- A Virginia dealer listed a 2026 Prelude for $68,850 total.
- That includes a $25,000 dealer-added market adjustment fee.
- Price places the Honda alongside BMW M2 and Porsche 718.
The Honda Prelude isn’t even fully stocked across the United States yet, and already, dealers are trying to gouge customers with it. One listing spotted in Virginia stands out, not for the car itself, but for what it costs.
More: Delusional Honda Dealers Marking Up New Prelude To Over $60,000
Pohanka Honda of Fredericksburg, Virginia, has slapped an insane $25,000 dealer premium, rebranded as a “market adjustment”, onto a new 2026 Honda Prelude, pushing its total asking price into territory normally reserved for actual performance cars like the BMW M2.
According to the dealership’s own sticker shared by Reddit user Newcargoat, the Prelude carries an MSRP of $43,850, but the total price balloons to $68,850, before taxes, title, and fees. That’s a staggering jump for a car Honda has positioned as a sporty, hybrid-assisted coupe aimed at affordability and nostalgia rather than outright performance dominance.
To put that figure into perspective, $68,850 is right in line with what buyers can pay for a BMW M2, Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing, or even a lightly optioned Porsche 718 Cayman, all of which deliver substantially more power and performance pedigree.
Sure they might not offer hybrid fuel savings, but if that’s a paramount concern, there are more efficient offerings on the table in various forms, like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, Honda Civic Si, or even the Type R.
The listing itself offers no explanation for the markup other than “Market Adjustment”. It shows the car as “trending,” with several hundred views, and includes standard modern features like Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, navigation, heated seats, and driver-assistance tech. But nothing on the equipment list remotely justifies a 57 (!) percent increase over MSRP.
This might sound like just another rant about wild pricing, but the impact of dealer markups just like this one is long lasting. At best, buyers get shortchanged. At worst, price games like these can help sink a car’s chances before it ever gets going.
The Prelude is a smash hit for Honda on paper, but if dealers don’t start selling it for what Honda says they should, it might be a flash in the pan rather than a long-standing success. Just ask VW how markups on the ID.Buzz worked out for it.
