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Extremely High Milage XLR-V


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I currently own a 2006 XLR-V that will soon go out of original factory warranty. I have only experienced one small problem. I love the car and would like to keep it for many more years. I'd like to talk to owners having extremely high milage to find out what kinds of problems they have occured, if any. I'd use this information to determine whether or not to buy an extended warranty or to self insure.

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The supercharged northstar in an XLR-V costs $14,500 or so on sale. The MR shocks/struts are over $1K apiece I bet, although I am not certain. In general from what I have read the minor issues with the roof were worked out after the 04s, but depending on the coverage and cost I am biased toward keeping a vehicle under warranty.

Bruce

2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing

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  • 4 years later...

You can answer the question yourself. You can get a professional estimate of how much, on the average, it will cost to maintain your car by asking the price of an extended warranty, then dividing that by the number of years of coverage to get the yearly cost, then dividing that by two to account for the fact that insurance companies build tall buildings with their profits.

Then, take that average yearly cost of maintenance and compare it to depreciation and out-of-warranty things like tires and brakes of a newer car.

I once did that with my 1997 ETC when gas prices went through the roof and found that I would need over ten years to break even if I traded it on an econobox - and I would be driving an econobox instead of a Cadillac. And, an econobox won't last 12 years so the cost per mile would definitely go up and never return fully if I traded my old but paid-for 1997 ETC in for an econobox.

I did it again when I began to weaken in my budget-driven resistance to getting a V and compared that to buying an econobox as my wife would like me to do. I found that it would cost me about $25 a month to drive a Cadillac over driving an econobox if I drove 1,000 miles a month, and decided that was cheap for the difference in the driving experience.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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  • 1 month later...

You can answer the question yourself. You can get a professional estimate of how much, on the average, it will cost to maintain your car by asking the price of an extended warranty, then dividing that by the number of years of coverage to get the yearly cost, then dividing that by two to account for the fact that insurance companies build tall buildings with their profits.

Then, take that average yearly cost of maintenance and compare it to depreciation and out-of-warranty things like tires and brakes of a newer car.

I once did that with my 1997 ETC when gas prices went through the roof and found that I would need over ten years to break even if I traded it on an econobox - and I would be driving an econobox instead of a Cadillac. And, an econobox won't last 12 years so the cost per mile would definitely go up and never return fully if I traded my old but paid-for 1997 ETC in for an econobox.

I did it again when I began to weaken in my budget-driven resistance to getting a V and compared that to buying an econobox as my wife would like me to do. I found that it would cost me about $25 a month to drive a Cadillac over driving an econobox if I drove 1,000 miles a month, and decided that was cheap for the difference in the driving experience.

I fully agree! People almost always tells me something stupid about my car or about my (in their narrow minds) lack of judgment. "I couldn't help notice that you drive a Cadillac. It must use lots of gas! Why don't you drive a turbo diesel Volkswagen instead? They’ve got great low end torque and are a lot cheaper on gas. Do you like to get those huge gas bills? Haven’t you heard about commuter cars?"

That is just about the only positive thing about an econo-box, the mileage. When I ask the same ignorant people how they account for their huge dealership service bills, (do they call their 1500$ service for leisure or pleasure?), the high depreciation and the interest paid on their loans (and don’t forget the cash-flow from mortgages) they usually just stare at me. Funny that the same people buys their Toyota, Volvo, VW, Audi etc. because “it is a quality car” and then sells them before they have reached 60k miles. When I tell them that my +130k miles car runs just fine they honestly believe that I either are trying to fool them or is constantly fixing with it. My mother in law for instance always tells me that it still runs because “*you always are fixing on it”.

Well if washing, waxing and polishing counts as fixing, then I’m guilty. It can also correspond with the fact that I usually go out to my car when my parents in law make a visit…

I really don’t give crap about the opinions from ignorant people but it really annoys me to constantly have to defend my opinions. Then they tell me that I’m rude! In Sweden it is considered rude to answer a spiteful comment in the same manner.

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When people talk about gas bills, they seem to forget about car payments. I would love a tiny hybrid because of the technology, and my wife just needs an around-town car so that would fit our lifestyle, so long as we also have the Cadillac.

The important thing in making any decision that involves enough money to be important to you (i.e. just about anything), you need to bring out the calculator and figure out where you *really* are.

