zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
For $4,000, This 1988 Honda Prelude S Tells Your Luggage To Rack ‘Em Up
For $4,000, This 1988 Honda Prelude S Tells Your Luggage To Rack ‘Em Up-June 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:10:00

What more car do you need than today’s Prelude? It has pop-up headlights, legendary Honda build quality from back when it was legendary, and a luggage rack on the back, which seemingly Preludes could pull off. The only question of course, is its price.

Man, you guys hate PT Cruisers the way Hillary hates “feelin’ the Bern.” You hate them so much that no amount of flames, fancy-pants wheels, and add-on chrome accessories can overcome it. Or... perhaps all that actually had something to do with the dramatic 68% Crack Pipe loss experienced by yesterday’s . The world may never know.

That Chrysler may have flamed out, but today we have a Honda that—while not retro—has enough years on it in fact actually be pretty old school. This represents from a different era in Honda’s life, and while the company might counter that with “we’ve grown, and you haven’t” I still like this age of Hondas the bestest.

The Prelude went through five generations before Honda decided there was more money in Sport Utilities and Crossovers than Sports Coupes and carving corners. Over those generations, the cars competed against the likes of VW’s Scirocco, Toyota’s Celica, and somewhat coincidentally .

This ’88 comes from the second model year of the third generation, which is arguably one of the best looking generations of all the ‘Ludes. This being an entry-level S model, it lacks the high-output mill and available all-wheel steering of the Si. Instead it offers a 104-bhp SOHC 2.0 and back wheels that do little more than hold up the groceries in the trunk.

At least you get a five-speed stick here to make the most of those 104 ponies, and with the whole car ringing in at only about 2,400 pounds those should be enough to have fun. The ad says the car is all original so no monkey business has gone on with the car. It also notes that the seller has all the receipts. All of them. Every freaking one. I wonder if he keeps them in old tissue boxes next to the jars of urine and bags of hair?

The interior looks pretty fantastic in the pics, the nicely bolstered seats still holding up well and the dash appearing without cracks or other issues. This was back when Honda was doing dashboards right—not that Machu-Picchu tiered shit—and the remarkably low hood line and a-pillar base may be disconcerting to those of you expecting a modern turtleneck-like driving environment.

On the outside things seem equally tidy, and this car has both pop-up headlights up front and a natty luggage rack out back. Underneath all that there doesn’t seem to be any rust and the two-owner car comes with newer tires and timing belt and only 77K on the clock.

If you’d like to add to those miles the cost of doing so is $4,000, which apparently is only offered to serious inquiries. That means you clowns in the back there—you know who you are—should sit this one out.

For the rest of us, what’s your take on this prosaic Prelude and its $4K price? Does that seem like a deal to turn back the hands of Honda? Or, for that much is this a Prelude in name only?

You decide!

Boise ID , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to Zion1080p for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOCP. Click to send a me a fixed-price tip, and remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
At $46,000, Could This 2016 Jaguar F-Type Be Your Type Of Deal?
At $46,000, Could This 2016 Jaguar F-Type Be Your Type Of Deal?
Today’s F-Type represents Jaguar’s return to the glory days of its sports car past. It also represents a serious level of depreciation. Let’s see if that’s an elevator ride down you’re willing to hop on. There are two things about yesterday’s that kept bothering me. The first was the...
Jun 21, 2026
Don't Assume Car Dealers Might Be Desperate To Give You A Deal
Don't Assume Car Dealers Might Be Desperate To Give You A Deal
Car sales Of buyers who can financially handle a new car right now, many are going to take advantage of huge savings from dealers and automakers looking to move units. But that doesn’t mean the opening offer is always going to be a good one. I had a reader...
Jun 21, 2026
You Know The Economy Is Bad When 'Bring A Trailer' Is Offering This Rusty Shitbox Mitsubishi Three-Wheeler
You Know The Economy Is Bad When 'Bring A Trailer' Is Offering This Rusty Shitbox Mitsubishi Three-Wheeler
The car auction website has earned a reputation as a place that offers mint-condition, low-mileage cars that sell at ridiculously high prices. Yet, on the site right now, with a current high bid of $700 with only one hour left, is a 1960 Mitsubishi TM15FL three-wheeler. And it is...
Jun 21, 2026
At $1,500, Is This “Barn-Find” 1979 Mazda RX-7 A Barn-Burner Of A Deal?
At $1,500, Is This “Barn-Find” 1979 Mazda RX-7 A Barn-Burner Of A Deal?
The seller of today’s RX-7 claims it to be one of the earliest built but also to be in non-running condition at preesent. Let’s find out just what you think it might be worth to wake up this Rip Van Wankel. The comments on last Friday’s proved a microcosm...
Jun 21, 2026
Used Car Prices Are Likely Coming Down, But It May Not Happen For A Few Months
Used Car Prices Are Likely Coming Down, But It May Not Happen For A Few Months
The impact of the coronavirus on the car market is turning into a worst-case scenario for automakers, lenders, dealers, and rental companies. Naturally, consumers can expect prices to fall in the pre-owned market, but the full impact of COVID-19 may not materialize for several months. According to a report...
Jun 21, 2026
At $4,990, Is This Low-Mileage 2009 Nissan Cube A Square Deal?
At $4,990, Is This Low-Mileage 2009 Nissan Cube A Square Deal?
You may have forgotten that the Nissan Cube ever even existed, although the two-tone paint and color-keyed wheels on today’s candidate will bring the memory back in flash. Let’s see if this car’s whimsical style has a price to match. Even in non-running condition, yesterday’s was an intriguing proposition....
Jun 21, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved