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Acura CL
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I still have my 2001 CL-S Red No-Navi and just turned 37,500 miles. I had a new transmission installed last May, and a few other minor repairs, but this is still the most exciting car I have ever driven. I purchased the 100,000 mile warrantee since I plan on keeping the car for the duration.
However, I have encountered a very annoying problem that Acura seems to sluff off. The accelerator pedal began sticking when starting from a stop. When you apply pressure to the pedal it would resist then suddenly drop and accelerate. Acura said it is the buildup on the throttle body causing the pedal to stick, and repair was $169.99 and NOT covered under warrantee.
I solved this problem by removing the connector from the air filter and spraying with and aftermarket throttle cleaner, then using a bottle brush, polishing the area. VOILA! Pedal restored to normal, smooth as silk. I am getting ready to change the oil again after 1 year, again using Amsoil Synthetic for over 30,000 miles. Changed oil annually, filters @ 6 months.
Thanks for the time, I look forward to talking with you again and soon. Lee in Miami(now Ft. Lauderdale)
The new tranny seems to be just fine and after having the coldest morning of the year this morning, I am still convinced that this is truly one of the best cars I've ever owned. (35'F. at 7:00am.) The minor items were to replace a seat belt and wiper blades. Also as I previously mentioned, the sticking gas pedal was the other issue.Lee in Miami
My son drove the car for the first time yesterday, and he couldnt believe the power, he drives a 99 Mustang GT V-8. He was impressed...
Where in Canada are you?, my late wife was from Windsor, Ontario. Lee in Miami
BTW, reincarnation is from Newfoundland which is the opposite end of Canada (East coast) from where I am. We have much nicer weather but the economy sucks.
I just wanted to ask a question. I have a friend in the market for a newer car under $25K. He is looking at a 2002 Nissan Maxima SE with leather pack, auto, sunroof, bose. He has been cross shopping other cars. So far he has came up with a Linc L.S. V8, a 2001 Acura CL coupe Type S(asking $20,900 for the CL), and a 2000 BMW 325i sedan. All cars have between 20-30K miles on them, except the BMW, it has 40K. All except the Maxima and Acura(it's at a dodge used car lot) come with a certified pre own warrenty. The big selling point for the L.S. is 3.9% intrest rate up to 60 months. The Maxima is the cheapest out of the group at $ 20K. A lot of car for the money, except it doesn't have a pre own cert warrenty, and it's up at 36K. Out of all of the cars, we would just like some imput from the smart people on edmunds. Love to hear any comments.
Ben
You didn't list the prices of the LS or 325i, but if the Maxima's $20,000 and the Type S is $20,900, I'd pay the extra $900 for the Type S - it has a little more power, is sportier, and is a "luxury" make.
When compared to the competition by car magazines, the LS usually fares last. It's too bad because, I've always liked the looks of the LS (the V8 is also a plus)
The 325i is probably the best all around car (assuming RWD is OK in your friend's climate), but they're also pricey.
The TL has foglights but not the CL. Lee in Miami
Over the model options you mentioned, for me it would be a toss-up between the BMW 3-series (if automatic) and the CL. The Bimmers are supposed to be more expensive to maintain but what's going against the CL is its rumored phase-out, which could depress its resale value and hence its Total Cost to Own.
The Maxima has rear beam suspension along with its unfavorable perceptions; I would rank this car 3rd. And the Lincoln LS, one of the better conceived American cars, would be a last choice.
You're right, I dug up an '02 CL brochure and there's no mention of foglights. Like you said they're not foglights but parking lights. I've always wondered why those lights were yellowish and not at all bright.
Thanks.
keep this car for at least 10 years. there are more financial factors that go into the master plan that i will not divulge. weeks after i purchased the car, i sensed some slippage with the transmission. i brought the car in to the dealership immediately. the service manager and i went out for a drive and the car did not exhibit any further slippage that day or at any time thereafter. a few months ago i learned about the defective transmissions. my car is among the other acuras with this potential problem. acura has addressed the issue by extending the warranty. i wonder if the transmission will go after the (newly) extended warranty expires and will cost me thousands. in the back of my mind lingers the thought of the supposed slippage that occurred 14 months ago. i think of the resale value slipping more than it would otherwise given the potential for the transmission to go. should i unload this car? what would some of you do in such a situation? i'm disappointed in the fuel economy. i'm not too happy to $1.90 per gallon
(can't fault the cl for that). i'm bummed that my bumper has a gaping hole in the front bumper
from making slight contact in sub-zero weather with a snow bank. the oblong hole is the length of my foot and a few inches wider than my foot. i am bummed out what with is going down with
my 2001 acura cl.
