97 Acura CL 3.0..any good?

[SAWYER]

There is a very clean one with, 130k miles, auto, power everything, moon roof and leather. Are these reliable?

 

[T2urtle]

i think CL and TL's of that generation along with the accord had has HUGE auto trans issues. many were just giving out to a point where they extended the warranty to 100k.

But aside from that i haven't heard too many negatives on that 3.0L SOHC vtec motor.

 

[HannibalX]

If the car hasn't eaten its tranny yet it will. Not sure what Honda was thinking with that car.

 

[SearchMaster]

My brother-in-law has one that's a manual (it might be a '98)...it's been flawless, but again, it's not auto.

 

[Arkaign]

IIRC, the notorious bad trans were with the 3.2L models post '00, but affected most Honda V6 models between '98 and '03.

There's a list available in a PDF file somewhere where you can check the VIN to see if it's an affected model.

The 3.0 I don't think was as bad, as it didn't put out near the power of the 3.2 and 3.2 Type S configurations.

 

[thomsbrain]

Transmissions were NOT a problem with the first-gen CL/TL's. The 3.0 V6 in those cars produced only 200 HP and 150 ft-lbs of torque, and it was mounted an older 4-speed automatic that was tough enough for that load. People saying otherwise are confusing generations and giving you info that is not relevant to the model you're looking at.

The second-gen CL didn't arrive until 2001, with 225 HP and 217 ft-lbs of torque in the base model (260HP/232ft-lbs in the Type S)and a new 5-speed automatic that wasn't up to the job of handling the engine. Those models did tend to eat their transmissions, as did most Honda V6 models until recently. BTW, the 2nd-gen TL arrived in 1999, but the old CL carried on in 1999 without being updated. Then in 2000 there was no CL offered. In 2001, the 2nd-gen CL finally arrived.

 

[SAWYER]

So it is a reliable car? He is asking 2900 for it

 

[thomsbrain]

Originally posted by: Sawyer
So it is a reliable car? He is asking 2900 for it

Yes, it should be reliable. Understand that any car with 130K miles is going to need to have things done eventually. Things like axles, mufflers, distributors, etc are possible replacements in the next 70K miles. But the core engine and transmission should be solid, and the build quality was high on those cars.

And that is a good price if it is in good condition. 2 years ago, we paid $3300 for a 1995 Honda Accord EX (same car underneath, but with smaller engine) with 150K miles and practically had to force the cash into the guys hand to get it before the other interested parties arrived with more money. It's at 185K now and the only non-scheduled maintenance we've done is clean the EGR valve and turn the brake rotors.

So I'd say that's a great deal for a great car.