HONDA PRELUDE (1978-2001)
It may barely register on the radar of most classic petrolheads, but a Prelude can be interesting and fun, without gobbling your savings
Where did they go? You still sometimes see MkIVs and Vs cruising about but earlier Preludes have become rare – and sometimes expensive. You might need more than £10k for a top-notch MkI, a car lacking its Nineties descendants’ sporting credentials, but with oodles of comfort and arguably more charisma.
Honda introduced all-wheel steering on the MkIII (a first for a production car) in 1988; coupled with fruity power outputs and sleek styling, AWS makes for scintillating motoring with Ferrari-beating agility, but these cars are complex and parts aren’t always easy or cheap to get hold of, so ownership of a high-mileage, late model is unlikely to be a low-budget affair.
Grey imports are more likely to be rust-free but a well-kept and unmolested UK car is usually a better bet. Kent-based specialist, Wayne Lamport (stonecoldclassics.com), advises that the ultrareliable VTEC cars are the ones to go for, if you’re looking for a cash-free classic that can offer a safe repository for your savings: ‘Choose a mid-Nineties MkIV with the rare “spaceship” dash and make sure that it’s a genuine low-mileage, low-owner UK car. ‘It must be manual, too, though most survivors are autos because they were bought by older buyers.’
So, don’t be afraid of getting a Nineties car, with all the wizardry that that entails. Just be careful which example you buy…