Ok, I am going nuts. All i think about is switching from a my 2001 Auto to a 6speed. I need to know, the guys that have done it....is it worth it. Or, will I still be unsatisfied? I miss rowing gears sooo much. The traffic thing is not a big deal to me. I will also get the navigation if I make the switch. So what I am askin is....will I be sooo happy that i wont keep looking at other cars? Are you happy with the switch? Do you look at the car in a new light? Thanks guys.

 

From someone in the same boat as you, consider waiting for the new TL?

I couldn't bring myself to buy the same car twice. That was my main hold back. Also they wanted 10K after trade in. Fuck that.

 

mantis.... same story here... when I checked out the 03 eariler this year, they want 10K plus my car... I just couldn't do it either... especially I don't owe anything on my 01 now...

I want to check out what Acura have to offer when they up their antie against the Nissan/Infinity. Plus, in my mind, with the whole auto tranny situation, the next design will be probably more bullet proof then ever! and plus they've got such a good response from their 6 speed market, I'm sure they will be making it avilable in most of their future luxury/performance coupe and sedans...

I'm going to keep my 01 and waited out...

 

the plot thickens....hahahaha....glad to see there are other people sweatin it out like me

 

I love my 6spd but if your this unhappy with your auto, I don't think that you would be happy with the same car again. If your going to dump that much money and your car get something diffrent to you it will be more exciting

 

&

 

I was unhappy with my automatic and made the switch. I can't be happier It took some sacrifice but it was worth it. Good things aren't easy

 

The 6-Speed Tranny makes the CL-S an entirely different car altogether.
It’s much more fun to drive and I’m sooooooooo glad I made the switch.
It’s faster, more responsive to throttle input and is ALWAYS in the gear you want.
Rev-matching, controlled powering out of corners and no RPM gear limitations like the Auto.

Of course there will be doubters-a-plenty that will respond here otherwise, but most of them are still driving their AUTO Slush-Boxes and have no real reason to answer your question.

Shawn S

 

Shawn - I agree for the most part. After driving Lou's car, it definitely is a much better car, as the engine seems made for a 6-speed. It felt much more fun to drive, but I wouldn't call it an entirely new car as it still has the weak brakes, is under-tired and floaty suspension (can be fixed fairly easily though)

Overall, I was considering a switch, but I decided that if I was going to move to a new car, I wanted something completely new, not the same car, so I went with the Z. You can't go wrong with the 6-speed though, but I would recommend waiting to see the new TL at least

 

Didnt make the switch, was always in a 6, but if your gonna do this, i realy highly doubt that you will find the color/navi combo you want in 6 speed, from what i understand, most of them are already gone.

 

Shawn, I agree that of course auto and manual is entirely different. And no one is trying to argue that the 6 speed is not a big deal.. because it is! But ultimately it comes down to money, and what you get... to me personally, paying 10K for the same car, same engine with manual is not worth it, to others (maybe doing good financally) it is, and that is more power to them.

I for one are not a manul doubter... I even went to my dealer and drove it two different times in two different cars. (after my first review of the 6 speed, I believe it was you who motivated me to give it another shot, which I did), and I still was not impressed with the 6 speed enough to justify the 10k for the same car.

But of course.. I just want to clearfy that if I hadn't bought the 01, and was shopping for a CLS now, I would buy the 6 speed over the auto in a heartbeat.

 

Here's my take...

My situation was that I had a couple of bum trannys and wanted to get out of the slushbox realm. I dearly wanted to work with my dealer to get me into a 6spd, but when it came down to it, I would have had to shell out considerable money for a car that I already had. The only difference was in the drivetrain. And while the CLS 6spd is an amazing car, the offer just wasn't attractive enough. So, I went elsewhere.

If you REALLY like the CLS, and it's the car you want to stay in, then get it. For me, with the car being discontinued and MOST importantly, not getting the right deal was why I went with the G. If I'm going to shell out money out of my pocket, I wanted to get what I really wanted.

Again, get the CLS 6spd if that's what you REALLY want. If you're looking to get into a car where you can "row" the gears, then you at least owe it to yourself to drive other cars.

But the CLS 6spd is one tasty automobile. You can't go wrong with it.

How is availability these days on them? Especially with colors? Seems that some people here; i.e. dfreder370 can't find a Anthracite w/NAVI CLS. If you're gonna do it, do it FAST!!!

 

gate shifting is the shit

 

What are you waiting for? Just get the 6speed!!! Get it while they are available. Or you might be able to get a used one.

I've got a 6speed CLS and I have to tell you, it's such a better car than the auto; power, handling, drivability, etc... And the mod work so much better on the 6sp. I had a '01 CLS and traded it in for my '03 CLS anthracite. After nearly six month after buying it, I still can't wait to drive after work everyday. I didn't feel that way about my '01 CLS.

 

I originally decided to pass on the CLS 6 speed because of the terrible way in which Acura was handling the tranny failures on the 5AT. I didn't wan't to deal with the apathetic attitude Acura corporate/American Honda has towards their customers, or reward them for their lack of proper corrective action, so I looked to other brands and got the Z. Honestly in my area, the CLS 6 makes more sense due to the tough winters around here which basically disable the Z. I had to buy some FWD snow cars in addition to the Z. Too bad Acura didn't handle the situation better, but in the end I am extremely happy with my Z....although the wallet is somewhat lighter now .

 

Bingo.

 

God damn, I found that funny for some reason.

