Ohio Jim Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 Good morning All, My wife and I are on our quest to find the next Cadillac. We have owned a number of STS' and Deville's, so now we are considering a '05 Escalade. I have always had good fortune with low mileage Cadillac's in the past, and I see Escalades are difficult to find with low mileage. Wanted a EXT, but a base model come up. I am scheduled to test drive it with 38,000 miles, Monday morning. Looks like it has 'everything' except navigation. I am asking your opinions on what I should cue on during the first test drive. I have researched CaddyInfo and really not found any negative aspects. I am familiar with the Northstar issues, but not the 6.0l Vortec (?) engine. How about the 4 speed transmission? Is that a sister to the 4 speed in my '06 Deville. I do not think the trouble codes are available on the DIC, as in the past, so can I extract codes using a scanner? Can you suggest what type of scanner I might need? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Ohio Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted January 30, 2015 Report Share Posted January 30, 2015 The trans is the 4L-60E - very good transmission in my opinion. I have the same trans. in my Fleetwood Brougham which is almost 22 years old. The 6.0 engine is quite thirsty compared to the 5.3 in the Chevy Trucks. I think it is somewhat due to the full-time automatic four wheel drive. I can't comment on a scanner other than maybe you could have Autozone scan it for you on your test drive. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio Jim Posted January 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 KHE, Thanks for your reply. My son just bought a ,96 Fleetwood Brougham a few months back, and it is SWEET! We play football in the back seat! lol. I am less concerned about this Escalade than any of the Northstar STS' or Devilles I have bought, simply because of the head gasket issues with the Northstar. I am excited but don't want to get carried away by not being on my game when I look it over and drive it. The professional reviews from back it the day rave about the Escalade, so I am looking for anything current which might be of concern. You know how things come to light years later. I know you always have your ear to the ground and chime in to help, and I thank you for that. Well, wish me luck! I want to get this AWD baby with stabilitrak in an open parking lot covered with powder, so I can rip it UP! Ohio Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Ohio Jim, The 6.0 can be tuned for better performance and better gas mileage.. On a truck forum I am on, several people have the 6.0 and love 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 KHE, Thanks for your reply. My son just bought a ,96 Fleetwood Brougham a few months back, and it is SWEET! We play football in the back seat! lol. I am less concerned about this Escalade than any of the Northstar STS' or Devilles I have bought, simply because of the head gasket issues with the Northstar. I am excited but don't want to get carried away by not being on my game when I look it over and drive it. The professional reviews from back it the day rave about the Escalade, so I am looking for anything current which might be of concern. You know how things come to light years later. I know you always have your ear to the ground and chime in to help, and I thank you for that. Well, wish me luck! I want to get this AWD baby with stabilitrak in an open parking lot covered with powder, so I can rip it UP! Ohio Jim '96 Fleetwood Brougham - ah the good old days. The '94-'96 Fleetwood Broughams were the best Cadillacs of all time in my opinion. The performance was on par with an STS (only 1/2 second slower in the 0-60 time) with tons of room and a ride that was second to none. I will never forgive GM for canceling that grand car! THe 1980-1992 Fleetwood Brougham d'Elegance (and '80-'84 Deville) cars were much better looking - GM spared no expense on the appointments/interiors but the '94-'96 cars had the performance! Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio Jim Posted January 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Texas Jim, What truck forum might that be, anyway... I mean just in case this works out and I, uh, the wife, actually like the Escalade... and it needs a little more power...'cause who don't need more POWER? Thanks. KHE, Do you have the LT1 in that Fleetwood? My boy says that car is fast and fun! He does not even lift for speed bumps! Only thing missing is posi-traction rear end in the Ohio winter SNOW! Ohio Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Jim, Mine has the L05 engine wich was the carryover engine from 1992. 350 cu-in throttle body injection. In late 1992/early 1993, all the car magazines said that GM had no plans to put the LT1 in the Fleetewoods due to the low sales volumes so bought my '93 in the spring of 1993. I should have waited one more year to buy my car because the 1994 model year is when they started using the LT1 engine... I was working with my dealer to buy a 1996 Fleetwood Brougham but for some reason, the banks were charging ridiculously high interest rates for loans for those cars. The interest rate for a '96 Sedan DeVille was one third of the rate for the Fleetwood so I did not pursue the '96. My Dad has a '95 and it is almost as quick as the STS. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio Jim Posted February 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 KHE, That's a pretty cool story! Bought it new and still have it. That's incredible. My son said that LT1 is great and I need to drive it. I plan on it. Monday I will look at an '05 Escalade. He is a little high at $18,000. obo. He said it needs tires, so I am thinking brakes as well, or soon. I hope the original skins are on it so I can see what's up with the suspension. I figure if it is dry underneath, and clean as he says, I'll probably pick up for the wife. She drives three grandchildren to school 20 miles each way, so it would give me some peace of mind from a safety standpoint. My '99 STS is getting a little long in the tooth, (155,k), and I really don't have the time to do the maintenance it requires, so I will be regulated to take over her '04 base Deville. It's not bad, with 73,k on the clock, but I know I am going to really miss the STS, it's stabilitrac, and barking second gear all the time! I have been looking for a low mileage '08 STS, but pickings are slim. I missed out on the one last month with low miles for $10,k, so I am kicking myself. Well thanks for the