What do you think of Cadillacs?

[Questor]

Are they still favored luxury cars? I don't see many of them around here. I remember when I was doing more with cars that Caddies had a lot of gadgets that tended to break at around 80,000 miles. Of course that can't be true now or nobody would buy them.

What do you think of the Cad?

[Redtail1949]

I have owned 3 of them and this is the last ever. i had nothing but problems with all of them however the dealer aws excellent on service and warrenty work until the last 2 years. now they argue and try like heck to get out of any warrenty work.

i wanted a lexus last time my wife wanted the caddy it was bigger and roomier. i would not recommend one to anyone ever and i have checked out the Lexus and the cars are excellent and have little or no problems. the engines are more fuel efficent and will last twice as long as the caddy engine. check them out they are the tops in reliability and fewest repairs neede and have been for 5-6 years or so. caddy is on the bottom .

[Questor]

Wow, that's too bad. I don't want to get one, I just like car talk. I have a 99 Ford Explorer (aka the best car I've ever owned) with almost 300K miles. I'm thinking of a Subaru Outback next time, maybe in a couple of years. I like that 4wd and increased road clearance because of some of the places I drive in.

That's too bad about the the dealers for Caddie. That will kill them. The other luxury car companies are strong on that. A man I worked for was having some work done on his old Mercedes, at a Mercedes dealership. I took him there to pick it up. The floor in the work shop was white and shiny. They really treat their customers well too. It costs significant valuta to own a car like that, but for those who can afford it, it seems worth it. That man loves his car and the dealer gives him a lot of brand loyalty because they've been good to him.

[Skunk]

All of a sudden, in the wink of an eye
A Cadillac sedan passed us by
I said, "Boys, that's a mark for me!"
By then the tail lights was all you could see

Smoke was coming from outta of the back
When I started to gain on that Cadillac
Knew I could catch him, I thought I could pass
Don't ya know by then we'd be low on gas?

Had flames comin' from outta the side
Feel the tension, man what a ride
I said "Look out boys, I've got a license to fly"
And that Caddy pulled over and let us by

[MGMorden]

Their time is past.  When I think Cadillac the first thing that springs to mind these days is "old person's car".  Nothin REALLY wrong with them mechanically, but from a stylistic point of view they're outdated (particularly the sedans - the SRX and XLR models look ok-ish), and there are better cars for the money.  For a luxury car, I'd personally look more towards Lexus (probably my first pick for something at least reasonably within my budget), Mercedes, or BMW.  Possibly Audi, though they're a bit on the lower end.

Better but certainly out of my price range is Porsche, Jaguar, and Aston Martin.

[Questor]

You mentioned "old person car". Buick has had that reputation. I got a Buick as a rental a few years ago, can't remember the model, but a midsize and not fancy. It was a very nice car. Very comfortable. Simple controls. Good handling and response to brakes and throttle. I was very positively impressed. Another real surprise was the Chevy Impala, about four years ago. Nice car. 30+ mpg on the highway. Lots of room. Comfortable. Had a Malibu rental too, uh, no comment.

[Mxpe78a]

I have a 2003 Sedan deville It has been one of of the best cars I have ever owned, But I am and old man at 61. Will most likly not by another one due to the government take over.

[mauser98us]

All of a sudden, in the wink of an eye
A Cadillac sedan passed us by
I said, "Boys, that's a mark for me!"
By then the tail lights was all you could see

Smoke was coming from outta of the back
When I started to gain on that Cadillac
Knew I could catch him, I thought I could pass
Don't ya know by then we'd be low on gas?

Had flames comin' from outta the side
Feel the tension, man what a ride
I said "Look out boys, I've got a license to fly"
And that Caddy pulled over and let us by

Hot Rod Lincoln by Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen. Damn I'm gettin old

[Skunk]

All of a sudden, in the wink of an eye
A Cadillac sedan passed us by
I said, "Boys, that's a mark for me!"
By then the tail lights was all you could see

Smoke was coming from outta of the back
When I started to gain on that Cadillac
Knew I could catch him, I thought I could pass
Don't ya know by then we'd be low on gas?

