2001 car with 76 miles, has been in storage for two years.

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Busie23

Senior member
Jan 24, 2001
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It's a Prelude SH with 76 miles on it and was stolen from the dealer and stored for two years before it was found. It was built in 7/01 and was found in 2/04. Nothing is wrong with it except the rear hatch emblem is missing. If the price is right I will have a 3rd party check it out beforehand, but I'm wondering what kind of problems could arrise from a brand new car not running for two years? How safe of purchase do you think this would be if tghe inspection turns out OK?

Thanks,

Busie23
 

Have a mechanic check the rings and seals (hell, the entire ENGINE) REALLY well. I don't know anything about cars, but that type of stuff is likely to corrode after two years no matter what, and on a new car that'd be a bad thing.
 
StageLeft

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
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An important question would be whether anybody was foolhardy enough to actually try and start it after it had been sitting there for two years. I would hope the answer is no, since the thing would be 100% unlubricated, so until the oil pressure (though the oil would be old and not so good) got up it would be running without any lube :Q
 
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TechnoKid

Diamond Member
Feb 12, 2001
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Originally posted by: Skoorb
An important question would be whether anybody was foolhardy enough to actually try and start it after it had been sitting there for two years. I would hope the answer is no, since the thing would be 100% unlubricated, so until the oil pressure (though the oil would be old and not so good) got up it would be running without any lube :Q
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yeah, the engine needs to turned by hand a couple times with fresh oil in the pan and crankcase. also NEW fresh gas is a must. tires may be flat spotted. fuel injectors may be sticky. and the list goes on.
 
Perknose

Perknose

Forum Director & Omnipotent Overlord
Forum Director
Oct 9, 1999
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Originally posted by: AgaBooga
Originally posted by: Saulbadguy
It loses at least 5 horsepower since that emblem is gone.
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does that account for the less weight?
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No. aerodynamics.
 
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PeeluckyDuckee

Diamond Member
Feb 21, 2001
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Wow, someone actually went thru the trouble of stealing the vehicle ONLY to have it stored away? Maybe he's looking to sell it down the road for a tidy profit?

What's the asking price btw? Who does it actually belong to now? The insurance company? Got any pics?

Makes me feel so fuzzy inside knowing there's a Prelude out there that's still pretty much a virgin, untouched, never modded....yet ;)
 
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50

Platinum Member
May 7, 2003
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I would buy it if the price was right. How about you tell us how much they are asking for it?
 
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Eli

Super Moderator | Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
50,419
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Folks, we're not talking about a car from the 70s here.

Modern seals should have no problems lasting for 2 years, unless the conditions it was stored in were absolutely deplorable.

As long as it wasn't subject to huge, rapid swings in temperature, the oil film left from the last time it was running should have protected the insides from corrosion.

With only 76 miles on it, you almost can't go wrong. Have a mechanic look it over, but he isn't going to find anything wrong unless someone screwed something up. :p

It's going to need new fluids. Don't start it until you change the oil. Remember that the engine isn't even broken in yet, so you're going to want to change the oil in like 500 miles, especially since its been sitting. Most likely, any gunk in the engine won't come out when you drain the oil cold. But really, there shouldn't be any.
 
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dxkj

Lifer
Feb 17, 2001
11,772
2
81
I left my 1988 honda civic sitting for 2.5 years in the backyard uncovered in PA. Tons of snow, rain, and sun. Recently my dad told a friend he could have it. He went into the back yard and it started right up and ran fine :)


So... get it checked out thoroughly
 
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Busie23

Senior member
Jan 24, 2001
640
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Yes, it is only 76 miles....I have wanted a prelude since day one and passed on a nice one a few weeks back that I'm kicking myself in the arse for. It had 20k on it, so when I found this I figured it might as well be worth a shot.

My current 92 accord is at 195k and really should be dead by now. I sent over an email to the dealer who has the car asking a bunch of questions...when was it started for the first time and how, how was it stored, asking price, etc.? Hopefuly he will get back to me in the morning and his price will be fair enough for me to bite on. I just hope he isn't going to be asking for a new car price, as I'm considering this quite a risky purchase no matter the outcome of what a mechanic finds. I let you know what the price is tomorrow.


By the way my accord didn't pass the echeck a few weeks back and the estimates to get it fixed were pretty ridiculous, so I was about to give up on it when a co-worker mentioned a fuel additive that might help. He said to put three bottles of iso-heat in a quarter tank of gas and run it for 40 minutes, then get it checked. It blew all of the tests out of the water!!!
 
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