And, yes, I get a lot of remarks about my Cadillac from certain circles. In particular, one woman known for her ostentation and for setting the pace for "keeping up with the Joneses" as they say here in the US, has a lot to say that I have my Cadillac to show off my money. I don't have money. I DO have a 556 hp car, though. She doesn't get it. I had another guy publicly orate about my 1997 ETC being a "gas hog." I asked him the make and model of his car so I could look up the EPA mileage ratings online and compare them for everyone that he was orating to (he drives a smog-pump Japanese sedan). I never found out.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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I sometimes just ask them.."Why does it matter to "YOU" what "I" drive. I haven't noticed you paying any of my bills."

Then they get mad and won't talk to me, which suits me just fine...:):)

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You can answer the question yourself. You can get a professional estimate of how much, on the average, it will cost to maintain your car by asking the price of an extended warranty, then dividing that by the number of years of coverage to get the yearly cost, then dividing that by two to account for the fact that insurance companies build tall buildings with their profits.

Then, take that average yearly cost of maintenance and compare it to depreciation and out-of-warranty things like tires and brakes of a newer car.

I once did that with my 1997 ETC when gas prices went through the roof and found that I would need over ten years to break even if I traded it on an econobox - and I would be driving an econobox instead of a Cadillac. And, an econobox won't last 12 years so the cost per mile would definitely go up and never return fully if I traded my old but paid-for 1997 ETC in for an econobox.

I did it again when I began to weaken in my budget-driven resistance to getting a V and compared that to buying an econobox as my wife would like me to do. I found that it would cost me about $25 a month to drive a Cadillac over driving an econobox if I drove 1,000 miles a month, and decided that was cheap for the difference in the driving experience.

I fully agree! People almost always tells me something stupid about my car or about my (in their narrow minds) lack of judgment. "I couldn't help notice that you drive a Cadillac. It must use lots of gas! Why don't you drive a turbo diesel Volkswagen instead? They’ve got great low end torque and are a lot cheaper on gas. Do you like to get those huge gas bills? Haven’t you heard about commuter cars?"

That is just about the only positive thing about an econo-box, the mileage. When I ask the same ignorant people how they account for their huge dealership service bills, (do they call their 1500$ service for leisure or pleasure?), the high depreciation and the interest paid on their loans (and don’t forget the cash-flow from mortgages) they usually just stare at me. Funny that the same people buys their Toyota, Volvo, VW, Audi etc. because “it is a quality car” and then sells them before they have reached 60k miles. When I tell them that my +130k miles car runs just fine they honestly believe that I either are trying to fool them or is constantly fixing with it. My mother in law for instance always tells me that it still runs because “*you always are fixing on it”.

Well if washing, waxing and polishing counts as fixing, then I’m guilty. It can also correspond with the fact that I usually go out to my car when my parents in law make a visit…

I really don’t give crap about the opinions from ignorant people but it really annoys me to constantly have to defend my opinions. Then they tell me that I’m rude! In Sweden it is considered rude to answer a spiteful comment in the same manner.

It is amazing how so many people who make ridiculous comments like "That Cadillac must use a lot of gas" are so ignorant and stuck in the early 1970s with their knowledge... When I bought my 2005 Deville, a quy at work was asking that and I told him that it got 28 MPG to and from work. He replied with a tone of arrogance, "I find that hard to believe." I told him the onboard MPG computer must be lying then - I also asked him if he had ever driven a newer Cadillac. He said, "No." to which I then asked him, "Have you ever ridden in one?" He said, "No.". I then asked him how he could possibly know what fuel mileage my car got. He then walked away.

When people talk about gas bills, they seem to forget about car payments. I would love a tiny hybrid because of the technology, and my wife just needs an around-town car so that would fit our lifestyle, so long as we also have the Cadillac.

The important thing in making any decision that involves enough money to be important to you (i.e. just about anything), you need to bring out the calculator and figure out where you *really* are.

And, yes, I get a lot of remarks about my Cadillac from certain circles. In particular, one woman known for her ostentation and for setting the pace for "keeping up with the Joneses" as they say here in the US, has a lot to say that I have my Cadillac to show off my money. I don't have money. I DO have a 556 hp car, though. She doesn't get it. I had another guy publicly orate about my 1997 ETC being a "gas hog." I asked him the make and model of his car so I could look up the EPA mileage ratings online and compare them for everyone that he was orating to (he drives a smog-pump Japanese sedan). I never found out.

