my auto page 20 march 2003 by johnmichael patrick monty monteith

Current Autos

1974 TVR 2500M:


If you have never heard of a TVR - no worries - most American's haven't. It is the Ferrari of British cars. As I have heard said many times, "The TVR is the sportscar for people that know sportscars."

Unfortunately, I can not afford to ship in a new TVR, so the best my budget could afford is a classic TVR. The engine is an American smog-approved Triumph V6, so acceleration is not it's strong suit. However, short of a Lotus Elise, there are few cars that will do better on the skidpad.

 

1991 Mazda B-Series Pickup:

No Photo Available

A TVR is great for a sunny day ride, but most days I am out at Home Depot picking up drywall for some new home improvement project. So, most days you will see me behind the wheel of this little pickup.

 

Used To Own:

2000 Honda Prelude SH:


Specs: 200 horsepower 4cyl 2.2L VTEC, ATTS

Pros: Best handling car I have ever driven. There is a reason Car & Driver rated this the best handling car under $30,000, and 4th best handling car at ANY price. The engine is impressive, although there are certainly more powerful engines available for straight-away power. Still, it is one of the most entertaining engines I have driven. A Porsche Boxster engine has nothing on the torque curve of this car.

Cons: The exterior styling is - well - boring.

Bottom Line: For a practical sports car under 20 grand (you can only buy used ones now) both the "experts" and I agree, there is no question that the Prelude SH is an excellent choice.

1996 Acura Integra RS

Specs: ~150 horsepower 4cyl 1.8L

Pros: The current generation Integra styling is impressive from the fact that Honda made it, and even more impressive that it still looks good considering it has not changed since 1994. The Intregra engine is just a pocket rocket, and the GSR and Type R take that pocket rocket to levels it was never meant to go. The Integra simply is a horsepower per buck wonder car when one also considers the fact that it is manufactured by the Honda luxury brand. Never in the 80,000 miles I put on this car was I dissapointed.

Cons: I should have bought the GSR. The non VTEC version of this engine had power, but the torque curve fell off when moving to the 5000 rpm range, which is exactly when I need it to kick in. Also, compared to the 2000 Prelude SH, this car has far too much body lean. I can take 25mph corners in the Prelude 20mph faster (easily) - even in the Type R model. In addition, the interior of this generation Integra is loud. I always wondered why the Prelude, which is very much a luxury car in it's design, is on the Honda line, and the Integra which is an over-achieving Civic, is on the Acura line. (I know the answer, but still, the two cars have the wrong label.)

Bottom Line: At the time, for under $15,000 I could pick up this little Integra RS, and it out performed just about everything for the money (except the Mitsubishi Eclipse). Add into the equation that it is considered a "luxury car", and it is an amazing deal. Problem is that, remove the Acura name, and it really is just a nicer version of the Honda Civic.



1986 Honda Prelude


Specs: ~100 horsepower 4cyl 1.8L

Pros: For the time, the design is top-notch. So top-notch that they brought the design back for the current (and last) generation Prelude. The handling on this car is excellent for it's time, in many ways out handling the Integra I purchased next. Overall, for the fact that it was manufactured in 1986, this car was an astounding achievement.

Cons: Engine? What engine? It might have had the most powerful mass-production engine Honda manufactured, it still needed another 50hp to make it into sportcar consideration. The Prelude never reached that billing until it finally received a VTEC engine nearly ten years later.

Bottom Line: Best $3000 I have spent on an automobile, and was even happier to get all of my money back (even after 60,000 miles of driving) when an uninsured motorist slammed into it two years later. It would never be able to beat anyone off the line, but it was a fun ride for the money.

 

1987 Chevrolet Sprint:
Picture to come

1980 Honda Prelude:


Thoughts:
Purchased in 1989. It actually was a very enjoyable car considering it had very little power compared to my current Prelude. I have seen modifications to this design where they are made into convertibles, and I have always wanted to get one for fun. In any case, I still see this model Prelude on the road quite a bit considering how old they are.