pstomps

I currently have a 1999 TL with transmission issues. On top of that, it has hail damage and needs some other minor fixes (struts, egr valve cleaning, water pump/timing belt, brake bleeding). I've been struggling with the transmission for a year and finally decided that, with the hail damage/rebuilt title decreasing its value, I am better off not putting the money into the transmission rebuild.

So I came across a 1998 CL 2.3L this weekend. It has 171k miles and shifts perfectly. The only problem I could find was that there might be an exhaust leak (it's a little loud compared to my TL) which shouldn't be too expensive or serious. Obviously I'll be jumping right into things like replacing the timing belt/water pump, making sure I have clean filters/fluids, giving it some fresh spark plugs and a valve cover gasket, etc.

So my question is will I be getting myself into the same kind of long-term nightmares as my TL if I go for it? Is transmission failure common in the '98 model? I haven't checked the carfax yet, so it's possible that it has already had the transmission replaced 20 times. But overall, I'm wondering what to expect. It seems fine in its current condition, and I'm ok with the high mileage if it's going to get me to 250-300k like my old 93 Accord. Honestly, I'll be happy to get 5 years (60-75k miles) out of it. I'm pretty tired of swapping cars every single year. I would think that, unless multiple transmission failure is common, all of the major things that could have gone wrong with it would have already happened.

bRunCL

iTrader: (1)

IMO i think you could run into a lot of the same issues with the Cl as you did with the TL and theyre both still 15 y/o cars. I had my 99 2.3 from abt 95k to 178k. Loved the car and still miss it everyday but I had to dump alot of money into it and then had the trans fail really without any warning so I decided to get rid of it. alot of it also depends what has been replaced so far esp suspension and exhaust wise

Randy99CL

Is the CL a great deal? What kind of shape is it in?
Obviously, if you get it really cheap you can afford to put some money into it.

Whenever you buy a car that old you will likely need to fix some things.
I have this theory that people don't get rid of a good car until it needs more repairs than they are willing to pay for.

Three years ago I bought my '99 CL 2.3 5MT for $2500 with 145K miles on it.
It's in great shape; I love the car and plan to keep it forever so I'm willing to give it whatever it needs.
So far I've replaced the AC compressor, starter, catcon, muffler, clutch and I just changed the oxygen sensors today. Ignition tune-up and oil changes.
I've spent about $1.2K in repairs because I do most of the work myself (except clutch, was about $550 total).

I've got 160K miles on it now and plan to drive it for another 100K.

pstomps

Thanks, guys! I'm more concerned about whether or not the first generation CLs are prone to transmission problems like some other models (00-03 TL, 98-02 Accords, etc.), or if it is common for some other big problem to occur (I had a 98 RL at one point with a common rear main seal leak that I didn't realize until way after I bought it. Assumed it was going to be an oil pressure sensor).

As for the car itself, I've driven it for about 10 days, so I feel pretty confident about it in its CURRENT condition but wanted to make sure I wasn't getting into a long list of common major failures in this model. I have no problem with regular/expected maintenance for a car its age--axles, suspension, alternator, master cylinder, starter, etc. though it seems like the previous owner took really good care of it. The only thing I've noticed is that the exhaust seems kind of loud compared to my previous 99 TL, so it might have a leak somewhere.

Calends

They are prone to transmission problems as are many Honda models from that era.

If you can find a stick shift CL, that's the way to go, imo.

I drive a
98 CL 2.3 stick, 207k on chassis, 70k on engine.

WisconsinMicko

I have a 97 that needed a tranny flush at about 70,000, it was flushed properly, not just drained and refilled with Honda fluid and has never had another problem. Tranny's do generate a lot of heat and some internal wear, thus they need new fluids once in a while. also, putting a good quality trans cooler is not a bad idea. Mine does not like to shift well until warm.

CgrantCL

I just bought a 99 Cl with 130k on it and its in pretty good condition, just needs a little TLC. How would know when to get the tranny flushed?

CgrantCL

And would anyone happen to know a good site for me to go to for a front bumper?

pstomps

For a brand new OEM bumper, I would use either oemacuraparts.com or hondapartsunlimited.com. oemacura usually has better prices, but hondapartsunlimited has lower shipping when you're buying small stuff. OEMAcura has a shipping discount coupon (SWOOSH) that is usually ongoing. HPU has a current 10% off coupon (BAILEYS)

For used, check car-part.com is probably your best bet. You can search junkyard inventory there. A quick search showed several near me ranging between $75 and $150.

CgrantCL

Thank you very much!!

Nenad1985

Go for the used part, you can find very good quality for a low price, just you need to look at the right places