A California dealer breaks ranks by listing the 2026 Honda Prelude below MSRP, offering rare relief from widespread markups seen across the country
The Honda Prelude has been hot news for several months. Some dealers have decided to use that to their advantage and, as a result, have slapped comically huge markups on the hybrid coupe. Honda might have been clear about where it wanted pricing, but that didn’t stop those greedy dealers.
Now, we’ve found an exception to that trend. A dealer in California, of all places, is advertising a new Prelude for thousands below MSRP.
More: We Have A Honda Prelude Dealer Markup Record, Boys
Jerry Seiner Honda of San Juan Capistrano currently has a new 2026 Honda Prelude listed for $41,465, undercutting its $43,850 MSRP by roughly $2,385. No fine print, no “mandatory” accessories buried in the comments, and no market adjustment quietly tacked on at the bottom of the listing. That alone makes this car newsworthy.
The car itself is exactly what you’d expect: a Winter Frost–finished Prelude with a black interior, Honda’s 2.0-liter hybrid setup, front-wheel drive, and an eCVT. It has just 11 miles on the odometer, meaning this isn’t a demo or some creative interpretation of “new.” It’s simply being advertised at a price that aligns with what Honda told customers to expect when the Prelude was reintroduced.
That’s significant because plenty of others have gone the other direction. We’ve reported on how damaging markups can be to brands, not just dealers. That didn’t stop some from pricing the Prelude at over $65,000.
In fact, just this week, we spotted one that offered a $10,000 “discount” on one example that was still around $10,000 over MSRP with the “discount” in place. Needless to say, that’s clearly not what Honda intended for its customers to deal with.
That said, highlighting gouging dealers might be paying off. Is Jerry Seiner Honda doing it out of pure goodwill? Probably not. Selling cars at reasonable prices builds long-term trust, moves inventory faster, and keeps Honda happy. Those are all solid business decisions.
Still, in a market where “doing the bare minimum” feels like a win, this stands out. Here’s to hoping we see more of it soon.
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