Cadillac STS..talk me out of one.....

[kinkersaab]

Im off to see one tonight..... 99 T 60k, with gas and history.... Hav hankered after one for some time, like the exhausts, so that seems reason enough to buy one

 

THe FWD ness is a little dissapointing, but im sure i will be able to oversee that major flaw, anyone any experience of these to tell me any specifics of what to look for?

[cort16]

Front wheel drive 4.6 NorthStar v8 spellz mega yank shite so you absolutely have to buy it especially with lpg.

I actually really like the look of these and would love one so I'm probably not the right person to ask

 

* This is from Wikipedia so might not be true.

One notable feature, advertised at the time, was the "limp home" fail-safe mode which allowed the engine to continue running for a limited time without any coolant. Supplying fuel to only one cylinder bank in turn, the engine would "air cool" the inactive bank. This technique, combined with its all-aluminum construction and large oil capacity, allows the engine to maintain safe temperatures, allowing a Northstar-equipped car to be driven with no coolant for about 100 mi (161 km) without damage.

 

[kinkersaab]

Great!!! I see you're in scotlad too, its in a secret acution tonight...... so, if any autoshitters are there, i found it first!!!

[Alexg]

I think these old STS look great. Should be a right bargain

[kinkersaab]

I'm hoping its gonna be about £1000 ish............ the ish will be the deciding factor.

[cort16]

That sounds intriguing. I can't see there being much competition for it unless it's mega cheap.

I seem to remember the engines are designed for 100k service interval and are all chain driven so they should be pretty tough. God know what a front wheel drive v8's like to drive thought.

[Alexg]

I would have thought well under a grand. I've seen them on eBay for less...

[kinkersaab]

Id rather spend a grand on a decent usable one, than "much less" on a shagged out heap of shit from some ebay mong... its only done 60k with history and gas, if its as good as it should be canna go wrong at a £1000.

[Volksy]

IIRC Wuvvum used to have one - and quite liked it!

 

As mentioned in the Ebaytat thread I've a hankering after some Yank Shite next, Although I think the STS is quite European in feel - OTT interior aside.

[tonedepear]

Cadillac STS..talk me out of one.....?

 

no

[Shep Shepherd]

A late model Caddy for a bag? Do want!

[dieselnutjob]

where's Pete-m ? pete, didn't you tell me you wanted some 300bhp yank shite that you could put on your trade insurance?

doesn't this qualify?

[Luxobarges_Are_Us]

A late model Caddy for a bag? Do want!

 

That sounds so wrong. You'd need to pay me to drive around in that!

 

A late model Caddy, yesterday:

 

[Spiny Norman]

There was one I used to see pounding the mean streets of Glasgow until quite recently, dark blue it was, very smart.

Might this be the same one? Can't be many of these things about now I wouldn't have thought.

 

Talk you out of it? No way.

[Shep Shepherd]

A late model Caddy for a bag? Do want!

 

That sounds so wrong. You'd need to pay me to drive around in that!

 

A late model Caddy, yesterday:

 

 

I had forgotten that those existed - a Caddy in my mind is an American luxobarge, and always will be

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I'm pretty sure these have a bad reputation in the US for head gasket dramas.

 

Lovely car though and I bet they ride and drive nicely.

[Pete-M]

where's Pete-m ? pete, didn't you tell me you wanted some 300bhp yank shite that you could put on your trade insurance?

doesn't this qualify?

 

I did indeed. Luckily, I wanted (still do) an estate - which the STS isn't.

 

Otherwise, yeah, I'd roll in an STS. Yank stuff is pleasingly shite.

[kinkersaab]

wasn't to be, partly due to my short arms and deep pockets, and partly due to...well, not being as excited as i hoped to be, just liking the look from the back, wasn't enough reason for me to buy it. It seemed a decent old barge, although i couldn't get any life from the gas conversion gubins . other than that a tidy old barge , needed a couple of front tyres, and a wheel refurb, the biggest downer for me was the noise, far too muted for my liking, and he colour did it no favours, like met bellend red, after its had a hammering. anyhow, it booked at £460, i decided i would go to £900, and that would see it home for a grand, it made a grand provisional..... hey ho, its just another itch that still needs scratching.

[cort16]

That's a shame but it sounds like you did the right thing id probably have got carried away and bought it.

That is a pretty vivid red. They look good in black.

[mk2_craig]

'How many left' suggests there were never more than 400 UK cars, the list price new wasn't cheap so that's not surprising. I wouldn't mind one, the only one over here (dark blue) came up for sale about four years ago but it ended up being exported, probably back to the UK.

[eddyramrod]

There's no way I'd talk you out of that. I particularly like them in the metallic red too. FWD and the slightly bland styling would be my major objections, but if you can get past those, an STS is a lovely thing. They were even available with RHD! If another one falls in front of you, grab it. You won't regret it.

[wuvvum]

The FWD-ness isn't as noticeable as you'd expect for something with 305 bhp going through the front tyres. I think a combination of vast weight and clever traction control gubbins helps to avoid any Saab Turbo-style torque steer issues. They don't handle that badly either for what they are, although they don't like bumpy corners too much and the steering is almost completely devoid of feel. The interiors are a very pleasant place to be though, even if some of the plastics feel a bit cheap. I'd have another, if it was LPG'd and at the right price.

[Volksy]

It would be interesting to find out how they have plumbed in the LPG on one of these, did they not have ECU wizardary to shut down some of the cylinders when the power wasn't needed, Would that still work?