99 deville concours ?'s

[2DARK2C]

hi guys,

firstly let me say what a great site! i've been reading up as much as i could without being able to search. time is short right now so i'd like some opinions on this car.

1999 deville concours 148k

i test drove it yesterday, about 10 miles on the interstate and a few blocks in town. everything seemed great, but the last few cars i've bought ended up being no good, so i'm squeemish. i've read many reviews and they are mixed with a lot of "i'll never buy a caddy again" or "best car i've ever owned".

i have ran a carfax on the vin and there is no record of damage etc. looks like the first owner had it fot 9-10 yrs and was a car dealer, it lists as corporate.

here is the sellers description:

For sale is my 1999 Cadillac Deville Concours. If you aren't familiar with the Concours Edition go to youtube and search for it. The car is more of a sports sedan than a typical Cadillac. They are fast and handle very well. Everything works as it should except the power antenna and I have ordered a factory replacement for it to correct the problem. There are a couple of scraps and larger nicks on the front bumper but that's the only negative to the look. It has all options except the sunroof. The drivers front seat has a small wear spot on the lower outside bolster from getting in and out and the dash has some shrinkage from the sun which is typical of these cars. It still presents well. Recently replaced are plugs and wires, a coil pack, coolant overflow tank (which are known to bust and leak) 4 new tires, new front rotors, coolant system flush and oil change. The Cadillac runs and drives great. I am asking $3500 or best offer

my questions are:

do most "problems" show up before 148k or is this a ticking time bomb?

i drive 100 miles a day interstate, will this car hold up as long as i keep it maintained?

should i have a third party dealer or repair shop inspect it? any certain areas that are problems?

i have read the "guru's" post on consumption, i will be putting my foot in it

as far as price -looks like the bluebook is right in line with the asking price, plus i got him down a bit. i looked at a 99 grand marquis with similar miles for $3800- just as a referance for prices in my area.

thanks for any help or suggestions, i can link to the craigslist add if it's allowed.

[Ranger]

'99's seem to be the worst for head gasket issues. Unless this one has already had them replaced, I'd look for a 2000+. Just my $.02

[rockfangd]

personally I would perform a coolant test for contaminants, and if all is well drive it hard. If you have to be on the road alot ityou may as well ride in what you like

[KHE]

Have the coolant checked for combustion gasses to rule out any possibility the head gaskets may be bad. If the test comes back negative, it should be a good, reliable car.

[2DARK2C]

thanx for the replies guys.

sadly the seller is now saying the title is lost. i had cash in hand saturday and he said he had grabbed the wrong title,he has 2 devilles.

i'll try and get the coolant checked out before i buy it. is this i dealership test or can any shop find combustables in the coolant?

i will let ya'll know for sure if i get it.

[joeb]

new surge tank and a recent coolant flush. i think fresh coolant has some effect on how accurate the test is for bad headgaskets. who is selling it? private party? ask for a 30 day warranty. ha-ha

[Cadillac Jim]

Dealers rarely can test coolant for rumbustious by-products. This kind of thing is very rare in cars under about 7 years old and 100,000 miles, and the proportion of dealer service work on cars that experienced is minuscule. Consider that the test chemistry is good for about six months before it loses its sensitivity, and you have a formula that says the dealers can't keep it on hand. A good radiator shop is your best bet, or perhaps a good chain that deals with lots of older cars, like Pep Boys, Firestone Service Centers, Sears Auto Center, etc.

[Ranger]

Or borrow the kit (You pay for the fluid) from any parts store that has a tool rental program and do it yourself.

[2DARK2C]

it's a private party seller.

my wife talked to him today and he said he had it tested, but is willing for me to have it checked out. if he could just come through with the title i'd nab it.i guess with the title issue i get more time to check it out.

i think fresh coolant has some effect on how accurate the test is for bad headgaskets

he has been, and will be driving the car. the day i test drove it he met me after an aprox. 150 mile round trip-he pulled up got out and i got in.

would "using" the new coolant cause the combustables to show up? this is all new to me.

his back story from the beginning is:

he bought the car from a co-worker for his brother. seller already has a 97 deville for a personal car. he replaced all that's listed and his brother didn't like the car, said it looked like an "old folks" car. so now the seller just wants his money back. i have no reason to doubt his story, the car fax shows he has only had it for 2 months.

i am just leary of any car, and a $40k caddy for $3k, well i'm glad i found this forum.thanks for the great info so far and please give any more.

