-HANDLING!
-Reliability
-A compact powerful engine
-Acceleration
-Great bucket seats, they are very grippy and comfortable like racing seats.

-not enough head room
-small back seats (although I never sit back there)
-the stock stereo system could have a little more power

Overall this is one of the best sportscars you can get in this price range. It may not be the fastest one off the line but it can handle almost like a BMW and everythings else about is great. If you're going to buy this car I would REALLY RECOMMEND the manual tranny. The manual tranny has about a second faster 0-60 time so it is very quick!. The sport sequential shifter is ok if you're going to get automatic. This car really takes off when you hit about 5000 RPM and the VTEC kicks in. Overall a really great car. This car is for the CAR ENTHUSIAST. If you want a luxurious car you're looking in the wrong place. Unless you're like me, because the only luxury I need is under the hood.

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-Acura Integra GS-R, The GS-R is a bit faster but only because my prelude is automatic and the prelude handles a lot better.
-Toyota Celica GT-S, The GT-S is faster but it also doesn't handle as well.

The Prelude is very reliable; not one major problem with engine; it drives like a dream; very quick, and after 5000 RPMs it is amazing.

Small back seat; leather seats are hard; fogging problems which makes vision difficult; leak in windshield washer reservoir that continues; tires don't last as long as expected and are very expensive to replace; Dealership was a rip-off and salesmen lied.

I have loved this car. I would recommend it to anyone!!!! I was looking at other cars when I made the purchase and just took a test drive in a Prelude for fun. Immediately, I was sold. Since then, it has been very reliable and fun to drive. I think Hondas are great!

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Chevrolet Camaro - hated it - clumsy and lots of mechanical problems; no comparison
Acura Integra - loved it, but Prelude drives much smoother, handles better, and is way faster.

This car is FAST!!! I just got my 2001 prelude last month, i have been in love with it ever since. Lots of power, great handling.... Test drive one and believe me, you will love it.

uhmm.... back seat is sort of small....other than that everything is very very nice

If you are looking for a sports car under $30,000, prelude is definitely the car. I paid $26,000 out of door with a rear wing spoiler and 6 year bumper to bumper warranty. (San Francisco is usually more expensive than other places)
The prelude comes with plenty of HP stock, but if that's not good enough for you, then there are huge amounts of aftermarket products on the market. overall I would definitly recommend this car for anyone that is serious about performance, but is on a budget. The most bang for your buck, and even more.

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2001 integra type-R, 2001 BMW M3, 2001, 2001 Eclipse

Painted Red it attracts all the girls. The engine runs like a swiss watch and has lots of balls for a 4 cylinder DOHC. It's glued to the road.
Nice placement for the controls. Great suspension. I can go on and on and on!!

It's not VTEC but it didn't exist then soo..
It was a bit rusty... I got rear ended.. what more can I say.. it's gone :(
Nothing wrong with this car.

I would recommend this for anyone. Great first car to have.. just MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T HAVE TO MUCH RUST!! CHECK UNDER AND BEHIND THOSE BUMPERS!!

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I drove and 85 prelude.. but this has more power.. sexy design.
86 accord... can't compare

Incredible pull in second.... especially from 40 to 60mph.
I have made some Z3, and Porsche Boxter owners cry, and one Audi TT owner smile.

Back seat... what back seat.. at least it lowers my insurance.
Rust, Rust, Rust

I probably over paid... But I overloaded it with every thing they could put into it. Over $5000 of options, including home-made wood dash in a Azure Blue Green Pearl, a huge subwoofer in the trunk, and a four by five inch television in the front dast, all the way to the right.

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1985 Honda Prelude... 1996 has the power to go along with the handling...

Wonderful Looks, Great Pick Up, you get noticed when you drive a car like this. Great Fuel economy, Easy to upgrade parts and accessories. Great Stero. Just an Overall Great Car

Small backseats (but thats what you get from a sports car)
Can get expensive to repair.

This was the first car i have bought. I paid $19,000.00 canadian for it and i believe i got a great price on it. This car has an amazing pick up and is a great car to drive on the highway, this is a car that likes to drive fast. Amazing design on the body and the interior, I have not regreted buying this car at all and the semi automatic transmisson is a fun option as well.
I LOVE MY CAR!!!!!!!!

