Deal of a lifetime? Guy wants to trade me his 92' Prelude
#1
Deal of a lifetime? Guy wants to trade me his 92' Prelude
Hey guys,
So I have a friend that may have just offered me a deal of a lifetime. I need your opinion on this because there is a few things that I dont know about with this car I might trade.
I currently own a 95' Honda Accord LX auto with 295k miles on it. Nothing wrong with it. Aftermarket exhaust/intake thats about it.
My friend wants to trade me his 92' Prelude that he just bought a few weeks back. It is super super clean and has 226k miles on it. It's also a 5 speed which has been on my wish list for a long time now. The car was owned by a mechanic before him that was setting this thing up to race.
Some of the mods that I know are done to it:
-Power steering removed
-Stock steering wheel removed with bolt-on type
-Acura Integra chip installed
What do these things mean as far as performance/what else that owner might have done to this car? I havent ever messed with preludes but I know it's pretty damn fast.
The only reason my friend wants to trade is because he wants a bigger car. The reason im sketched about it is because he wants to trade straight across, no money or anything. He knows my car really well too.
Any input on this?
EDIT:
I forgot to mention, the CEL is always on in this car. The gauge cluster was traded with the Acura Integra cluster and there was a switch installed to shut off the CEL. I would imagine that the CEL stays on because of the Acura computer not getting all the signals it should be because its in a different car?
So I have a friend that may have just offered me a deal of a lifetime. I need your opinion on this because there is a few things that I dont know about with this car I might trade.
I currently own a 95' Honda Accord LX auto with 295k miles on it. Nothing wrong with it. Aftermarket exhaust/intake thats about it.
My friend wants to trade me his 92' Prelude that he just bought a few weeks back. It is super super clean and has 226k miles on it. It's also a 5 speed which has been on my wish list for a long time now. The car was owned by a mechanic before him that was setting this thing up to race.
Some of the mods that I know are done to it:
-Power steering removed
-Stock steering wheel removed with bolt-on type
-Acura Integra chip installed
What do these things mean as far as performance/what else that owner might have done to this car? I havent ever messed with preludes but I know it's pretty damn fast.
The only reason my friend wants to trade is because he wants a bigger car. The reason im sketched about it is because he wants to trade straight across, no money or anything. He knows my car really well too.
Any input on this?
EDIT:
I forgot to mention, the CEL is always on in this car. The gauge cluster was traded with the Acura Integra cluster and there was a switch installed to shut off the CEL. I would imagine that the CEL stays on because of the Acura computer not getting all the signals it should be because its in a different car?
Last edited by Joyce.Tyler541; 05-11-2015 at 08:01 PM.
#2
With the CEL turned on, you should still be able to read the codes. Short the service connector to find out the code. Will your car fail an inspection if the CEL is on?
You will want to test drive the car to determine if the missing power steering will be an issue. I'd do a thorough inspection on the vehicle to figure out what needs repaired. There are a few good videos on youtube that go over used vehicle inspection. Ericthecarguy and Schrodingers Box have videos on this. I'd suggest to watch them both.
I'd take a close look at the wiring to see how much the main wire harness has been modified. If you need to return the car to stock, then the less wiring work the better.
You will want to test drive the car to determine if the missing power steering will be an issue. I'd do a thorough inspection on the vehicle to figure out what needs repaired. There are a few good videos on youtube that go over used vehicle inspection. Ericthecarguy and Schrodingers Box have videos on this. I'd suggest to watch them both.
I'd take a close look at the wiring to see how much the main wire harness has been modified. If you need to return the car to stock, then the less wiring work the better.
#3
With the CEL turned on, you should still be able to read the codes. Short the service connector to find out the code. Will your car fail an inspection if the CEL is on?
You will want to test drive the car to determine if the missing power steering will be an issue. I'd do a thorough inspection on the vehicle to figure out what needs repaired. There are a few good videos on youtube that go over used vehicle inspection. Ericthecarguy and Schrodingers Box have videos on this. I'd suggest to watch them both.
I'd take a close look at the wiring to see how much the main wire harness has been modified. If you need to return the car to stock, then the less wiring work the better.
You will want to test drive the car to determine if the missing power steering will be an issue. I'd do a thorough inspection on the vehicle to figure out what needs repaired. There are a few good videos on youtube that go over used vehicle inspection. Ericthecarguy and Schrodingers Box have videos on this. I'd suggest to watch them both.
I'd take a close look at the wiring to see how much the main wire harness has been modified. If you need to return the car to stock, then the less wiring work the better.
The way he described it to me, the code that thing flashes when the switch is kicked on is for OEM? His explanation is because the computer is in a different car.
He also says the dash lights come on whenever the fan is turned on, which he says has to do with the heater too but I suspect that has to do more with the way the original modder wired it up and less with it having that computer in it.
#5
I agree with Shipo
In my experience, usually when a 'deal is too good to be true'... it isn't a good deal for at least one of the parties involved
Your friend is wanting to get rid of his car for a reason... I get the feeling that it is not just for more space. If your car is in good shape and, more importantly, if you're happy with it... keep it.
In my experience, usually when a 'deal is too good to be true'... it isn't a good deal for at least one of the parties involved
Your friend is wanting to get rid of his car for a reason... I get the feeling that it is not just for more space. If your car is in good shape and, more importantly, if you're happy with it... keep it.
#8
The computer sets a code when it sees an incorrect signal from a sensor. Read the code(s) to get a better idea of what circuits would need troubleshooting. I'm not sure what or why a chip was installed.
#9
Is he really your friend?? Heck I had a car that was falling apart that my friend wanted for his daughter I made a list a page long of things wrong with it that would need fixing someday none of them safety. He said no thanks. I figured it would be the end of our friendship if he bought it. I was happy sold it to someone else.