khedairys5

Hello, i'm new to the site but have been looking around for a few hours. I am looking to buy an acura 3.2 CL, but let's start out with some history

My first car was a 1997 Lexus ES300. The gas mileage was terrible. I did not care for the handling but the power was decent. I got too many tickets (no more now thanks to passport X50 red!) so my parents gave it to my sister, who gave me her 1998 honda accord. I love the accord. The gas mileage is a little more than adequate, with roughly 25 mpg. I do about half highway and half city driving, and generally I have a pretty heavy right foot. I want to move on from the accord though, and for the last several months I have had my heart set on a 2000 or 2001 Honda Prelude. I like the car because it is built in Japan, has great horsepower for a 4-Cylinder, and they come in 5-speed manual. I have been looking for them for a while, and they are very hard to come by, especially with the specifications I have. Recently, I have started looking for Acura 3.2 CL's also. The only CL's I would like are type-S's, the horsepower sounds good (maybe it's not because the car is heavy?, either way, it has the same as a mustang GT), the navigation, heated seats, xenon, and 5-speed automatic transmission are turn ons. I found a 2001 CL Type-S for $13,450 at a private dealership, and will probably look at it tomorrow. But I have several questions for anyone kind enough to answer.


1. Is the price for a Type-S with navigation and 63,000 miles appropriate? The ad says this:

Car Fax Certified!!This Acura is in Perfect condition. Female driven and is a one owner.. Car fax shows 2 but same family ..DIVORCE!!Check any dealer .. We HAVE NO COMPETITON!! WE HAVE THE BEST CARS AND THE BEST PRICES!!!!!!! All Fluids have been changed! Drives strong! . Runs great and drives excellent. Premium upgraded sound system Equalizer AM/FM stereo CD changer Not a single dent or scratch! Paint looks new. Shows great! First-class. Must-see! Actual miles. Clean title. One owner. No accidents! Low Mileage. Well maintained.d! All the toys! Fully loaded interior. Non-smoker.. Aluminum wheels. This car has a navigation system.

This is the free carfax report, anyone kind enough to look at it and translate it would be appreciated:

http://www.autotrader.com/redirect/r...=FCVDBDLNCF870


2. In my accord right now, I have an audio system consisting of 1 Kicker 12", an Alpine deck, and speakers. Can I put this system in the CL? Is it worth it? Will it be expensive? Would the navigation and CD changer work with the deck? and I really don't need a CD changer because I run my system off my iPod, i'm worried more about the navigation.


3. I have been reading about the reliability for the car, and have read a few complaints about the transmission. I have read that the warranty is extended for thr transmission, would this apply to me? Would I have to see an Acura dealer to ask? Are there certain ways I can tell if the car is due for or has had a new transmission? How bad is the problem? This is my largest concern because if I purchased the car, I would have a very small amount of money for anything besides normal maintanence, and would not be able to pay for a new transmission.

4. How bad is the gas mileage? Are there certain things I can do that will bring it to the level of my Accord? I also have a Cold Air Intake in my Accord.

5. How moddable is the car? I am not planning to turbo it or anything to that extent, but are there enough parts to customize the car in a classy way or boost the horsepower to around 300? Also, how does the car drive, my mom's 2003 Maxima has 255 horsepower and I wonder if I would feel more power in the CL.


5. Based on everything I have explained, any additional feedback, comments, or words of wisdom would be appreciated. I am sorry if i have been asking a lot of questions, this is a major purchase for me and the car would have to last 4-6 years.


All comments are appreciated, thank you!

gingerbread

http://www.geocities.com/gamesmgr/chod/acura/

pretty helpful, i didnt bother to read your post but this answers alot of common questions

ChucksCL-S

I'll answer 4 and 5. Our gas mileage is 20 to 30 mpg city verses hwy, with some guys getting even 31 mpg cruising all day long at 70mph.
300 crank horse power is obtainable with a Type-S with headers, a CAI and lightweight crank pulley. There are also cooling system mods available, i.e. manifold spacers and lower temperature thermostat ect.

123456SPEED

Main area to look at is the auto tranny, all 01 CL's have a 100k miles/10yr tranny warr. Due to problems with it, Honda extended the normal tranny coverage.

Since you like shifting, you just at least give yourseldf the option an 03 CLS which was offered with a 6speed MT. You can find them for not much more actually. The 03 CLS 6MTs will be sought after long after all the 01 automatics have bit the dust. I had a Prelude and Legend Coupes before this.
In any mode, the CLS is a great car.
good luck.

sham

The price of the car seems just right to me.

Here are my words of wisdom
-Do a SEARCH of the forums before you ask any basic questions. Believe it or not, a lot of questions have been asked before. If you ask something like "What's the top speed of the CL-S?", you will get 20 replies (of the negative variety).
-If you got stock rims, beware of curb rash.
-If you fit 5 passengers in the car, do not hit potholes. You will bend your rim and get a flat.
-The BOSE system is kinda weak, and it's an incredible pain in the ass/pocketbook to upgrade.