[duck]

Machzero,

Wont the FC calculations increase as the engines gets older? Because there
are various wear and tear to the components in the engine that might make
it less efficient. The age of the car is almost 15 years for some too.

[machzero]

Only slightly if you keep up with your maintainence. Carbon deposits
actually increase compression, might make it more powerful... kekekek.
Build-up on the valves might make them less efficient. Worn piston rings,
you'll notice an increase in oil consumption, maybe some black smoke out
the back.

Spark plugs... change... Ignition cables... change...

It's the worn sensors you should be worry about. Most likely the number 1
cause of bad fuel economy. Again, 02 sensors... change...

In a fifteen year old car, all those may have to be changed. But again,
honda parts do last quite long. Just don't start changing out stuff in a 1
year old car. It'll make no difference except in your mind.

Mine's 18 years old already, and the FC has maybe dropped 1 km/l over 12
years (but maybe it's because I drive in the city more now). But until two
years ago, the car had to pass smog/emission tests.

[duck]

Just to side track a bit, so if i buy a 15 year old prelude i'll be looking
at a lot of parts replacements? How much would all those cost me? Uh, the
accord is also around the same age too.

[DannyKing]

bro , i suggest u buy accord.
because prelude open front light looks bad and 2 door.

[JonW]

SM4 is a pretty reliable car, and the current price is really low.
my dad has one, need an overhaul at more than 400k km but since it is a
manual carb model, he put in an EFi auto half cut.
the price for halfcuts are pretty low now as well.
as for what to watch out, i would say it is the drive shaft.

[machzero]

duck,

you need to find a 15 year old prelude first. Worry about the rest later
with test drives, questions to the owner, inspections to see if it's been
modified.

If you find a riced model with various mods in the engine, lowered
suspension and so on... i wouldn't touch it. You get a "clean" looking
model, everything still looks in good condition, and the owner says it's
been frequently serviced, you then based your decision on its mileage.

100k is about time when the various things like timing belts should have
been changed. A test drive will indicate if the clutch is in good condition
(with an auto, I dunno... maybe observe if it upshifts and kick-down
correctly).

don't touch a car with a modified engine. Any changes to the ECU, ignition,
will probably have damaged the other sensors already. It'll probably be a
little more powerful, but economy will likely be bad, with potential
accelerated wear in the engine. A car with a modified suspension will
probably handle much worse than the stock prelude setup. If it's been
modified, it'll probably have been driven hard.

On the plus side, there's a less chance a prelude will be modified compared
to a civic.

[duck]

DannyKing,

i'm looking at the 4th gen prelude. Just in case you didn't know, machzero
is driving a 3rd gen that you mentioned. I bet he doesn't think its ugly ;P

Actually both preludes are sporty looking and the SM4 body do look good as
well. I'm looking at the 4th gen because i simply like the body better than
the 3rd.

i've been into my friend's while he was driving recklessly (wonder why i
didn't stop him then). The car is very steady while swerving in and out and
you can feel the difference of a Honda comparred to any other local cars or
even korean mades. Would beat even a Perdana, given the amount of sound
that a perdana makes after 5 years... So, a lot of this old Hondas are
still in very good shape if you can find a well maintained one.

[machzero]

oh, i don't care about it's looks mostly... the wheelwells have a terrible
gap, and it looks nowhere as good as the silvias from that era. I just like
it's low hood, super thin a/b/c pillars, and tall "glasshouse". Other than
that, it cost RM$18k 12 years ago, it's very economical for a 2.0 litre
car, the parts rarely wear out, and if they do, the replacements are quite
standard and cheap. It comes stock with 6-way adjustable bucket seat,
adjustable steering position, lot's of european style refinements in its
features and handling.

even my rims are pretty ugly. I intentionally picked the lightest 15" rims
I could find to lower the unsprung weight. I can't find rubber in the 14"
size and 16"s are too heavy.

duck,

look at it this way. A brand new car will depreciate $5k - $10k in the
first year (which makes the current price for an older 2door 325 very
interesting to me) at best. Or worse... juara/tiara owners have nearly
unsellable cars now. How much do you think replacement of worn out parts
will cost you? If you find a good buy, replacement will be minimal. And
you're driving a car that that costs over RM$200k back then. If I
recalculate mine using current import/excise duties for a new car (and I
did import my car so I know the rates), it's about RM$220,000.

and be careful if you do get the 'lude. Most cars will feel unstable if you
push it hard (my father's SM4 for example), making you back-off. The "gen2"
and "gen3" preludes don't feel that way. You can push it until the car
decides to kill you. As I mentioned, my friend crashed his 2nd gen 2-3
times, while I managed to pull a real drift on a highway twice (caught the
rear in time as it broke free).


anyways, if I need a 4door car atm, it'll most likely be a CB or CD (i like
both shapes too, and the next two JP models are still very expensive). Work
occasionally with banks when I'm not overseas, and sometimes you need a
midsized car that looks respectable.

[DannyKing]

fuyo ,machzero is a bapak.

[fir2]

haha.... really...

I think I better see more used SM4 before buy one. Hard to find imported
CB4 in Johor, JB leh... what about the spare parts? same as local?

do any one know what's the market price now?

Hope i can be one of the hondus owner in this forum.