2026 Honda Prelude.

[lokerola]

It's a hybrid automatic with frumpy styling. No thanks.

 

[Bill S]

Last manual I owned was an 89 Acura Integra. Fun car and I drove it hard for a dozen years I have about 15 years of driving a manual under my belt. Nothing shifts better than a good, modern auto like a ZF 8 or 10 speed. Paddle shifters are there for folks who want to still take it up and down the gears by themselves. I don't use them much as sport mode has most events covered outside of tracking the car. Many modern track and race cars are autos. Even modern drag cars are down to push a button and hold on. I could not do a 0-60 in 4.5 sec with a manual in my car. I can in sport mode.

 

[GordonW]

Last manual I owned was an 89 Acura Integra. Fun car and I drove it hard for a dozen years I have about 15 years of driving a manual under my belt. Nothing shifts better than a good, modern auto like a ZF 8 or 10 speed. Paddle shifters are there for folks who want to still take it up and down the gears by themselves. I don't use them much as sport mode has most events covered outside of tracking the car. Many modern track and race cars are autos. Even modern drag cars are down to push a button and hold on. I could not do a 0-60 in 4.5 sec with a manual in my car. I can in sport mode.

My friend used to have a C6 Z06 Corvette- a manual- that could go 0-60 in 3.5 seconds.

The reason? It would hit 60MPH IN FIRST GEAR. No shift required.

Yes, I guess that's cheating a bit...

Regards,
Gordon.

 

[Bill S]

I was recently at a restaurant where a lot of older fat cats go. I saw 2 Vettes pull up with old guys at the wheel. Both needed help getting in and out. I just laughed.

 

[Bill S]

My friend used to have a C6 Z06 Corvette- a manual- that could go 0-60 in 3.5 seconds.

The reason? It would hit 60MPH IN FIRST GEAR. No shift required.

Yes, I guess that's cheating a bit...

Regards,
Gordon.

I'll sacrifice 1 sec for daily comfort and ease of entry. I can still collect tickets but choose not to. I can also haul gear for a weeks vacation for 2.

 

[init4fun]

Not to be contrary (since everyone else here seems to hate this version of the Honda Prelude), , , but.......

To me it don't look a whole lot different than any other manufacturer's present day offerings

Sorry guys, but they just ain't gonna be mass producing the '57 Chevy again, , , , , ,

Or these either, for that matter;



So, , , till we all pool our money and start a retro car company, I guess we're just gonna have to get used to what today's manufacturers are puttin out.......

 

[Mr Boochie]

Not to be contrary (since everyone else here seems to hate this version of the Honda Prelude).

Prolly worth a test drive, if possible, then decide.

 

[KarinS]

I remember the old air-cooled VW bugs were still being made in Mexico, into the early 2000s. People would have them imported to the US.

My first car, a VW 412, was an air-cooled Volkswagen. It was the only automatic I ever owned. My dad gave it to me when I was 17, so it wasn't my choice. I refused to drive it for 3 weeks because I was concerned about the environment, but one day I was late for an appointment and got in. I was hooked on the freedom it gave me from that moment on.

 

[KarinS]

There is nothing like mastering a manual transmission. Matching revs with fast gear shifts and no lugging or clutch riding. Some hate the manual in traffic and for uphill starts but that never bothered me. I'm going over to Craigslist and see what manuals are out there, lol.

I have no problem with slow traffic or hills. Never had. I just luv to shift.

 

[KarinS]

And little dogs.

Hell, any dogs. My cats will not voluntarily go for a drive with me. Or walk on a leash. I love 'em anyway, but I wish they were more like dogs sometimes.

 

[KarinS]

I bought a 79 Prelude new. The paint and/or steel was terrible. Rust creeped under the paint at every tiny rock chip, and it chipped very easily. It was less than a year old when I sold it, and you probably could have scraped most of the paint off of the rockers with your fingernails.

Other than that it was a fun quirky little car. The new one does nothing for me. Looks like everything else.

