93 300zx non-turbo VS 99 prelude SH

which is faster and overall better???:D
any 0-60 and 1/4 mile times for both???
cant decide which to buy so i need help.

well i can't say i know much about the 93 300zx. never owned one, never driven one but i can say that the prelude is a pretty nice car. not the best drag car, but most hondas aren't, however it can tackle cornering and handling with the best of them, which is its main forte. not bad in the straight line, but it does other things much better. for its price range, it outhandles most everything in its class being FWD, and even many of the RWD alternatives in that same price range. it's held its own against the serious sports cars like the viper, vette, 911. didn't by any means outshine any of these but faired pretty well considering it costs at least $30,000 less and is FWD. car and driver mag did a comparo with all these cars and the prelude SH. and you'd probably find a good deal on a brand new one if you look around. they were just discontinued this past year, there are still some on lots. and dealers are itchin to get them off the lots. probably more reliable being newer, and a honda. out of all hondas, the prelude holds its resale value better. jus a little FYI. stock, 0-60 anywhere from high 6's to low 7's with the type sh. 1/4 mile 15.1-15.4. not stellar numbers, but again, its handling skills will more than make up for it.

now just waitin for one of the nissan guys, to talk up the 300zx. being non-turbo, i'd have to say it's probably not gonna impress very much.

Ahem!

NA Z numbers:

222HP (more than the Lude's 200HP)
190TQ (more than the Lude's 156TQ)
0.90 g's (more than the Lude's...the S2K pulls 0.92 g's I dont think the Lude pulls more and not as much...maybe like 0.85 best guess)
LSD included vs SH ATTS system (3K extra)
curb weight difference only 100 lbs (3100 vs 3000 )


I own a NA Z...you can convert one to TT for about 2K-5K depending upon if you find a good deal on the motor and tranny...but that's if and only if you are interested in that so dont shoot down the Z b/c it's NA...it can be faster if you want.

Last thing I have to say in defense of the Z is this

Was the Prelude in Car and Driver's Ten Best every year it was out in any of its generations?

I didnt think so...

Z32 (90-96 models) was in C/D's Ten Best list 6 years straight and coincidently the same 6 years that it was created.

BOO YAAA!!! (Stuart Scott voice) Hehehe.

:bandit:

there you see? nissan guys always have something to say and they somehow make honda look like a joke everytime. but i've come to expect nothing less from nissan. :silly2: anyway, i've already admitted the prelude, as with most hondas, aren't the ideal drag cars in stock form. you'd have to pour a lot of money into them to be such. so in that respect, if you wanna drag race, maybe a honda isn't the way to go. but the prelude isn't that bad. like i said, it's main strength is its handling. i think the prelude would be easier to live with on a daily basis. the h22 is a remarkable piece of machinery. the current prelude line was an automobile magazine all-star the first 2 years (97 and 98), car and driver pitted the lude against 7 other sporty coupes in its class(celica gts, eclipse, cougar, golf gti-vr6, 240sx, mx-6, somethin else i can't think of right now) and it came out on top. consumer reports rated it as the top sports coupe in its class, more than once. and yeah i believe the prelude has been in a car & drivers 10best in the past, i'd have to check exactly which years. i'm not sayin the 300zx is a bad car, i like the cars a lot. (you see nissan, honda guys have much love for other cars that aren't just honda. take a lesson :D )

here's my final diagnosis. test drive both and get the one YOU like best. i can already see me and the nissan guys going back and forth on why honda is so good and why nissan is so good, blah blah blah blah blah. and it won't help you at all. the best thing to do is drive both yourself and see which fits you and your style better

The Honda Prelude was in Car&Drivers top 10 list from 1993-1996 I believe. I know for a fact that it was in it more than once. Not sure about the 1997+ though. If I were you I would just buy a TT Z instead. They really are not that much more used. But you do have to be more careful buying one.

Just one little note, Your comparing what are two quite differnt cars, and I think you'll find that the weight differnce is a lot more than only 100lbs.
I know the JDM N/A Z weighs around 1.7-1.8 tons, while the preludes only weigh about 1.3tons.
Thats quite a differnce, about 600lbs? for you imperial folk.
And Im pretty sure there is not that much of a differnce between the US and JDM spec cars.

The Z is simply bigger and heavier, and feels it when you drive it.
Its a lot more of a highway cruizer than the lude, and if you ever get to compare them on a track the Lude will be signifcantly faster.

The Z's can also have issues with g.boxs failing if poorly treated or maintianed, and you really dont want to look inside the engine bay if you ever plan to work on one. They are not mechanic friendly, and are often poorly looked after as a result . Becarefull when buying one, if you get a dog it will cost lots in on going repiars.

The Lude is a lighter car, and is aimed more at acurate handling than flat out speed. Although in a straight line its an easy match for the Z, any differnce comeing down to driver more than car. But in a corner it will happily leave the Z behind. G force numbers really dont mean squat. (iv seen both on the same track).

Both of course have great aftermarket surport. The Lude, with its smaller and more easily accesable engine will be a little cheaper to say Turbo later on, but then if thats what you want you can simply buy a TT Z.
In terms of gains from the mods, I would have to say the Z has the advantage. But then is that becasue the aftermarket bits are better? or because the original product isnt as good as it could be?
(they go great with a custom twin pipe exhaust, and sound better than any lude ever could)


Quite simply both have thier good and bad points.
But both are also quite differnt cars, aimed at differnt markets, and do things in differnt ways.
In the end it really does come down to personal taste, so get out there and do a few test drives. :cool:

Good work Moppie :)

PERSONALY!!!!! I would take the Z, but I am an nissan man, I'm sure most honda boys (j/kin, I couldn't resist) would take the lude.


Nice avitar moppie ;)

Go for the Z man, they look dope... even stock.

-Grendel

thanks guys but i already got a silver 2002 sentra SE-R Spec V:D

well there ya go after all that you still end up with a phat ride...
it's all good then and you even kept it nissan