JLAWS Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 I've been a loyal Caddy owner for years and my 98 STS has been one of the best cars I've owned with few problems. But he's getting old at 70K miles and it's now time to trade him in before I run into major problems down the line and ridiculously low trade in/resale value the longer I wait. Also I have no idea where Cadillac is going with their styling. It seem like its just going to be some type of phase. The "straw that broke the camels back" was seeing various pictures of the new STS. I like the performance #'s and interior style, though the rear seats leg room is still non existant for a car that is 200 inches long. That is unacceptable. I don't have a family yet but I've had passengers in the back seat and they have to sit sideways to be comfortable on long trips!! The front end is "nice" though the double stacked fog lights makes no sense. And don't get me started on the rear end of the car. It look like the designers gave up and just felt a Deville's high stance rear end would do with regular looking round tail pipes. The 98+ STS oval tail pipes and hell even a slightly modified rear end of the current STS would have worked better. Finally I keep on hearing the phrase "wait till you see it in person before you......." Come on, If I'm not impressed with real pictures of a car take from various angle then I will most likely not change my mind too much when I see it in person. And I don't feel that someone has to wait or buy a car because it "grows on them" is acceptable when making a major purchase. I need to be moved by the looks etc from day one. Now the car that currently has my attention is the 2001+ Lexus LS430. I've been straying over to the clublexus.com forum for a few months now and I like what I see. There are numerous mods that can be done to this vehicle if I choose. It is luxurious and looks classy and definately "moves" when it needs to . It is know for dependablilty and maintains a good resale value. I've seen it in person, sat in one and was blown away. I'm currently trying to find one with high 30K miles with navigation and 10 speaker system for around $35K max. I've come across a few. See the pic below... You can't tell me that doesn't look stunning to you!!! * I have my "body armor" on. Fire away if you wish Hey I believe there is an LS owner on this board. Please share your experience with your LS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjtjwdad Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 To each their own. One thing the Caddy does suffer (along with most other domestic vehicles) is resale value. but I usually keep mine until the wheels fall off. From a maintenance point of view, I would be very surprisd if the cost to maintain a Lexus/BMW or the like, are that much different from a Cadillac. Either way enjoy! It's your hip pocket that's paying for it! Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 To each their own. One thing the Caddy does suffer (along with most other domestic vehicles) is resale value. but I usually keep mine until the wheels fall off. From a maintenance point of view, I would be very surprisd if the cost to maintain a Lexus/BMW or the like, are that much different from a Cadillac. Either way enjoy! It's your hip pocket that's paying for it! Jim I buy my Cadillacs when they are 2 to 3 years old and still under the manufacturer's warranty (the exception was my Fleetwood - I bought it new). That way, the depreciation works in my favor. I then drive them until "the wheels fall off" so resale value doesn't mean much to me once I buy the car. Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KenD Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 JLAWS, Listen, I've owned many an import with a few domestics inbetween and I tell you that they are great, great cars. The reason that I bought my caddy is that the price was perfect and I've always liked the look. Now that I've had my STS for a few years, it's really grown on me and I've actually decided to keep it until it drops. I usually flip cars every two to three years. My two favorite cars have been my off the showroom floor 1997 Honda Prelude. Second favorite was my 98 Maxima SE (loaded to the tits). Then my Miata, but that was just because the chicks always wanted a ride. Oooooooh nice car mister.....can I have a ride home?? (Duh, yeah) Worst two cars were my 95 Mustang GT and my 94 Grand Prix. So to boost you up a little, I love the foreign jobbies and actually sat in the exact same car you are looking at except it was a pearl white colour with the coolest woodgrain dash. If I had the 50k they were asking for it............ I support you fully. I love my Cad, but I've had alot of imports and have had far less problems with them. In the meantime, I'll keep putting my foot down hard on my N* and see you in my rearview mirror. (Just kidding) Good luck with your choice. 1994 STS Pearl White 260,000 KM (163,000 miles) <img src="http://img45.photobucket.com/albums/v137/caesar/caddycaesar.jpg" border="0" class="linked-sig-image" /> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Personally for me, while the new styling is edgy it's distinct and in keeping with its not your father's Cadillac. Cadillac has always been about styling IMHO (with some lapses)... They have taken some risks over the years, such as the Allante, the angled trunk Seville or Eldo of the 80s, the Cimerron, and the 4-6-8. I like that they take chances, it shows the guts to survive. I see the 91 through 2003 period as a resurgence for Cadillac and a period where they have gotten progressively better. I believe that this next generation of Cadillacs will again set the standard both aestetically and mechanically. It will be interesting to see the rear wheel drive development. Big styling changes are hard to make without losing your 'base'. I am going to reserve my judgement until I can stand next to a new style STS in the showroom.