Just Purchased New CTS

[RichieR]

Hello Everyone,

I've posted many times on this forum regarding my '95 Eldorado and my father's '97 Deville. Anyway, I just traded in my Eldo for a new CTS. I purchased the Eldo new, so I had it 12 years. It was a great car - it had 105K miles on it. It was in excellent condition, but I didn't want the hassle of selling it privately, so I traded it in for the CTS. I got a pretty good trade on it though.

Anyway, about the CTS -

What a fabulous car! It far exceeded my expectations. It's got the 3.6 Liter engine (I insisted on this model) with a White Diamond Exterior, Cashmere Leather Interior, Burl Wood trim, Sunroof, Bose Radio (no Navigation though), etc. I made a great deal on the car and it was in stock, so I was lucky that I got exactly the model that I wanted. Actually, it was between the Infrared and the White Diamond, but my Eldo was Pearl Red which was very similar to the Infrared, so I actually preferred the White Diamond for a change. The car is truly a great car and very high tech. I'm not usually intimidated by all these features, but I have to admit that I was a little bit - I'm figuring it out though.

The car is typical Cadillac - a nice smooth firm ride, but not mushy. You can't feel the transmission shifts, but I believe there's a sports mode that gives you more of a sport car feel. The 3.6 Liter engine has plenty of power, but I haven't pushed it yet.

Anyway, please give me any input that you can on the car regarding features, etc.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you all.

Richie.

[BodybyFisher]

Good Luck with it, you sound excited!

If you don't have one get a bluetooth phone.. if your car is bluetooth capable. It will recognize your phone when you enter the car and you will be able to answer the phone from the steering wheel and hear it through the stereo... Good luck

[WarrenJ]

You sure know how to make a person jealous.

Many happy miles!

Regards,

Warren

[RichieR]

You sure know how to make a person jealous.

Many happy miles!

Regards,

Warren

Well, I had my Eldo for 12 years, so it was a long time coming. And I wasn't really expecting to buy. I went into the dealer just to look and they gave me an excellent offer, so I couldn't pass it up. They also had a car in stock that I wanted.

Thank you for your well wishes.

PS - Love your Eldo. That car will always be a classic. I wish Cadillac would bring it back.

[cadillacmanmemphis]

Glad you're happy with your new Cadillac. There is no bluetooth available on the CTS (prev post) unless you add aftermarket, however you should have hands free calling via OnStar.

Regarding the sports shift:

Auto Sport Mode:

Slap the transmission knob over to the right and bang, you're in sports mode (more agressive shifts meaning the auto transmission stays lower gears for longer giving more performance, spirited driving). You should see a green circled "S" on the dash.

Manual Mode:

If you adjust up and down and you have manual control of the automatic transmission. I would wait to play with it until after you have over 500 miles on it, healthy break-in. The biggest benefit to the manual/automatic mode I've found is that you can use the transmission to engine brake for you, downshifting to slow the car. I have forgotten that I was in manual mode and the engine will NOT upshift for you so if you hear the rev limiter bouncing make sure you either upshift or put it back in regular auto mode.

Happy Driving!!

[Bruce Nunnally]

Welcome, and congrats on the new car. I have loved my 2005 CTS 3.6L, I think they are great cars. Post some images when you can.

[Breeza_Brown]

Congrats on the new ride!!!!!!

[WarrenJ]

PS - Love your Eldo. That car will always be a classic. I wish Cadillac would bring it back.

Thanks Richie. Kind of you to say. Here's a snap of the '95 I used to drive.

http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y299/WBuc...t=MotorPKWY.jpg (179KB).

Click to enlarge.

As a '95 owner, I thought you might appreciate this. I caught a lot of flack for the whitewalls, but I liked them. Same with the sixteen spoke wheels. Someone here even called those wheels "crablike."

Well, there's always the "or not" response.

Regards,

Warren

[RichieR]

Glad you're happy with your new Cadillac. There is no bluetooth available on the CTS (prev post) unless you add aftermarket, however you should have hands free calling via OnStar.

Regarding the sports shift:

Auto Sport Mode:

Slap the transmission knob over to the right and bang, you're in sports mode (more agressive shifts meaning the auto transmission stays lower gears for longer giving more performance, spirited driving). You should see a green circled "S" on the dash.

Manual Mode:

If you adjust up and down and you have manual control of the automatic transmission. I would wait to play with it until after you have over 500 miles on it, healthy break-in. The biggest benefit to the manual/automatic mode I've found is that you can use the transmission to engine brake for you, downshifting to slow the car. I have forgotten that I was in manual mode and the engine will NOT upshift for you so if you hear the rev limiter bouncing make sure you either upshift or put it back in regular auto mode.

Happy Driving!!

Thank you everyone for your best wishes. I really love this car. Unfortunately, it's so cold here in NY that I really can't go outside and admire her, but at least I'm appreciating the good heater it has.

I already registered with Onstar. They give you 1 complementary year of full service and they give you 2 months/30 minutes of phone service. But, they had an introductory offer where you can purchase a full year/130 minutes of phone service for $14.99 (it's normally $39.99), so I took advantage of that. It's useful for one of the few people who doesn't have a cell phone.