Had flames comin' from outta the side
Feel the tension, man what a ride
I said "Look out boys, I've got a license to fly"
And that Caddy pulled over and let us by

Hot Rod Lincoln by Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen. Damn I'm gettin old

You're not getting old Mauser. Heck, it was only around 1971 or 72 that Commander Cody did his version of the song. That was like yesterday.

[rockbilly]

We got away from the Caddy back about 1982 when the wwife traded her's for a Toyota Cressida, it was a much more reliable ride and held it's resale value better than any Caddy I ever owned.  When they stopped making the Cresssida it has been nothing but Lexus for her.

And talking about getting old...............I remember very well the first version of "Hotrod Lincoln by Arkie Shibley back about 1955...................

[nomosendero]

They are only Cadillac in name now, it stopped with the Fleetwoods in 1996 for me. Escalade became the flagship Caddy after that time, they are nice but really Suburbans or Yukons with somewhat more electronics, trim & 10,000+ more price.

I owned 2 Fleetwoods & used them for my job working a Territory. They would have been rich for my blood as a new car for sure, an old Attorney in my area bought them new & I got them after he put some miles on them. Used price was not bad, I got a great deal . I used both to 250,000 miles or so each, my boys took them on & they are still running. They are genuine 300,000+ mile vehichles & these are proof.

I gotta laugh at the car for old folks stuff. Those Fleetwoods have LT1 engines & are rockets. I made several young folks mad with these cars, especially Mustangs. They would kick out at 108, but that is a fix. I never owned a better vehicle before & doubt that I will find one, although my Yukon XL is very nice.

I will not buy one of these new mini Caddies & sadly done with GM's unless they pull away from the Gov.

[Oldshooter]

I've driven a few of the 70's models, they were a good luxury car in that time I do see some on the road now and then.

As was said earlier , I wont have another since they are obama mobiles now. but like a lot of things they had their day. kinda like me! 

[Skunk]

My dear old Dad loved Cadillacs. I think they were a status symbol for him. He figured a man was pretty well to do if he was driving around in a new Caddy. I remember the day he got his first Cadillac. I don't remember the actual model, but it was big and pure shiny black. My dad didn't say a word as he drove the whole family around town showing it off - just a big smile of humble satisfaction and thankfulness on his face. My Dad smoked, but he never smoked in his black Cadillac, at least at first. After the "brand new" smell had worn away from the Caddy's interior, you might have just seen him driving around in his Caddy, with a grin on his face, and a big ole fat cigar in his mouth.

[Redtail1949]

buy that subaru i have two ..one mine the other my daughters both are great... good mileage and really good in the snow.

[Questor]

I think this tread still belongs in the potbelly stove forum. It's not really so much about cars as about attitudes. I won't buy a GM either because of the government takeover for the benefit of the unions.

That Hot Rod Lincoln tune is something that every guy should listen to. I grew up with a next door neighbor who was an automotive gear head and he played it on his record player twice every day when he got home from school.

Here's my favorite rendition of it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDbON8udTPo

Found this interesting story when searching for the tune:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLsVWFGO7aQ

[Lloyd Smale]

my dad has had owned quite a few of them through the years. His newer ones have been great cars. the only downside is that if they do break for some reason parts are more expensive for them then any other GM vehicle.

[nw_hunter]

Are they still favored luxury cars? I don't see many of them around here. I remember when I was doing more with cars that Caddies had a lot of gadgets that tended to break at around 80,000 miles. Of course that can't be true now or nobody would buy them.

What do you think of the Cad?

The first and only Caddy I ever owned was a 1954 Fleetwood.
I was stationed at Ft Benning Ga, and gas was dirt cheap. In 63 the gas wars were going on, and they were almost giving the stuff away. ("OH" FOR THE GOOD OLD DAY'S) I loved that car, but took a lot of ribbing for driving a boat Mine was black....Just like the one pictured here.

https://www.gboreloaded.com/mhp/images/bradl43/leetwood.jpg

[MGMorden]

I gotta laugh at the car for old folks stuff. Those Fleetwoods have LT1 engines & are rockets. I made several young folks mad with these cars, especially Mustangs. They would kick out at 108, but that is a fix. I never owned a better vehicle before & doubt that I will find one, although my Yukon XL is very nice.

