sell the Prelude to them!! Y’all know my answer to that!

I've owned my 'lude for about 12 years now as a daily driver/weekend cruiser. It has been an excellent car. It has the sohc F22a1 engine and at a 350,000 miles it still runs great! I've done all the maintence on the car personally since I've owned it and although it's older and you'd expect to have to work on it, when i have to, most things are straight forward and easy to get to. I would definitely recommend one especially if it has been taken care of like i have done with mine.

I wanted one of these when i saw a friend with a 3rd Gen. Then when the 4 Gen came out i really wanted one bought mine in 1993 still own it has 93k on the odometer. Have made many upgrades, same motor 2.3 Automatic and will still squeak the tires. Love my Prelude!!

MY first car and also the best car. everything about it is amazing except when trying to find replacement parts. downside to having a rare car.

It gets up and goes, rides very comfortably, is quite stylish, has extremely comfortable interior, and pretty much drives itself.