Hey fellow CL-er's, I'm trying to look for a good first car for my brother, 17. As tradition in our family, starting with me, we all keep our first cars --> so I'm here to ask about your experiences from having the CL as a daily driver.

Points that I want you guys to shed light on are:

1) How is the manual/automatic transmission in this car? And which would YOU prefer for a new driver who have not yet learned to drive a manual ?

2) Do you worry about where you park it? Anyone have ever had add-on's stolen from your CL?

3) Any well-known problems about the car that I should know about? (I own a 2G TL)

4) How does it drive after 70K miles? This is very important since our budget is below $10K-8K, so you get what you pay for.

Thanks in advance for any help. Cheers.

 

Manual is good. Auto is garbage. He'll most likely burn out the stock clutch if he hasnt learned yet.

I always worry about where I park it, but Im paranoid.

Aside from the normal rattles, the auto tranny is its Achilles heel. When looking at buying a CL, look at the door weatherstripping for any bubbling up. That indicates rust. The rear sway bar mount brackets like to snap.

I have 110k on the chassis. I need to replace a few suspension bits just to tighten it back up, but its a Honda. If you take care of it, itll last forever.

 

never recommend a car with a shitty tranny as a first car.

 

the auto tranny is shitty, the stick is better but would not recommend to someone who dont know how to drive stick. grab a CL if ya want, but look into the tranny history, has it been if fix, replace, etc.

 

i got my cl as a first car, and you cant really do much with it because of the budget.. id get a rsx or something else. something thats not a v6 or higher (gas is a money eater for teens)

 

I see, so the auto-CL's have the same curse... So we've established that I should get the 6-speed (what I was hoping for, since I can always do a swap with my TL )

I'm surprised I haven't seen more love for the CL in this thread, I always thought it was an awesome car...

I would like to find out more about how this car holds up with some high mileage...

 

I got my 01 CL-S when I was 16. It had 82,000 miles on it and I got rid of it when I turned 19 and it had 108,000 miles. My tranny was replaced under warranty by Acura at 94,000 miles. Besides that, the car ran flawlessly. Besides tires, oil changes, and other normal maintenance costs, it didn't require anything extra.

Coming from experience, it's pretty quick for a first car. Of course I thought I was hot shit and ended up getting a ticket

But overall if you can get a CLS6, it's a fun and very reliable car

 

dude the cl is a tl with two doors, you should be able to answer those questions

6 speed or bust

 

go 6spd FTW .. Im on my 3rd tranny

I have about 150k on mine, great car...nothing major... my son will get it in about 6 months or so... NOTE: he will be getting another car for college... Im sure he can get 2 more years out of the CL... he has bascially nowhere to be really driving anyhoo... GF is a mile down the road and school is about 2 miles... BB field is about 5 miles away...

 

cl= nice first car besides the auto tranny...

 

Not quite... I don't have a high mileage car, I haven't had any problems with my transmission (knock on wood!; which is why I'm even considering letting him get an acura/honda before 2004), and I would like to know if the 6-speed is really THAT good... so there's quite a bit I wish to learn from this thread.

Thanks everyone for your input and to civicdrivr about the tip on checking the weatherstrip on the doors. Looks like we'll be looking at those 6Speeds soon.

So I guess my question now would be:

What do you think about handing over a CL-S 6speed to a teenager? I've been debating this for awhile (about him speeding, racing, scratching up a classic) and I really can't come up with a final decision... I would love to see everyone's take on this.

 

Get the 6 speed or don't buy a CL, IMO. I have 112k on mine and after my valve adjustment the car rides better than it ever has. As for learning to drive stick, this car is the easiest stick I've owned but the others were trucks/SUVs. As for worrying about parking, do you really want to drive something you don't worry about when parking?

 

well once you get him the 6speed everything is on him hahah tickets and what not he pays for if he gets in that trouble right? gotta teach him how to be a adult

 

The CL has only 2 problems. The auto trans & resale.
Other then that it's a really good car.
It's unfortunate the trans problem has really turned people away form the car.
However I'd recommend a nice 4 banger accord 4 door as a 1st car. Something in the 2000-2004 range. The 4 banger doesn't have any real problems, holds resale, & is cheap to maintain. Will also feel better knowing it's not a expensive car once that 1st dent is done.

 

the 6 speed has a nicer cupholder

 

As for the tranny it is the same as your tl. They are prone to break. The manual is great imo. The CL was my first manual back in 2002 and since then i have put 90k miles on it and original clutch is still ok. You can learn without damaging it but it all depends on the person. My first clutch is still goin strong at 90k miles whereas my brother bought a manual nissan as his first car and had to replace a new clutch within 2k miles. I wouldnt be worried about add-ons getting stolen, for the CL they just steal the whole car to get the engine and tranny. Car will be fine after 70k miles it is a honda besides the auto trannies and a few small issues like lower ball joints, rotors warping etc.

 

The trans and the bad resale value is probably only reason this poster and alot of ppl look at the tl/cl. If it cost more money it would be out of their budget. For 3 to 6k the cl seems like the best car you can get for the money, especially if you are unaware of the tranny issues.

I actually asked my service manager at my local acura dealer and said " I bet your glad you don't have to deal with all the 2g cl and tl tranny replacements anymore." He gave me a surprised look and said how much they liked ppl bringing in the 2g's for tranny replacements cause they made alot of money off that.

