Hey guys -

Alright - im not sure if anyone knows but im looking for a celica to buy and once i get it i am going to swap in the 3s-gte engine into it, irregardless.
Ive been getting some pressure from some different people in my family to make sure i look around before i get my heart set on the celica.
the only thing that bothers me about the celica is the headlights.. they are not my favorite at all, but i love the rest of the car and of course, the 3s-gte swap will be FAST. which is what im looking for a cheap fast car. Anyhow
so the topic of a Honda prelude popped up 4th or 5th gen

Basically the honda prelude has a vtec head and it puts out around 200 bhps the car weighs 2900lbs
I like the look of the honda - also it would not be a turboe'd engine and i know that would ease my mothers sufferings a little bit - but its not a big deal
anyhow so i joined a honda forum (sucks ass compared to here) and have been asking the guys the same questions im asking you guys now
the response i get from them is kind of typical but i was hoping you guys could fill me in on what you thought

Which is faster 94-99 celica gt with 225hps second gen 3s-gte swap OR
91-02 honda prelude with honda vtec sporting 200hps
?

Any ideas - or technical differences that could be outlined for me would be great.
Remeber - all that i am looking to do is outrun my friends Mazda MX-3 GS which has 200 hps and is light! 2600lbs (maybe less)

Which car would be more reliable? I am leaning towards the Celica for several reasons - one i love how the car looks from the side - similar to a supra (same swoops over the hatch) I love the idea of the 3s-gte engine's speed - also No One Owns A toyota Celica where i live! No ONE! i have not seen one but then again i live in montana.. so anyhow
and i see preludes all the time..
anyhow - if you have an opinion def voice it, but dont just state it.. back it up with supports. Also it must be in MLA FORMAT 12pt font 1.5 pages double spaced due monday.
bah sorry school crept in there.
thanks in advance
later
nobody

If all you're looking to do is buy a car that'll outrun your friend's, why not get something faster that's cheaper(Like a turbo DSM for $2,000?)

Cause its gotta look good - be reliable enough to drive it every day for the next 5 years

Oh ok, well in that case, I'd probably go with the Celica, although the Celica with a swap will probably be more unreliable. But the Celica has the Prelude beat in looks and interior IMO, and the Celica is also more rare, lighter, and faster(with a 3S-GTE swap.)

Alright hypothetical question - Will it be able to last 4-5 years without any MAJOR engine issues? i know its a guess but id like the guess =)

-nObOdy+Mar 13, 2005 - 11:31 PM

If you perform the recommended maintenance when you do the swap(belts, gaskets, etc.) and be sure to get a good engine(test compression and stuff), and get the swap done by someone who really knows what they're doing, and you drive the car right and service it right and maintain it, then yes, it should last 4-5 years. Toyota engines are build very well and will last a long time if you take care of them.

Alright cool - thanks for your opinion coomer - that vtec head wont keep up with the 3s-gte?
anyone have any opinions?
thanks
nobody

couple things
88-91 prelude = 3rd gen
never came with VTEC
looks better than any celica ever IMO (but Im biased...I own one >>)
but the 3rd gen has very little aftermarket support
with an h22 (4th and 5th gen VTEC engine) the 3rd gen will be as fast, if not faster than the celica with the 3sgte...and you can still turbo it


92-96 = 4th gen...kind of ugly...pretty ghey space ship theme interior (digital gauges all the way across the dash)
the good thing about these is they are lighter than the 5th gen and already have a VTEC engine (well...not all of them did...) but they are about 200 lbs heavier than the 3rd gen

97-01 = 5th gen
all of them came with VTEC
kinda heavy cars...
very sexy interior and exterior (no celica ever built could ever compete..)
lots of aftermarket

its really a toss up...
the 6th gen celica isnt much faster out of the box than a 3rd gen prelude...a 4th or 5th gen VTEC would be a bit faster
I personally think my 3rd gen handles better than my buddies 6th gen...some disagree...*shrug*
I also find the interiors of the hondas more roomy...and thats a HUGE factor for me...
I'm 6'4" and 250 lbs...there better be some damn room

get a ST202 6th gen and add NOS, no Honda can keep up with you, but you must use a big brake kit as your OEM brakes just wont work!!!

personally i think the celi is faster. better torque and better looking interior. my friend owns a 3rd gen prelude, the one without the Vtec and has the straight headlights. i've tried his car and i don't feel the power and speed my celi gives me.. so yea, i'll definitely get the celi. >>

dude.. do yourself a big favor and get the celica.... do it.. now.. celica

Those VTEC ludes are no joke... and not just anyone can drive a 3SGTE powered Celica fast...

Keep in mind, if you get a celica you are getting a swap, which will take longer an might cost more. I personaly like the style of the celica, I hate the fact how slow they are. Keep in mind that the prelude has that much power stock, with out a turbo. so if you want more power you can add a turbo. I personally like both the 4th and 5th gen prelude. I dont think i would get one because there nothing rare around here.