But then if it hasn't slipped again in the almost 2 years that you've had the car, maybe yours isn't one of the ones with problems. Also, the extended warranty is for 100,000 miles or 7 years. If your tranny can last that long, then you've pretty well gotten your money's worth, IMO.
Anyone have an idea?
I guess Acuras in general are known for their reliability -- Consumer Report also mentiones 98 Cls as above average reliability - but I was wondering if there is anything specific that I should be worried about for a vehicle from that model year -- then I might have the dealer or a mechanic look into it before I buy the car. I did find that the brake felt pretty soft - but should it be wearing out this early ?
Any comments/suggestions welcome. Thanks
Sadly, it looks like there won't be a 2004 CL, and that 2003 may well be the last of it. There have been no "official" announcements from Honda yet (they historically are very tight-lipped about things until the very last moments), but various bits of evidence collectively seem to point to this conclusion (gathered form the www.acura-cl.com site):
- Someone who works inside the Acura CL plant in Ohio confirmed that there is no CL planned for 2004
- The TL has been redesigned from 2004. The CL is built on the TL platform. Thus, the current CL could not be continued into 2004, since the platform has been changed. Honda does not seem to have developed a 2-door variant of the new TL platform.
- CL sales have been disappointing, and continuing to drop - less than 700 were sold in January, for an annualized run rate of less than 7,000/year. Honda has previously hinted that they needed to sell at leadt 20,000-30,000/year to make it profitable.
- Some people have reported that dealers have told them they are no longer taking orders for CL's to be built to spec. This suggests that the production run may be nearing its end.
So, as much as some of us absolutely love our CL's (myself included - my wife and I have a matching pair of 2001's), it looks like it may well be discontinued.
Just when I was hoping to trade in one of our 2001's for a new Type S 6-speed manual...
Nick
So, unfortunately, it seems the CL is really gone.
I guess I'll have to keep mine for a long time....
Nick
But I wonder if selling prices (TMV) would actually go up once the public catches wind that the '03 would be the last of the breed? People that have been undecided now figure it's now or never.
Currently, the segment is big enough to be divided into economy (Civic, Focus, Tiburon, etc.), mainstream (Accord, Solara, Mustang, Monte Carlo, etc.), luxury (G35, CL, 3-series, etc.) and performance/specialty (350Z, S2000, Audi TT, etc.).
Because the carmakers' current mindset is to keep customers "in the fold," by offering step-up and loyalty (CL driver likes coupe so much the MDX is the only option for the family SUV, etc.) purchases, we'll see that:
1) The CL's phase-out weakens Honda's premium brand strategy. It's not remote for the CL to be dropped now (because it's based on the outgoing TL's platform anyway), only to be resurrected after the new TL's introduction, this time based on the new TL's platform.
2) Similar logic applies to the Accord, which is a critical product replacement for the Prelude and a step-up from the Civic coupe. Importantly, it sets up the Accord coupe driver for the Acura coupe.
3) Honda is promoting an appealing line of factory performance upgrades for the Accord.
All of that said, the Accord looks too important to drop from the Honda product group.
Personally, I'd still like to buy CL-like coupe from Acura that's performance and luxury oriented.
On a positive note...there might be some good deals on new CL/S's.
Thanks everyone!!!
Looking back, demand has however diminished and trend-wise should settle to a trickle, which the grapevine says has convinced Acura to pull the plug. Doing this, Acura can free up valuable production capacity for other models.
Coupled with common knowledge of its transmission woes (common at least to prospective CL buyers), demand for last-batch CLs isn't likely to provoke "memento" prices.
The car business is quite brutal and for all the CL's goodness - the car's new and pre-owned prices will not be favorable to current owners.