I didn't say they were slow.  The "old man's car" statement was more applied to their look, not their performance.    However, if I were looking for FAST, a Nissan Z-series or a Mazda rotary would do that - and look a lot better doing it.  They just don't have the luxury features to match (though they ARE nice cars - just not "luxury"). 

[30-30man]

I don't know of any other car that plummets in value like a Cadillac.  They sell at the dealers for 40-50k and can be bought for less than 20k a year later.  I just don't see why anyone would want one at that kind of loss.  They are a good car,but I would not buy a new one.

[no guns here]

Cadillac CTS-V is one of the fastest 4-doors in the world.  Beat the BMW M5 at Nurburgring...   Nearly 600 hp.  Nothing to "old man" about that.  Now if they could just make the interior look classy instead of like a pimp designed it...



NGH

[Lloyd Smale]

sure wish i could find a year old caddy for less then 2 grand.

[Skunk]

sure wish i could find a year old caddy for less then 2 grand.

Me too Lloyd. That and a nice year old Suburban for the same price. I'd buy them both in the same deal.

[MGMorden]

Cadillac CTS-V is one of the fastest 4-doors in the world.  Beat the BMW M5 at Nurburgring...   Nearly 600 hp.  Nothing to "old man" about that.  Now if they could just make the interior look classy instead of like a pimp designed it...

As I said, the old man comment is about their styling, not their speed.  You could strap a powerful enough engine into a dunebuggy but that doesn't make it a nice car .  Now, though Cadillac does make a 2-door roadster (the XLR - an ok looking car but for less money you can get a Porsche 911 for goodness sakes), I do find it ironic that you mention a 4-door car being fast and "nothing old man" in the next sentence.  Nothing screams "I wanna feel young but I gotta haul the grandkids around" like having a set of rear doors on a fast car .

[ToadHill]

Have an 03 CTS and it's been a very dependable ride.

[countryroads]

I had a '54 Coupe De Ville back in the day.  It was a great car.  I lived in upstate New York, and one February day it was -54F at the Lowville weather station, and the caddy was the only car in my family that started that day.  Nowadays I can't say much for them.  They're just chevys with more doodads, not to mention the fact that they're made by Obama and Co. 

I'll pass.....but since the bailouts, I've bought two new Fords....an  F250 SD Diesel and an Escape for my wife.

[no guns here]

MGMorden,
     I agree with the styling issue... American designers seem to think that the way to make a car look "upscale, expensive and sophisticated" is to add more make plastic chrome, more buttons to push and more crap.  Simple quality and updated sheet metal is the key. 

     Four doors doesn't mean it's for hauling the grandkids... just that I might want more room for passengers and friends than a two door gives me.  Absolutely NOTHING wrong in my mind with a car that can run 150 mph comfortably and safely no matter whether it's a two door, four door or station wagon.  Top sellers in Europe are station wagons...  and they blow you off the road...  two door cars are generally either really cheap, entry level cars OR really expensive high end cars.  Four doors are for family and business cars.  But they still cruise...


NGH

[Awf Hand]

All that power and they still drive 10 under the speed limit in front of me...

[Drilling Man]

  I always figured it took a pretty wealthy "white" guy to buy a caddy...  Not cause they cost a lot, but because the resale is so poor on them!  Who else but a rich guy could afford to take such a loss?  That is unless you keep on buying a caddy.

  Around here, used caddys have a reputation like a lincoln, waaaaaaaay to many EXPENSIVE problems to deal with once they are a few years old.

  DM

[rwng]

Cadillac CTSV will launch you from 0-60 in 3.9 seconds. It's a very nice car that handles well too. It will blow the doors off of the Euro competition (not to mention the rice competition) and do it for less money. I just don't understand why Cadillac is making performance vehicles and trucks, they should keep their focus on luxury. BTW, you can't buy a Porsche 911 for less money than a Cadillac.

[MGMorden]

BTW, you can't buy a Porsche 911 for less money than a Cadillac.

MSRP on the baseline Cadillac XLR is $86,215.  MSRP on the baseline Porsche 911 Carrera is $77,800.