psd112

I had my CL for a little over 2 years, and I loved it. Great performance, comfy, looks. It was a great car.

BUT... I honestly have to say that if I could do it again, I would not buy the car, especially not now. I took such an asskicking on the depreciation, its not even funny. It is a great car, the only problem is that not many people know it is, so no one's looking to buy one if you want to sell it. I live in Socal, the unofficialy mecca of import cars, and seriously I had my car listed for sale for 3-4 months. Had the usual lowballers and people that just wanted to take some rides in a car they couldn't afford. I ended up giving the car to my brother. Yes, I couldn't sell it. I had to GIVE it away.

Bang for the buck is great, but seriously, don't buy one unless you plan on keeping it for a longgggg time.

Just my opinion.

Chopsie

Now theres a winner, trade the Honda for a Mitsu... I said it before and I'll say it again, Mitsu will turn to shit..... Even their top dog, the Evo has the typical Mitsu problems: Brakes, tranny, paint.
And yes, I owned a Mitsu before....
Your CL will perform just as well as that Eclipse, and have a much better reliability record.

Chopsie

OK, and after reading some more posts (sorry had to stop at the word Mitsubishi).

1-- I bought my CLS in 2003 with 26k miles on it... was a great car, and I loved it!!! Sold it last novemeber to Blades with 57k on the clock. Only problem I ever had in the car was the Rotors(warranty, common), rearview mirror auto dimmer (warranty, common), sunroof rattle (warranty, and also common).
Now the car just turned 74k on it, and Blades drives the shit out of it, and still runs like a champ, and on tranny # 1, of course the tranny is a hit and miss case by case.

2-- Blades, Trancemission and I were all talking tonight about all the little subtle ammenties you get with the CL that so many other cars just don't come with.
For instance, the rear seat automatically coming forward when you lean it forward... Trancemission was telling us about his friend with an 02 M3 that was talking about features that his car had and was shocked as hell that the Acura CL had i.e. the auto fwd seats (M3 doesn't have), heated seats, HID's, ect

3-- Accords are everywhere, a nice CL is a rare find.

Steve, is the CL your looking at Certiied pre-owned or no ? from an Acura dealer ?

My answer to your question is, yes , yes, and yes again. I loved my CLS, and this forum is a great addition to the car... Helpful posts and awesome people... Look at me, I'm almost a year out of mine and I still come here daily, because I enjoy this forum so much.

Joe5.0

I sometimes wish I would have waited and held onto my Taurus. Its still running great and I would have no car payments right now. My 6 speed has been ultra reliable tho, and I hope to get 150k out of it without any major repairs.

Of course there are better cars out there, but for the money the CL-S is hard to beat, especially if you live in snowy climates. The nw accords are ok inside, but they are ugly outside and def dont have the classy extrerior design that the CL/TL-S does.

o1s

i only bought mine because it was $9100, with 77k on it. and everything worked. i bought it for a turnaround. but as i drove it, i started to like it. it got around 350 miles per fillup to gaslight. i took it on a few trips well over 1000 miles. now i love driving it. i bought it december 23,2004 with 77150 miles. as of today it rolled over 106000 miles with not one problem. besides the shitty brake rotors. the only thing i do not like is fwd. it's the only fwd car i have ever owned. #19. but yoy definatly never see others on the road. unless a girl is in one. and i like to be different. i'm doing a ls1 t56 in an 89 240sx right now to be my fast car.

fantom

01 cls . 96000 miles . Never had any problems . Taking a good care of my car . Fast , comfort and very rare to find . What else are you looking for? Cheap to upgrade . 304 hp , good looking and ............still ppl turn their heads .

fireberd350

Performance is not a huge concern of mine. I'm more focused on gas mileage and the fact that it's FWD (we get a lot of snow), the 260hp is a bonus. I don't plan on tweaking the car in any way, I have a Grand National for that, I just need a comfy driver. It seems the CL gets decent mileage but I'm so impressed w/ the amount of option available, and I love the looks. I'll let you guys know how it works out this week!

ball4lyfe

I just don't think you belong here for any reasons. You made your own choice yourself (nobody forced you to buy a CL) and if you're not happy with it and think it's a POS car, why don't you sell it and leave the forum rather than making fool out of yourself?
BTW, 97 dak doesn't look any shit better than our CLs.

treyster

Yes, I would buy again. My '01 CL-S just hit 70K. No problems with the tranny, I don't drive the hell out of it. It has been nothing but a pleasure to own for the last 6 months. Go for the Type-S

All Mine

I was between the 6th gen Accord V6 coupe, and actually an S4. Well, the S4 was sold from under me, then I went and test drove an '02 V6 Accord. It was nice, but I didn't like it too much. Had way too much body roll. I felt like I would lose control at any second when taking the this turn that looked like this ---> ( Took that at 40, and felt like I almost lost it. Drove my CL the next day and bought it the day after

All Mine

I was between the 6th gen Accord V6 coupe, and actually an S4. Well, the S4 was sold from under me, then I went and test drove an '02 V6 Accord. It was nice, but I didn't like it too much. Had way too much body roll. I felt like I would lose control at any second when taking the this turn that looked like this ---> ( Took that at 40, and felt like I almost lost it. Drove my CL the next day and bought it the day after. But like the other dude, I bought it as a turn around, so I could buy the 6-speed. , but like dude, I started to like it, and never got rid of it. Plus, I've always wanted a bright red car (SMR) with black leather (ebony). So that worked out well for me. I think I will still get a 6-speed, soon. May be if I can get that weird Canadian's 6-speed from him.

