GMO750

OK OK - I'm really going nuts about what car to buy and the 03 CLS with the 6 speed keeps surfacing as my best option for the money on the used market. Any reasons NOT to buy one of these?

I need something with front or all wheel drive, manual trans, pretty fast, and pretty bullet proof under 20K - ??? $0.02 ???

Red-CL

:cricketschirping:

farberstyle

i dont think anyone has anything negative to say about the car.....

GMO750

just figured I'd give it a shot....

darrinb

fwd

pimpscls

FWD and it is heavy?? but everything else is sweet

mc_yanzo

The only bad thing I can say about the car is that I had to get used to the clutch when I first bought it, even though I had been driving a stick for 5+ years before that.

GINge!

If you are over 6' its not the most comfortable car, especially as it really is grand-touring marque.

paulff3

Only thing I had issues with is the stance of the car. From the factory the car sits too high. I put lowering springs in and now I have no issues.

sixgearcl

if you dont want speeding tickets... get a clp j/k

bgsm1th

resale isn't that great, a little better for the 6MT I think.

B

GMO750

all good answers..... still listening.....

3.2cl-s

That would be a pro, rather than a con, for him atleast. He can buy the car cheaper and depreciation will level off after a while.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

Some people experience minor build quality issues:

a) Interior squeaks and rattles are not exactly unheard of.
b) Rear main engine seal has been known to fail and cause a minor leak where the transmission meets the motor.
c) resale value isn't great, but about normal for a discontinued car
d) stock tires are junk
e) minor recalls for belt tensioners
f) stock stereo leaves plenty of room for improvement
g) ...

None of those issues would keep me from buying a 6 speed CL-S though. Probably wouldn't stop me from buying an car for that matter. They are all real minor issues.

blackdog

The CLS 6mt is a good value for the person who wants a reliable, front wheel drive car with more power than the average bear. When I purchased mine I couldn't find a car with a manual transmission, fwd and 260 hp that was even close to it in value. Anybody disagree?


blackdog

joedokes28

Mine is 33 months old and I have had no real issues and it has certainly not been babied.

mystikk

Wow, I too thought there would be at least one major reason to not buy the 6speed.

If only we had a damn 6MT in Alaska...

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

It's slow
It handles like a bread truck
It stops like one too
It's small
It has no resale value
It's been discontinued
Crappy interior
Crappy exterior
Crappy tranny
Drives like a Ford(Fix or repair daily)
Did I mention it's slow?









































JK...
It's all around a great car.

jherb

Wish it had a telescoping steering wheel.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

I'm 6'3" and quite comfortable. I used to own a '93 Explorer (1st car) then I drove my parent's '93 Pontiac Boneville and then their '98 Explorer. I fit best in my CL-S.

clsal

i don't know why people are complaining about resale values on our cl-s's. A week before I bought my 03 CL-S 6 w/ nav, I was looking seriously at 01 CL-'s with 40-50K miles....ALL the dealers in the bay area were selling them for MINIMUM 20K...the ones with 40K miles were sellling for $23K. Considering , it is a 3 year old car, 23K is definitely NOT bad at all. I mean, what do you expect? I paid $26,995 for my brand new 03 CLS6 w/ nav, and If my car is selling at the dealerships for $20K , 2 1/2 years from now, SHIT....i'd be happy!

stejus

All of the above... and the PAINT! Still love the car though.

mclarenf3387

The 2 of you need to learn how to read, FWD is a requirment.

And mrsteve listed all the major issues, but none are major, and this car sounds like a perfect fit for your needs.

And I fit fine in my CL and am 6 ft. tall. Hell, I've had my parents in the car and they fit fine (mothers 5' 9", fathers 6' 1"). They had plenty of room.

SMR Type S

1. There are not many around, so people ask a lot of questions, like What kind of of car is that? Is it expensive?
2. It has a tendency to attract speeding tickets.
3. It looks so good, that it is a target for careless people, whether parked, or on the highway.
4. It is much quicker than it looks, so many other drivers get pissed, when you leave them in the dust at a traffic light.
5. Lead-footed drivers will have big bills for replacement tires, as the tires have a tendency to go up in smoke. (ther may be a recalll for smoking tires, I am not sure).
6. It is a very long walk to the shopping mall from the only safe parking spot.
7. People who spent much more money on a Mercedes or BMW will hate you. ( refer to answer #4).
8. Last, but not least, some CL owners, have experienced a rare and serious medical condition, called modificationaddiction, fortunately for me I have not experienced this problem.

