gucciemane Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 i was gonna buy a 96 sts but everyone tell's me it's not a good car so then i was gonna get a 1999-2000 and everyone still tell's me the car has many problems. Problems like it brakes down easy ect.. and why do they always sell for so cheap is my other question. There suppose to be american luxury but the car is cheap in general when its used and sold agin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OynxSTS Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 You will find one member after another on this forum who will testify that these are some of the most reliable, best built cars on the road... There was nothing wrong with the 96 you were considering and the 98-04 are equally nice... some debate as to which body style is more attractive... There are some common issues with these cars... leaky trunks (all years)... crank sensors (00-03 only)... lousy tires (mostly 98-02)... impossible cabin filters (98-04). If you'd like I'd be happy to give the list of problems that Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, or anything German have... Not enough space here though. But other then that these are very well built and quite easy (and cheap) to maintain... You say "everyone" who is everyone? I'm willing to bet that "everyone" doesn't own a STS... What does everyone drive? A Corolla maybe? Buy your STS and blow his doors off... Yes these cars depreciate like crazy. I consider that to be a good thing.. You can buy a car 2 or three years newer, with lower miles then an equvallent Lexus or Acura... Shhh don't tell anyone (or "everyone") this is our little secret... In two years I'll be buying a "V" for about 30¢ on the dollar... And then I'll be blowing the doors off of everyone Easin' down the highway in a new Cadillac, I had a fine fox in front, I had three more in the back ZZTOP, I'm Bad I'm Nationwide Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted October 21, 2006 Report Share Posted October 21, 2006 Browse throug the owner's car log sections on this board. I have three threads there myself on my 1997 ETC. The Eldorado Tuouring Coupe is a two-door version of the STS for same-year 1993-1997. There was a body change in the Seville in 1998 but the Elorado did not change body, and was last produced in 2003. There were engine design changes in 1995, 2000 and 2006. In 2000, they changed the tappet design to roller tappets instead of direct-acting cams, and in 2006 the maximum horsepower went to 320 from 300. The biggest difference in the 2000-2005 engines was a lower compression ratio, which makes the engine friendlier to regular gas. Premium gas is recommended for all Northstars. There's nothing wrong with a 1996 STS. You do recongize that it's an 11-year-old 300 hp world-class performance sedan, and it would be wise to research any such car before buying it. The 1993-1994 Northstars had an internal EGR that requires cleaning out every 100,000 miles or so, and has 5 less hp because of a different fuel injection manifold. 1995 and later Northstars have external EGRs that are simpler to service. There is an engine change between 1999 and 2000. The difference between the 1996 STS and the 1999 STS would be the body; the drivetrain will be essentially the same. I think you will find that prices of 10-year-old cars with over 100,000 miles on them are uniformly low because that's the way the used car market works. Some makes become prohibitively expensive to maintain when they get that old. However, you will find that 200,000 miles on a Northstar isn't unusual if it's well-maintained, particularly with prompt and regular oil changes -- and coolant changes, an essential maintaince item for any aluminum engine for long life. The age and mileage will make well-maintained Northstars a bargain. Older Northstars with very low mileage (garaged or stored) are very rare and you will find these gems expensive, notwitstanding Kelly Blue Book price estimates. -- 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 Well put onyx. Any car has problems. They are mechines, they break down and require maintanence. Cadillac is no worse than any other and probably better than most. Buy it, enjoy it and let "everyone" envy you. Maintain it as mentioned above. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadillacETC1997 Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 02 was last year for the Eldo not 03 The Twins 1997 ETC & 2003 STS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 02 was last year for the Eldo not 03 Uh, okay. Actually, I sort of guessed at that date, and the model year of the 320 hp engine. After the last change to 320 hp, I don't think that they made a 275-hp anymore, unless the 300 hp DTS is what that is now. Anyone? -- 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caddypete Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 The reason people say they are problem vehicles, is the car tells you when somthing is wrong when you otherwise wouldn't notice a problem, there are so many gizmos on the car, that there is about 100 extra things that can break,but don't break on other cars because they don't have them.Buy the car and enjoy yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 Think foreign cars are better? Less expensive to maintain? Does an Infinity excite you? That's an impressive mark huh, INFINITY.. high quality, the best, its foreign, it must be good, huh? Here is the BOTTOM line, ALL and I mean ALL used cars need work, maintenance and they all breakdown. If you don't want repairs buy a new car with a warranty. My cousin, has a 2002 Infinity G30. In the last year he has, replaced the radiator as the end tanks cracked catastrophically, he needed 4 struts ($2200), an O2 Sensor ($600 at Firestone, they said it