 

i LOVE MY CL.... even tho it's auto... I love the shit outa it..

everyone i know as nothing bad to say about my car.. and I luv that

 

The CL 6-speed is not the right choice for someone who is just learning to drive stick, let alone driving in general. The clutch would take longer to get used to than a regular stickshift and the car is pretty jerky shifting wise if you don't know what your doing.

It's also not a good idea to give a 17 year old a 260hp car.

My parents gave me a 5-Speed 4cyl Honda accord for my first car and i drove it like a maniac. If that was the car i have now i probably would have totaled it

 

I think this car would be a great car for him in the six speed, they are a blast to drive and work on! I don't think the clutch is that hard to learn because I taught my sister on my car and she is a horrible driver but probably shifts better than I do now!

As for him being 17, I agree with Jake that he will probably end up totaling it. It is a lot of power for a first car.

 

x2 exactly what I think. Plus, I'll probably do more work to it than he does

I understand the worry that he MIGHT total it IF he's a reckless driver. But from what I've seen, he's very careful and listens to all my advice for defensive driving.

My take on it is that, considering his humble personality, if he gets the 6speed he will be LESS inclined to race all these idiots around here because he knows he can beat them and won't be pulled down to that level. No one really takes pride in taking down an easy opponent . And also, the CL is less popular around here and is a ride for a more mature driver ~ so hopefully he acts the part and doesn't get harassed by the punk-drivers. I mean, my first car is the TL-S, and I barely take the bait for reckless driving. I feel that if he's gonna race or show off, he'll do it in any car; maybe if he feels like he has less competition, he'll be more reserved...

Somehow, as I'm typing this, I feel like it's a double-edged sword... Please, feel free to express your take on this.

 

For someone who is learning to drive and getting used to a vehicle behind the wheel...i wouldnt recommend it.

Also if there alittle hard on it and the tranny fails its only going to be more trouble.


If you like Acura's, since you do have a TL. Pick up a Integra or civic. IMO

 

I'm pretty sure the OP said they have a family tradition of keeping the car, so resale wouldn't be an issue.

I agree to a point, but it really depends on the person. Some kids are more responsible than others. I had a 1984 Volvo 740 as my first car. It had NOOO power whatsoever, but I drove that thing way less responsibly than my next car which was a 1970 Mustang Fastback with a 351 Cleveland. Sometimes knowing the power is there doesn't make kids need to try stupid shit all the time.

That said, most teenage guys drive like assholes no matter what they drive!

 

The CL is my first car. I love my CLS6, seriously. Also, I don't agree that you can make judgment calls on whether people are mature enough to drive a powerful car based on age alone, I think only the parent can make that call...

Either way, six speed, yes. Five speed, no.

 

The CL has been a good car. I have around 142k (original clutch) miles on mine. Other than doing the timing belt/water pump/AC tensioner, its been pretty much oil changes and changing the transmission fluid. My dad has a TL-S, they replaced the tranny around 50k miles and he is around 230k miles.

I would recommend the car to anyone, but not sure about a first car for a teenager. I know how I drove my car at 22 to how I drive it now at 28...

 

As a buyer, the resale problem is a plus.

 

Another positive is that the car does hold up well in a crash. I would trust my relatives in an Acura for safety reasons.

 

That's the main reason why I got the wife an MDX!

 

let him drive a soccer mom van... hahaha jk but if you think its right then just get it for the little guy

 

Get it for him and set up some very strict rules for tickets and violations, if he gets to many there will be consequence's, that should help with any worry of him abusing it

 

give him ur TL & buy a CLS6 for yourself

/thread.

 

You realize this is his brother he's considering the car for, right? Not his son....

 

Haha, that's very true, but my relationship with my brother sometimes take that turn. Our parents have always been too busy working, so being the oldest I sometimes assume that role (though I often fail miserably).

Well, I've put a lot of thought and considered everyone's input and I am worrying too much about him adjusting to the 6-speed. He's not too keen into cars and I think that plunging him into all that by giving him a car that requires greater responsibility (both in operating and tending to the car) is a bit unfair (since I never asked him about it lol).

So I talked to him about it and he wants a small, agile, 4 banger. I think I first suggested the CLS6 because I was a bit influenced by what "I" wanted.

Thanks for all the input - hopefully he gets an Acura so I can update on this.

 

just like u totaled your other cl

 

 

dont get him a teggy or a rsx. get him a nice corolla. ppl sleep on those but they really ar e bullet proof.

i have had two early 90s corollas with over 350k on em. one is still in my driveway. the other was totaled by a red light runner

 

Burnnnnnnnnnnn.

 

the CL is a great choice as long as you don't get an auto

 

Your opinion will change when you get older, everyones does. Giving a 16 year old a nice car will only result in negatives imo. My first car was a 1992 mazda mpv minivan piece of shit. I put a monster sub in the back and removed the rear seats. We would drive around with 8 ppl in there blasting it. I still miss the mpv and loved how I didnt have to fuss over damage or care too much about it. Too bad some dumb lady had to tbone it.

 

The 2nd gen 2002 cl automatic is my first car. I got it just after turning 20. So far I like it. I don't have a family so I wasn't worried about not having a 4-door. It's a great car...I like it so far. I just hate having this dark cloud looming over my head while I'm worried about the tranny failing. My car has 124k miles on it, and I've driven it 4k miles since I've had it without any problems. Also, 27-29mpg highway isn't bad for a v6.