Help? Question on what car to start with?

I am new to the forum and tuner scene altogether.  I am debating on which car to start and figured that people in this forum would be helpful.  I would like to work on a prelude but they are somewhat hard to come by around my city (Milwaukee).  I can find them but they seem overpriced.  I do like them better than civics because they are a little more rare. Anyway the real question i was getting at is... Is there a large difference in price between prelude or civic parts. Also how reliable are preludes compared to civics.  Thanks in advance.  

With most imports reliability is not an issue, which is the case regarding the Prelude and Civic. You can't go wrong with either one.

When it comes to the price and availability of aftermarket parts, however, there is a big difference. Civics, del Sols, and Integras have the most aftermarket parts available. I'm not saying parts for the prelude are hard to find, they are not, only that there are not as many vendors producing for the Prelude platform.

The real difference between the two is the motor. The Prelude has larger, more powerful motors at the start. That, and the fact that there are fewer aftermarket vendors, means upgrading them is a bit more pricey. I totally understand where you're coming from though, and if I had to pick between the two I think I'd go with the Prelude. It looks more aggressive than the Civic, which I prefer. Be sure to let us know what you decide and, when you buy your ride, post pics here!  
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Thanks a lot for the advise, I will let you know what happens.