I only ended up getting a celica cause i needed something asap to drive. and i stuck with it because I feel in love with this site, prolly the only reason i havnt sold an moved on.

The honda will have a better aftermarket suport then the celica, thats a big factor that you want to keep in your head if your going to be moding it.

Id suggest sence you dont like the head lights, try a 5th gen or get the prelude.

-tsiah+Mar 14, 2005 - 7:44 AM
The 4th gens DID NOT all come w/ Vtec. Only the VTEC edition.

The 4th gen vtec ludes will run a low 15 sec 1/4th stock. A 3S celi should be able to hit mid 14s if you can drive. Celis are hotter imo, but ludes are cool too.

4TH gen ludes are cramped and uncomfortable and i'm 5 6

Is this your first car? or more specifically is this the first car you intend to purchase and modify?

If so, i am sorry to say that i would go with the Prelude simply because it has a lot of aftermarket support and can get you the power to weight that you want without the daunting task of a swap. If this is your first car, get the Prelude and use its great aftermarket to work on the car and learn about tuning gradually. A Full engine swap is a huge thing to take on right at the start. Even if you do get it professionally done, there will be some problems that you will need to work out yourself. If you dont know what your doing, then youll just be throwing money at it. Also with a swap, there will be large periods of time when you will not have the car. Can you afford to live without transportion for unexpected, unknown periods of time?

IMO, the celica is one of the best used cars you can get. It handles better than most new cars and looks better too. And you wont find a better community than this one here at 6gc. But its slow, super slow. Take all this into account when you make your decision.

-SlowCelica94+Mar 14, 2005 - 5:57 PM

learn to read, clown...

This post has been edited by tsiah: Mar 14, 2005 - 7:06 PM

agree verbatim with orville the bumble-bee >>

I looked at the same two cars as you, Lude is nice, I personaly prefer the celica look, celica projectors look nice if you dont like the headlights. The lude is more expensive, though simmilar to a 6gc with a swap. The 3sgte should be able to kill the 195 hp prelude though. I drove it... it was really nice, its its a hard choice I chose the celica because I couldnt find a prelude in good condition, makes the choice easy >>. From my experence most preludes have been beaten pretty bad... raced and abused, now I know thats not all of em, just get em well checked out.

3s-gte is all about uniqueness, its fast, potentially even faster.
4th gen prelude, probably the best looking honda in my opinion, has the potential to freakin go like hell......

but if you want more feedback from your friends in terms of looks and that crazy 3s gte........id go for broke and buy the 3s

Why not the MR2? Even though it's a lot more expensive, you get 3SGTE built-in and don't have to worry about troubles during the engine swap. I'd never leave the Toyota world, unless we're talking about the RX-7...

-Coomer+Mar 14, 2005 - 2:29 AM


i agree with coomer. if you want a super realiable car, get one that has never been modified in any way shape or from like a stock prelude. if you want a project car, and seomthing that is faster then do the swap.

Does anyone know how much torque the 3s-gte engine puts out? is there some kind of information page i can look at ?/ thanks in advance!

-orvillescelica+Mar 14, 2005 - 7:28 PM

Very good advise.

how much power the 3S-GTE puts out depends on the generation of 3S-GTE...

1st gen- 185 PS, 24.5 KG (approx. 182 HP, 177 lb)
2nd gen- 225 PS, 31 KG (221 HP, 224 lb)
3rd gen- 255 PS, 31 KG (251 HP, 224 lb)
4th gen- 260 PS, 33 KG (256 HP, 238 lb)

I know how much horsepower they have - how much TORQUE do they have??
does it matter in a race about torque at all???
thanks..
nobody

-nObOdy+Mar 15, 2005 - 9:09 PM

-saleeka+Mar 15, 2005 - 8:29 PM

if youve got the 10 grand to spend on a celi and a swap why not just buy a 7th gen. really fast, will kill any close to stock 5th gen out there and probabyl most 3s celicas.

i mean think of it this way mina is the only one on these boards to take his celica to the track. he was pushing nearly 250whp and if i remember his time really was not all the impressive like low 14's or high 13's. ive seen a 7th gen do a lot better than that with 2 mods. some where in the 13.7XX.

plus it looks super new. and lift is amazing.

Um isnt that stating weight in lbs?? and not torque?? thats what i could have swear that he meant...

I'm sorry but what in gods name are you talking about? yes there were some 7th gens running 13s with tuned Power FC's and a bunch of other mods (including drag tires) but are these cars reliable after such extensive modifications, I would think not. the 3sgte is no joke, the 7th gen owners drool at our ability to swap this engine into our cars and some have even spent exorbent amounts of money to shoehorn this very engine in their cramped engine bays.

-recneps+Mar 16, 2005 - 12:15 AM


no thats torque for the JDM spec engines

-nObOdy+Mar 16, 2005 - 12:35 AM