kigy311 Posted November 14, 2006 Report Share Posted November 14, 2006 My daughter is in AirForce and she is looking for a car.I found a 98 Catera,92K miles,fully loaded,and great runing.The only problem I see so far is the brake pad wear light is ON.I was told it needs brakes which is not a problem doing it myself.PRICE? $3500.Can you gentlemen give me more information about Cateras?PROS and CONS,what to expect from it,previous experience with this model?Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted November 14, 2006 Report Share Posted November 14, 2006 A brake job can cost that much if all four wheels need brakes, the calipers and hubs need replacing, etc. You might ask what is included in that $3.5K. I would get another opinion. Since this car is more than four yeas old, you should consider others besides the dealer to do work like brake jobs, such as Goodyear, Meineke, Midas, Brake-O, etc. If all you need is pads and the rotors turned, you should be able to get the front brakes done for $800 or less. Calipers can be rebuilt or exchanged for rebuilt or remanufactured calipers, but most dealers will only install new calipers. GM Dealer warranty is superior on some repair items but not usually on wear items such as brakes; check with your dealer about their warranty and whether it is worth the cost over a non-dealer's warranty. Don't go looking for the lowest bidder. There are low-ball pads and calipers out there, and you want someone who will respect things like the wheel sensors. I'm not familiar at all with the Caterra except what I've read. Others will have more information on the specifics of this car. -- 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...
kigy311 Posted November 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2006 I can do ANY work on my cars as long as I have the tools and time to do the job.The only thing that I am not familiar with are the automatic transmissions.I never worked on one.I am very patient,organized and if I don't know something I run to the books or internet.I LOST MY TRUST IN MECHANICS A LONG,LONG TIME AGO.A bunch of thiefs and liars,most of them.The honest ones are hard to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted November 14, 2006 Report Share Posted November 14, 2006 Ask the dealer what is involved with the brake job. Then, get a 100 ft-lb torquing air hammer, rent a compressor, find a machine shop that you trust to smooth the rotors, and do it yourself. Use the dealer's idea of what is needed only as a guide, of course. -- 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...
Bruce Nunnally Posted November 14, 2006 Report Share Posted November 14, 2006 I wanted to like the Catera. It looks much better in person than in photos. It was based on the European Opel Omega, and surprisingly heavy - 3800+ lbs. The 3L V6 was a 54 degree engine making 200hp with poor reliability reports in this application. Some GM mechanics used to call them Caterables, but they are a pessimistic lot. Especially since the Catera does not get better mpg (rated 18/24) than the same year Deville/Seville, I would look to those models instead. Bruce 2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
epricedright Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Then, get a 100 ft-lb torquing air hammer, rent a compressor. Why does he need all that to do brakes? Do these Cateras have a special breed of brakes? Surely not. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Kigy meant the $3500 was the price for the car, not the brakes, correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMachine Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Then, get a 100 ft-lb torquing air hammer, rent a compressor. Why does he need all that to do brakes? Do these Cateras have a special breed of brakes? Surely not. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Kigy meant the $3500 was the price for the car, not the brakes, correct? thats what the wheels need to be torqued too 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...
epricedright Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Then, get a 100 ft-lb torquing air hammer, rent a compressor. Why does he need all that to do brakes? Do these Cateras have a special breed of brakes? Surely not. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Kigy meant the $3500 was the price for the car, not the brakes, correct? thats what the wheels need to be torqued too I do mine by hand with a MAC torque wrench, not an air hammer. What in the world does he need an air hammer for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAUL T Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Catera? I did not know there were any Pros. I don't think they rank any higher than the Cimarron (Cadillac Cavalier) Put your money into a STS or Eldorado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kigy311 Posted November 15, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 The $3500 is the price for the car not the brake job.Anyway after doing some research on Cateras ,I WILL STAY AWAY FROM THE MONEY PIT.The Cateras are bad news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMachine Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Then, get a 100 ft-lb torquing air hammer, rent a compressor. Why does he need all that to do brakes? Do these Cateras have a special breed of brakes? Surely not. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Kigy meant the $3500 was the price for the car, not the brakes, correct? thats what the wheels need to be torqued too I do mine by hand with a MAC torque wrench, not an air hammer. What in the world does he need an air hammer for? The sound is neat. 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...