was expensive because they needed to analysis the computer, and O2 sensor is about $100), an alternator ($200 under warranty, Front Brakes today! ($600 at Firestone). He is one of the sheep in the world, as today he told me that Firestone told him he needed to change his brake fluid, coolant and transmission fluid, which of course he did, because according to him, he MAINTAINS his car in tip top shape. He has ME in his family living 2 miles away, I told him, CALL ME next time something happens, he never calls, so everytime he pays through the nose, I just sit back a smirk inside. People love to spend money, it makes them feel good. In July I replaced an O2 sensor on my cousin's (other cousin in Virginia) 96 Deville for $92, the computer told me it was bad, and the computer told me which one was bad.. simple fix.. What I am trying to say is this, if you can do some of the work yourself, you can own a used car and will save some money on repairs. As an example my cousins brakes cost $600 today, today I did the front brakes on my wife's 2002 Monte Carlo, total $71, with having the rotors turned lightly. If on the other hand you can't figure out how to open the hood?, and your tool kit consists of a screwdriver, be prepared to pay though the nose on repairs for ANY car. The bottom line, we can help you if you buy the car to diagnose and to become educated on the problem, you can do the job yourself or you will be educated when you take the car in for repairs. Cadillacs are GREAT cars, take care of them and they last a long time. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stefank Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 Hi, as others have said, if maintained well, these are great cars. I bought my '96 SLS 2.5 yrs ago with about 20,000 mls on the clock and have driven about 70,000 mls since without major repairs. One of the best cars I ever owned, if not the best. And great to drive, too! Not to forget, very good on gas if driven in a civilized manner. Stefan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clarkz71 Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 I'm a Mercedes Benz technician for over 20 years now and I drive a 95 Eldorado. What does that tell you?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjayzway Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 I'm a Mercedes Benz technician for over 20 years now and I drive a 95 Eldorado. What does that tell you?? I worked on Hondas, and custom built them in a performance shop for years. Before they became popular, back in the early 80"s. I thought they were the best(keep it to yourself Mike!lol), I was young and good with those cars. My friend talked me into buying a Cadillac a few years back, and I have NEVER looked back! Big Jay Life is too short to grow up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigCat83 Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 I buy the maintenance and many repair parts for my '97 Eldo at Advance, Autozone, Napa for conevenience sake and real cheap money. Try doing that with a Mercedes, BMW or Lexus... An example: A pal of mine owns a 2002 VW Passat (spelling?) and he has to take his car to the dealer for an oil change because of a special tool required for the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gucciemane Posted October 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 Why are the sts so cheap in the used market. I can get a 2003 with 80km for 20 grand..???.. i heard when buying a used sts your buying someone else's problem, that's why it's cheap to buy. and what about the one's that cost 12-14 grand and have high kms like 100.000 is it worth buying high ks? Really i wanna know is if something does go wrong what part cost the most? say i bought one whats the max money i would put in repairs to the car? 2000$ 4000$ 6000$ ext.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMachine Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 02 was last year for the Eldo not 03 Uh, okay. Actually, I sort of guessed at that date, and the model year of the 320 hp engine. After the last change to 320 hp, I don't think that they made a 275-hp anymore, unless the 300 hp DTS is what that is now. Anyone? The 320HP versions of the Northstar are RWD, feature VVT, and have a slight bump in compression ratio. The 275/300 engines still are available in a FWD Seville platform in the DTS, and the 275 in the Buick Lucerne. The HP numbers have changed slightly with the new SAE standard but are basically the same as the 2000+ Engines. There are some changes along the way though. The DTS is the only Cadillac currently in production that is FWD. STS/SRX offer the 320Hp VVT Northstar the XLR comes standard with it, the CTS is rumored to have it as an option in a future year but that may actually encrouch to much with the STS sales. The CTS-V is rumored to be getting the Supercharged Northstar in the future with a manual and optional automatic. That is rumored to help show the Northstar off in a racing platform in World Challenge. Thats nearly 100% rumor at this point though. The Green's Machines 1998 Deville - high mileage, keeps on going, custom cat-back exhaust 2003 Seville - stock low mileage goodness! 