hi. im jason, im 17 and as of now i own a 98 honda prelude. the nissan bug is biting pretty hard so im gonna sell my lude for a 240. im in the market for a kouki and i would really appreciate it if you can answer some questions for me. do they have any common problems? if so what kinds and how much would repairs cost? is there anything i should know about them before buying one(even if its small)? and what kind of car are they just all around? i dont want to buy a car thats gonna break down every week. my budget is around 7,000(thats about how much i can get for the lude). so yea every ones input will be greatly appreciated.

 

get one with low mileage. if you arent sure of your mechanical abilities, bring a friend.

a common problem is front timing chain guide, which is right under the valve cover, and has a nasty habit of breaking. remove it. also, the timing chain as a whole is pretty weak, and shoudl be replaced after 100k. basically, look for your basic problems. test drive it, check for rust (strut towers are a good place to look) ask for a maintenance record, and expect to do a lot of online reading.

they are small, and they can be a handful, but once you buy one, dont expect to get out of the 240 game anytime soon.

 

Cronux - has it on the head.

The only thing that I could add is that how much things will cost you really depend on your mechanical abilities, if you can do the work yourself, you'll save a lot more money. Things are certainly more accessible on the S14 than it was on my Z32 (I can actually stick my hands in the engine bay with the S).

If you're paying top dollar, just make sure everything is working, AC, PW, DEF, tires match, etc., Windshield wipers working - stuff that is minor but will annoy the hell out of you if you pay good money for it and it doesn't work.

Good luck man, and btw

 

Dont just buy the first piece of **** you can find either. Koukis are rare, so you might have to search for a while.

 

some more things to think about...including those already stated.

they are at least 10 years old with 98 being the last year in the US.

with that being said they are not going to be perfect and when you do settle for one do all the necessities such as a tune up, new fluids all around, brakes brakes brakes... change rotors pads and lines if needed.

and once all of that is out of your way then you can look into bushings and other goodies

 

Thats for sure.
I bought a kouki, sold it for a truck and now im back in a kouki.

Fun little cars.

 

It's funny that you drive a 98 Prelude, cuz my buddy really wanted one. He was tired of his 88 prelude and wanted something faster. He's an old touge guy like me so he was thinking of getting a 98 prelude, but I told him no f-ing way and talked him into getting the Kouki. I told him it was a little slower, but it handled a lot better than that 3,300lb tank. He loves his car...only problem with it is that the car was from Florida, so it has some rust on it. And for some strange reason, every time we push that car to it's limits, it's never a victory until something breaks. Like the axle bearing, the ball joint nut loosening itself (thank god for cotter pins), or the POS Megan Coil-over pillowball mount wearing itself down and creating play....my Zenki S14 on the other hand, loves it when I ride her hard...and she always comes back wanting more....so it's hit or miss LOL...so make sure u hit it

 

lol 98 prelude handles better then a 98 240 but thats stock of course 240 with suspension handles better then a prelude with suspension

 

dude i went from a 92 prelude 4ws to my zenki s14 an i could have never made a better decision haha, even though my zenki has 2 blown struts an the clutch slips now, i still like it better than the luda