Back in 1985, I almost bought a Prelude. It was between that and an '86 Jetta GLI. I thought the GLI's looked boring, but when I lifted the hood on the Prelude, it felt like a tin can. Then one night my sister and I were cruising down Broadway in Oakland, past Broadway-Johnson VW, and we saw that they were moving their cars around. We pulled in, and I saw the GLI in red. Hot damn! Sexy. We went in, and while my sister was chatting up the salesmen, I explored that Jetta inside and out. It was built like a tank. Broadway-Johnson was a crooked dealer, though, so I went down to Val Strough in Albany and bought my GLI there. Color: Atlas Gray. I was born with a lead foot, and knew better than to get one in red. Long story short, my Jetta and I stayed together for 20 years and 3 months. I cried buckets of tears when Pick 'n Pull finally towed my baby away. I'll never forget that car. We had some times.

 

[KarinS]

I remember driving on San Francisco streets in the rain, with my old BMW 2002Ti. Nothing will teach about the "friction point" better than that.

I did that many times with my Jetta. The worst is California Street in SF, because of the streetcar tracks. I'd pull on the handbrake, and gradually let up as I gassed it. I got a kick out of it.

 

[Mystic]

View attachment 3623649
Sneak peek.

As "looks" go, I'll gladly take my late Eighties model over this one any day. My Eighties model also performed well enough for me.

 

[KarinS]

I was recently at a restaurant where a lot of older fat cats go. I saw 2 Vettes pull up with old guys at the wheel. Both needed help getting in and out. I just laughed.

I know - that's so funny. That screams midlife crisis.

I've been attracted to fast cars since I was 17, so I've had a midlife crisis for 52 years. Nothing new.

 

[KarinS]

Not to be contrary (since everyone else here seems to hate this version of the Honda Prelude), , , but.......

To me it don't look a whole lot different than any other manufacturer's present day offerings

Sorry guys, but they just ain't gonna be mass producing the '57 Chevy again, , , , , ,

Or these either, for that matter;

View attachment 3624537

So, , , till we all pool our money and start a retro car company, I guess we're just gonna have to get used to what today's manufacturers are puttin out.......

Wow - that's beautiful.

I actually really liked that Prelude you're referring to. It's hot.

 

[2FarGone]

My Honda sports car putt-putt.

Now yer talkin’. I have an ‘05 in Suzuka blue.

Some putt-putt.

 

[Mr Boochie]

Now yer talkin’. I have an ‘05 in Suzuka blue.

Some putt-putt.

I almost bought a Suzuka Blue one.

 

[onwardjames]

Man, did I EVER want the blue '85 CRX that my roommate had. Beauty.

I owned 2 '87 Si models. One bone stock, the other about as modded as could have been.
Both were equally fun.

My Honda sports car putt-putt.

Boochie, I told ya, just leave the keys in the ignition, and in my driveway. You don't have to beg, man, I'll buy it.

 

[hjames]

There are several "car guys" at work (in their 20s to 40s) who don't know how to drive a stick shift. Times they are a'changing!

I've never had a primary car that I drove that wasn't a manual. Even my Element is a 5-speed.

I'm with ya, Mr B! Our CRV was a 5 speed - it'd haul sweet butt with that torquey motor and that trans, and I could load up monster speakers in it
when I was on my JBL buying kick ... I miss it too!
All our cars have been stick since shortly after Emma and I became a couple in the late 90s.
Emma had a Delta 98 Supreme when we met (Big ol' land yacht we sold shortly afterward), and a friend gave us a well worn turbo
Lebaron convertible, Ottomattic - sold it too as we downsized the fleet. And of course the TR8 is a 5sp.



Then again, the 2012 Honda Fit 5sp I drive now is surprisingly roomy -and surprised the heck out of me when I got a pair of JBL L200 cabinets in that little beast!

and more!

 

[Mr Boochie]

Back of Element, last speakers, and crossovers R&R.