I could go on and on, but I love my car, so I don't want to badmouth it.

BUY ONE!

Brywood

6. It is a very long walk to the shopping mall from the only safe parking spot.

123456SPEED

Buy it already.....
but don't make the mistake I made with the wrong color choice...thus,
I'm on my 2nd CLS-6MT. both cars were great, color notwithstanding.
One with Navi will be hard to find, unless you're lucky or don't really want Navi.

what are you driving now?

thedream21479

The only other car that's close in competition power and performance and FWD is the Nissan Maxima 6 spd or the new Nissan Altima SE-R..but both are sedans.


Or you could save yourself some cash and look for an Audi A4 1.8T Quattro and mod it, or look for an Audi S4 in 6 speed. Twin-turbo+AWD is bomb!

GreenMonster

I really can't say anything bad about my 6spd. I had some build issues, but if you're buying used, they should be taken care of. I do have an annoying rattle (dash??) that I'm trying to track down, but the CLS is a great bang for the buck (and an even better one with the used prices that are out there).

gingerbread

i almost started to tear when i was reading that..... then i saw the J/K at the bottom

zamo

The "mature" styling maybe?

I really like my car tho. No complaints

michimonster

I test drove one and it felt a little too stiff. Maybe it was just that one though

Allout

I bought mine a little less than 3 months ago. FWD is a positive (bad weather) and a negative (ultimate performance limitations). People complain about the low resale but when translated - that means that it's a buyers market so take advantage of it. I agree. It's a great value and for the money, you can't go wrong. In stock form it's pretty good with a lot of Mod opportunity for improvement.

I'm having a great time with mine. Just take a look at my sig.

2003type-s6

Love mine,........great bang for the buck. Better start looking for one now, they only made 3,000 6-speeds.

Slimey

Great car.
I've had no real negative issues. I think it's an all around car - both fun to drive and comfortable.

Moodist

iTrader: (2)

All of the above are valid statements, but I don't think anyone mentioned Acura dealers. *Some* Acura dealers are just plain unpleasant to deal with, on the other hand some dealers are great.

So what you do is buy the 6-speed and do some research to find a good dealer near you.

GreenMonster

I like to call it "bland" I think the styling will age well tho'... The old Legends on the road still look good IMHO.

That's the sport suspension. Maybe the CLP would be more to your liking. A CLS (the S stands for Sport) is not gonna ride like you mama's Camry

Joe5.0

I've been relatively happy with mine, however it isnt perfect.

Seats, IMO are way too stiff, and I cant find a comfortable seating position. I wish the steering wheel tilted further down & telescoped. I always feel that I am either having to lean forward to hold the top of the steering wheel with my left hand, or that I am sitting to close to the steering wheel.

Mine has developed the very typical sunroof rattle/squeak, but I just try to ignore it. Its not worth my timw to let the monkeys at the dealership mess with. Otherwise I cant complain about the drivetrain. Solid as a rock so far, 25mpg with very spirited driving, shifting gets smoother as the miles go up, and you will eventually learn to deal with the strange clutch.

For $20k I think a CL-S6 with about 30k miles is a major steal. You can barely get a used accord coupe for that much, and CL-S > Accord.

Look at it this way. If you dont want or need awd, its just about the fastest year-round car you can get for under $30k, and not sacrifice interior quality, buildmanship, & luxury.

Chaptorial

It's not an auto.

Other then that its a great car.

Count Dracura

I have come to the conclusion that i really like the relatively understated styling of the 01 - 03 CL. "A wolf in sheep's clothing" to be cliche about it. Mine's red so it sorta attracts attention anyway... but simplicity doesn't = bland, IMO. Most of all i like the CL's ass.



You feel every bump, especially in the city. But on a smooth highway or recently repaved road the type S is like butta.

thedream21479

These smilies are freaking awsome....sorry, had to interject.