The Cad I lack (in my life)

[Tadhg Tiogar]

https://www.donedeal.ie/vintagecars-for-sale/cadillac-cts-3-2-v6-250hp-lpg-open-for-offers/17580712

Cadillac CTS?

LHD unhelpful. The current generation of CTS seems to be LHD only. Don't think they're selling all that many in UK/IRL. Same goes for XLR roadster - only ever seen one on the road here.

 

Haven't seen any normal-sized RHD Cadillacs for ages, other than that Seville near the office.

 

Does Cadillac actually want to spend any money making RHD cars?

[bezzabsa]

strange but the septics really don't like the Northstar engine, and refer to them as Death stars..

 

not too sure why exactly, but hey ho!!

[Uncle Jimmy]

Having read up on em I could fancy one, other than the front end they look like an Accord on Steroids; likely cheaper to own than the equivalent V8 S class?

[Jim Bergerac]

Didn't these have really long service intervals?

[New POD]

"The Caddy that zigs!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMUff04cjhY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f06pr7ziMFg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3sm8DuRf5E

 

The Catera itself was probably OK, but from my memory, it didn't really match up well to any existing customer market segment at the time.

 

I remember the jaunty TV adverts for it and wondering at the time what the target audience for this was intended to be. It seemed that traditional existing Cadillac customers didn't revere anything that 'zigged', because that kind of driving style wasn't 'them'. Non-traditional prospective customers might have wanted the 'zig' but not a Cadillac, as the marque's brand image wasn't 'them' either...

 

I guess Cadillac had to start somewhere though, on its journey towards making the models that it offers today.

 

 

Where can I get the parts to turn my omega into a catera?

[Tadhg Tiogar]

Where can I get the parts to turn my omega into a catera?

Only in the US. Good luck with that.....

[eddyramrod]

The reverse has been done, on this very forum!  We had someone over there turn his Catera into an Omega, so it must be a prospect.  Shipping will be the killer.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

The reverse has been done, on this very forum!  We had someone over there turn his Catera into an Omega, so it must be a prospect.  Shipping will be the killer.

The only thing that might make the UK Catera project attractive IMHO are the LED tail light clusters, something never fitted to Omegas. Also the trademark cheesecutter grille.

[wuvvum]

I had an STS 10 years or so ago.  Brilliant engine, hopeless gearbox, very well equipped, wonderful stereo, dreadful cabin build quality, superb seats, went round corners as well as could be expected for a vast Yank saloon which was trying to put 305bhp down through the front wheels.  I loved it - would have another.  Also the only car I've ever owned (or indeed seen) with a minidisc player as standard.

 

 

 

 

 

Edit: yes it did have a white leather interior.  I r pimp.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

^^

I read that the brake LED strip built into the bootlid lip sometimes failed partially, so some LEDs would light, whilst others didn't....

[bezzabsa]

not too bad as septics cars go

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ_vYiLPTno

[Mrs6C]

In 2014, I spent some time touring in the USA, visiting friends, family and some of the places I used to know from when I lived there.

 

For the last two weeks of this trip, I hired a Cadillac ATS. It didn't give quite the same 'user experience' as my ETC, having a 4 cylinder engine and being more like a large Vauxhall in character than a Cadillac. It wasn't easy to get a comfortable driving position and it felt a bit cramped inside, but it did do a reasonable job of carrying me and my luggage all over the place without any fuss. Starting in Washington DC, it took me all around north Virginia and Maryland, then down to Ocracoke Island at the far end of the Outer Banks in North Carolina, back across the southern edge of Virginia up into West Virginia, around that state and finally back up to Washington again.

 

It had run-flat tyres, which gave a better ride than I had expected. This was a useful feature, as some the more remote roads travelled were more like off-road trails than tarmac. The in-car entertainment and digital services were presented via a shiny touch-sensitive interior panel that looked and felt cheap and didn't always sense the finger pressure and swipes necessary to operate it. It also ended up covered in fingermarks! At least they were all mine...

 

Here are some thoughts on its good and bad points:

 

Good

It was a Cadillac!

Run-flat tyres

Heated seats

Digital radio that worked

Reasonably frugal - 35-40mpg

Reliable in service

Adequate luggage space for one person

It was a Cadillac!