[Ranger]

would "using" the new coolant cause the combustables to show up? this is all new to me.

Adding fresh coolant just before doing a block test can give a false negative. The best test is a long hill climb if you are in an area where there are any hills. That is where a bad HG will first show signs of a leak. A good does of WOT will also usually show a temperature spike if they are bad.

[KHE]

i am just leary of any car, and a $40k caddy for $3k, well i'm glad i found this forum.thanks for the great info so far and please give any more.

This is not a $40,000 Caddy... It may have been in 1999 but it is now a 12 year old car that is worth $3500-4000. If the seller produces the title (my guess is he never had the title changed to his name), have the car checked out by a radiator shop and drive it for a long test drive up hills, etc. You may have a very nice car for a small amount of money.

[joeb]

friend has a small garage. he buys/sells cars constantly. he is always having trouble getting titles. title is lost? whose name is it in now? are plates current? does it need/have inspection stickers? how do you plan on getting the lost title? or do you plan on buying car and not having title?

[Cadillac Jim]

Never, never buy a car without a title. Possible problems include, but are not limited to

• You can't insure a car you don't legally own. Your liability insurance may or may not be good while driving a car with no known ownership.
• If there is a dispute between two people you don't know (the legal owner and a previous purchaser that "bought" the car), you might be charged with receiving stolen goods.
• The insurance company of the legal owner of the car may cause problems for you if there is an accident.
• The state may decide that you owe them registration and tax fees, or that you are trying to defraud them of these fees, either now or before you got the car.
• The car may be towed or repossessed because of parking tickets, unpaid liens, or traffic violations by the legal owner before you got the car.

The CarFAX web site:

http://www.carfax.com/

I'm not even going to mention the can of worms that can emerge if you sell a car without transferring the title out of your name.

[2DARK2C]

thanks for the words of wisdom concerning the title, i am very aware of why "not" to hand over my money without a title.

thats why i didn't buy it saturday. i have allready done the car-fax and the car was tagged/titled 2 months ago, which coincides with the sellers story. the first 9 yrs of ownership list as corporate, i'm not sure if thats good or bad.

hopefully he comes through with the title, and i can procede to get the car checked out, and buy it. i'm in my buisiest season and i'm sure the seller is strapped for time aswell. i get a gut feeling that he really did misplace the title, he in no way is trying to get me to pay him before i get it. at first i thought he might have found a higher paying buyer, but we will see.

[Cadillac Jim]

Corporate ownership usually means that it was a fleet car. That can mean anything from a garaged and well-maintained, rarely driven executive carpool car to a taxicab. What it does mean is that it was neither driven nor maintained by the personal owner of the car. Fleet cars usually have a flag on their title that decreases their value, which may be why the seller didn't want you to see it before you settled on price.

Check the mileage on the CarFAX and make sure that it is consistent across the timeline of the car. For example, if it was driven 8,000 miles in 2002 but 47 miles in 2003, it's possible that the odometer was turned back in late 2003.

[2DARK2C]

looks like the car isn't going to happen for me-

title "came in" a few days after he applied for it. we set up a day for me to get it checked out, but the day before, he called me saying he took the car on a aprox. 100 mile round trip and it dumped coolant when he got home.

he was supposed to get it checked out nearly a week ago and give me a call. i havn't heard from him.

i'm over it, but i really wanted the big caddy.

thanks again to all the members who helped me ! you guys are great !

i'm back looking at crown vics and grand marquis, if anyone knows of one in or near mississippi shoot me an e-mail edwardsrinker@earthlink.net

[joeb]

hope someone will attempt to repair a nice car. but the recycling industry can just absorb another car. i got some parts off a nice 96sts at the boneyard. the motor/cradle was already gone but the body looked great. a week later it was gone. sent to the crusher.

[scott y]

Yeah, that all seems a shame doesn't it? I was eyeballin a beaut of a 95 STS donor at the boneyard and this dumbass kid that worked there deliberatly destroyed a perfect grille c/w wreath and crest amongst an array of other goodies. I could have killed him...oh well, just another old sh#$box to some