ted tcb Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 Well, the title says it all. Yesterday, I spent the better part of the day test driving a 2001 STS. I've owned 3 in the past, and have been driving a Concorde LXI for about 9 months. Nice, smooth car, but its not an STS. After pulling codes, checking coolant, checking carfax, bouncing around greater Toronto, I pulled into a garage. Up on the hoist, and everything checked out, including recent Pirelli PZeros and almost new brakes all around. The undercarriage was dry, shocks looked good, bushings seemed to be in good shape. The mechanics really liked the condition of the car. It was traded by the original owner for a Trailblazer. I put on a 1 yr powertrain, incl. gaskets and seals, $5000 per claim warranty. If necessary, I can pay the difference and upgrade to 2 years at a later date. On my 90 minute drive home, I kept thinking, OMG. This car is completely different than my last STS, the 99. It is glass smooth on the highway, whisper quiet. I don't know what they've done with the steering, but its on rails at highway speeds. I've never driven anything like it. The car has 79000 miles. It must've been heavily loaded. 17" polished rims, tire pressure monitor, hands free on the wheel, park assist, and those headlights must be Xenon. They have a pure straight horizontal cutoff, a bluish white. Attached is a photo link with some headlight snaps. http://s114.photobucket.com/albums/n243/tedtcb/ Thanks to BBF and Ranger for solid advice from my pms. Its really nice to be back on the board as an owner ... the silver will be easier to keep clean than my 2 crimson red's, and my white pear. 1989 FWD Fleetwood, Silver 1995 STS Crimson Pearl on Black leather 1997 STS Diamond White 1999 STS Crimson Pearl 2001 STS Silver 2003 STS, Crimson Pearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 HEY CONGRATULATIONS! I am THRILLED for you!!!! Its very clean looking and the windows appear tinted.... Love it.... Now I NEED one! Good Luck with it! 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...
ted tcb Posted March 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 Oops ... thread is useless without at least 1 pic. Thanks, Mike. Check out the night shot I took a few minutes ago, in my photobucket link. Are these Xenon's? I've never driven with them before ... they sure look different from the cockpit. 1989 FWD Fleetwood, Silver 1995 STS Crimson Pearl on Black leather 1997 STS Diamond White 1999 STS Crimson Pearl 2001 STS Silver 2003 STS, Crimson Pearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 The headlights create a straight line! WOW.... I can feel your excitement, "on the ride home I kept thinking, OMG!!! " 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...
Bruce Nunnally Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 Nice buy, and Welcome back. Bruce 2023 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 You did it! Congrats. I too can feel your excitement. Welcome back. When I see that interior I just have to locate a DTS console & shifter to convert my DHS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95SevilleSLS Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 I was just driving a monte carlo and traded back to a STS too. Mine is an 02 and looks EXACTLY like yours, exepct for nav. Nice looking rig! -Dusty- - 02 Seville STS, white diamond - 93 Sixty Special, Tan with vinyl top - 79 Coupe DeVille, Tan with Tan top - 06 GMC Sierra Z71, Black - 92 Silverado C1500, black and grey - 83 Chevy K10 Silverado, Black and Grey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 Congratulations! That's a nice clean set of wheels. Have you noticed any difference in power compared to your '99 STS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 Thanks to BBF and Ranger for solid advice from my pms. Good news. Congrats! I expect, however, when you mention "pms" you have something other in mind than does BbF? http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=12848 Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMachine Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 Very nice! Looks to kept in the best of conditions. Those Pirelli tires could be contributing to the "upgraded" ride, I know switching from the stock Michelin symmetries to the P3000 was a jump, I can only imagine what those Zeros are like. 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...
JasonA Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 Great looking car. Those are the HID headlights. All the 98+ Sevilles had projector headlamps, so all of them have that "sharp" defined upper cutoff. But the HIDs burn very white, almost blue. The halogens have a warmer color to them. Nice ride Ted. A lot of us have just bought 2001-2002 STSs recently it seems. Must be something in the water. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill K Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 Agreed, those certainly look like the Xenons. If they stay on when the high beams are turned on, then for sure. Check out the door tire sticker & see if tires are Z rated. If so you have a 150 mph car. If H rated than ONLY a 130 mph car. Really nice looking ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 Agreed, those certainly look like the Xenons. If they stay on when the high beams are turned on, then for sure. Check out the door tire sticker & see if tires are Z rated. If so you have a 150 mph car. If H rated than ONLY a 130 mph car. Really nice looking ride. Bill, I thought all STS's are were Z rated cars is that not true? Mike 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...
JimD Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 No. Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 Hmmm I did not know that! I want to buy one, NOW i am confused...I thought all STS's were Z rated... What option or feature causes Z rated... I want Z rated.... Thanks Jim and Bill for bringing this to my attention... 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...
