I went down to an acura dealer yesterday to check out the new RDX with a buddy while the salesman showed me a 97 cl with around 80,xxx miles with the 3.0l v6 in really good condition. The only thing i don't like about the car is that it is hard to mod and FWD. What are your opinions, CL or keep searching for an SC?

 

keep lookin for a SC!! dont give up yet

 

1st gen cl is alright but it has no power...a 3.2 or 3.5 swap with a 6sp would be awesome but that still doesn't really get you that far and just expensive and hard to source complete parts; and that just makes you wish you had gone with an 03 cl-s...i like the interior a lot but i would rather look for an sc for the performance and exterior

 

I just have to say this, forgive me.

Do you really expect people on a Lexus board would recommend an Ack CL over the SC?
I like the CL but cmon, these two cars are in a different class. You will spend more making the SC look the way you want but it's well worth it in the end.

 

Of the course the first gen SC is a classic and still a head-turner--you can't go wrong there.

But as the extremely happy owner of a '98 CL myself, I can quite honestly say that it is an awesome car. I'm not a modder, but since the CL is basically an Accord I think there is plenty of modding potential. And FWD is an advantage as far as I'm concerned, particularly in rainy or snowy weather.

It's all about what you want, and how badly you want a car NOW versus waiting for something else to come along.

 

There is also high rate of failure for the auto tranny in the 3.0. The 2.2 manual is a better choice. Wait for the SC.

 

This is true the transmission on the '97-'99 CL auto was problematic and sometimes fails. At best ur looking at a very jerky 1-2 shift which gets very annoying. W/ the CL ur gonna need a good aftermarket warranty and w/ a car that old expect to pay $1500-$2500 so u need to factor that into the cost. After Factoring in the addn'l $ the SC is actually a better buy IMO.

 

I think you guys are thinking of the 2nd gen CL transmission (on the 3.2). The first gen auto tranny is rock-solid.

Regarding overall build quality (and the perceived need for an extended warranty), my 8+ year-old CL has had fewer problems than my 4+ year-old GS, as one data point.

 

The first gen had a lot of tranny problems especially on the 3.0. You must be one of the lucky ones . I know someone with a 2.2cl and their tranny is shifting so hard its not even funny. I learned this from acurazine.com, they told me to stay away.