I have decided to purchase a second car, and have always been really interested in the 1997~1999 Acura CL. I have owned several honda's and on acura in the past. I have a few questions on this car.

Please forgive me for the stupid questions, as I do know a fair amount about Cars...

#1 What are the known problems, and costs to fix.

#2 What does everybody think of these vehicles on the whole?

#3 How does the stereo sound?

#4 What is the HP/TQ figures on these cars?

#5 in terms of engine/tranny, what is the expected life of both, assuming proper maintence

#6 is it FWD or RWD, I thought it was FWD, and that it was based off of the Accord platform, but wasn't sure.


THank you

Chris Hansen


PS

I am a Mustang fan, and currently Drive a 2002 Mustang GT, the Acura, should I choose to purchase it would be a second car for me to drive for work and all winter long.

 

Hey there Chris,

If you were closer, I'd tell you to buy my Tbird

You might want to post your question in the 1st gen forum (97-99).

http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/forum...s=&forumid=114

 

Hey Chris, to answer your questions:

#1 Just your normal wear and tear probs that any car would have, there's a website for any recalls, don't remember off the top of my head what it is.

#2 I got my 99 5speed cause it was the last manual transmission in a CL at the time. Now there's the 03 6-speed so that would be just a little bit of a step up. (understatement or what!)

#3 OEM stereos are usually pretty basic, not the greatest sound. I kept the CD player but put a good amp and seperates (6.5") in. Sounds much better.

#4 99 is 150hp. Not sure about torque. Probably same as the Accord tho.

#5 Expected life is like any other car. Abuse it and it won't last as long... No tranny problems AFAIK, but I have the manual.

#6 Yup, FWD. It is very similar to the Accord. In fact my Acura dealer is fine with me taking it to the Honda dealer down the road for maintenance, who incidentally is quite a bit cheaper on service. Go figure.

Hope this helps ya!

 

thank you for the responses. I am definitly looking for the automatic, as this is going to be a daily driver, so that I can store the mustang for the winter. So it is basically just a luxury accord? I like the style and the overall layout of the car in general.

 

To clarify, 153 lb.-ft. of torque.

 

The 4-cylinder CL doesn't have a lot of oomph with the automatic, so don't be hating when you realize it's not anywhere near as fast as the Mustang, either. :p

 

i am not looking for something that is going to keep up with the mustang. I am actually looking for something that is fuel efficient and comfortable. That is why I am really looking at the 4 cyl.