mmarinov Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Catera? I did not know there were any Pros. I don't think they rank any higher than the Cimarron (Cadillac Cavalier) Put your money into a STS or Eldorado. LOL - that's exactly what I thought of when the Cateras came out!! <!--fonto:Arial--><span style="font-family:Arial"><!--/fonto-->2007 DTS Performance - 50K <!--fontc--></span><!--/fontc--> As a matter of fact, I <i>am</i> driving 70 MPH in a phone booth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve6 Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Catera? I did not know there were any Pros. I don't think they rank any higher than the Cimarron (Cadillac Cavalier) Put your money into a STS or Eldorado. Can the caterra be any worse than the *potential* problems with the sevilles and devilles, from the bad heater seats, to the dreaded P0741 transmission code, a bad headgasket, or the cronic leaking in the trunk? I really enjoy driving my cadillac... but everytime that Check Engine Light comes on I think i'm going to have a heart attack! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
up2ng Posted November 15, 2006 Report Share Posted November 15, 2006 Catera? I did not know there were any Pros. I don't think they rank any higher than the Cimarron (Cadillac Cavalier) Put your money into a STS or Eldorado. Can the caterra be any worse than the *potential* problems with the sevilles and devilles, from the bad heater seats, to the dreaded P0741 transmission code, a bad headgasket, or the cronic leaking in the trunk? I really enjoy driving my cadillac... but everytime that Check Engine Light comes on I think i'm going to have a heart attack! I'm sorry but I have a 97&93 DeVille both with their share of signature issues but the wife's 98 catera nothing. Bought it in June with 30,000 original miles and it is now November with 48,000 miles. Unfortuneatly nobody post messages on how great cars are, we only see the disasters ! Ther Catera has its areas to watch for,, has the timing belt been done ? is the valve covers leaking ? Are the oil and water the correct respective colors ? Other than that its just a car Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 If your daughter dosen't mind doing maintenance herself on an 8-9 year old car with 92k miles, then the brakes aren't a big deal, but if she's not mechanically inclined, it's just going to be an money pit. I would try getting something newer with lower mileage. You could get a more recent model Focus, or Corolla for about the same money. The first thing to do is to pull off the wheel and visually inspect the pads to make sure it's not a bad sensor, if the pads are bad, then it's a simple job to replace them. They are similar to the fronts except the piston screws in, so you want to use a brake cube, or a pair of pliers to screw the piston in before you install the new pads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAUL T Posted November 16, 2006 Report Share Posted November 16, 2006 Catera? I did not know there were any Pros. I don't think they rank any higher than the Cimarron (Cadillac Cavalier) Put your money into a STS or Eldorado. Can the caterra be any worse than the *potential* problems with the sevilles and devilles, from the bad heater seats, to the dreaded P0741 transmission code, a bad headgasket, or the cronic leaking in the trunk? I really enjoy driving my cadillac... but everytime that Check Engine Light comes on I think i'm going to have a heart attack! I'm sorry but I have a 97&93 DeVille both with their share of signature issues but the wife's 98 catera nothing. Bought it in June with 30,000 original miles and it is now November with 48,000 miles. Unfortuneatly nobody post messages on how great cars are, we only see the disasters ! Ther Catera has its areas to watch for,, has the timing belt been done ? is the valve covers leaking ? Are the oil and water the correct respective colors ? Other than that its just a car The key to buying any used car is research. Check out potential problems, talk to other model owners, check for maintenance records, and hope for the best. It is always a crap shot when buying older models used but, you can minimize your headaches by doing a little research. There are probably a lot of good Cateras out there somewhere. I have a friend that still has a Cimarron she swears by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted November 17, 2006 Report Share Posted November 17, 2006 I know of a few people who have the Caterra, before it was Americanized and got the 3.6, including the Shortstar and other drive trains. From what I heard, they were good cars, and at least one got another Cadillac when the lease expired. I didn't know that they were 3800 pounds. That's as much as my Eldorado, and I do wish it weighted at least 500 pounds less. -- 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...
GreenMachine Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 lets just say thats one model everyone was glad to see replaced by the new edgy styling CTS 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...
billybob Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 I think the caterra looks like a ford contour minus the chrome wheels and caddy grill and rear deck light its the same looking car. I never myself liked them and knew someone who had tons of major trouble with one. I would take my $3,500 if it was me and buy a nice used 95,96 sts. And drive a real looking get up and go caddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 I am sure that its more than brakes and that it involves an ABS unit or something similar. I recall someone else with either a Catera or Allante having an expensive problem that involved the ABS unit or something. 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 November 18, 2006 Report Share Posted November 18, 2006 Whoops, BodybyFisher has a very big point. Get the OBD II diagnostic codes and post them here. -- 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...
GreenMachine Posted November 19, 2006 Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 I think the caterra looks like a ford contour minus the chrome wheels and caddy grill and rear deck light its the same looking car. I never myself liked them and knew someone who had tons of major trouble with one. I would take my $3,500 if it was me and buy a nice used 95,96 sts. And drive a real looking get up and go caddy. In all honesty from the few looks I got at them I always thought they were just rebadged Cavaliers, it wasn't until I was told they were from an opel design that I thought a bit higher of them... 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...
kigy311 Posted November 19, 2006 Author Report Share Posted November 19, 2006 Forget about it.I'm in market for an Eldorado for my young one.Besides of being "Daddy's little girl" she's making sure we sleep safe at night:Air Force. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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