Replacing 4.6 engine

[donandmax]

I know many have said if the engine needs replacing, junk the car because the car is not worth (money wise) the cost of doing so. However I have a 98 Deville delegance with 159.000 mi on it. The suspension system is shot and I;m in the process of having it replaced. Otherwise this car looks like it just came out of the showroom inside and out, Not a scratch or dent. This car is not my only one, I'm not a rich man but a nostalgic buff would probably describe me best. My Dad had Cadillacs (new) back in the forties and fifties. And I always was in love with "that Cadillac ride" When I drive this car it brings me back to those "good old days" When Buicks and Caddys had character and that smooth ride that only they could give.I probably have more in this car than its worth now. And I will continue to give it what it needs. Most people who own Antique autos have more in their cars than they could ever get back. I dont know many people who sell their antique and make money on it, a few yes.. Regardless. This Caddy is worth restoring and I intend to keep it up. It is sort of a garage queen I'll admit. But the power of that North Star engine is exhilerating to say the least. I will continue to keep,take care of. and enjoy this marvelous piece of machinery as long as I still can. I'm 77 yrs old so who knows how much longer that will be. But until that day this Cadillac is my girlfriend.And may the cadillac reign supreme in this country. Besides I served this country for 21 years and deserve this luxury.

Happy motoring guys..

Don

[Texas Jim]

Good morning Don,

First...Thank you for your service to our great country and to all of us and I hope you have many, many, more years left.

Second...I am glad to hear you are taking care of your "Girlfriend".... :)

I am planning a trip up thru the Northwest in mid summer...probably the end of July or 1st part of August

I want to see some of that beautiful country y'all have up there.

I have a 2006 with 113,000 miles on it and it still runs and drives great.

I too love the Northstar engine and effortless power it has.

Here is a picture from yesterday after I washed it...

.

.

[Bruce Nunnally]

Worth and value are relative. If you have found a Cadillac you really enjoy it makes sense to keep it repaired and maintained and 'drive it forever'. At some point you also have to enjoy repairing and maintaining them to really appreciate the experience however.

If I had infinite garage space I'd keep a 40s Cadillac for weekends I love the look of those.

[donandmax]

Good morning Don,

First...Thank you for your service to our great country and to all of us and I hope you have many, many, more years left.

Second...I am glad to hear you are taking care of your "Girlfriend".... :)

I am planning a trip up thru the Northwest in mid summer...probably the end of July or 1st part of August

I want to see some of that beautiful country y'all have up there.

I have a 2006 with 113,000 miles on it and it still runs and drives great.

I too love the Northstar engine and effortless power it has.

Here is a picture from yesterday after I washed it...

.

.

Thanks for the kind words Jim, your Caddy is beautiful

[Cadillac Jim]

I recently had a similar experience. I had decided to reward myself in a life milestone with a CTS-V but as the time approached and the ramifications of letting go my 1997 Eldorado ETC came home, I decided to instead put some money into my existing car. Part of the decision was based on the simple fact that another 250 hp would just be unused in 99% of my current driving trends and that in the best of worlds I would not get in more than 10% of highway driving in the next year or two. The rest of the decision was in the excellent condition of my car and the fact that it didn't need much, having a Jasper remanufactured engine only 40,000 miles back and an excellent record for reliability. I put struts, shocks, tie-rod ends, and ultra-high-performance four-season tires on it and it is like a new car again.

The common wisdom is to look at selling the car in the near future and to run the numbers based on that, ergo the "it costs more than it's worth" rationales - which is a car dealer's thinking, who makes his living by putting butts in seats and cashing the checks. However, replacing my car would cost tens of thousands of dollars, and the routine maintenance I just mentioned is expensive because of the electronic suspension (I used AC/Delco FE3 shocks and struts) but the car is good to go for another four to five years with no codes, and it is a Cadillac ETC! I believe that my money is well spent for that.

In summary, if you look at the alternative to you, the driver and the writer-of-checks, it's really hard to find a normal situation in which changing cars is preferable to routine maintenance, no matter how old your car is, so long as you can still get the parts.

[rockfangd]

I love to hear an enthusiast with a mindset like yours. You sound exactly like me. I have more into my 97 Seville than I will ever get back ,but I dont care because I love it.

I love the Deville. The Deville in that era is the best. If the body is in good shape I would say it is definately worth repairing.

I tink with a post like this you should have some pride pics to post

[Cadillac Jim]

Look for me and my car - and a Caddyinfo cap - in the Cadillac Photography board. I just have one photo, but I got a lot of remarks from it. Also, look at my avatar and Caddyinfo signature. More are to come this Spring.

[jock82]

I feel exactly the same. I have an 89 de ville I have had for 23 years and a 94 Concours for 17 years, both cars are in excellent condition and I intend to keep them as long as I can. I added a DTS 2 years ago and I hope to be able to drive it as long as these at least. My first car was a 70 coupe de ville and I would still be driving that but it was totaled in an accident. I still have my 2nd car, I've been driving it for 35 years.

[adallak]

I still have my 2nd car, I've been driving it for 35 years.

And what is it?

[jock82]

I still have my 2nd car, I've been driving it for 35 years.

And what is it?

Unfortunately is not a Cadillac, but a 1976 Olds 98.

[scott y]

I still have my 2nd car, I've been driving it for 35 years.

And what is it?

Unfortunately is not a Cadillac, but a 1976 Olds 98.

Unfortunately, NOTHING!! I had a 75 OLDS 98 that was a gorgeous car! Horizon Blue white top and a dark blue interior every single option available, and I'm not kiddin! It even had the very rare ACRS option! Cadillac owners pined for that car literally

[Logan]

I bet many don't know what ACRS is...

The first air bags ever in production.

Have some ACRS info here:

http://www.airbagcrash.com/contactusetc.html

[rockfangd]

very cool. That wheel looks like a plane wheel. lol nice info

[jock82]

I still have my 2nd car, I've been driving it for 35 years.

And what is it?

Unfortunately is not a Cadillac, but a 1976 Olds 98.

Unfortunately, NOTHING!! I had a 75 OLDS 98 that was a gorgeous car! Horizon Blue white top and a dark blue interior every single option available, and I'm not kiddin! It even had the very rare ACRS option! Cadillac owners pined for that car literally

My 98 is light blue metallic with a white vinyl top and blue velour interior. The reason I bought the Olds was because at the time I could not afford another Cadillac and it looked like a Cadillac. It is approaching 300,000 miles. It is the only car I have owned that was not a Cadillac. I got a really good deal on it because of the fuel crisis at that time. I got it for $7,680.00 I still have the original window sticker which was $9,100. Mine has almost every option, it was manufactured in October of 1975, I got it the day after Thanksgiving of that year.