I'm still laughing out loud.

 

FInanacially, it doesnt make sense for me at all :P. I havent even started working yet...but i have found a lot of ways to spend the money i'm going to make . I think it is a good idea for me to wait to see what Acura comes out with next. Although....i have found a new Black with parchment interior and a Navi and a used white with black interior also with a Navi. I think my head is going to explode. Judging my what others got for their cars i wont get more than 18 or 19K. If i buy a new one at dealer invoice i will still be shelling out 11 or 12 +. I wish i was rich...i would do it in heart beat.
I wanna buy a house next year...blah blah blah blah...it's so hard to be responsible. I want my mommy.

 

The biggist problem here is Honda's long term reluctance to make manual transmissions available for 6 cyl. cars. I would also be pissed if I had bought the auto version CL only to find a 6 speed was available a year later.
I'm convinced that if the 6 speed/HLSD was available from the start, there would be an 04 CL this fall.

 

without a doubt.

 

 

If you can pick up a used 6MT, it might not cost you as much, if that would be more worth it to you. I drove both back to back when test driving, and the 6MT really was that much more fun to drive, stock for stock.

The new TL is going to be a slight performance boost (10HP?) with some new toys inside, but it'll still be a similar FWD platform, and it'll cost you much more to move into one of those than it will to get into a new or used '03 CL-S MT, especially for the first little while when they're selling near MSRP. You could use the savings to mod the CL to your liking, and pocket the rest for a house or vacation or whatever.

 

there is really nothing out there that can give you the performance and comfort that the CL-S 6 speed can give you. I swapped out and it cost me roughly $5K for the switch but I have no regrets and Ill put my car up against just about anything in the streets. The performance is there enough to have fun the car is cheap and the insurance is cheap compared to an Evo or STI. The Z is a great car but it is smaller than the cL6 and the g35 is bigger but I think its still smaller than the cl6...to give you an example I have 2 amps and a 12" sub and I have more trunk room than the Z. The seats on the CL-S are without a doubt GREAT...the engine on the cls6 is awesome...the manual tranny is awesome.....the LSD is awesome.....the look with some mods is awesome....remember you can seat 4 people somewhat comfortably in the cls6 and still haul ass in style....the only other true comparison size to performance is the bimmer 330 but its a lot more $$$$

 

I also do not regret switching to the 6. The car is way more fun to drive - as Shawn put it - It is an entirely different story! I am also sooooo happy with the change! The only thing I do regret is not knowing about the G35C b4 I bought this car. No disrespect the the CL.

 

it is,
i just punch the dead pedal during shifts w/ my left foot to act like its a manual

i cant believe i didnt try out the 6 speed when gettin my car, but i wouldnt want it for everyday use. i just wanna ride in 1

 

Recently drove the 6spd in Canada when I was on vacation. Then I returned home to find a new dealership opening in my neighborhood. Just happen to notice 2 6spds on the lot among 4 CL's. Both w/out Navi, so I drove the sliver one again to confirm the fun factor I felt while in Canada. Whoop! There it is! Definetely fun so I decided to negotiate with the dealer an even trade. It is 2 weeks later and we keep on negotiating. The sales guy wants to sell me the car. Ironically, I was also offered a job in sales at the dealership after I schooled the salesperson. Anyways, we are about $50 off my current monthly payment so I keep pushing him to go back and work the numbers once again. My car is 03 CLS with 12K miles on in showroom condition. BOTTOM LINE: If the dollars match up, I will switch. I would love to have 1 out of 2700 6spds made for this model year. If the numbers are right, I will only lose about 8 months of car payments I have already made. MY SUGGESTION: If you want it, go get it and work them hard on the price cause if they don't make a deal it is not like you don't already have a great auto to drive. The only other thing to consider is the Acura will come out with a 2005 coupe with a V6. I am very confident in this. So if the money thing doesn't work out now, it may when you pay the loan down a bit and then get a new coupe 2 years down the road with better technology (i-vtec, vsa on manual, more umph, etc.). My tow cents!

 

I am with cls6spd03, in the new car (03) I look forward to driving it everyday. Glad I made the change for what it is worth. no probs with this car.... next upgrade is the short shifter should be in tomarrow.. difficult decision to make I know... happy I made it and dont plan on getting rid of the car..
I B da Happy Mo Fo

From dis


to Dis

Happy A** Owner

 

I switched too. very happy! whole new car. I put wayy too much miles on my car already!

 

your timing is off, ith the new tl acoming out nd possible manual transmission it would be a reasonable buy,

if you want a 6 speed either get a used one or go for the g35c

a brand new 6 speed for your 01 and about 10k in cash is so not worth it TODAY. i could understand a year ago but now both cars are considered outdated it would not be worth it.

sidemarker

 

I have an 01(auto). I test drove the 6spd today, I have shocks and springs, the 6spd handled better. I have exhaust and intake, the 6spd is faster. And by being able to downshift and have a clutch it felt like I could stop much better too. I'd buy a used one if I could get a deal on it, but new it's not worth taking the loss.

 

This is not Scales either it's Skinsfan202, what the hell's going on.

 

Hey, I hate to admit it, but your not the only one who does that.

I feel like such a loser when I do it though. :P

 

I'm back to myself now, sorry.

 

actually, I agree with sidemarker. If I had known the G35C would be so kick ass, I would have waited. right now, money is tight so i'll be keeping this one for a while. but i'll still be happy with it!