Ranger Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 I think it was just the tire option Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 I was afraid it involved suspension items, like springs or stabilizer bars (19mm vs 21 mm), or wheels sizes 16 vs 17, PCM speed limiters, etc, if its just tires thats not bad... That would mean that I am looking for an STS this specific: 2000 Navigation Adaptive Seating Back Up Assist BLACK Z Rated with Low Mileage... Hopefully this won't be a needle in the haystack... I didn't mean to hijack this thread Ted, sorry 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...
ted tcb Posted March 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 Take this plane to Cuba! My car is W-rated, so I guess at 130mph, BBF will be leaving me in his dust I've never driven a car above 125mph, and that was years ago, so I really don't mind the W speed rating. I guess the 17" rims and tire pressure monitors didn't automatically go with Z ratings. To answer "Mac"s question, this car feels significantly faster than my 99. The old car always felt weaker than both my 97 and 95(fastest!). Even with new wires, fpr, and plugs, the 99 felt average. The 2001 has a split personality. You can definitely appreciate the noise improvements on the Northstar when driving sedately. When pushed, the exhaust has a nice rasp to it, and the acceleration snaps me to attention immediately. It feels pretty close to the 1995 STS. We still have 6ft snow banks up here. The headlights throw a pure white light with a blueish tinge at the edges. The only thing missing in the car is that defective rear vent switch. In virtually every STS I've seen, they've fallen off and are lost. If anyone ever finds one, let me know ... no junkyards up here, and they're too small a part to find on ebay. Interestingly enough, my Concorde got about 22 mpg on the hwy at 75mph with a 3.5l 6cyl. The STS got 24mpg on the way home, averaging the same speed. I may be prone to exaggeration, but as I drove the car home from work today, I pondered whether there was a more refined grand touring car made in 2001. Since the new style STS's came out, these late model Sevilles seem to be plummeting in price ... what a great value in used luxury. To put it in perspective, my car guy had a 2001 Lexus ES300 also for sale ... both cars were at $11,995 CDN. STS had 79000 miles, the Lexus had 129000 miles. The ES300 was tired, lousy paint, dash lights were fading, and the interior really felt like a Camry. The STS cost double the Lexus new ... both cars were selling at $11,995. Strange market conditions up here. 1989 FWD Fleetwood, Silver 1995 STS Crimson Pearl on Black leather 1997 STS Diamond White 1999 STS Crimson Pearl 2001 STS Silver 2003 STS, Crimson Pearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thu Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 My car is W-rated, so I guess at 130mph, BBF will be leaving me in his dust Ted, W-rated means 169 MPH. That means 272 kph. That was an option on some STSs. I had the opportunity to buy a W-rated, Thunder Grey 2003 STS, but passed it up on a regular 2003 STS that had the Nav option and CPO warranty. My STS looks just like the Original Poster's. Same color and everthing exc for the NAV. 2003 Seville STS 43k miles with the Bose Sound, Navigation System, HID Headlamps, and MagneRide 1993 DeVille. Looks great inside and out! 298k miles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 I may be prone to exaggeration, but as I drove the car home from work today, I pondered whether there was a more refined grand touring car made in 2001. Since the new style STS's came out, these late model Sevilles seem to be plummeting in price ... what a great value in used luxury. I really have to agree with ya there. My 2001 cost over $51k new, and I bought it for $12,4xx, which seems to be an average price after researching many cars and KBB/NADA, etc. I don't think there's a better deal out there in terms of luxury performance. I love that they depreciate like a rock. Interesting discussion about the tires. Mike, all STSes had at least H-rated tires from the factory. There's no longer a "Z" tire option...it's either H (130) or W (168). As far as I know, there's no difference in the suspension; it's simply a tire upgrade option. I have a 2003 Seville brochure, and it does not list ANY tire upgrade options that year. According to it, the SLS got S-rated tires and the STS got H-rated tires. By 2003, all STSes had the 17" wheels, and the tire size it lists is 235/55HR17, with no optional tire (such as a W-rated tire). It's interesting that Thu saw an '03 with the W-rated tires. According to the sales brochure (which we all know is dead accurate...), H was all you could get. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwanes Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 Ted, I am about an hour south from you in Richmond Hill, Ontario. I agree with you on the value for the money. I bought my 03 STS (29000Km) 4 months ago and There were 2 main reasons for it: 1) In my opinion the 98-04 STS is the nicest styling that I have seen in cars. 2) Any "equivalent" Japenese or Europenan cars were 10's of thousands more. The ES300 doesn't even come in V8 (which what I wanted). I also looked at a nice 04 STS but the dealer wouldn't budge on the price. I think he still has it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 Well maybe the Z rated option is not offered as they produce such a hard ride? I guess I was just under the impression that all STS's were z-rated. Do you guys think I can get 17" wheels from CardioDoc and use the 235/55HR17 Michelin Pilot tires on a 2000 STS? 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...
JimD Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 Sure can Mike. The 235/55 17" is the same outside diameter as the 235/60 16". I have them both. Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 Sure can Mike. The 235/55 17" is the same outside diameter as the 235/60 16". I have them both. Thanks Jim, that's good to know 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...
thu Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 When I was shopping for a 2003 STS and test-drove the W-rated STS, I asked the dealer if they had the original window sticker. Yes, they had it and they photocopied it for me. I still have it. It even has the VIN on it. They even printed out the "BARS Document Display" for me which looks like the invoice in the GM computer. I have that as well. The 17" W-Rated Tire option was installed by the Manufacturer. It was a mere $250. The option code is "QWM". Whether this also came with a 169mph speed-limiter is open for debate, but I'm inclined to think so. 2003 Seville STS 43k miles with the Bose Sound, Navigation System, HID Headlamps, and MagneRide 1993 DeVille. Looks great inside and out! 298k miles! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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