I bought my used black Honda Prelude (Automatic) in February of 2006, and have been very satisfied with the vehicle despite a few flaws. The car I had before I bought the Prelude was a 2001 Ford Focus SE sedan. A decent and very underrated car it was, but it was too bland and boring for me. The constant repairs didn't help either.
After about a year and a half with the Focus, I decided to trade it in and get something a little faster, a little classier, a little sportier, and of course, nothing that'll leave me completely broke (used!).
I narrowed my choices down to four models: Acura Integra, Ford Mustang GT, Mitsubishi Eclipse, and the Honda Prelude. There was just one thing: It had to have an automatic transmission. I can't drive stick and never bothered to learn, as nobody else who'd ever drive my car knows how to drive stick. Because of that, if I wanted to go with the Acura Integra, I could only get the 140 horsepower (the weakest of the four cars) trim, as the more powerful trims were only available with manual transmissions. The 2000 Ford Mustang GT specs were extremely impressive; By far the fastest car of the four with a 260 horsepower V8 engine. It was also unrefined and I did not like the styling (of course, the 2005 and 2006 Mustangs are a completely different story, but I didn't quite have the money for those yet and I'm too impatient to wait). Also, my old Ford Focus needed constant repairs as one thing went bad after another, and I wanted to try my luck with a different car make. It was then down to the 2000-2005 generation Mitsubishi Eclipse and the 1997-2001 generation Honda Prelude. I loved the styling of both cars. I never did get to test drive an Eclipse, but according to Edmunds.com, the Prelude was the faster of the two, even if the Eclipse has the V6 engine. I decided on a 2001 Prelude as Honda also has a much better reputation for reliability than Mitsubishi does.

As I mentioned earlier, I love the styling of the Honda Prelude. Sporty and classy, yet conservative; not designed to look faster or more powerful than it is. The large rectangular headlights add a bit of a luxurious look to the Prelude as well. However, there's a lot of people who thinks that the exterior design is too conservative. For those, there's always the Mitsubishi Eclipse or the Toyota Celica. Many people also complain that the interior of the Prelude is too conservative. I, having only been in some older 70's muscle cars and modern economy cars and minivans, am fine with the simple interior design. All buttons are well placed, nothing being uncomfortable to reach for while driving. You'll never think you're in a spaceship, however, unlike with the previous generation (1992-1996) Prelude and it's digital gauges. The 1997-2001 Preludes use traditional analog gauges. One odd thing about the interior design though, is that the hand brake is on the passenger side of the center console. More than once, I've accidentally brushed a friend's left leg when reaching for the hand brake. In terms of roominess, the rear seats are a bit disappointing, especially since I was used to the roomy back seat space of the Ford Focus. However, the Prelude was meant to be a sports car, and I should be happy that it has a back seat at all. As it is, the rear seats are good only for two small children, luggage, pets, or to torture claustrophobic friends. Front seat room is decent, but depending on how far back the driver and passenger pushes the front seats, the rear seat leg room can be reduced even more or even eliminated. The front seats themselves are very comfortable and hold the driver and passenger well when the Prelude is driven the way it was advertised, hard and fast.

My Prelude was equipped with a 4-speed "Sequential Sportshift" automatic transmission. Basically, with this transmission, you can drive the car like any other automatic or you can shift the car yourself by throwing the shift lever to a separate "Sequential Sportshift" shift gate.
Unfortunately, this transmission is known to break down easily. Honda even extended the warranty for the automatic transmission to 7 years or 100,000 miles for the 2000/2001 Preludes. At 90000 KM, only a few months after I bought my used Prelude, my transmission began flaring and clunking into gears. I got the transmission replaced for free at a Honda dealer. Even though the transmission is a bit smoother now, when driving the car in stop-and-go traffic, the transmission still feels very rough, jerky, and hesitant. A Honda employee told me that this is common for Honda vehicles, stating that it's "more fuel efficient". Whatever! Fortunately, when driven a bit harder and faster in less congested roads, the transmission shifts as smooth as any other vehicle with an automatic transmission. Another flaw with the auto Preludes is transmission whine. The transmission makes a slight whistling/whining noise at all times and goes up in pitch with RPM. Fortunately, this is noticeable only while driving in small enclosed areas such as a back alley or an underground parkade. Again, Honda employees told me that the noise is normal.

With a 195 horsepower (200 HP for the manual Preludes) four cylinder VTEC engine, the Prelude accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour in about 8 seconds (about 7 for the manual Preludes). Not the fastest car in the world of course, but quicker than most other cars on the road. When pushed past 5200 RPM, "VTEC" is engaged and the engine sound switches from a subtle rumble to a mean, loud, yet refined snarl. Music to my ears. I could try to explain VTEC in this review, but many others have already done it, and it can be easily searched on the 'net. While hitting VTEC is a nice way to show off the car, you'll probably not want to do it too often unless you don't mind the current gas prices (and the Prelude requires premium). VTEC burns oil and gas fast. Even without ever engaging VTEC, though, the Prelude still burns engine oil fast. I find that I have to add at least two quarts of the recommended 5w30 into the engine between oil changes (which Honda recommends every 6,000 KM). In terms of gas mileage, I usually get between 320 KM to 375 KM per tank depending on the way I drive.

Handling is the Preludes biggest strength. For those who can get a manual Prelude can get the "Type SH" version, which improves handling even more with the Active Torque Transfer System (ATTS). But even without it, the base Preludes handle extremely well, almost begging the driver to drive the Prelude aggressively.

Standard equipment includes power sunroof, power mirrors, power locks, along with everything else you'd expect in a car in this price range such as air conditioning, cruise control, seat warmers, and a decent stereo system. One thing I would've liked is driver seat and mirror memory, but you can't ask for everything, I guess.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the automatic Honda Prelude if you cannot get a manual for whatever reason. Yes there are some major flaws, mainly with the Sportshift transmission. Just make sure to get the 2000 or 2001 Preludes so you still have warranty on the transmission.
If you can get a manual Prelude, do so as the automatic is slower, more problematic, and consumes more gas than the manual Preludes.

Amount Paid (US$): 15,000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2001
Model and Options: Sequential Sportshift Transmission