2004 Grand Prix GTP CompG - Smaller supercharger pulley, Ported Exhaust Manifolds, Dyno tune, etc 1998 Firebird Formula - 408 LQ9 Stroker motor swap and all sorts of go fast stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 Why are the sts so cheap in the used market. I can get a 2003 with 80km for 20 grand..???.. i heard when buying a used sts your buying someone else's problem, that's why it's cheap to buy. and what about the one's that cost 12-14 grand and have high kms like 100.000 is it worth buying high ks? Really i wanna know is if something does go wrong what part cost the most? say i bought one whats the max money i would put in repairs to the car? 2000$ 4000$ 6000$ ext.. Going into a new/used car with these apprehensions is not a good thing to do..if there are any problems you will be immediately soured. We are Cadillac lovers here. Lots of times loving a car is an illogical thing to do as you throw money at a car regardless as to whether or not its a smart thing to do. Its NOT a return on asset decision for most of us. There is a certain emotional attachment to a Cadillac that you do not get with other cars with the exception of say a Corvette. Cadillac's have always lost a lot of their 'value' in the first couple of years. A car is NOT an investment. Foreign cars like BMW's and MB appear to hold there value as a result of their relative scarcity and perceived better quality compared to domestic cars. But as someone mentioned try getting your 3 year old BMW or MB repaired, the repairs and parts are very expensive. If you feel you are buying someone elses headache and you are concerned about it loosing value compared to the showroom price and you do not understand what it is to own a Cadillac, I would NOT buy a Cadillac if I were you. You are looking at them for the wrong reasons. Do me a favor and buy a car that really holds its value (probably a foreign car) and report back to us in 3 years your experience, I am very curious how this turns out. Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 dmack: The most expensive repair is an engine replacement. A good rebuilt is about $3500 and the installation cost is about $1500. This is rare and is most often caused by maintenance failure. The most important mantenance is changing the coolant every year or two for green anti-freeze, and every three to four years for red anti-freeze. The next most important, of course, is oil changes. When you look at a Northstar with high mileage, take it by a radiator shop and have the coolant tested. This is very inexpensive and takes only a few minutes, and you need only an ounce or two of coolant. You need to test for combustion products, which would indicate head gasket leakage, and for coolant life. If there are combustion products in the coolant, pass on the car. Likewise, if the coolant is too old to protect against corrosion, the car is a long-term risk even if combustion products are not found, and I would take a pass there. For any make and model of used car, take the usual precautions: CarFAX check for title problems such as use as a taxicab in Hong Kong for 10 years, being under water for three months after Katrina, or a questionable title laundered thrhough Brazil. Too many owners is a red flag because most people tend to drive Cadillacs for a long time. If it's a Cadillac, get the codes and write them down (I'm not sure you can do this without a code reader for other makes, but you can get a CalEquip code reader for $100). Watch for P0603 History (OBD II, 1996 and later), which means that the codes have been recently cleared by disconnecting the battery. Have your mechanic, or a service that offers mechanical inspections of used cars, inspect the car for you and give you a written report. Take a test drive that involves five minutes at 55 mph and check the codes before and after the test drive to look for differences. Run the A/C for a few minutes even if it's freezing outside to check it. If you buy from a new car dealer and get a warranty, read the fine print and make sure that you are comfortable with it. The first thing you want to do after you take possession of your used car is have it serviced: oil and filter change, coolant change, any service recommended by your mechanic after his inspection, power steering fluid level, brake fluid level, etc. Don't forget the tires. Any car should have the proper size tires (look on the door jamb sticker for tire size) and on the drive axle, the tires must match for make, size, model, and wear. Watch for speed rating on the tires. -- 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OynxSTS Posted October 22, 2006 Report Share Posted October 22, 2006 Why are the sts so cheap in the used market. I can get a 2003 with 80km for 20 grand..???.. i heard when buying a used sts your buying someone else's problem, that's why it's cheap to buy. Deprecation is an interesting phenomenon... There are several factors that drive it.. One is simple supply and demand... Every time I have ever looked for a second hand car there are lots of Caddies on the market to choose from... Go to auto trader and search for a Seville and then search for an Acura RL... new, these cars cost about the same... Used ,you will find about 20 times more Sevilles for sale.. More supply = lower prices. Your "everyone" buddy would say there are so many caddies on the market because people are trying to dump problems... I would say, check out the new car volumes... Caddy Sevilles/STSs have out sold year over year similarly priced cars from Lexus, Acura, etc. Further, most New Caddies are leased now by real estate and other professional who "need" a "substantial new car every two years... Luxury cars from Lexus and Acura, etc are too small to serve in this function... Some Caddies are bought by "old school" types who still trade there car in every other year... These cars all compete for buyers and drive the price down. Really i wanna know is if something does go wrong what part cost the most? say i bought one whats the max money i would put in repairs to the car? 2000$ 4000$ 6000$ ext.. Your list of amounts are pretty much "bang on" for the price of the big three problems that could occur on these cars: 1) These cars have a very complicated suspension system... if a strut/shock were to fail expect to pay $2000 to have a dealer replace a pair of struts. 