Acura CL, whats the poop?

[VWE]

O.k. I've been watching the ebay auctions and had planned on buying either a 98-02 Accord EX coupe, or an 03-05 LX sedan. So while poking around I just happend to look at the Acura CL coupes and noticed I could get an 01-02 with round 50k miles for the same price as an 02-05 LX sedan with 30-40k miles. Is the price so low on the CL's because they have been discontinued or is there some underlying default I'm unaware of?

[Wolfala]

Dunno. I've got a 2005 TSX and a 2007 TL-S manual - they run fine. Had an 04 TSX in manual before - but it got crushed by a powerline.  Only wiki entry that causes me some concern is with the transmission, What is the mileage?

"For the 2001 model year, a redesigned coupe version of the TL was introduced, the 3.2CL. While it was mechanically identical to the TL, its sales never came close to that of its sibling model, and as a result, it was discontinued in May 2003. The automatic transmission in these cars were also defective. In response to the recurring problem, the manufacturer extended the warranty covering the transmission to 109,000 miles (175,400 km) or 7.75 years for all 99 to 02 and 03 partial per VIN. Acura dealers replace the transmissions under warranty. Transmissions replaced prior to March 2005 usually fail again. Transmissions replaced 3/2005 and later include a redesigned 3rd gear clutch pack reported to fix the problem."

This is the wording of the recall:

"    
 Change Vehicle
2002 Acura CL
Back to Recalls List
Recalls current as of 10/26/2007


NHTSA Model Name:
3.2CL

Component:
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Recall Number:
04V176000

Date recall entered into NHTSA database:
04/20/2004

Summary:
ON VEHICLES WITH 15,000 MILES OR LESS, THE DEALER WILL UPDATE THE TRANSMISSION WITH A SIMPLE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE TO INCREASE LUBRICATION TO THE SECOND GEAR. ON VEHICLES WITH MORE THAN 15,000 MILES, THE DEALER WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION TO IDENTIFY GEARS THAT HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED DISCOLORATION DUE TO OVERHEATING. IF DISCOLORATION EXISTS, THE TRANSMISSION WILL BE REPLACED IF DISCOLORATION IS NOT PRESENT, THE DEALER WILL PERFORM THE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 21, 2004, FOR PILOT, ODYSSEY, AND MDX OWNERS. OWNERS OF THE ACCORD VEHICLES WILL START RECEIVING LETTERS ON JUNE 28, 2004, AND ON JUNE 29, 2004, FOR OWNERS OF THE TL AND CL VEHICLES. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238. "



All said, its my 3rd Acura and I have never had any reliability problems. That is for the 2002 model but affects the 01s as well.

[VWE]

O.k. that's good info... so did the TL replace the Vigor and the RL replace the Legend? Seen a couple of '00 RLs with less than 50k miles that looked good too...

[Wolfala]

Either the Vigor or Legend. I'm not sure to be honest - but it is in the category of a BMW 3 series and compares favorably to the BMW 5 series in terms of handling and power available - at least when considering the TL-S. I never found the BMW 5 series to handle that great and consider it underpowered for its curb weight.

[1K3]

Get the 2nd generation Acura Legend instead.  It lives up to its name:)