I ran across a 90 Prelude Si for sale today. The owner is asking 2K for it, but doesn't sound like he if firm on that price. The body is straight, has 223k miles, burns some oil, but he drives it daily. It has a B21A1 motor, 5-speed, with a JHMBA4131LC014576 vin. The body says Si, but If I decoded the vin correctly the motor is a 2.1L not a VTEC. I was wanting some experienced advise here, what is the car worth? I know it was made in Japan, but it's not a VTEC, which is what I was kinda hopin for. Is the B21A1 motor a decent design?

Any advice, suggestions, and/or opinions are surely welcomed, as I'm just trying to get a feel for what's a good project car, and what should be walked away from...

 

haha. i like the 88-91 preludes. B21 is non-vtec if i remember correctly. i dun think vtec actually existed for a prelude until the H22s rolled in (not sure, correct me if i'm wrong). for $2k i would just buy an integra or crx. that many miles, it's asking for trouble. plus b18s and b16s pump out more than a b21 nowadays.

 

NOT worth 2K. Maybe $1200 max if he has records and it's in good shape.

 

I decided to pass on the Prelude, thanks for the info guys. I want to ask a newbie question... If the VIN on a Japan Manufactured car starts out "JHM", where does the acronym "JDM" come from & mean?

 

jdm japanese domestic market

jhm japanese honda motor company

 

Oh. Ok, thanks!