Listing snapshot
| Spotted | July 2023 |
| Asking price | $3,950 |
| Mileage | 197,000 (seller-stated) |
| Location | Round Rock, Texas |
| Listed on | Craigslist, private seller |
| Drivetrain | Four-cylinder, automatic, front-wheel drive |
| Status | Ad expired. This page is our archive of the listing. |
We spotted this 1990 Honda Prelude Si in July 2023, listed for $3,950 in Round Rock, Texas, with 197,000 miles. The seller had owned it for 22 years and wrote one of the most honest ads we’ve archived. We keep the record because it shows what a high-mile, original third-generation Prelude was worth.
What this car was
A white coupe with a gray cloth interior and an automatic, still on its original Prelude wheels. The paint was sun-faded but complete. The seller said the car was essentially stock apart from the radio, speakers, muffler, plug wires, battery and tires.
On the plus side, the ad listed regular oil changes, a new battery, a timing belt at 160,000 miles, a transmission rebuild 16 years earlier, a clean title, the owner’s manual and some receipts. The seats had no rips, the dash had slight bubbling but no cracks, and nobody had smoked in it. The seller was just as clear about the faults:
- The engine sometimes coughed and needed a tune-up
- No A/C, with the check-engine and ABS lights on
- Cracked windshield and fog lights needing bulbs
- Oil leak from the valve cover gasket (seller had the kit), and a gas filter due
- Speedometer, odometer and tachometer not working; a new speed sensor was included
- Small rust spots near the windshield
- Sunroof leaked in heavy rain and the rear defroster didn’t work
- Dented front passenger headlight cover, though the lights still popped up
Was $3,950 a fair ask?
At $3,950 this was priced as a project, which is what it was. Long single ownership, original wheels, a clean title and a seller who listed every fault all helped. The long fix list, faded paint and the non-working gauges, which make the true mileage hard to confirm, held it back. For someone who wanted a clean-titled base for a restoration, it was a fair ask.
A little Prelude history
Honda sold the Prelude in the US from 1979 to 2001. The third generation arrived for 1988 with a lower hood line, pop-up headlights and an optional mechanical four-wheel-steering system, one of the first on a production car. The Si was the sportier, fuel-injected version.
More cars from the archive
- Every Honda Prelude Si we’ve spotted, with asking prices
- 1995 Honda Civic EX, another Honda
- 1998 Honda Civic LX, another Honda
- 1998 Honda Civic DX, another Honda
- 2000 Honda Accord LX, another Honda
