Chris Posted April 30, 2011 Report Share Posted April 30, 2011 Hi Guys, I've been around these forums a long time, but not very active the past few years. I recently replaced my 93 STS and thought it would be interesting to post some info about my car and costs of ownership. I'm pretty meticulous at keeping records, so I hope this may be of interest. I bought the car in October of 2002 and got rid of it in April of 2011, approximately 8.5 years. Over this time, the odometer crawled from just under 170,000km to 292,300km - most of this time I was in school, partially explaining the low mileage. Total capital cost (purchase price + taxes/transferFees + safety - salePrice) = $9,746.81 = $1,146.68 depreciation per year Total maintenance/repair cost (includes cost of new tires, oil/filter, washer fluid, etc) = $11,641.38 = $1,369.57 per year A note about repairs - the first few years, I bought whatever parts were sold at the local auto parts store (UAP/NAPA). After I discovered this forum, I switched to almost exclusively Delco parts. Major components were then bought at gmotors.com, rockauto.com, or picked up at Dalgliesh Cadillac in Detroit. All major repairs were done by my independant mechanic, I did minor repairs and maintenance myself. I should also mention that I drove like an absolute maniac the first few years I had the car, and this likely drove maintenance costs higher than they should have been. Major Repairs: 2002 - neutral safety switch 2003 - new tires, transmission solenoid replacement, alternator (NAPA), refill R12 2004 - replace engine idle motor, new brake pads (4), rotors (4), calipers (rear), caliper service (front) 2005 - front wheel bearings, new tires (4 traction t/a for summer and 4 blizzaks for winter), convert AC to R134a 2006 - rad cooling fan replacement, replace muffler, replace RR brake line, replace both rear spindle/knuckles and RR wheel bearing 2007 - replace alternator (Delco), battery, new front brake calipers and rotors, service slider, new fuel filter 2008 - no major work 2009 - replace rear brake calipers, ebrake cable, turn signal lever, wiper switch, replace both front half-shafts 2010 - replace catalytic converter 2011 - no major work I started keeping track of fuel purchases in 2005. I used almost exclusively 87 octane from name-brand stations (Esso/PetroCanada/Shell, BP/Chevron/Marathon): Average MPG: 17.95 Fuel cost per km: 12.15cents Average cost of fuel: 92.7c/L After buying another car, I tried to sell the STS. After 3 weeks or so, many people drove it and seemed to like it, but were afraid to safety/etest. I ended up taking it to a scrapyard, where I sold it for $380. I was able to keep the wheels/tires, battery, fuses, and some momentos. The following link shows the final minutes of its life (may disturb some Cadillac fans!!) Photo documentary: End of the STS A great car, and it will be missed dearly! -Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Nunnally Posted April 30, 2011 Report Share Posted April 30, 2011 Nice documentation; thanks for posting. Bruce 2016 Cadillac ATS-V gray/black Follow me on: Twitter Instagram Youtube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike5514 Posted April 30, 2011 Report Share Posted April 30, 2011 OUCH! That was graphic. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeb Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 what did the pics show? they picked it up, tore off roof and put it down. i see the wheels are gone but that seemed like a lot of jerking around for not much gain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHE Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 Why would the junkyard destroy many saleable parts by moving it with the crane???? Kevin '93 Fleetwood Brougham '05 Deville '04 Deville 2013 Silverado Z71 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeb Posted May 2, 2011 Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 wheels/tires might be worth 300? so no one wanted to pay 680? for a running car? guess folks are picky these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted May 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 2, 2011 Bruce - Youre welcome; I hope the post gives potential buyers some incite into maintenance costs. Mike - Really sad to see it go like that, but at least they put on a show while I was there! joeb - I removed all the lug nuts, they picked up the car and dropped it (wheels bounced off). Then picked it up, but the roof started to peel, so he dropped it on the ground. Then he got a better grip, picked it up and moved it to the scale. After weighing, he picked it up, swung it around and dropped it. Peeled back the hood, pressed it into the cabin. Then he snipped each side of the rad and pulled it out. KHE - It is a scrapyard I took it to, the best offer I could get from a junkyard/autowrecker was $300, and they didn't want me to remove any parts joeb - No kidding, about 12 people called and said they were coming to see it. 6 actually showed up. Each drove it and seemed to like it. The only semi-offer was a guy that wanted it for the same price he could get a Neon for ($450). I let him buy the neon. The tires are Blizzaks with only a couple winters on them. I don't think winter tires are necessary on these cars (which is why I hardly used them), but since the SLS has chrome rims, I'd like another set of wheels/tires to put on the car. -Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildlyoptimistic Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 Great Post. I keep the same meticulous details about my Eldorado. Just had the all engine gaskets replaced and hope to get another 117k out of it before the salvage man cometh !!!!! Hi Guys, I've been around these forums a long time, but not very active the past few years. I recently replaced my 93 STS and thought it would be interesting to post some info about my car and costs of ownership. I'm pretty meticulous at keeping records, so I hope this may be of interest. I bought the car in October of 2002 and got rid of it in April of 2011, approximately 8.5 years. Over this time, the odometer crawled from just under 170,000km to 292,300km - most of this time I was in school, partially explaining the low mileage. Total capital cost (purchase price + taxes/transferFees + safety - salePrice) = $9,746.81 = $1,146.68 depreciation per year Total maintenance/repair cost (includes cost of new tires, oil/filter, washer fluid, etc) = $11,641.38 = $1,369.57 per year A note about repairs - the first few years, I bought whatever parts were sold at the local auto parts store (UAP/NAPA). After I discovered this forum, I switched to almost exclusively Delco parts. Major components were then bought at gmotors.com, rockauto.com, or picked up at Dalgliesh Cadillac in Detroit. All major repairs were done by my independant mechanic, I did minor repairs and maintenance myself. I should also mention that I drove like an absolute maniac the first few years I had the car, and this likely drove maintenance costs higher than they should have been. Major Repairs: 2002 - neutral safety switch 2003 - new tires, transmission solenoid replacement, alternator (NAPA), refill R12 2004 - replace engine idle motor, new brake pads (4), rotors (4), calipers (rear), caliper service (front) 2005 - front wheel bearings, new tires (4 traction t/a for summer and 4 blizzaks for winter), convert AC to R134a 2006 - rad cooling fan replacement, replace muffler, replace RR brake line, replace both rear spindle/knuckles and RR wheel bearing 2007 - replace alternator (Delco), battery, new front brake calipers and rotors, service slider, new fuel filter 2008 - no major work 2009 - replace rear brake calipers, ebrake cable, turn signal lever, wiper switch, replace both front half-shafts 2010 - replace catalytic converter 2011 - no major work I started keeping track of fuel purchases in 2005. I used almost exclusively 87 octane from name-brand stations (Esso/PetroCanada/Shell, BP/Chevron/Marathon): Average MPG: 17.95 Fuel cost per km: 12.15cents Average cost of fuel: 92.7c/L After buying another car, I tried to sell the STS. After 3 weeks or so, many people drove it and seemed to like it, but were afraid to safety/etest. I ended up taking it to a scrapyard, where I sold it for $380. I was able to keep the wheels/tires, battery, fuses, and some momentos. The following link shows the final minutes of its life (may disturb some Cadillac fans!!) Photo documentary: End of the STS A great car, and it will be missed dearly! P Christopher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jndnaps Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 What a waste.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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