hey guys, i found a 2003 CL-S 6spd smr for $12k, with 90k miles on it. its in pretty decent condition, aside from the worn out leather seats. I currently own a 2000 TL fpr that i just bought in may. this is the closest CL-s i found, test drove it and loved every bit of it. if everything works out, i should be paying around the same a month. do you guys think its a good idea or bad idea?

heres the CL-S


This is my TL


tell me what you think!

 

I think 90k is too high, and you can find other options with less mileage if you keep looking. Is the price a concern? Do u want to stay in the 12g range? I'd say broaden the search and wait a lil for a car with less mileage.

Good luck!

 

 

I think since it is slightly higher mileage that gives you room for negotiation. Considering it's SMR and a 6-speed, I think if you got it for less than 11k you got yourself a good deal. The engine's on our cars last, it's just the auto tranny that has a bad wrap. I say go for it!

 

No warranty, 100K miles service coming up, & clutch replacement maybe soon take that into consideration & then decided if it's a smart thing to do.

 

How bad is the leather? Is it a navi car? If it's a dealership and they are asking $12k for it, they probably only have $8k-$9k into it meaning you have room for negotiation. CLariSe is right though, as far as the motor goes, 90K isn't bad but I wouldn't pay a penny more than $11k for it.

I'd like to see pics of the interior if you've got any.


EDIT: If I were going to spend $12k on something like that, I'd spend a little more and hit Greenie up and try to buy his for $15k-$16k. I know his is in good shape, it's stock, and it's got lower miles. Oh... And I know he wants a new RWD coupe. :wink:

 

i would but it

 

I would buy it for 11k considering its a 6spd you can drive it till it dies.

 

I would buy it, considering I still owe 13k on my 01 CLP...

If I were you though, I would make the Dealer do the 105k tune up (timing belt, water pump, spark plugs, etc..) and replace the clutch just because you are buying it.

If they do that, they may not want to steer to far from the 12G's they want, but at least you will save money in the long run...



EDIT: Acura sells the replacement leather for the seats, have them install them as well... If not, say fuck you to them!

 

Miles don't matter much. I always buy my cars with high mileage and get them for cheap. Obviously you will want to get do a thorough check of the car.

Buying a high mileage car isn't for everyone. If you can do the tune-up work on your own, I would 100% do it.

Here is how I look at it, you get it for 12K dollars for a high mileage car. This car is worth 14-15K if it had lower mileage, therefore you spend 1-2K in reconditioning the vehicle. (spark plugs, lower ball joints, sway bar bushings, motor mounts if needed, rotors, pads, pcv valve, and other miscellaneous items.) Doing it this way, your car will probably be in better condition than the 14K dollar car with 40k miles on it.

The timing belt will last well beyond 105K miles, car companies cover their ass by stating to do this at 105K, meanwhile the majority of these cars would last well beyond 200K with the original timing belt if they are cared for.

As for the clutch, depending on the previous driver, it could be burned out at 30K miles or it could still feel solid at 90K miles. It all depends on the driver.

Like the other people said, the hardest thing to fix is interior wear and tear. If the leather is beat to hell, good luck getting it to look any better.

 

On the leather, That ish is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Your looking at $400 for each bottom section & another $200 each for the backside. Plus install.

 

I bought my Integra without even thinking about the clutch. It felt fine, but after about a month I wanted to adjust it to grab differently. I then found out that the adjustment was all the way and that it needed a new clutch.
As far as the timing belt, I never worried about it either. I had only 110k on my Integra when the bitch snapped the timing belt. The B series is an interference motor and I had to take everything apart to make sure the valves didn't slam into the pistons...

Now, that is one maintenance item I will not let go. It doesn't cost that much to have Acura do it and the dealership I go to replaces the water pump automatically instead of just checking it.

It's just cheaper and easier to maintain it then to have it go on you.


Oh, generally a dealership will fix these items if requested before you buy it. If they say NO, just forget about it. Not a good dealership anyways...

 

Price sounds ok to me... I own the same color combo without the navi. Kbb lists a 6spd w/ 90k miles in good condition @ $12.5K. 12 is good, 11 would be better. At 11K, I'd buy it if I didn't already have it's twin in my driveway.

Heck, I'd buy it at 12K too..

If the SMR/Parchment is EXACTLY what you're looking for, then it's a good deal, but if you want another color combo with less mileage, they'll be more and more of 'em popping up now that the 6spds are close to 5 years old.

Actually, since I've had SMR for 4 years, I'd like to switch over to ABP (or black). This one is ABP has navi, and would probably sell for 12K too...

https://acurazine.com/forums/car-parts-sale-361/fs-2003-3-2cl-s-6spd-w-navi-353277/

<=== 55k miles, so I don't have a warranty either...

But in the other points... 105K service is expensive (plugs, timing chain, water pump, etc etc), and who knows what else (like the clutch).

If I dump my 6spd, I'll have to make that decision at a couple of mileage milestones:

A dealer can only certify cars with under 75K mile on 'em, so after 75K our cars will be worth less...

Around 100K miles. People have a thing about buying a car with under 100K mile on 'em, even tho today, 200K miles on a H/A product isn't a big deal if it's been maintained properly. With the 105K service ($700-1200?? or so depending on if it's done by an independant or dealership), I'll have to decide if I want to keep it or let someone else pay for the 105K service. 1200 is much if I'm going to keep the car for another 100K miles (as a winter beater ??).

Sounds like the previous owner of this 6spd decided to let someone else pay for the 105K service instead of springing for it themselves.

I'm not selling, jackass, and acura doesn't have a rwd coupe

Although there are a few other rwd coupes that interest me, just nothing that excites me like the CLS does Plus my 6spd is paid off, and anything new would put me back into car payments :shakehead

I'll probably wait for a few more years and buy something used I think I might be done with this new car crap (depreciation).

edit: damn I wrote alot... can you tell I'm off from work today

 

I actually checked that too a couple of weeks ago. I don't think a DIY install would be impossible, and I was considering buyng the drivers side just to insure I had it when my car needed it. You never know when stuff like that will go NLA (no longer availabe). I thought if i was going to keep my car for the long haul (another 10 plus years), it might not be bad idea to buy em now. If they were cheaper, I would have considered it, buy $600 per is a little much just to have sitting on a shelf.

Having the front seats done by a custom shop would be another option (and probably not that much more money).

I don't think that there would be too many CLS's with parchment interiors in the junkyards with good seats, so that's probably not a viable source...

 

While all valid points from everyone else, doesn't it ultimately boil down to what you're giving up on your TL? How many miles does it have? Are we talking same payment over same term as getting into the CL?

You're TL looks pretty pampered to me. If it's same miles and same payment/term, then it would probably make sense because it's 3 years newer. You'd be paying much of the same service fees on your TL anyway.

 

Oh, and could possibly be talked into selling you mine

'03 6MT SSM just turned 50k miles, stock except K&N/resonator removal.