Batman518

Hi,
I'm currently in the market for a CL-S, and was wondering how you owners think of the car. Are there any reliability issues, can it be driven hard occasionally, how well does it handle, etc. I just need general info on what CL-S owners think of the car.

I thought it was a kick-ass car when I test drove it, felt pretty good, but I remember reading somewhere that it had problems a lot, which is why I wanted you ask you guys. Thanks.

98CoupeV6

As with all Hondas, the CL will take you to 200,000 miles easily if properly maintained. The only problem is a transmission failure, which occurs in approximately 1.6% of all Accords, Preludes, CLs and TLs sold which all use the same basic transmission. It isn't a widespread issue by any means, but since Hondas have such great reliability, people make a big deal out of it since they have nothing else to make a big deal out of. the CL will not be as reliable as a comparable Toyota/Lexus product, but will be more reliable than anything else. Of course the CL can be driven hard...very hard. If you want to know how it handles, go find a curvy road with it. Being a big car, the 5 speed automatic won't handle as well as a BMW 3 series or a Lexus IS300, but the 6 speed with a Helical Limited Slip Differntial will handle about equally as both of those. And if you throw a set of Potenza S-03's on there...it'll probably outhandle a base 325i. Also, if you're considering the 6 speed, the automatic tranny worries will be nonexistant.

ANVIL

I bought a 6-speed 3.2CL Type-S and it's the finest car I've ever owned. Reliabilty issues are almost non-existant for these cars, as verified by Consumer Reports and many current owners. After having a SAAB 9000 Aero, I'm a lot happier not worrying about what will go wrong next!
I agree that manual cars are more reliable and easier to fix if something should go wrong. Basic maintenance is a necissity for any car to live a long life. As for driving hard, the car can take it. But can you're insurance cope?