Sorry it this is the wrong spot I'm new. I'm about to buy an acura CL Type S however when I searched the vin using the decoder it came up as a regular CL. I was thinking someone may have just threw the type s badge on a normal CL. Can anyone tell me if this is indeed a true CL Type S? Thanks! The Vin# is 19UYA42451A010091
Also here's the craigslist post. http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/4112968464.html

 

Do you have an engine bay pic?

 

I'm pretty sure it is not. The only thing that says it is a Type S is the badge and shifter, whereas everything else contradicts that. The wheels, and especially the gauges. Type S gauges are white.

 

Thanks for the help. I don't have an engine bay pic. Also do they all have spoilers?

 

If I could drive it, I could tell you if it's the type S. Those wheels look too small to be 17's though. If I could see the brakes and in the engine bay it would help. Also yeah, those gauges are wrong. This smells fishy.

 

No perforated leather on the steering wheel or seats either. Perforated leather door inserts are an '03-only feature if I remember correctly.

Between the VIN check results and the lack of Type-S specific hardware, I'm inclined to believe that a/the previous owner pulled one out of the ricer playbook. Adding the Type-S identifiers presently on the car would've taken all of five minutes, and anyone unfamiliar with our cars wouldn't readily recognize their inconsistency with the rest of the vehicle.

That's because they are. They're the 16" wheel that were standard fare on CL-Ps.

No.

While we're here, is a Premium model an absolute deal-breaker for you?

 

It is not a type S. Ad says it too, just added type S in the description to help with searches most likely. Common practice with Craigs list.

 

I think it's a tendency that can swing either way. I've seen listings that failed miserably to disclose important model information - like listing a FG2 Si as a plebian 5-speed.

 

Thanks for everyone's help! I mentioned it to the owner and she took it to an Acura dealer and they told her it was in fact not a Type S. I feel a little bad because she really had no idea.

 

Not surprised. I figured that's what happened; a/the previous male owner opted to oversell the car's potency, and because the differences between a Premium and a Type-S are pretty subtle, the current owner had no reason to suspect misrepresentation.

Still looks like a decent ride, though. Are you passing on it?

 

Yeah I passed, found a Type S for the same price that I'm getting on Wednesday.

 

Better be a 6 speed.

The type S and Premium brakes are the same size. You can't tell with looking at the brakes.

 

I subconsciously thought the same. I have an Accord auto-swapped Type-S I'm happy with, but it'd be stick or bust if I were entering the 2G CL Type-S market now. The A1 will do for commuters, while those with performance aspirations are apt to toss so much of what differentiates a Premium from a Type-S in favor of aftermarket hardware anyway that if the car had to be an automatic, I'd consider haggling hard for a Premium and putting the difference into the first of my mods. The potency of our cars has fallen off since their inception, and the the A2 doesn't drastically change that when paired with the auto.

 

[QUOTE=aznboi2424;14753110]Better be a 6 speed.

It's auto, I saw a six speed but it was about a 3 grand difference. If the car was RWD I'd care but with it being FWD it's not a big deal to me.

 

[QUOTE=anderson4145;14754759]3 grand difference is probably about right due to rarity of 6 speed cars and the fact that you WILL have tranny problems at some point with the automatic.

 

[QUOTE=Oldsman71;14754892] The transmission was rebuilt not too long ago so I'm not worried.

 

I haven't been on here too long but In my time I have heard that people have had to get the tranny rebuilt multiple times.

 

Wow, I didn't know it was that bad. I'm probably only going to have the car for about a year because I want a VR-4 so if it makes it that long I'll be happy.

 

Yeah, unfortunately that's the truth. Lots of stuff in here https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-transmission-recall-q-55/
The only "permanent" fixes are really doing an Odyssey transmission swap or a 6 speed swap. Besides that, it's just a combo of good maintenance, not pushing your car hard, and a crapton of luck.

 

how to know if your car is a type S in 1 easy step

Open hood and look for J32a2, if it does not say that on the engine barcode it is a base model

Other ways to tell

Red lettering on engine cover
17" rims
white gauges
perforated leather seats
type S shifter knob
Stiffer ride compared to the base model

run the VIN is by far the best way

19UYA42702A003657 information contained in the bolded part will tell you it is indeed a type S (this is a 2002 vin that is available on the internets)

 

MANUFACTURER CODE

Nation of Origin U = USA

BODY TYPE

YA4 = 3.2CL

BODY TYPE/TRANSMISSION

2 = 2 Door 5 Speed Automatic

SERIES

3 = Base Model
4 = Prem
5 = Prem W/Navigation
6 = Type -S (Sport)
7 = Type -S (Sport) W/ Navigation