1992 Cadillac DeVille 4.9 V8
Summary:
Stylish and comfortable, but costly
Faults:
The alternator died (75,000 miles on it) during my drive home from purchasing it. The used car dealer that sold it to me was nice enough to pay for the repair (about $250).
The driver's (power) window stopped working. I had this repaired for about $75.
The left front wheel hub (not the hubcap, the actual hub) needed to be replaced at about 100,000 for about $250.
The catalytic converter started making an annoying grinding noise at about 105,000. The Cadillac dealer told me this would cost $950 to fix. My local mechanic told me it would be $350, if I wanted to fix it at all.
The oil pan is dripping oil at a rate of a quart per month.
There's a problem with the idle (probably computer related) that either causes the car to stall, or surge, after re-starting when warm. I haven't had this checked out. I usually just let it level out after re-starting before putting it in gear. This is mostly just annoying and the condition has been present the entire time I've owned this car.
The A/C has stopped working, and now recently so has the heater. Actually I believe it may be the thermostat, since the "Coolant Temp" light has been coming on.
A friend of mine as dumped over $3000 in repairs on his '93 De ville. I've also heard that the water pumps often go out on these.
General Comments:
I like Cadillacs. I like the room, the comfort, and the ride that they offer. I also have enjoyed the powerful V8 it has and the smooth transmission.
I'm really tired of the repairs, though, and I think I'm going to switch to buying imports.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 24th December, 2002
31st Dec 2002, 00:31
I think this person's expectations for an 11 year old car are a bit out of whack. When you can plunk down a few grand to own a nice older car outright, occasional repairs and preventive maintenance should be expected. Think of the monthly payments you're missing!
Cadillacs are every bit as reliable and robust as any crappy import, which people mysteriously seem to love so much. Cadillacs also have auto-leveling suspensions, automatic climate control, big V-8s with more moving parts, more electronics to draw on the electrical system, more weight to support, start and stop, and plush interiors with automatic and power everything. Guaranteed all these things will cost more to keep up than a chintzy, uncomfortable four cylinder box from third world "X". It's not called "unreliability", it's called luxury, and there is ultimately a price for it. A used car that sold new for $40,000 is going to cost more to keep up than a used car that sold new for $12,000.
Having said this, I would recommend that you don't buy a nice car if you don't have the money to keep it up. Leave them for the rest of us while you tool around in your econo-wheels.