Hey guys,

So I have a friend that may have just offered me a deal of a lifetime. I need your opinion on this because there is a few things that I dont know about with this car I might trade.

I currently own a 95' Honda Accord LX auto with 295k miles on it. Nothing wrong with it. Aftermarket exhaust/intake thats about it.

My friend wants to trade me his 92' Prelude that he just bought a few weeks back. It is super super clean and has 226k miles on it. It's also a 5 speed which has been on my wish list for a long time now. The car was owned by a mechanic before him that was setting this thing up to race.

Some of the mods that I know are done to it:
-Power steering removed
-Stock steering wheel removed with bolt-on type
-Acura Integra chip installed

What do these things mean as far as performance/what else that owner might have done to this car? I havent ever messed with preludes but I know it's pretty damn fast.

The only reason my friend wants to trade is because he wants a bigger car. The reason im sketched about it is because he wants to trade straight across, no money or anything. He knows my car really well too.

Any input on this?

EDIT:

I forgot to mention, the CEL is always on in this car. The gauge cluster was traded with the Acura Integra cluster and there was a switch installed to shut off the CEL. I would imagine that the CEL stays on because of the Acura computer not getting all the signals it should be because its in a different car?

 

With the CEL turned on, you should still be able to read the codes. Short the service connector to find out the code. Will your car fail an inspection if the CEL is on?

You will want to test drive the car to determine if the missing power steering will be an issue. I'd do a thorough inspection on the vehicle to figure out what needs repaired. There are a few good videos on youtube that go over used vehicle inspection. Ericthecarguy and Schrodingers Box have videos on this. I'd suggest to watch them both.

I'd take a close look at the wiring to see how much the main wire harness has been modified. If you need to return the car to stock, then the less wiring work the better.

 

I don't really mind wiring work as I am going to school to be a technician right now and I have access to oscilloscopes, flukes, stuff like that. I'm just curious what that computer is actually doing.

The way he described it to me, the code that thing flashes when the switch is kicked on is for OEM? His explanation is because the computer is in a different car.

He also says the dash lights come on whenever the fan is turned on, which he says has to do with the heater too but I suspect that has to do more with the way the original modder wired it up and less with it having that computer in it.

 

This sounds like a car I wouldn't just walk away from, I'd run away.

 

I agree with Shipo

In my experience, usually when a 'deal is too good to be true'... it isn't a good deal for at least one of the parties involved

Your friend is wanting to get rid of his car for a reason... I get the feeling that it is not just for more space. If your car is in good shape and, more importantly, if you're happy with it... keep it.

 

So does anyone know anything about this computer swap? I need to know what I'm looking for as far as things that could end up going wrong in the future

 

It could be a great trade, but, since you don't know much about the car's mods I would pass. If it was factory stock, than I'd do it. Too many unknowns that could turn into a nightmare.

 

The computer sets a code when it sees an incorrect signal from a sensor. Read the code(s) to get a better idea of what circuits would need troubleshooting. I'm not sure what or why a chip was installed.

 

Is he really your friend?? Heck I had a car that was falling apart that my friend wanted for his daughter I made a list a page long of things wrong with it that would need fixing someday none of them safety. He said no thanks. I figured it would be the end of our friendship if he bought it. I was happy sold it to someone else.

 

The CEL being on because the computer is in a different car? That sounds bogus. If it was wired up correctly, proper sensors installed; that doesn't have to happen.