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dasher Posted July 22, 2004 Report Share Posted July 22, 2004 Did you say stunning? It looks to me that, in producing this car, Lexus subscribed to the Liberace maxim, "Too much of a good thing is wonderful!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac STS Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 IMO the LS430 looks like a big toyota..which it really is But hey, you can't go wrong with a Lexus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 The profile of that Lexus looks real sharp but only because It looks like a rip off of the BMW 740 series hmmm. I can't get used to that smiling front end though...... didn't the Dodge Neon have a smiling front end also. I'm just pulling yer chain. Hey each to his/her own. But the resale argument, you have to admit, is a bit lame. I don't know anyone and I mean no one that bought a car because it might, should, would retain a certain resale value. Cars are expenditures and not investments.... never have been as a whole. People buy vehicles either to serve a purpose (function) or looks and it's all downhill from there. Hey you like the "looks" of that Lexus over Caddys. Nothing to be ashamed of. Many people on this board have other brands of vehicles as well. They just don't dump on caddys. I'm not sure yet whether or not I'm liking the new look of caddys either but like Scotty said " They have taken some risks over the years, such as the Allante, the angled trunk Seville or Eldo of the 80s, the Cimerron, and the 4-6-8. I like that they take chances, it shows the guts to survive. " And I'm willing to give GM the latitude to change my perception on what looks "cool". Seriously, good luck with the LS430. -kg "Burns" rubber " I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fubar0715 Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 JLAWS, I am with you on this one. I like you have seen pictures from various angles, views, and directions. I dislike the CTS/SRX/Escalade all equally with the hardedged lines. I have always felt that a luxury car should look subtle, not in-you-face, look at me appearance-all of the afore mentioned vehicles have this look! When it comes time to replace my STS-I will not be looking at Cadillac! I just can not stand the new looks and styling, although, I will miss the performance. Good Luck with the Lexus search and ulitmately-you are paying for the car, not us! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike5514 Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 Im on my second bottle of Michelob ran out of St Pauly Girl, dont mine. My brother had cadillacs when i drove buicks and chevrolets, he had the 4/6/8 and a few more years , had a lot of problems with all his cadillacs,(one would not start in garage) and of course the dealers were non caring so he switched to lexis, dealers treated him great. Sometime after losing his job at the steel mill, (mill closed) where his grandfather worked and so did his father, he bought a pontiac. This is my second cadillac It reminds me of my 65 chevy impala ss only fancier and faster, I like it a lot. OH OH My big old german shephard Is doggin me its supper time! Anyway time for another beer. Gotta get my wife to go on a beer run. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed blaq Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 You will be back to Caddy! The LS is great looking......for a Japanese car It is just not SOLID!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByStorm Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 I wish I could train my wife to make the beer run.... ByStorm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thexboxpiii Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 Have you taken a good look on the new STS. If your buying new I suggest the STS. Yeah I know the Lexus is VALUE!!! luxury. But hey the new STS has nice styling too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thexboxpiii Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SUPA BAD Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 The import cars are a bt more pricey for maintaine because the parts are shipped from over seas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 I am only going to say this. I owned a brand new Nissan 240SX with 5-speed, 16 valve, in 1991, it was my mid-life crisis car. It was really HYPED by the press. After that car I promised myself that I would NEVER own a japanese car again. Not only was it a white knuckle car in the wet weather, but the quality was really poor. I could feel the car oversteering on exit ramps in wet weather, it required the lightest touch to keep it from doing a 360. WHere I rested my arm on the door was dented, the seat wore out in one year. I would be driving down the highway and stuff would fall off and out from under the dashboard. The best was when I was doing 70 and the front WHEELWELL exploded off the car. I had three accidents with that car one of which was due to wet weather where I did a 360 on an expressway. Based on that experience you could not give me an overpowered, lightass japanese car ever again. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLAWS Posted July 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 ....... I had three accidents with that car one of which was due to wet weather where I did a 360 on an expressway. Based on that experience you could not give me an overpowered, lightass japanese car ever again. Mike Sounds like you had on some crappy tires... But we are talking about a heavy *smurf* Japanese luxury performance vehicle that is known for dependablility. Guess you wouldn't be caught dead in one of those either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 ....... I had three accidents with that car one of which was due to wet weather where I did a 360 on an expressway. Based on that experience you could not give me an overpowered, lightass japanese car ever again. Mike Sounds like you had on some crappy tires... But we are talking about a heavy *smurf* Japanese luxury performance vehicle that is known for dependablility. Guess you wouldn't be caught dead in one of those either Those crappy tires were on the car from the showroom TOYO. I just hope that you are happy with your decision, the more I look at Japanese cars they are built cheaply, sort of a hollywood front. I am not criticizing your decision, its yours to make. Hey a friend of mine has an AUDI A8, for him that is a Luxury performace car and its quite impressive, but the dollars are up there. But as they say there is a lid for every pot. The Quatro all wheel drive is impressive. http://www.audiusa.com/features_specificat...200413_,00.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupillac Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 JLAWS, Sometimes its good to switch it up, get a feel for other companys. And nowadays every car company produces good a bad vehicles. Have fun in the Lexus "Cadillac, it's not a car, it's an obsession" -W.Kingdon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLAWS Posted July 23, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 Yeah I've seen that pic along with the several others on the net and the 5 different car magazine subscriptions I have and the new look definately doesn't say "luxury/class" to me. That front makes no sense. How many darn lights do you need on the front end!!! I count 5 on each side. 1) the side marker, 2) the one the side of the bumper 3) The main headlight and 4 & 5) the double stacked fog lights. I've already talked about the rear lights. I forgot to mention that they had the nerve to slap on a STOCK cheesy rear spoiler on a Deville rear end!!! On a 60K Cadillac "flagship"!!!! There should be a ban on putting spoilers on long high end luxury vehicles.!!! There is still hope. I have seen no sketches for the new Deville yet. From what i've seen comparing the CTS with the new STS, the Deville might have a tamer "Art and Science look" which may make it a whole lot more eye pleasing to me. I bet it would be priced at the high $60k to low $70k aimed to compete against the Mercedes S class, BMW 7 series and Audi A8. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy_W Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 I saw a new black STS, it looked great. I admit it doesn't look like an Avalon with a grin, but then why would it want to?? Man that thing had a nice exhaust note and the tips look very well integrated with the styling, which will sell like cold beer at a ball game. Don't take my word, just read the numbers this time next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 Which will sell like cold beer at a ball game. Randy, great line, I am going to borrow it for future use! LOL... Mike You have me excited about it! My business is just getting off the ground, and just in time I keep saying to myself in spite of the cost I would have to have the navigation system, if even only for the looks! Does it play DVDs, that will easily sell my wife! This is motivating me to get my business flying... just do it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfyr Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 wow, sounds like I'm in the same boat... I cry at the thought of giving up my Caddy, but I'm also a 98 w/ around 70k (67k) and that thing is starting to fall apart on me despite giving my baby the high maintenance treatment. My husband has an older Mercedes SE400, it runs great @ 200k++ and every single interior and exterior function in that car works flawlessly despite being well used. Let's name the things my car has had trouble with or is broken right now: -steering grinding/losing power -keep having to replace the brakepads (3 times since Dec. 03) -suspension overly creaky -shock leaking -doors always need tightening between oil changes -molding around windows losing shape -driver side seat lost heat -passsenger seat lost headrest function -passenger side mirror loosened for no apparent reason and about to fall off -heater doesn't always work well -dashlights dim function not working properly -miscellaneous interior trim pieces falling off -stereo system losing power and these are all issues within the past 6 months I'm waiting for a lighly used/preowned CTS-V, hoping to get a better/newer Caddy construction. But the more issues I have with my car, I'm leaning towards getting a Mercedes. Quite a dillema when I love my car so much and come from a Caddy family. I can hear the snickers now "what, a good ol' US brand car not good enough for ya? Commie!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 I can hear the snickers now "what, a good ol' US brand car not good enough for ya? Commie!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jock 82 Posted July 23, 2004 Report Share Posted July 23, 2004 MY 1994 Concours with 80,000 miles still has the original brake pads, the interior looks almost as good as the day I purchased it, no tears or rips, everthing on my car works. I picked up a brochure of the new STS at the Cadillac dealer, and while the Seville (STS) has never been my car, I prefer a larger auto, (de Ville )I like the looks of it better than most cars on the road. I have always perfered the sharper styling over the rounded look. I have never seen a foreign made auto that appealed to me styling wise. I know I am old but most of thse cars look like garbage to me. I also have an 89 de Ville (which I think is better looking that my 1994) and a 1976 Olds 98 that is long, low and wide. (I do like the looks of the CTS) I will be glad when they change to current de Ville. I have NEVER like the looks of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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