Exactly! When gas went through the roof in 2008, it was amazing how many people were getting rid of their current vehicles to purchase econoboxes but what they forget is that they could have purchased a whole lot of gasoline for far less than the price difference between the new/older cars.

I sometimes just ask them.."Why does it matter to "YOU" what "I" drive. I haven't noticed you paying any of my bills."

Then they get mad and won't talk to me, which suits me just fine... :):)

The same cretin I was describing in my answer to Jan said, "They're paying you too much." and I asked him what he drove. It was a new Toyota so I told him, "Perhaps it is you they're paying too much - My four year old Cadillac was less than half the cost of your Toyota..." He didn't say another word....

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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It is truly amazing what some people can tell you sometimes. I guess that their unhappy, bruced egos speaks for them. Sorry to be of topic, but here are some more stupid comments from my personal collection:

"Hey, you've got your lights on!"

"They'll go out in a while"

"Oh, When the battery is empty?"

"It must be annoying to listen to the sound of the horn everytime you lock your vehicle" (the unknown guy drove an Audi which made some kind of tv-game sound like all VWs do, and THAT is truly annoying if you ask me)

"I've made that selection myself. Are you saying that you can't choose in your car?"

"Automatic transmissions aren't sporty. They are so slow to react. "

"My STS does the 0-100 km/h just under seven seconds. How fast is your VW Rabbit?"

About car costs.

"We have done a calculation and my Volvo V70 costs almost 70 SEK/10 kms. "

"My STS costs me 35.."

"Well in gasoline only. There are other costs too" (at that time 35 SEK/10 kms in gasoline would equal 7.8 mpg..)

"They are included..."

"Impossible! Count again"

After some further argumentation he finally resorted to "It is because you do all the work yourself"

"Yeah. Oil and brakepads once a year. Really hard and expensive"

"It must be nice to drive a Cadillac. I don't want one though. I don't have the time and money to keep it running. "

"It requires only a minimum amount of maintenance and the parts are cheap"

"It would cost me a fortune because I like to drive hard"

"I drive hard"

"Yeah right. You can't drive hard in a Cadillac"

"Don't you have to change the cam belts?"

"It's three chains. They are maintenance free."

"Oh. Isn't chains old fashion?"

"I don't care about that. Belts wear and age and costs a fortune to replace on most cars. I rather prefer old fashion quality.."

"Come on! Everyone knows that the chains on SAABs break"

"That is because SAAB is crap"

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You should tell these people you know "opinions are like a$$holes - everyone has one, and they all stink"

It doesn't sound like you have much luck with people. Do you have a sign on your forehead?

I believe that all the negative comments I get stems from several different reasons. People over here in general aren't interrested in cars, they just read the latest biased crap from the "leading" auto magazines written by people who don't make serious tests. How serious can a sports car test be if the guy who does the testing usually drives an old Volvo 740 wagon?? For instance, the ATS was tested against some BMW. The caddy had a LOT higher horsepower to weight ratio than the BMW they were testing and consequently the ATS had lower mpg ratings. That was enough for the "experts" to write of the ATS as inferior.

The main european Cadillac importer says that you buy a Cadillac if you want to drive something different than a BMW. In other words, they don't seem to believe that a Cadillac can sell on its own qualities. I get that a lot. People tell me that I drive a Cadillac just to be different when there are so many cars around better than mine. Volvo, Audi etc. Seriously folks tells me that. When I tell them that I hate just about everything about a Volvo they get mad

My father in law who don't know the first thing about a car constantly was trying to "enlighten" me. He seriously believed that I should drive a Ford instead. Do I have to mention that my STS is still running strong while my grand parents are praying that their Ford will work one last time everytime they go for a drive. They have replaced the AC twice, had rusted through doors fixed, the power door locks don't work. Sometimes the speedometer doesn't work etc. etc. When I tell them that everything is crapping out just because it is a lousy Ford they tell me that: their car is old (1 year order than mine), its a high mileage car (mine has at least 20k more on the odometer), old cars do that, especially modern cars with lots of electronics (their Ford lacks just about every little convenience that I have in my car)

If they can afford it they will buy another Ford.

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Being the "car expert" I get questions about which car people should buy. "I don't want anything american"

"Well you should stay away from french cars, japo-crap, Ford, Fiat, Alfa-Romeo, SAAB, VW, SEAT, Audi, Skoda, Mercedes and Volvo. That is because they are either bad, expensive to own or both. There isn't much left on the list after that.