chat, Kevin, and have a nice Sunday! Ohio Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airmike Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Ohio Jim, Bruce is likely to have a sts-v for sale before long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio Jim Posted February 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 KHE, Just had a thought... If I can get the codes to read on my '04 Deville, is it possible to bring up any codes on an '05 Escalade? I cannot remember what is the last year to use the DIC for codes. Thank in advance, Ohio Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio Jim Posted February 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 AirMike, That would be sweet. Not sure about winter driving in Ohio, but I'm up for anything at least once! Bruce, will you be going for the LTS-V? Ohio Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Texas Jim, What truck forum might that be, anyway... I mean just in case this works out and I, uh, the wife, actually like the Escalade... and it needs a little more power...'cause who don't need more POWER? Thanks. The truck forum I am on is... http://www.truckmodcentral.com/forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 KHE, Just had a thought... If I can get the codes to read on my '04 Deville, is it possible to bring up any codes on an '05 Escalade? I cannot remember what is the last year to use the DIC for codes. Thank in advance, Ohio Jim The Escalade is based on the Chevy Truck platform - no onboard diagnostics. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio Jim Posted February 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 KHE, Man, is there anything you don't know? How did you know about the truck platform and no on board diagnostics? That is wild! I would have never thought about that. In other news....My wife was totally cold to the idea of looking at the Escalade this morning, so I cancelled. She thinks the guy is $5,000 over because it needs tires, so that makes it rated in poor condition. I could not convince her with 38,000 miles I wanted to see the original tires rather than a new set of tires with no tell-tale signs. Oh, well. Can only move on... back to looking for a 2008 STS, for ME! Thanks again, Ohio Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted February 3, 2015 Report Share Posted February 3, 2015 The Escalade is actually on the same platform as the Suburban/Tahoe/Yukon platform. I looked at a few Suburbans and an Escalade before purchasing my Silverado pickup. You can put tires on that Escalade for a lot less than $5000...LOL. I would just look at the NADA price value and go from there. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio Jim Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 KHE, Yes, I am trying to work off NADA, KBB, and Edmunds. I find quite a bit of discrepancies between the three, but with a dose of common sense, it is not rocket science to come up with a reasonable number. When I bought my '04 Deville three years ago with 22, 000 miles, I knew I was paying a ~grand more than it may have been worth, at $9,250. I was leaving for Florida six days later in a rental car, so to me, it was worth the money; no rental car. I have only put tires, brakes and two tie rod ends on it. It currently has 75,000 miles. So it all worked out, with my calculation of $0.185 per mile. My goal has always been ten cents a mile for a car over the life of the car, excluding normal maintenance. I am a low mileage kinda guy. That Escalade is ten years old, so the value of the low 38,000 miles is worth $17,000, to ME! My wife read how Excellent through Poor ratings are derived, so because it needs tires, it must be rated poor. Go figure... cause I am unable! lol I see a couple of STS' on line with low mileage for a decent price, but with the weather 'in these parts', it may be some time before I actually find the perfect opportunity to buy...but I will! Thanks for the chat, and have a nice day, Ohio Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted February 6, 2015 Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 Jim, For what it's worth, I have never been able to buy a used vehicle for what Edmunds.com says the price should be and I squeeze the dealerships hard. I don't think Edmunds.com prices are very realistic. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio Jim Posted February 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Kevin, Yes I have always wondered how they put it all together. I realize the numbers really reflect an average of past transactions. Just because Edmunds, or any other service gives a price, does not mean that will seal the deal. A few years ago my brother co-owned a used car lot. He gave me access to the top hat auction website, so I could follow what I was looking for in real time. Man I got some good deals through the auctions. It is ironic that years ago I would get ahold of a NADA price guide, when I could, and study it taking notes. Today when I go on Edmunds, or such, it is tricky not to get turned around and be searching the cars for sale, rather than just gathering data. It is so commercialized. Well my quest will continue until I find the perfect car? Thanks, Ohio Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airmike Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 My brother in law just bought a used car. A dealer from 1 1/2 hours away showed up with a car he was interested in. He brought it by for me to look at on the lift etc... I found a wet area on the differential and recommend he find out if they did a repair or if it might be a current leak. In any case the salesman who brought the car insisted that they had $11,000 in this car they were selling for $9,500 and couldn't come down on price to cover any possible repairs on that. I have 2 personal buddies that sell cars and realize they have to make a living. BUT a business isn't going to be a business long losing $1500 per car. When I opined that, he stressed zealously that they made money on financing the car, that was how they could lose on the actual sale. I invited him to leave the premisses. BIL did buy the car though. Guess bullsh*t must work . Ebay has a "what cars have sold for" the last time I looked. Too bad edmunds, yahoo cars etc.. don't have that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
airmike Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Considering that tale, why would they come down on price, unless they have had one for too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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