My new Cadillac/Vauxhall shite!

[Madman Of The People]

Greetings, chaps.

 

My beloved 1990 Volvo 740 Turbo saloon has turned a wheel for the last time. Mysterious electrical gremlins are preventing electrons to flow to the proper places for it to start. Seeing little sense in throwing more money into a 21-year-old car with nearly 300,000 miles on the clock, I have decided it's time for something made this century.

 

And here it is, my newly acquired 2001 Cadillac Catera!

 

 

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If you're thinking "Hey, wait a minute, that looks just like a Vauxhall Omega" that's because it IS a Vauxhall Omega. Well, it's really an Opel Omega, since it's built in Germany. It came to the UK wearing Vauxhall badges and the Australians built their own home-grown variant called the Holden Commodore VX. But this German-built car played a slightly different role in America. GM took the 3.0 V6 powered Omega and threw every option in the book at it. They then stuck on some Cadillac badges and called it a Catera and tried selling it to people who would normally buy BMWs. Needless to say, BMW shoppers weren't interested in the Catera but it did prove to be a pivotal model for Cadillac. Being smaller and sportier than Cadillac's normal geezer barges, the Catera became the inspiration for the CTS which replaced it and for many Cadillac models that followed.

 

This example I just bought is a 2001 model and there's only 116,711 miles on the clock! It also has leather, traction control and a fantastic Bose CD stereo. I bought it from a private seller who was asking $4,100 for it but Yours Truly snagged it for only $3,600. (dirt cheap for a used car in the States) Better still, I had the Cadillac dealer inspect it before handing over the cash and they gave it a clean bill of health. I'm well chuffed. It's almost too good to be called Shite!

[Spottedlaurel]

Can I be the first to say I'd been hoping to see a Cimarron?! This is nearly as silly, though it does sound like you've found a good one - well done!

[Father Ted]

Lovely on the outside - slightly nausea inducing on the inside.

 

Top purchase there.

[outlaw118]

That's well smart, looks like a mid-life facelift Omega.

$3600 though, didn't realise stuff was so expensive in da States. A 2001 Omega i.e. this one:

is £900 on the bay.

 

Always fancied an ex-old bill estate, shame they're mostly white, and the estate shape doesn't suit that colour. Weird how the saloon looks fine though?

[Cavcraft]

That 3.0 litre unit is ace, they go like a bat out of hell. In fact mine was far quicker than the S-Type 3.0 I'm running round in now and the seats are nicer too.

[Captain Mainwaring]

Nice car, mate. GM's Aggro VDP!

 

I've always liked the Omega el al, and the Caddy grille suits the nose surprisingly well.

[Negative Creep]

Id never even heard of those. It does look rather nice though

[Rod/b]

You could also get them over here in the Middle East under the name "Chevrolet Lumina". They did a "Lumina SS" model that came with a 5.7 V8 putting out about 340hp.

[ashmicro]

I'd roll that, I reckon it looks ace.

[Rod/b]

I reckon between us we could send him all the bits he needs to turn that back into a Vauxhall. Grille, badges and airbag unit ought to see to it. Surely the kudos for rolling in the USA's only Vauxhall Omega would be worth it?

[warren t claim]

I reckon between us we could send him all the bits he needs to turn that back into a Vauxhall. Grille, badges and airbag unit ought to see to it. Surely the kudos for rolling in the USA's only Vauxhall Omega would be worth it?

 

....And send over a set of Police graphics and a light bar. He could rent it out for films and tv shows. He's have to change his username to Fred Econoline though.

[ProgRocker]

Nice one.

 

Looking rather 'bling' with those alloys.

[garethj]

See that aircon control panel? I designed some of that

 

Does it still work? Getting the feel of the rotary switches right was a real pain, and matching the illumination of the radio was difficult because the radio used LEDs and the aircon panel used incandescent lamps.

 

Enough geekery for now. Enjoy the Caddy!

[scooters]

ooerr!

 

DOn't be too sad about the 740 - 300k is a tedulkar style innings. It's amazing how dodgey electricals are putting paid to the 900/700 series Volvos - ind y0ou given that it is the ONLY weakness they have and other cars have usually died long before you can't really blame the manufacturer.

 

My advice to folk looknig to buy a 900/700 is to REALLY learn how EFI and Electronic Ignition works and learn how to use a multimeter. I have had a 700 and a 960 die on me due to leccy problems.

 

The 960 I had was a mint saloon - an early 4 pot Turbo (yes they were badged 960 even though they only had 4 pots - this was due to delays in the release of the new 6 cyl engine. They ran the 4cyl turbo 960 for a good 14months at the beginning of production.) I spent over 300 quid on parts before getting cross and flogging it to a vicar for £200 - he spent 4 weeks with a multimeter and contact cleaner and eventually found a slightly corroded connector was causing a roblem with the injectors....it's been working a treat since and he loves it!

[STUNO]

I didn't know there was a Cadillac version of that !

