Yes, 97 is a 5th gen.
5th's don't rot as badly as 4th's. Partly age (they're younger, so you'd expect less rust!) partly due to galvanising and partly because the headlights scare the rust away
As said, a non-vtec lude is just like checking any other car really, nothing special to watch out for. Rust in rear arches and weak back brakes/handbrake are the prelude specific things to check for. If the back brakes/handbrake is poor don't panic, its not expensive, just the pad carriers needs stripping, cleaning, de-rusting and re-greasing, but it's an MOT failure and so is a good bargaining tool.
Check for burning oil though - think I'm right in saying that 5th gen 2.0 valve seals can go