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1982 Porsche 928

Just about everything:
* Engine
* Transmission
* Seats
* Interior/Exterior Styling
* Handling
* Performance
* Value/Dollar
* Exclusivity (Detroit, MI)

Just a few:
* Small Trunk
* Premium Fuel
* Low Fuel Economy

I purchased this Silver 2000 Prelude car a little in March, 2000 and fell in love it with it ever since. Added a couple of factory accessories, including a spoiler, leather shift-nob, and some floor-mats. The Type-SH was some $4,500 CDN more than the base car, which I didn't find was neither in my budget, nor worth the extra money. Later on, put 15%-tint and painted the side skirts (looks so much better). For some pics of the car:

http://www.hondaprelude.com/setups/setupsdsply.asp?id=6568

The 2.2L engine was incredible, which loved to rev to it's 7400 RPM redline (yet I did reach 7800 on few occasions). When VTEC 2nd CAM profile kicks-in, it is like the hand of God pressing on your seat while the car continues to gain speed. Transmission is slick and direct, and also very much isolated from the main engine (unlike some cars that I've driven in the past).

Styling took a little while to get used (back in 1997), but over time it has grew on me and became one of it's strong points. It has clean and elegant lines, with a corresponding interior. Like it or not, it is a head turner (which I always enjoyed). I was planning to add some 17" rims with 40-profile tires, but that never happened.

Handling was equally impressive as was the performance. Steering was razor sharp and allowed the novice driver make corrections without a sweat. Linear performance was quick, but not pony-car territory. Though, I wished this car did have a 6th forward gear, especially when driving on the highway.

Overall, this car was a lots of fun to own. There were minor complaints (mentioned above), which were heavily out-weighed by the praises. When I said it "was" fun to own, that is because I had to sell her. My priorities have changed and I needed to have some money in my pockets. I sold her in the US for $18,500 USD (after purchasing for $21,500 USD in Canada) without Honda's warranty (the owner was aware of it and knew Honda's undisputed reliability). I've recently purchased a 1997 Honda Civic Si (US spec = EX) for $9,000 USD, will keep her for at least 3 years, which may not be anything close to a Prelude but does have a 1.6L VTEC engine. Look forward to saving some money for the future and purchasing another Honda product (next generation Prelude?).

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* 2000 Toyota Celica GT-S -> Compact with great styling and six-speed but overdone with silver interior and buzy engine
* 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse -> Somewhat like the exterior, good transmission, torquey engine, but bad seating position and not available in Canada (now on the Dodge Stratus Coupe)

Lots of power, great handling capabilities, great fuel economy (about 25 mpg when driving conservatively), sharp looks, good interior ergonomics, very good sound system compared to other stock systems, precise shifter, very reliable and consistent!

Lots of power comes only after 5,500 RPM as VTEC kicks in, which isn't good for fuel economy. If you hit VTEC often, don't expect to do better than 20 mpg. For example, a weekend binge on VTEC and will get you about 16 mpg! Requires premium grade fuel. Very low roof, feels very cramped for a 6-foot-tall person. Rear seats? What rear seats? Sport suspension is very rough on uneven pavement.

Paid $25,000 out the door with leather seats and OEM rear wing spoiler. Very good car, but if you're not a performance enthusiast, it might not be the best car for you. Definately not as comfortable as an Accord or Maxima.

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Not as comfortable as Accords, Maximas, Camrys but much more fun to drive!

This has got to be THE best spors car for under 30g's. It is outstanding in every conciviable way. I can sit here and tell you all the reasons to go out and buy one, but you'll have no idea how honest I'm being until you actully drive one. All I can say is "Oh, my, god!"

If you really want to whine about something, it would have to be the, uh, wait, no, give me a minute here, dang I lost it. Never mind about that, there are none.

If you want a car that is all out fun to drive, this is the car for you. I have never enjoyed driving until I got my Prelude, now I'm looking for a reason to go for a drive every five minutes. And if you are one of those peoiple that think "I want a sporty car, but i'm concerned with safety, so i'll get an Accord instead." You have no idea what you're talking about! Four days ago I hit loos gravel on the highway, fishtailed, wnet head on into a rock wall at 65 mph, then rolled it twice. I was out of the hospital the next morning with cuts on my face, and ear. NOT EVEN A BROKEN BONE! I went and looked at the car, and it wasn't even recognizable as a Prelude. I fully believe that it saved my life. I'm also going to buy another one as soon as I can find one.

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1999 Eclipse, 2000 Mustang, 2000 Miata

Fun too drive..very flingable!, 2.0fi has good power, nice handling, good fuel economy.

rust, leaky interor, small wheels,

i paid $4900 cdn in '96..i paid a bit too much. but my car is a special edition model and has over 260,000kms now..still runs like new, but rust is creeping up, and shocks are shot. Over all..the best value for year and price.

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'88 celica all trac: Way more power, but feels very heavy