buying a honda prelude with high miles

Do these cars last a long time? When I say high miles I mean about 100,000 miles. I am talking about the 97+ model and manual transmission. What are some likely things that could go wrong? What parts should be replaced? How many miles could it last total? Is it ok to modify it with intake,exhaust, headers, intake manifold, and other bolt on parts like that while still maintaining reliability? Also, I see some have automatic transmissions with auto-shift mode, is that where you can shift with no clutch? How many speeds is that in auto, and how many in manual? Is it as good as manual or better than auto? Please let me know, thanks for any good advice.

with simple bolt-on's you will be fine for relaiability and operation just make sure you research eny parts you might buy for it cuz some stuff is a scam and could wreck your car,i have owned my 97 base with 140,000km on it and it for a bout 3 mthsand it works good for me and i have cold air intake and thats it so far,dont get a auto thair crap, auto has 4 gears and manual is 5 gears,auto tranny has the option of shifting without a clutch, really borring...im swapping mine to 5spd soon,so over all go with the 5spd and always remember proper matinence for your lude, lots of people dont maintain thair cars and they always wonder why it brakes down,to answer your high miles question i had a 90 prelude for my first car and it had 351,000km and burnt a bit of oil and the car was beat to hell.....i love honda for thair long lasting engines, no problems with the 97 so far exept regular maintinence

Your car should be fine. I'd ask the people you are buying from if they have done the timing belt, water pump and regular 90k maintenance. Your engine will last as long as you take care of it. Regular fluid changes and maintenance will ensure survival.

Basic bolt on modifications will be alright for your car. It's when you start messing with things that affect the internal components of your engine when you might want to be careful.

The manual is far superior, especially in the 5th gen preludes (97+). Many 5th gen owners I have talked to have complained that their transmissions have failed them in the past.

I have an 88 lude with 245K miles and she purrrrrs like new. As stated before, keep up on the maintenance and only use OEM parts, not necessarily dealer unless your rich...LOL. People modify the heck out of them and then find themselves working on them more than driving them...KEEP IT SIMPLE... I am pulling 32 MPG and all I did was tak off all the air filter ducting and threw a "wanna-be" cone air filter on the rubber snorkle to let her breathe a little easier. They are FANTASTIC and fun cars if you just take care of them. Timing belt is a quick change but if it breaks you will be rebuilding your whole top end.

I have owned three Honda's and have all made it over 250K. 100k is low miles in my opinion. Keep up on your preventive maintenence and you should be fine.

Manual is the only way to go.

100,000 miles i fine for that car. my only suggestion, is to take it to a shop (or if you have access to a lift), and scope out the underbody. look for leaks under the motor, bushings (how worn the are), and for any exsessive rust issues. the bottom of a car car tell you a lot of how well the owner took care of it. and a shop would prolly do that for 10 bucks or so, and give you thier opinion. well worth it.

I second what everyone has said, and would like to add:

Generally... "bolt on" mods are ones that allow more flow. They will actually give you better gas mileage. The primary reason why Honda does not use conical filters or bigger exhaust piping is because of emissions. However, modified cars do require prompt and diligent maintenance. If you modify your car, you aren't necessarily making it less reliable; but you are opening yourself to a larger array of problems.

:iagree:

i bought a lude with a 97 lude with 97k miles on it. so far no problems. i installed an AEM CAI, and generic ebay headers. so far, only problem is valve ticking...but i have heard thats natural on Hondas and i shouldn't have to worry about it.

In all honesty I wouldn't heavily modify a car with over 100,000 on it. I know, I know, hondas are good for a xxx,000 miles but if I am about to drop 6000 in parts in my car (head work, turbo, etc) I would not do it on a engine with a lot of miles. Simple bolt-ons are ok save the big stuff for a car with lower miles IMO.

^-- He's right.