All Mine

Dude, how can you seriously say that a '97 Dodge Dakota with the 3.9 V6 handles better, and looks better than a CL-S? I don't get it.

goredcar

I used to have a 4 cylinder Accord and it was a slug compared to even my auto CLS. I am on my second CLS (6MT) now, after driving everything in that class category including the Accord 6 speed and I have to tell you that the CLS is in a class by itself. The fit, finish and quality level of the interior is far above the Accord, 350Z or the G35. And... there are far more options on the CLS than the Accord. the Accord felt cheap to me in comparison.

I am amazed that the Accord is the same price as the CLS... I would jump on the CLS in a heartbeat. It is quite simply way more car. And, by the way... transmission problems are across the entire Honda product line, so buying an Accord does not help you

And if I had an unlimited budget I would buy a Vanquish (or maybe even an M3)... but short of that, I love my CLS.

fantom

Ok.. this is my 5th car . 1st Volk Passat2nd BMW 540, 3nd Audi A6 ( Crap) 4th BMW 525, 5th 2001 CLS , HR racing springs, bilstein Sport shocks , Eibach sway bars , Rotora rotors , Comptech brake lines , Axxis pads , Ice BOX , Ground Kit , headers , PIAA all around . I neverl had any problems with my car and as of today i work in Mexico city by contract for AUDI . The additional package 6.000USD for A 4 will include Xenon lights , home link , Memory seats , heated mirrows, heated seats , BOSE with 6 cd...my 01 car has it all and this is only CLS in Mexico city ...24 million city . Car fast , good and rare looking and feels great to drive ...im on my 1st tranny and with 115 000 miles .TRUST ME our cars deserve THE BEST WORDS ...and yes im very happy vith the rare color combo , white with black int .... I mean if you really know cars you should love CLS

EliteDemon

uhm... why the threadsurection?

TypeStylinOnU

ide get a CL, just in 6speed, i dont regret getting my car, but i want an EK hatch civic

StreetKA

iTrader: (8)

i have no tranny issue works perfect cuz its 6 speeeeeeed but milage it sux its about 18-19 im not sure i ever hit a 20 mpg. thats probably my fault cuz i have heavy feet

YeuEmMaiMai

to be totally honest, this has been my experience

Repairs

45K front lower ball joints
55K rear brakes
65K front left ball joint again, crossover coolant pipe
71K new transmission
81K front brakes (based on this forum this has to be a record)

what needs to be done

$1700 worth of paint repair due to rust and chips.....

If I were to do it again, I think I would have spent the extra $$ and gotten an 04TL for $6K more.... it would have had more goodies and cheaper on the insurance to boot....

Over all it is a nice car and has been realitively trouble free but daym this car eats brakes and the rust protection is bad on these cars.......

suspekt360

Hi,
I have owned 2 CL's. A 2001 SMR Type S (purchased in '03) and currently a 2003 Anthracite 6 speed-Navi. I paid $9,900 for the 2003 6 speed about 9 months ago. It was clean title and in great shape. To answer your question, I regretted paying as much as I did for the 2001 yet I came back to the 2003 when it became apparent that the 6 speed I always wanted was damn cheap. Because I am car obsessed and somehwhat inpatient, I am always looking at what else I could have bought with the $10,000. And I must tell you, there isn't much out there for this price point. IMHO, the Accord is not comparable. The Accord is dime a dozen and nothing special. I must add, I went against my mantra of buying the same car twice because:
1. Done right, the CL looks very nice. Always will.
2. They are uncommon. This is very important. Especially so with genuine 2003's.
3. The motor is special. It rev's beautifully and redlines hard.
4. The 6 speed tranny makes the motor 10X more special
5. Afermarket is strong. Parts are readily available. 30hp is easily added.

I know you say you only want '01 because of cost constraints, but I assure you that you will end up throwing the same money at the auto as the 6-speed in the pursuit of more driving enjoyment. I am sure you can find the 6 speed you want for a price within spitting distance of the auto. Just be patient. It will be worth it.

Having said all that... my next car will be a Corvette C6 Z06. Even if i have to wait another 3 years. Depreciation is a beautiful thing... For me to move on from the CL, it has to be a quantum leap, not a knee jerk "im gonna piss away $15,000 extra grand for 0.5 second improvement in the quarter mile for a dime a dozen G37"... sorry nissan guys, the VQ37HR is an amazing motor though.

