
My second car - a 1980 Honda Prelude
For my second car, I bought a 1980 Honda Prelude. I think I chose this mostly because it had an electronic sunroof (they called it a moonroof).
These cars have some unusual features such as the warning lights which are located inside the tachometer which is located inside of the speedometer. It also had a little picture of the car on the dashboard that lit up when doors were open or lights had failed.
Despite being a coupe, these were not much of a sports car. Particularly when fitted with a Hondamatic transmission. This is basically just an automatic transmission, with a torque converter, but without the ability to change gears automatically.
I'm not sure I really understood the Hondamatic, but If I understand correctly, it is a two-speed transmission which you can drive mostly in "D" (second gear) and change to "L" (first gear) when you need more acceleration.
I used this car just for getting around and I don't recall making any long trips in it.
I remember it being reliable except for a cracked distributor cap and some very squeaky brakes.
I kept it only for a year or so. I was becoming more interested in cars and I had been reading about what a good sports car the 1986 Toyota Celica was so set my sights on one of those.
NB. The photos are from brochures.