Regarding the sports mode, a lot of people thought that they did away with this feature since there evidentally was a sports mode button on previous models and the 2007 does not have this button - but it does have a sports mode. I had read the instructions in the owner's manual about the Sports Mode - thanks for the additional info.

I really haven't had much chance to really check out all of the features due to work, the cold weather, etc. But once I do, I'm sure I will have a lot of questions.

Thanks again for all of your best wishes,

Richie.

[calif phil]

We went from a 2000 Eldo to a 2004 CTS and really like it. My wife thinks it is easier to drive. I think the Eldo was a lot better for the snow but we rarely drove it in the snow anyway. Good to have a winter beater. The best thing I like about the CTS is the modern styling and the way it handles. Congrats on your new car.

[RichieR]

We went from a 2000 Eldo to a 2004 CTS and really like it. My wife thinks it is easier to drive. I think the Eldo was a lot better for the snow but we rarely drove it in the snow anyway. Good to have a winter beater. The best thing I like about the CTS is the modern styling and the way it handles. Congrats on your new car.

I have to admit I was a little concerned about how the CTS performed in snow being that it's rear wheel drive. Obviously, Cadillac went in this direction because they took quite a bit of heat that all their cars were FWD. The Eldo was great in snow, but the CTS's performance and overall ride is much better. There was quite a bit of torque steer with the Eldo when you hit the gas hard, but on the other hand, I was able to drive that car in a foot of snow with no problem. The CTS is easier to drive - the side view mirrors are excellent. You get a very wide field of vision with them. I never have to turn my head to see if a car is next to me. But I make sure I fold them in when I park.

I read something interesting in the owner's manual regarding the CTS. I didn't know this engine has overheat protection mode. I thought that was a Northstar exclusive feature.

Thanks for the Congrats.

[RichieR]

Good Luck with it, you sound excited!

If you don't have one get a bluetooth phone.. if your car is bluetooth capable. It will recognize your phone when you enter the car and you will be able to answer the phone from the steering wheel and hear it through the stereo... Good luck

I am very excited about my new toy - how can you tell?! Seriously though, I had a '95 Eldo and my father still has his '97 Deville, so I know Cadillacs very well. As sophisticated as those cars are, the CTS is even more advanced technology-wise. I can't say enough about this car.

Also, I got the color I wanted (White Diamond) with the bigger (3.6L) engine. And this engine is very powerful - almost as much power as the Northstar engine has. It even came with a moonroof which I rarely use, but it's there, so I guess I will use it. You get some nice extras when you order the 3.6 liter engine. You get leather seats and burl wood trim on the dash, door handles, floor shift, and steering wheel. One of the things I didn't like about the standard (2.8 Liter) model is it comes with Leatherette seats standard. That's basically vinyl seats. I personally feel that's a mistake. In my opinion, they should offer cloth or velour seats as the standard seat, not leatherette. Cloth seats are not even available on the standard model.

Regarding the bluetooth phone, I'm actually one of the few people out there that doesn't have a cell phone. However, Cadillac gives you 1 complementary year of full Onstar Service which is a very comprehensive plan. This includes 2 months/30 minutes of complimentary phone service. However, they had an introductory offer where you can purchase more time, so I purchased an additional 100 minutes/10 months of services for $14.99 (it's normally $39.99), so I have a full year/130 minutes of cellular phone service. I love it!

The Onstar service is so sophisticated that the car is in constant contact with the Onstar Center. Once a month, you get a full diagnostics report sent right to your e-mail account. The report includes status of all of the car's systems including emissions, anti-lock brakes, traction control, engine oil/transmission oil life, trouble codes, etc. In addition, if you get a warning message or SES light, you can contact Onstar and they will do a diagnostics check while you're connected with them and they will tell you exactly what's wrong with the car, what trouble codes are set, and what action is needed to correct the problem. Amazing!

I'm just so impressed with this car.

PS - Love your Eldo. That car will always be a classic. I wish Cadillac would bring it back.

Thanks Richie. Kind of you to say. Here's a snap of the '95 I used to drive.

http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y299/WBuc...t=MotorPKWY.jpg (179KB).

Click to enlarge.

As a '95 owner, I thought you might appreciate this. I caught a lot of flack for the whitewalls, but I liked them. Same with the sixteen spoke wheels. Someone here even called those wheels "crablike."

Well, there's always the "or not" response.

Regards,

Warren

Both of those Eldos are beautiful. The Eldorado is a classic. The '95 Eldo I just traded was Pearl Red with Chrome Wheels, black leather interior, sports appearance package, CD and Cassette Player, etc. It was a great car. I had zero problems with her and I had her 12 years. That was actually my 3rd Eldorado. I had a '90 - black with beige leather interior and bose radio - great car. And my father had an '82 Eldorado.

Why Cadillac did away with the Eldorado is a total mystery to me. These cars are instant classics. I wish Cadillac would bring back the Eldorado. I love the name also.