Hey,

Planning on getting a 97 CL 3.0 auto, are there anything I should be aware or look at before I purchase it?

thanx

[ 10-11-2001: Message edited by: Eleven ]

 

Definatly try to look for a "certified" pre owned CL from an Acura dealer, it will cost you a little more money, but it will have low mileage and it should be in "like new" condition. I got my 97 3.0 in last february with 25,000 miles and the warranty was extended to 64kmi and 100kmi powertrain, it was only $19,500 and in pristine condition. Although the car will still last forever, the warranty is very nice and the low mileage helps, especially cause it looks new. I am very, very happy with my purchase... I know you will be too!!
Keep us posted as to your decisions! Welcome to the board!

 

hey SumkidwithaCL,

thanx for the reply.....

but are there any mechanical flaws that i should look for if i dont get certified cl?

 

The first generation CL is apparently an excellent machine; there have been no widespread problems, mechanical or otherwise. Just keep an eye out for the usual used car stuff, but you should be in great shape when buying a used CL!

 

Iceman,

thanx alot! now i don't have alot to worry about except choosing a color!

 

Eleven:

Do yourself a favor and get a carfax account! I got my '98 CL because my accord was having all kinds of random problems. I bought a carfax account to lookup info on new cars, ran my old accord for the hell of it, and found out it had 4 out of state salvage titles! When I bought it there was no mention of it being salvaged on the Ohio title since it had crossed state lines.

I didn't buy a CL I had looked at because carfax had told me it was used as a rental car.

My dad is currently looking at used cars, and we've picked up numerous accidents, salvage titles, odormeter rollbacks, etc...

http://www.carfax.com

 

Wow! A CL as a rental car? I need to start using THAT rental agency!

 

hehe.....

i would also like to find a place to rent a CL for a day.....hehe....

exxxciteCL : thanx for the tip...i will surely use carfax.......

 

It was at an acura dealer, I think it had a rental title because they used it as a loaner car. I know how I treat loaner cars

 

Make sure the windows work good, because the electric motor has problem of going sour. Of course the obvious engine things such as regular oil changes and transmission fluid.
Check tire tread. I could go on a little longer but Im sure you get the hint.

 

Atl-CL : thanx for your reply.....i will surely look out for those stuff.....

if by any chance the window motor DOES go out, how much is it to fix?

 

Like with most other Honda products, the CL is as tough as a tank (ok, well, maybe not, but it's a trooper!). I've had my car since day one and have not had any major probs whatsoever. I have, however, experienced some issues with minor things that I'll list with my car. And, after noting them on here when I first registered, other owners have experienced some of the same things, as well. Also know that everything that was "wrong" with my car was quickly remedied by the dealer under the bumper-to-bumper standard 4yr/50,000mi warranty. Here's what I noticed in chronological order:

1.) The leather seams where the leather is stitched started coming apart. I thought it was unusually quick for it to happen since my car has such low miles and is very well maintained. It was fixed by having the entire driver's side seatback leather replaced. The leather still hasn't "settled" and though you can't tell at first, I can tell that it looks different from the rest of the original leather. The front passenger side seatback is also showing some early signs of this now. I'm bummed cause my warranty ended in April. I hear this is pretty common in our cars cause the dealer had like two other CLs in that day that had the same thing done to them on that very day as my car.

2.) The rear splash guards looked like they were just dangling from the bumper. They were installed at the time of purchase and I noticed that both started dangling around the same time. I took the car in and found out that the adhesive that they use in additon to screws started losing its "stickiness." The dealer happily offered to replace them and install brand new ones. My guess is that due to the climate change that my car went through (from warm to cold) caused the splash guards' adhesive to lose its grip.

3.) The moonroof sunshade's fabric started coming apart where the countoured/molded slot where your fingers grip into/onto started to come apart. It was small, but gross looking. Again, the dealer was nice and offered to replace the entire sunshade. The service manager commented that this, too, was pretty common because unlike most other Honda products that had a durable vinyl headliner set-up, the Acura ones were fabric and didn't really hold up well.

4.) My car's gear select handle (the black part and the chrome button) started to wiggle. It was very little at first until one day while putting the car into drive that little chrome-ish button just popped out (including the spring in the black part) came flying out. The dealer merely found the loose screw that caused it and tightened it all up. We couldn't find a reason why it would happen.

5.) Door-edge guard accessory that Acura offered started coming off due to the same adhesive problem as the splash guards. They fixed it once and now its doing it over again (the passenger side even fell off somewhere). My warranty is up so I just said fuck it, its already getting pretty old... hehe.

So, yeah, that's pretty much it. It's ususally just the little things that can be easily fixed that will most likely catch your attention. I just thought I'd share this so that when/if you see these problems in the cars you look at, you will know that even though these things might be "wrong" the rest of the car will most likely be in perfect running condition. IMO, the CL (like most other Acura/Honda products make great investments). To this day, my car has never given me any major problems (knock on wood) and I'm sure yours will be the same way! Good luck and hopefully you'll be part of the CL family soon

 

Go ask Adrienne... I know she had that problem with her window motor this past summer. I'm sure she can give you a rough idea

 

Well, no, I can't, cuz my dad owns a glass company and therefore knows a "guy" in the auto window business who replaced my motor/cable in exchange for some mirror work from my dad... so I didn't pay anything, but I've heard that replacement motors can cost as much as $700-$800? Is that right? I remember it being some astronomical sum like that. Sorry I can't help more.

 

I just bought my '98 2.3 CL in August, and there are a couple things I'd want to know. First, if you goto a dealer, they will have/or have access to the car's carfax report. You can request them to give it to you, rather than paying for the membership yourself, and they will do it, especially if you tell them you won't buy the car until you see a carfax report. Next, don't pay blue book/nada price for this car. With the way the economy is, you should be able to pay way less. I got mine with 30.5k miles on it (non-prem) for 15, 400, 17k out the door. Be a bastard when you negotiate. Also, realize that most of these used cl's are lease cars, so check for normal wear and tear, cause people likely took reasonably good care of the car. There are a couple good sites like usedcarbuyingtips.com and others that were pretty good for people looking at used cars.

My 2 cents (probably long enough to be 3)