2) These cars have VERY strong transmissions... But if abused the can fail... expect to pay $4000 to have a dealer install a rebuilt unit. Driven normally and properly maintained these transmission will last forever. 3) Some of these cars have issues with head gaskets... These seem to be clustered around model year 1997... and tend to occur on cars that have been "babied" and haven't had their coolant serviced regularly... expect to pay $6000 for the dealer to timesert and rebuild the motor... The rest of the things that could go wrong with these cars will be way less expensive then any import. BTW the above are worst case numbers... Ma&Pa mechanics can fix these cars (often better then the dealers) and they usually will perform the above jobs sometimes $1000 less then the dealers... Easin' down the highway in a new Cadillac, I had a fine fox in front, I had three more in the back ZZTOP, I'm Bad I'm Nationwide Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OynxSTS Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 dmack PMed asking me to clarify my point of view regarding '97s and "babied"... Ok, both of these are my own "points of view" and are based on my observations on this and other Cadillac boards... IIRC the "Guru" (when he was here) did tell me that my "babied" theory was "a stretch"... I have no technical or first hand knowledge of head gasket failures on Northstar motors... Given that... here it goes... Almost every post I have ever read regarding head gasket failure usually involved a 96 or a 97... (not always, but at least 90%) and everyone one of these cases starts with "I take it really easy on the car" or "It has been babied all of its life", Not one has ever started with "I loved to kick the snot out of this car" or "I had just run a personal best in the 1/4 mile when it started to vent steam out of the tail pipe." etc. Which yields my theory... The Northstar, is a close tolerance , high compression, tight quench, "interference engine". And with all engines of this design, they are prone to carbon build up and "carbon/piston slap". This is a rattle noise that can occur at start up as the carbon in the head "bangs" into the piston and "flakes" off. I have no proof on this, but if you imagined a head "full" of carbon... this could provide a direct link for the kinetic energy of the piston to impact the heads and damage the head bolts... resulting in a leaky head gasket and subsequently head bolts that won't torque down. Carbon build up mostly (only?) occurs on engines that have been "babied"... The more "babied" the more carbon... The more carbon the more piston slap... The more piston slap... maybe? is it possible? The good news is that it doesn't take much more then a couple of 6500 RPM blasts to clean out the combustion chamber. If this is the cause, the preventative maintenance is easy, free and "fun"... Regarding the statistical blip on and near the 1997 model year. This could be a bad batch of head gaskets... Or this could just be the amount of time a poorly maintained coolant system takes to attack the head gasket... It could also be that older cars are worth so little that they aren't fixed... I don't know... But again... the preventative maintenance is somewhat easy and fairly low cost... and this goes for any alloy engine from any manufacture... Replace the coolant properly and often. Easin' down the highway in a new Cadillac, I had a fine fox in front, I had three more in the back ZZTOP, I'm Bad I'm Nationwide Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 dmack PMed asking me to clarify my point of view regarding '97s and "babied"... Carbon build up mostly (only?) occurs on engines that have been "babied"... The more "babied" the more carbon... The more carbon the more piston slap... The more piston slap... maybe? is it possible? The good news is that it doesn't take much more then a couple of 6500 RPM blasts to clean out the combustion chamber. If this is the cause, the preventative maintenance is easy, free and "fun"... I don't think mine will ever get carbon build up. I like to have "fun" ... And I love the sound of it when you really let it wind up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fred Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Why are the sts so cheap in the used market. I can get a 2003 with 80km for 20 grand..???.. i heard when buying a used sts your buying someone else's problem, that's why it's cheap to buy. and what about the one's that cost 12-14 grand and have high kms like 100.000 is it worth buying high ks? Really i wanna know is if something does go wrong what part cost the most? say i bought one whats the max money i would put in repairs to the car? 2000$ 4000$ 6000$ ext.. You've been listening to some stupid people The maximum repair money you'd put into the car is based on whether or not: You're a dumb as the idiots you've been listening to Me I have a 1994 STS I've had problems with I've been all through everything and I haven't spent $250 yet and now all I have to do is put another $200 into injectors and I'm good to go... If I was an idiot who went to the dealership and trusted them I'd be in probably $5000 by now Get it? As far as depreciation ALL USED CARS suffer from or enjoy it Be on the enjoying side And since you also seem to think that an automobile is an assett, Please don't buy a Cadillac, Further- don't buy one if you're going to blame the car when something goes wrong.. if you're going to get confused and blame the car when something breaks on a USED automobile forget it.. Go and buy an infinity and you'll pay for it six more times in repairs. Guaranteed. MerryChristmas Be a Capitalist or work for one. Work for a Capitalist or be one. MerryChristmas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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