Looking at buying a 1998 Caddy Deville ...

[Zfrebird4]

4.6 V8 and only 78,000 miles, from a widow friend who just lost her husband. EBay looks like it should go for $4-6,000 in mint shape; this is the top of the line, too. I suspect it is in great shape. She wants $2,500-3,000, and we went to grad school together; trustworthy.

 

I am just wondering if anyone here knows of the reliability of that particular car.

 

Thanks for thinking and any posts.

 

JackZ

Ft Collins, CO

[Snaggletooth]

Still see a few of them rolling around here. Looking good doing it. Now this is comparing apples to oranges but I have a 1995 Lincoln Towncar with the 4.6. Im getting about 18mpg in town and it jumps right up to 26 on the highway. It's only got 175,000 on it now and giving me no problems.

[Zfrebird4]

Same size engine and identical tranny. More weight in the Caddy though. I had a 1984 Lincoln Town car and I loved it. So far this is looking like a winner.

 

Thanks for posting back! And have one of those great nights ... and a great ride tomorrow!

 

Saddly, my scoot is still in the shop for hoses in the cooling system.

 

Jackz

[Wolf]

I work on them all the time. Stay away. They have bad head problems, wiring, and transmission issues.

[Karl C.]

I work on them all the time. Stay away. They have bad head problems, wiring, and transmission issues.

 

I didnt want to say it but yeah I used to be a service writer at a cadillac dealership and for the most part, not all, but most cadillac and reliable do not go in the same sentence... Cadillac, IMHO, seem to draw nice ideals on paper and they "look' sound but never work that way in real life.. Just look at the 425 engine in the late 70's, the HT4100 man they both had more problem than good things... from soft cams, oiling issues inthe top end etc..

 

Lincoln is a whole nother ball game. Engines are regular engines they use in other cars, ie ford, mercury etc. I had a mark 7 that was absolutely just awesome.. rode great, very fast for a heavy car and well it did have bad mileage but I think i made it worse by keeping the foot in it...

[buddy]

I work on them all the time. Stay away. They have bad head problems, wiring, and transmission issues.

 

Sorry but True...

When I worked at the dealer I would get a bad taste in my mouth when I see a Cadi drive in. Always had ghost in the wiring system,Transmissions slipping,Blown head gaskets,oil leaks every where on most of them,motor mounts are fun too...NOT

Helping your friend out is the right thing to do:innocent:.

I also helped a few friends out myself in the past.

But there were times I wished I dint.

[pegscraper]

We bought a '98 Deville three years ago. I will say I like it so far. The wife says it's the most comfortable car she's ever owned and has a very quiet interior. She comes from a family who used to drive the smallest tinkertoy cars on the road and laughed at Cadillac's "excesses". Now she loves the thing. I think comparing this engine to other engine problems they had 15 - 20 years prior is a little lame. There was nothing wrong with the 425 engine. The V8 6 4 was troublesome. There was a reason it only lasted one year. The HT4100 was definitely a problem. It was a rushed and forced design. But even the 4.9 successor to that had few problems. I am a little wary of all the electric and electronic crap in this car, but it's no different than any other newer car, and better than some I've seen. Some of the general maintenance that used to be very simple doesn't look like much fun on this car. But again, that's the same with any other newer car and better than many. This is a 4000 lb. car with an engine making enough power that it can really move when you need to pass someone and get 23/30 mpg doing it. This isn't the junk we had to put up with in the '70s and '80s. I've gotten 30 mpg out of mine on the highway. A greenie weenie Toyota Camry doesn't do better than that, and it's a much less comfortable car and more expensive to buy. I'd buy this car again in a second. But I'm one who is willing to have to fix a thing or two sometimes when I can buy a ten year old really nice looking car for $3000.

[Zfrebird4]

Others, please keep sending info if you can. Hearing the pros and cons does make a HUGE difference in my decision.

 

I am having a prof mechanic in Cinncinnatti check the car out for ME. Plus I do trust my friend for accurate info. No decisions made yet, but I sure do enjoy and appreciate any of your comments. Thanks.

 

JackZ

[Zfrebird4]

... to look at more information from anyone. Thanks to all for thinking of and for posting.

 

JackZ

[Chaharly]

Well, its a GM, so it should be alright!

[Godlover]

Caddy's are nice but a bit pricey to fix. But her price is pretty good and if it is in excellent shape- they make for a nice ride. They certainly have their problems but if it is what you want - if I were you - I'd take the chance. I had a 96 and liked it.

[GlennTuc]

I have a couple of newer Cadillacs and love them both. Our oldest one has 68,000 absolutely trouble free miles on it (bought it new). Oil changes and air filters is all its ever needed. It'd be hard to go back to any other brand. Hope I never have to.

 

Glenn

[Zfrebird4]

NOw to hear the mechanic's inspection report and line up the finances.

 

Thanks to all who have posted. One of the things I will enjoy the most is how quiet these cars are, as I wear hearing aids. Ahhh, peace and quiet!

 

JackZ

[KevinsDa1]

I have a 99 Seville SLS that I have owned since 2004. It currently has 115,000 on the odometer. It has and still does have a couple of issues, but what car doesn't. I would not hesitate to take this car on a long trip.

 

Kevin

 

[dynodon]

With all due respect to the mechanics on the list, they almost always see the worst that any manufacturer makes, after all, if there wasn 't a problem, they wouldn't see the car, and nobody...NOBODY makes a perfect car. My in-laws have had nothing but Caddy's for decades, and had few problems. These are well thought out, reliable cars for the most part, and the Northstar engine has a great reputation in general. They have never had any head gasket problems with this engine, not to say it doesn't happen, but check out if there are any on-line forums for the car. Remember that these forums also see EVERY problem that pops up and it can give a false impression of the car. I run a car club and the on-line forums would have you believe that the car is a mess, but they are generally better, way better than average. But every little problem is discussed over and over, and like happens most of the time, the cars that never give a problem don't get talked about much.

 

A big thing with used caddy's is that at least while the first owner has it, they have been maintained better than most lower priced cars. The owners have the money to get them fixed and maintained, and an older used Caddy can be a great value. Like most big/luxury cars, they take huge hits on retained value (older Mercedes and BMW's have the exact same deal!) But in this case, about any GM dealer, or independent mechanic can work on these cars, while with imports, that isn't the case.

 

If you can, drive the car, check out the car for leaks (almost every car will have leaks at 100,000 miles or more) and see if it feels tight and runs well. Drive it long enough to give it a real test. If you can get the car for 2-3 thousand, I don't see where you can go wrong. These Northstar Caddys can get upper 20's on MPG and are GREAT driving cars that handle well, and are actually fun to drive. An older Caddy also doesn't come with the "rich person" aura that many imports have. I find the style of these cars to hold up well also.

 

If it trips your trigger and is a bargain, and drives out well, then buy it and enjoy it.