But that was before. Now I ask them if they seriously believe that I'm going to recommend some brand other than that I am driving. I also recommend Jeep.

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Occasionally I get compliments though. From real car guys who acctually knows something about cars. Much to seldom compared to the other "car-experts". You know "I know this is true because I read it in a Magazine" guys.

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The problem with most of the conversations in the last few posts is that most of them seem to have been initiated through jealousy and been snide in nature.

It's nice to drive a car that people are jealous of.

I've been jealous of cars in the past but I would never be so crass as to approach an owner or driver of a great car and offer snide remarks.

There are lots of great cars out there. Every one of them is built to a particular design that offers a solution to a particular driver demographic under a specific set of environmental conditions. Sweden is a bit difficult for cars built for lower latitudes and different roads.

People forget that most of the USA is below the 49th parallel, which passes a couple of miles north of Paris, France. Most of Europe is above the 49th parallel. Cars that would do well in the Midwest or California or wherever but are difficult in Michigan will be impossible in Sweden. And cars that do well in Sweden may be considered clunky in the USA Sun Belt. More expensive cars can be made to do well in both environments, though. I always liked Saabs but never owned one. Volvos always struck me as great family cars and some models were good sport sedans. I think of the older ones as maintainable. The fact that Cadillacs do so well in Sweden is due to their rust resistance and the suspension designed to give good performance on all surfaces, e.g. Canada and Alaska as well as Arizone, something that, say, a Ford Focus can't claim - but you are not paying for that kind of versatility with a Ford Focus.

Another interesting thing about the culture of people who identify strongly with cars is that they tend to look at their maintenance costs and history as well as their fuel economy through rose-colored glasses. For a good picture of the maintenance requirements of recent models of a particular make, stop by a large dealer and walk through their service department, as close as you can get within their safety, privacy, and insurance limitations. I find that in the mid-Atlantic area, they are all about the same. If a dealer has a consistently very busy, very large service department for its volume of sales, you might want to look at a different make for a new or late-model used car.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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Here in Sweden there was a rather huge scale test a couple of years ago (20? Well more than a couple then) about how honest the repair shops are. By that I’m referring to if they charge you for work that hasn’t been done or if the charge you for unnecessary work. 50% of them were downright cheating. Nowadays they believe that “only” 20% of the chops try to pull any stunts. But the other day a TV-channel did a random test with 10 different cars from different auto makers and had them serviced. 8 out 10 did a bad job. One chop tried to charge +1000$ for new brake pads on a 10-15 year old Volvo. The pads had minimum wear..

I’m not surprised about that at all and have heard a lot of horror stories from Swedish Cadillac owners were shops were frequently over servicing cars. Unnecessary oil changes, ridiculous parts prices (50$ for an oil filter) and ridiculous hourly rates. The previous owner of my car was charged 500$ for brake pads, parts only. Pads and oil change was 1500$ in 2006. That was at the local shady tree mechanic. I believe he would have paid twice as much if he had used an authorized dealer. That particular dealer didn’t use the wear sensor kit but instead simply cut of the old wiring from that wheel. I’m surprised he didn’t charge extra for that.

With that said I can really understand how a car can be expensive to own. Because I always do the work myself as a hobby and as a money saving activity I can cut car costs to a minimum. My car costs me approximately the same as a brand new Nissan Micra does owned by one who always lets the shop do the work.

I realize that it is an apple to oranges comparison but it is good to know when the next “smart” guy will try to explain to me that my car costs me a lot of money. I have written down every little thing that I ever have done with my car so I can keep a fairly good track of the maintenance costs. I believe that the 35 SEK/10 km is a little bit too steep estimated considered that I drive a lot and that the annual depreciation has fallen since I made the last calculation. But that really is beside the point. As long as I drive a beautiful, comfortable, technical, powerful and reliable car AND to a lower cost than most other people do, I really don’t mind ;)

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I have done my own maintenance work ever since I owned my first car. When I was growing up, I always helped my Dad work on his cars and gained experience. Many years ago, if I didn't have the tools I needed to do the job, I went out and bought them - I was still money ahead vs. paying someone to do the job and I know it is done right. If not, I know who to blame... A few people I work with state, "My time is too valuable to work on my own car." I ask them what they are doing with their "time" that is worth $75-$100 per hour. I also state that I enjoy a higher standard of living by working on my own equipment.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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