Here is a link to the equivalent Holden for sale, it could also be bought with a 5.7 litre v8 for a bit of excitement.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-ca ... 838148.htm

[fotorabia]

Here be a shite Commodore wagon version..also a cop car here...which i noticed is still growing in a paddock where we got our free parts car....this ones probably a bit earlier...so im not much use...but Caddy version..that would be well posh here...

[Rod/b]

Those are Carlton doors aren't they?

[AnthonyG]

That would be an earlier Holden Commodore, poss based on the last gen Senator, or could be totally Holden designed and just looking a bit like a Carlton.

 

Re the Catera, weren't these advertised with the line 'the duck that zigs and zags'? (there are ducks in the heraldry style type Cadillac badge)

[chaseracer]

/\/\ Almost...

 

[Wilko220]

Those are Carlton doors aren't they?

 

Carlton rear lights as well, I think...

[Madman Of The People]

I reckon between us we could send him all the bits he needs to turn that back into a Vauxhall. Grille, badges and airbag unit ought to see to it. Surely the kudos for rolling in the USA's only Vauxhall Omega would be worth it?

 

 

I've been thinking the same thing. Not sure if I should turn it into an Opel or a Vauxhall Omega. Somehow, the idea of a left-hand-drive Vauxhall just seems wrong.

 

Any opinions or suggestions?

[Madman Of The People]

Re the Catera, weren't these advertised with the line 'the duck that zigs and zags'? (there are ducks in the heraldry style type Cadillac badge)

 

 

 

The Catera was "The Caddy that Zigs!" The original TV ad campaign featured model Cindy Crawford and that cartoon duck from the Cadillac coat-of-arms. There's no sign of this ad on YouTube but they do have a couple of other TV ads for the early pre-facelift (1997-99) Catera.

 

Lease a Catera for $399.00 a month!

 

Here's one with the cartoon duck, minus Cindy Crawford.

 

And a Catera not running over circus clowns. Personally, I would have mowed them all down!

 

No ads for the post-facelift (2000-01) Catera like mine. My guess is Cadillac didn't bother too much with marketing the Catera at this point since the CTS was due to replace it soon. Also notice how those early Cateras had weird full-width horizontal tail lamps going across the whole rear of the car? Thankfully, these were replaced with more Omega-like rear lamps as part of the 2000 facelift.

[Rod/b]

I reckon between us we could send him all the bits he needs to turn that back into a Vauxhall. Grille, badges and airbag unit ought to see to it. Surely the kudos for rolling in the USA's only Vauxhall Omega would be worth it?

 

 

I've been thinking the same thing. Not sure if I should turn it into an Opel or a Vauxhall Omega. Somehow, the idea of a left-hand-drive Vauxhall just seems wrong.

 

Any opinions or suggestions?

 

Surely the fact that it's WRONG makes it all the more RIGHT? Besides, Opels are common euroshite whereas Vauxhalls are hand-built, exclusive British Gentlemen's Carriages*

[Guest Len H]

A right hand drive Opel with Vauxhall badges glued on is wrong too, but there are millions of the things here.

[Futuramic]

I like it, a lot. Would be better with an LS2 and a manual gearbox; but we can't have everything. Although as you are in the USA both items would be readily available so I implore you to fit them.

 

That interior, coupled to the white bodywork, is suggestive of a more Arabian sphere of design. I imagine it would look good cruising along the desert highway between super casinos. I'm surprised cars are so expensive out there. I'd have thought there'd be a surfeit of cheap Tercels, Celebrities and Sables.

 

But keep driving it. It is cool.

[Madman Of The People]

I reckon between us we could send him all the bits he needs to turn that back into a Vauxhall. Grille, badges and airbag unit ought to see to it. Surely the kudos for rolling in the USA's only Vauxhall Omega would be worth it?

 

 

I've been thinking the same thing. Not sure if I should turn it into an Opel or a Vauxhall Omega. Somehow, the idea of a left-hand-drive Vauxhall just seems wrong.

 

Any opinions or suggestions?

 

Surely the fact that it's WRONG makes it all the more RIGHT? Besides, Opels are common euroshite whereas Vauxhalls are hand-built, exclusive British Gentlemen's Carriages*

 

 

Okay, you've convinced me. Vauxhall it is! I don't suppose anyone has an Omega grille and a set of badges and wheel centre caps they don't need?

[Station]

They're really nice cars, apart from those terrible air con panels.

 

I once took an entire Bose system from an Elite version.

[warren t claim]

They're really nice cars, apart from those terrible air con panels.

 

I once took an entire Bose system from an Elite version.

The BOSE system in the Elite is actually quite shit.

[Pete-M]

BOSE = Buy Other Sound Equipment.

[Station]

They're really nice cars, apart from those terrible air con panels.

 

I once took an entire Bose system from an Elite version.

The BOSE system in the Elite is actually quite shit.

 

I never actually fitted it as the amp had about 1,000 wires coming from it.