Hi,
I'm shopping for a used acura/honda.
How does the '03 Acura Cl 6-speed compare against 03' Honda Accord 6-speed coupe in terms of driving, space, comfort? Has anybody driven both of these vehicles?

 

transmissions are almost the same
accord 240hp v.s CL-S 265hp
3.0L v.s 3.2L

in terms of space...they're pretty much even too, but id think the CL has a bit more room (and trunk space).

 

cls all the way

 

The CL-S is 260HP but otherwise you're right.

Compare them yourself here.

CL-S

Accord

1/2 second faster in the 1/4 mile, limited-slip differential, HID headlights, and better looking. CL-S FTW.

 

seeing how this is the cl forum you will prob get more votes for the cl. if you are comparing the 03 to 03 then i'd go cl-s. acura>honda

 

The LSD on the CL-S/6 is a big plus for it. I wish all cars had it.

 

Isn't the Accord 3.0 litre?

 

Yes.

 

there seems to be alot more parts for an Accord though..

 

Obviously. It's a MUCH more popular car. Lucky for us many of them fit our cars too.

 

the open cubby holes in the Accord dash never did it for me. Plus I think the Accord doesn't have Xenon headlights. No LSD as mentioned is a big plus, too.

 

Dont know, it is a tough choice. I love all Honda products, except for the Ridgeline lol..

 

You mean the Honda version of the Avalanche?

 

Thats a tough call. My buddy had a modded 03 Accord 6sd V6 and I love it. Almost more than my TL-S lol.

 

I think resale is better on the Honda. Trans problems flushed resale on Acuras.

 

Yah resale is better on the honda, however at this point in time you could probably use that as an advantage when shopping for an acura...

I was in the exact same boat, i ended up going acura for several reasons...

A bit more prestigeous
A few more options (bigger engine, LSD, HID's)
A bit better looking (purely opinion)
A lot rarer/unique
Longer warranty (when i purchased mine it was still under warranty)

I had my heart set on the AV6 but it seemed when i could find one that i liked it was sold in a blink of an eye.

The only real downside is the resale value isnt as good as the accord, however i can equal out the loss with the extra pleasure i have gotten from the acura.

One of the main things i dislike about the CL is the lack of a fold down rear seat - im pretty sure the accord has one.

And just a plus - the CL has some of the most comfortable seats ive ever sat in...

 

he's looking to get a 6 speed not auto.........

 

tough choice...looks are good on both cars but i think the accord looks better overall (especially the front).

i'm not sure about the LSD thing...i think the accord should have it too since it has basically the same drivetrain.

the accord's interior is much better in my opinion, especially if you get the navi, it's cuz the accord is a newer generation than the cl...2003 CL is the last of the CLs...and 2003 is the first of the accords....you can see that by the many new design features in the accord. CL is from 1999 accord is from 2003...the key fob for one is a lot better on the accord.

although if i had the choice, i would most likely still choose a 2003 CL-S 6spd over the accord, although it is a hard choice.

 

Pretty much the same car... I was going to wait till the 03 AV6 6spds came out in 03, but decided to buy my CL 6spd in Oct 02 instead.

I liked the looks and exclusivity of the CL (you see accords all over the place)...

If I was looking to buy a car now, and was looking at both the Accord and CL, it would be a toss up, since they are basically the same car with the CL having a couple additional features (like others have mentioned). I'd buy based on condition, mileage and price, and availability of preferred colors... and not worry so much about whether the vehicle was a honda or acura.

Doesn't matter... The shitty auto transmissions brought down the resale value of ALL CL's (including the 6spds). Doesn't make much difference to enthusiasts, but to the average joe, they just know that 2G CL and TL's have issues...

 

No LSD for the 03 AV6 6mt:

http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-ar...icle_id=127390

 

rare, discontinued, only about 3000 CLS6's produced, Acura is luxury division on honda, and all else that comes with...

you say you are "curiousN"...well lets start asking some real questions! c'mon!


and i dont know how picky you are, but good luck finding a great one due to the above. Im very picky and ive currently been searching for over a year...

 

dont forget 1st gens lol

 

no offence but i dont think "the average joe" even knows a 6MT CL even exists so they wont be looking for it regardless

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=191167

This guy traded in his 03 CL automatic for an accord AV6 6mt when he couldn't find a CLS 6spd in decent condition in his area...

 

True, I've been helping my brother look for a car for my neice... and while I'd love to suggest a 1G CL, since she wants an auto, I can't recommend it...

 

Exactly... the average joe doesn't know about the 6spds which don't have transmission issues, so they think that all CL's are junk... which is why the resale sucks...

 

Super Trooper! That dude was the shit, where'd he go?

 

thanks for the advice, the vtec site is great.
acura cl is definetely cheaper to buy. I looked at listings at autotrader and cars.com and cls are listed for over $3k less than the 6spd accords, with the cheapest one being roughly $9k.
should the cl be about as inexpensive to maintain? i know cuz its a honda product it should last for ages. also, any advice on negotiating the price with the seller?

 

Resale sucks because the car never sold in great numbers to begin with (30,000), it's not a G35, and quite frankly, there are better looking coupes out there. But a good bargain for those in the know.

 

I drive both of these cars often as you can see. I drive a cls6 and my gf drives an 05 accord v6 6speed coupe. She actually had her car first and it really influenced me to get the cl. I had worked at Acura for about a year and knew the auto cl's were trash. But I really liked the cl seeing that I was driving a smacked integra at the time. But I was only able to drive the 6speed cl a couple of times. Driving the accord convinced me that I would like the gearbox, because in my opinion they are the same. Plus the car was quick and the cl has .2 more displacement.

Performance wise when both cars were stock I felt like the cl had more power. But it wasn't evident until the top of 3rd gear, and ever gear after. You don't have to downshift the cl as much when cruising on the highway. The accord felt stronger in first, that might be because she does have a full HFP suspension kit on the accord. When we raced, taking into consideration that this chick can drive... both of us are chirping first to second hard and then dead even through second until the top of third gear. Then I start to walk. But into the corners and I can't keep up cause I got wak 4x4 stock suspension in the cl. The accord handles WAY better.

I like the interior of the cl better seats and leather specifically. Even though I like the carbon fiber in the accord, i dont know if it was part of the hfp kit but it came that way. Stereo is better in the accord. As for looks the front end of the accord is sexier especially with the hfp aero kit. Cl has the happy smile thing goin on, (dyin to fix that). But I like the cl trunk with no spoiler personally. Now that I have headers and hi flow cat the cl is significantly faster, although we haven't raced in a while but I can tell.

Overall they are both really great cars. You should be happy with whichever one you choose. I personally like the Cl cause its mine, and I paid for it. But I never appose to driving the accord, plus it gets more looks