suspekt360

Hi all,

Its taken me about 2 months to get around to writing this.

Many of you might think this guy is nuts, too sensitive, or something...

My CLS6 was rear-ended 2 months ago and the end result was a total write-off of the car. The accident was minor with minor damage. When I received the call that the car was a write-off, I laughed. Soon however, reality sunk in. Yes, the car could be re-purchased and fixed. Yes, there was a way to salvage it. The car was at around 140,000 miles (224,000km). It needed probably $2,000 in additional repairs (ORIGINAL clutch was finally letting go, shocks were dying, front axles needed replacing, etc).

In the end, I let it go. I am 31 years old. I have a wife and child. I felt like I let a terminally patient die when I knew there was life left. I felt sick.

Basically, I sincerely felt as if a very very good personal friend had passed away and I had a hand in it. The CL was a rock. Never broke, never complained, and always always always put a smile on my face. 3rd gear redline shifts were things I thought of when I was bored. Still do....

...with CT headers, race pipe, double resonators and dual HKS mufflers (yes, I am 31 and did feel immature with these), the uptick in power right at around 6,500 rpm was surreal. It would be pulling hard, and if the conditions were right, there would be another surge right near redline... amazing....

I have had many cars. Lots. None left a hole like this one did.

This was my 2nd CL. Since I was about 23, I have only driven CL's. The first was red 2001 CLS that I wanted since it debuted in 2000. I bought it in 2003.





After selling the red one, I purchased the Anthracite CLS6. Paid about $10,000. Best $10,000 I ever spent. I modded it slowly to the point that I was basically done as I had a vision of the car and I had to see fulfilled.

Personally, the OEM body (spoilerless... I know I know, there are those that love it) is perfect. To me, wheels and ride height are all it needed.

This is how it ended up looking when all was said and done. Please feel free to visit my album as I have loaded many pictures although the resolution is not too great:








After all these years of driving the CL, I still feel the sense of unfinished business. The J37 intake manifold and stroke to 3.6 were in the longer term plans.

I will close by saying the CL is a great car. Very comfortable, very reliable, maniacal redline surge that I never tired of, and a great design.

I enjoyed this site all of this years and the wealth of knoweldge that exists within. The people here have been great and we should all appreciate the kind and selflessness that people show here in helping one another.

And in case anyone was wondering, a replacement car was purchased. It is a 2002 Lexus GS430 (75,000 miles, Mark Levison/Navi). I would have purchased a 2012 Acura TL-SHAWD 6 speed manual but just cant justify spending the extra $35,000. The Acura is on the radar though and I wouldnt be the least bit surprised if I showed up on that side a year from now.

Thanks to all again, I will be around!!!

exl124

Great story...great car. GL with the new ride.

I heard someone say this once..."Just like how the world turns, the end of one thing leads to the beginning of another".

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

Should have bought the car to do a part out on it. Probably would have made a profit if you didn't want to rebuild it. But in time you will love the GS too. It's a great comfortable car with lots of power and RWD. Plus the powertrain the bulletproof, much like the CL-S 6spd was. The GS suits you better at this time in life, it's just more practical.

saiko_cl_duck

Sorry about your luck, but at least you truly enjoyed your CL's while you had them.

azeezp13

iTrader: (4)

good story, sorry to hear about your loss. that was one beautiful anthracite cl you had there. hopefully there's an enthusiast out there that will rebuild it and bring it back to life.

g1underground

iTrader: (1)

Wow I feel your pain and lost. Identical reaction when I lost my last car. Great heartfelt story and a great car gone, yours was one of the best. All the best to you!

monkeybutt

I can't believe you let go of your baby! From following some of your threads I would have elected you to be one of the most ardent CL-S owners out there. GO GET IT BACK!
JK Good choice w/ the GS. You will really like the torque of the 430 as well as the smoothness. And it is a 4 door which will be much more amenable to your family. You may want to upgrade the handling a bit and, of course, you will miss the CL's stick.

fuzzy02CLS

iTrader: (2)

That Lexus has a decent aftermarket too. I was surprised at that. Good pickup. I always liked those cars.

kidduce

iTrader: (1)

Sorry for your loss. Hope everything goes well with the GS, always had a thing for those. The CL looked real clean by the way.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

Sucks to hear, I know you loved your car. Any wrecked pics?

And I guess most importantly, were all passengers safe?

CL-S progression 01

iTrader: (2)

bro mine was worse and they still fixed it. they put 8.5 k into my car brotha i aint lying...

that shit is fixable brotha

CL-S progression 01

iTrader: (2)

now ur pix disappeared wtf skip

StreetKA

iTrader: (8)

i feel you in 110% man