My Hobby Car of a Lifetime #20: ’97 Acura CL — Almost A Legend In My Mind

 

The Acura Legend had a very long-lasting influence on my thinking. I was already a Japanese car fan, as I liked Nissans and Hondas. Acuras seemed to be the right mix of upscale luxury with some elements of sportiness but in a refined way. The first generation of Legend coupe was significant, but the second gen Legend coupe was a dream come true for me.

 

The first legends looked like a scaled up Accord, but the second gen was much more distinctive. I saw a lot of Nissan Skyline in the looks. At one time I could have bought a slightly used Legend, but I chose a Cadillac Seville instead.

 

 

Then I lost my chance.

 

Unfortunately, the Legend came to an end after the second generation. Scores of Boomers, like me, have loudly lamented that fact for years!

Now, please allow me a momentary digression.

This installment is out of sequence… I initially forgot about this car, since it was an inherited car, not something that I purchased directly for myself. When I decided to write it up I had already submitted some of the other installments, so I held it for the end; closing my COAL series.

So, I was looking for my son’s first car and wanted something that wouldn’t raise my insurance payments sky high. I had suggested a Mazda 6 sedan, which he also liked. We were at my favorite used car lot, Wheels and Deals, and we came across a ’97 Acura CL coupe. It was gray with a gray leather interior. It was equipped with a four cylinder engine, identical to the Honda Accord, and a five speed manual transmission. It had an amazingly plush interior, with gathered leather seats and door panels, wood panels, and thick carpeting. I was impressed by how everything looked, and conveyed a sense of real quality.

 

The styling was a bit demure, but the rear end carried a slight suggestion of a boat tail, which added a bit of character. The roof was nicely contoured and it had lots of glass for good visibility. This example had quite a few miles on it, 160,000 to be exact, but it ran and shifted beautifully. The interior was very clean and well preserved. It reminded me of a mini Eldorado.  The a/c, moon roof, and other accessories all worked fine. These cars were known for impressive gas mileage.

 

My Son told me that he would rather have this car instead of the Mazda, even though it was older and had more miles. I had no reservations and agreed to buy it.

I inherited this car from my son after a few years, but by then was unfortunately a bit worse for wear. It now sported a lowered stance, since he’d swapped in a set of lowering springs.  He had also run it into a dirt embankment on a country back road, and it was now missing the front bumper cover.

He would frequently drive home from college in So Cal. So he had put a lot of mileage on the car. My son is like me in that he loves to drive. Although the car was damaged, it still ran fine. He had driven to the East Coast and back, the summer before.

I made him drive the car in that rough looking state for six months, just to teach him a lesson. But I realized that the car would be a cop magnet, and even though my son is a really good kid, it’s best to minimize contact with the police.

 

He had found a replacement, a 2005 Acura TSX for sale in Marina del Rey. It was two years old with very low mileage; a beautiful car, bright red with a Palomino leather interior, It was fully loaded with built in Navigation, moon roof, and a six speed manual transmission. It was a bit expensive, but as I told my wife, our son could use a good car now, not when he’s forty years old!

He kept that car for well over ten years. The deal was that I’d take over the CL, as well as the ’75 Datsun 280Z that I’d bought him earlier.  Of course, he had no problem with that.

I found a replacement bumper cover and fender on CL. After I swapped out the parts, I massaged the fit as best I could. I took it to Earl Scheib in San Jose to have all the parts painted the same color and came out looking pretty good. I advertised on CL that I would swap the lowering springs for a set of stock springs, and a young guy took me up on the offer.

Now the car was presentable looking and I began to use it as a daily driver. I was very impressed by the quality of the interior, and like my ’90 Civic, every control moved and worked in a satisfying manner. It had plenty of power that was teamed up with a five speed transmission and it shifted very easily. It was fun to drive and got very good gas mileage. It returned over 30 mpg. in freeway driving.

It was a coupe but it had a spacious back seat, and a fairly large trunk with a pass through. I found the styling to be handsome, but not as impressive as the larger, more expensive Legend.

This was the kind of car that I liked; luxurious, but smaller and still fun to drive. Mileage was over 230,000 miles when I inherited the car, but it lived up to Acura’s reputation for longevity.

It was primarily used for commuting and local trips, but I did take it on one long road trip to Southern California. The first leg was driving to Solvang, where we would be based for several days. I had driven down with my BIL, and my son drove up from Ventura to join us. We attended the West Coast Kustoms Nationals in Santa Maria, and then we drove down to Los Angeles to visit the Petersen Museum. We were all quite comfortable in the CL. I was quite satisfied with the car, but knew that it was getting up there in miles.

I had started to think about getting a convertible, so I sold this car and eventually bought my ’96 Mustang. Mileage was now at 236,000.

Ultimately, the CL continued for one more generation. The Integra morphed into the RSX before it too faded away. The CL as well as the Legend coupes were nearly the last gasp of the Personal Luxury Coupe concept; American manufacturers had thrown in the towel at the beginning of the Millenium. While, high end European makes have continued in the game and you can buy a Mercedes, BMW, or Audi coupe. There are also a couple of Lexus coupes available.

Even the Pony cars are coming to an end, with the Mustang becoming the last horse standing. For me, the bloom has been off the Acura rose for a long time; the RL was not an answer for those desiring a Legend. It is a bit clumsy looking and doesn’t have a coupe counterpart. The ’05 TSX that I bought for my Son to replace the CL was quite beautiful. But it never set my juices flowing like the Legend.

I frequently scan CL looking for a second gen Legend coupe. Occasionally one will show up with high mileage and at an outrageous price.

 

I might be tempted if I found the right car, but chances are that I’d be disappointed. One of my automotive “Holy Grails” for many years was the Mercedes SEC coupe. I finally got to drive a somewhat shabby example. I ended up asking myself. “What was the big deal about?”

Time marches on for every car, and I would hate to have my legendary dreams shattered by reality!

…

As I close out this series, I’d like to update my current car situation.

My F150 is still in my fleet and doing well. It still runs fine and I still enjoy driving it, and it fulfills my need for a work truck. Mileage is just short of 179,000 miles.

The Flex is now up to 65,000 miles and still looks very good. I keep after it, but I don’t fuss over it as much as my hobby cars. This is the car that my wife drives, so I consider it the family car.

The ’96 Mustang is still enjoying a favored position in my collection, as well as in my garage. It gets moved into the driving rotation regularly. Mileage is at 218,000 miles.

I bought a new set of tires for my ’06 Mustang, and now it is getting driven regularly again, Mileage is up to 121,000 miles.

My Navigator spends more time covered up, than being driven, but I do take it out for weekend trips. My last outing was a long weekend in the Santa Rosa area. Mileage is now up to 115,000 miles. Yes, I still love it!

My ’97 Riviera was driven extensively after I bought it last Summer. This resulted in my other hobby and family cars sitting around unused. I’ve put almost 1,500 miles on the Buick since I bought it.

My current vehicle count is at six. I have decided that every one of my hobby cars is up for possible sale, though I’m not in a big hurry to sell any of them. I would eventually like to reduce the number of hobby cars by at least two.

I’ve had a lot of fun sharing my stories with my fellow Curbivores. I only hope that you all have had a chuckle or two, or groaned in sympathy, or  shook your head in disbelief, as you read about my experiences. I want to thank Rich Baron for his assistance and acceptance of my writing installments. Finally a big thanks to Paul Niedermeyer for developing and nurturing this site for so many years.

I will still be around as a reader and commenter, and I’ve got another series of “general interest” contributions that I’d like to share.