 

Bad

4-cylinder engine that was quite noisy but didn't have much 'go'

Uncomfortable driving position

Cramped interior

Poor luggage space for more than one person

Touch-sensitive panels for ICE a bit 'hit or miss'

Shiny panels ended up covered in finger marks

No sat-nav!

 

 

Here are a few pictures to give an all round view of the car, with a bit of scenery as well:

 

At the Udvar-Hazy Space Center, Dulles, VA

 

Crossing the Potomac at Whites Ferry, MD

 

At the Family Drive-in theatre, Stephen's City, VA

www.thefamilydriveintheatre.com

 

On the ferry to Ocracoke Island, NC

 

Overlooking the New River Bridge, at New River Gorge, WV

 

Exploring the old coal camp at Nuttallburg, WV

 

 

Would I hire one again? No. It didn't offer a premium experience to match the premium price paid for having it. I would have been better off with the large Volvo SUV offered as an alternative, but I wanted to see what a new Cadillac was like in its native country, having experienced the 20 year old model in the UK. At least it was nice to be driving one and it did get a certain amount of respect when on the road and parked, so perhaps the marque is still appreciated well by the home audience.

 

Still, along the way, I was able to pick up some new keys and service parts for the ETC from Jim Stutzman Cadillac in Winchester, Virginia, which was a very pleasant experience. I had ordered them all via email with Bill Ebersole, their senior Parts Advisor. He ordered them in for me and I didn't have to pay a cent until I collected them. I'd say they are Highly Recommended, if anyone needs new Cadillac parts and can pick them up in person.

http://www.stutzmancadillac.com/

[wuvvum]

/\ Is that Insignia-based?  Looks like a latter-day BLS (although appreciate the BLS was never sold in the States).

[Tadhg Tiogar]

/\ Is that Insignia-based?  Looks like a latter-day BLS (although appreciate the BLS was never sold in the States).

Wasn't the BLS in turn just a Saab?

[Madman Of The People]

Transverse mounted V8 driving the front wheels, too!

 

I bet it's fun* to drive.

 

 

Yeah, Cadderlax have been like that since the 70s

 

 

 

On various models from 1985 through 2011, actually.

[Zelandeth]

Never really driven anything from that side of the pond as new as this (okay, one 1998 Chevrolet Astro - Liked to the point I seriously looked at the costs of importing it back here, and one 2015 Ford Explorer which was possibly the biggest disappointment I've ever driven)...but have driven quite a few Buick and Caddillac motors from the 70s - early 90s, and never driven one I didn't like.

 

They're very different to most things we get over here, but I don't think that's a bad thing.  They're lovely big squidgy comfy leather sofas that are just really nice places to waft away the miles in.

 

Think it was Buick however that got the award from me for being the only car I've ever been in which used a CRT based touchscreen for half the vehicle controls...Simply BECAUSE 1980s!

[eddyramrod]

On various models from 1985 through 2011, actually.

Thus proving beyond any doubt what Junkman always says: that proper cars were only built before 1985!

[Madman Of The People]

strange but the septics really don't like the Northstar engine, and refer to them as Death stars..

 

not too sure why exactly, but hey ho!!

 

 

Want to know why?  I'll tell you.

 

For starters, the head gaskets are made from cheese, and not even a good kind of cheese.  Want to replace the head gaskets when they inevitably blow?  If so, you'll need to pull the entire engine out of the car!  Once you get the heads off, you'll then need to replace all the head bolts, because they will have stretched and are now useless.  And you will also need to drill out the bolt holes in the block and fit threaded inserts because the original threads inside those bolt holes will be stripped.  Sounds like fun, doesn't it?  But wait, there's more!

 

You'll be playing Whack-A-Mole chasing endless water and oil leaks and that's not just because of the porous engine blocks.  Various engine sensors are also failure prone and getting access to most of them is damn-near impossible.  These engines are generally regarded as ticking time bombs and with good reason.

 

 

 

Where can I get the parts to turn my omega into a catera?

 

 

The reverse has been done, on this very forum!  We had someone over there turn his Catera into an Omega, so it must be a prospect.  Shipping will be the killer.

 

 

That someone was me!

 

Sadly, the Caterror-turned Omega went to the scrappy after a couple of expensive components failed.

 

Pics of said car are, unfortunately, on my old Photobucket account.  And we all know what the pricks Photobucket have done when it comes to posting pics.