StreetKA

iTrader: (8)

hell yeah thats what the 6 speed is its worth searching, trust me

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

If I could go back in time, I would not have purchased this car. Not to say that there is something wrong with it, I love the car, but I sometimes feel I shouldve stayed in the Prelude for alittle while longer. I'd be done with my other projects by know had I kept it.

black label

What year Prelude? I went from a 97 5 speed to my 03 CLs 6MT, but I kept the lude

Interesting side note the the 8-25-05 OP and the thread revival, we may get some different answers now that 3.5 years have passed.

civicdrivr

iTrader: (9)

It was a 94 VTEC. It was plenty fast and handled better then the CL. There were a few quirks that I just wasn't happy about.

Now that I think back, I don't even know how I ended up in a CL. I just remember coming across it for sale on auto trader and for shits-n-giggles I decided to stop by to take a look at it on my way up to NY. A week later I was at the DMV getting it registered.

I think I black out right before I buy a new car. Lol.

AnthraciteBeast

iTrader: (3)

Dude you took the words right out of my mouth..............except for a Lude which in my case was a Teg gsr...............or should have waited for the 6mt

YeuEmMaiMai

didn't read past that part cause it just sounded moronic.....the driving position is nearly identical to the TL and the Accord........maybe you should lower your seat so it feels like you are driving a civic?

would I buy one today? No, I would purchase a '05 TL instead ( I could not edit my previoius post to change it)

Onese1f

If I had a time machine I would go back and kick myself in the face for buying this thing in Automatic.

Rapture

Same.... even though I never had any issues with the transmission.... so far.

I love my CL-S to death but I would only have picked a different car if I was in a different situation. When I bought my CL-S I was desperate to get rid of the pile I was driving before, and the CL was a great car, right in my price range, so if I was in that situation all over again I'd buy the CL again. Next time I'll have much more money to spend, and just be in a better situation all around

MrFluffy

I have an 01 CL type s auto awesome car for the price . I had a 96 jeep cherokee 5.2

I love the gas milage of the cl night and day even if high test was $4 a gallon would still get great gas millage

GreenMonster

Bought it new... wouldn't do that again... Have to be a special car to get me to buy new again.

If I didn't have a CL now, I'd definitely consider buying a used 6spd... in black.

cbusAcuracls

This needs to be a poll....
I would have to say I was fairly happy with my CL-S. One major irritant I had was the single piston rotors...They absolutely sucked. I went through three sets in a five year period. Of course the auto tranny was a downfall too even though I never had a problem. Other than that I was fairly happy with mine even though I found for my case it wasn't really the best car for me.

If I had to do it all over again. I would have stuck with a smaller car. An SI or and RSX-S would have been better. I found that the 09 Fit had everything I needed (except for the hp) in a small price and practical manner... but this thing is pretty fun to drive even though it doesn't smoke the tires (paddle shifters are a blast) and out handles almost any other car on the road. I can honestly say I will keep this fit easily for 6+ years...but thats just my case.

cbusAcuracls

Edit... Single piston calipers.... three sets of rotors.
I need to read what I type....ha

YeuEmMaiMai

Uhm......

the 4 is quicker than the shitty acura v6 anyway

o rly? 8 vs 6.2 lol

CL-S progression 01

iTrader: (2)

bought my car 2 months ago for 10,800 CAD with 51K miles on it.

Brought it to the dealership (I know the guys, thank god) for timing belt, water pump and a few other things naturally since the car is 9 yrs old, gotta revamp a few things, (cause I'm not going to have problems with my cars ever again! after my damn ford PROBE). Erin Mills Acura does the job right on the money!.. they even give me 10% off lots of the time.

But back to the car, it's an 01 AT CL-S and the tranny is beautiful. Way I see it, if you drive these AT hard everywhere, you'll pay the price. My car luckily had 1 owner and was parked underground its whole life so it's go zero rust and was never driven past 80mph lol. I guess I fluked out, it was the best priced cl in Ontario.

NOTE* I had every service record on this car so I knew what it had been through. I would not have bought the car if I knew otherwise. This will save anyone $$$ in the long run

Everything is mint tho, interior, exterior (i got them to take the dent out of it as well and paint the hacked up bumpers and now it looks brand NEW) SAVED a G there.

I would definitely recommend this car a long as you're not looking to weeve. It's a wicked road trip car, very functional, and can put many bodies in the trunk (a mobster's dream). What more could you ask for. It's a 16ft (looks like it) long boat that weights in at 3550lbs. Try making THAT good in slalom, i doubt it. But this car isn't meant to be a racecar.

mr. robot-o

I just got my CL about 2 weeks ago.. It does have a lot of cool features and you get a lot of options for the buck... I'm really missing my Integra tho and thinking maybe I should have gotten another one. The Cl has a very nice interior and like other people said they aren't that common

MrFluffy

What are you talking about I can barley fit 4 subs in the trunk I had to build custom boxes

mr. robot-o

I didn't know there were a lot of problems with the tranny.... I wish I would have read a little more about these cars before buying one, oh well

MrFluffy

I hear on that one I didnt know either oh well I still love the car

CL-S progression 01

iTrader: (2)

the way I see it, treat her good and she'll treat you good.... don't beat it up. but make sure you "enjoy" what the CL has to offer. HA