Used Honda Prelude review and buying guide (1996 to 2000): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Honda Prelude should you buy?

Go for a manual. Automatic gearbox failures crop up often on this Prelude, and the 2.2 automatic comes off worst, so that's the version to treat with the most suspicion. There's only one generation to choose from, built from 1996 until production ended in June 2000, so it's the gearbox and the car's condition that decide it, not the year.

Even the last cars off the line are old now, so judge each one on how it's been kept rather than on its plate. A straight, tidy manual with the recall work on file is a better bet than a low-mileage automatic with gaps in its history, and a 2.2 auto needs a very convincing service record before it's worth a second look.

Which Prelude engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

The 2.2 is the engine the warnings name, and it's the automatic gearbox behind it that's the worry: auto failures show up across the Prelude and most of all on the 2.2. A manual 2.2 avoids that particular risk, but a lack of complaints isn't proof the manual box is tough, so judge the gearchange on the test drive rather than assuming it's fine.

Some 2.2s have four-wheel steer, and that's the version to look over most carefully underneath, because its tyres are the ones singled out for wearing unevenly. If you're trying an automatic, have a go with the manual-shift mode: it's forward to change up and back to change down, which some drivers find backwards, so make sure you can live with it before you buy.

What should you check when viewing a used Prelude?

The oil on the dipstick should be clean, and the service book should carry a complete set of Honda dealer stamps. Then work round the car: the big alloys pick up kerb scuffs, and a hard hit can carry through to the front suspension, so don't miss bent or chipped rims or tyres worn more on one edge than the other.

On an automatic, drive far enough for the gearbox to warm through and use every gear going up and coming down, manual mode included. Given how often these autos fail, a change that slurs, thumps or hesitates is a reason to leave it. Over rough roads, feel for anything vague or knocking in the steering, which matters given the ball joint recall on early cars.

Ask for proof that the recall work was done, and don't take a verbal assurance. 1997 and 1998 cars were recalled because the steering ball joints could come apart, and 1997 to 2000 cars because worn ignition switch contacts could cut the engine at speed; the fix was a new switch. A Honda invoice or stamp for each job is what you want to see.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.