2005 Cadillac STS 4.6 northstar

Summary:

A few wrinkles to iron out, and it's the perfect car

Faults:

Loose steering, and over or under shifting at low speeds. Anyway, the tranny rumbles at 45 mph or less. But I heard that was a computer upgrade fix.

General Comments:

The car handles great, and as soon as I get that stumbling problem fixed, it will be perfect.

Passed on a BMW 530 and a E320 Mercedes for this. Glad I did.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th July, 2012

2006 Cadillac STS 1SF 4.6 gas

Summary:

The absolute most you can get for the money in a performance sedan

Faults:

Passive lock passenger side, replaced under warranty.

Just wear and tear; tires, brakes, fluids.

Very reliable, quiet, and powerful.

General Comments:

Black / Tan STS V8; the 1SF has almost every option except HUD and the upgraded Italian leather.

I bought the car cheap from a driver off a lease. The previous owner drove behind a lot road debris, leaving some sandblasting effect, noticeable only to me. My next car will have a virgin fascia.

Nav, air conditioned seats, the heated steering wheel, the sunroof and Bluetooth are easy to use, and are must have options.

The 320 HP 32 valve Northstar that has very nice throttle response. The added gear in the 5 speed auto is sweet on acceleration. 2400 rpm yields 82 mph and 23 mpg. Around town, I'm getting 19.5.

Never overheat a Northstar, even though the owners manual says it can drive 30 miles with no coolant, due to its limp home mode.

I predict the STS V8 1SF, 1SG and STS-V's are going to very collectable in upcoming years, as US manufacturers continue to turn their backs on high performance V8 rear wheel drive sedans. Too bad. If I find the perfect STS-V, I am jumping on it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th March, 2012

1999 Cadillac STS

Summary:

Unreliable pricey garbage

Faults:

Shortly after buying this car used, it began overheating. The thermometer consistently goes into the red within a half hour of driving. I learned that this was caused by a blown head gasket, which due to the bizarre and infuriating design of the Northstar engine, would cost upwards of 4,000 dollars to have repaired. The thing burns through coolant in a heartbeat.

Besides that, the computer is buggy beyond belief. Despite getting an oil change, it immediately went back to telling me that I needed to change it again, and it tells me that just about every aspect of the car needs servicing at all times.

The seats and steering wheel often set themselves to strange positions that I never programmed in.

Traction control engages itself at random, and from my tests, seems incapable of turning on when the car actually is over ice.

The display flashes useless information constantly, and there's no way to turn off the cryptic error messages without turning the display off completely.

Even the stock radio only lands on stations that it feels like; again, totally at random.

General Comments:

If I intended on living in this car and not driving it, it would be a great. As far as appearance goes it's fine, but that is its only redeeming quality. I would love to rip out this Northstar b.s. and put something halfway reliable in, not to mention something that was actually serviceable. In my opinion, this car is luxury garbage, and I would never ever waste my money on a Cadillac ever again.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 2nd January, 2011

2nd Jan 2011, 12:00

You bought an 11 year old car full of electronic gadgets. Why do you think somebody else got rid of it?

2nd Jan 2011, 20:24

You should not complain. Your car has quite a few miles on it and, quite possibly, several previous owners too. It was probably poorly maintained and could have been in a flood. Keep in mind older high mileage luxury cars tend to need costly repairs. High maintenance cost and maintenance issues need to be considered before buying any used luxury car, regardless of how clean it looks or the make and model of it.

8th Jan 2011, 13:31

This car couldn't have been expensive for you to purchase. I am sure that the original owner who bought the car new, and had to pay close to 50K, probably had a very different opinion of it than you do.

8th Jun 2013, 07:21

My friend, consider yourself LUCKY if you don't spend a considerable amount in repairs on this car. In case you didn't know, any single freaking car, from Toyota to Mercedes, is designed to last no more than 150K miles without most of its mechanical and electrical parts being replaced. Unless it's a car that's been literally driven only on the highway, and then... You just bought a car at the end of its life. No matter the brand.

5th Mar 2015, 00:33

I get amazed at how much the term "poorly maintained" gets thrown around when the subject turns to luxury cars that fail prematurely.

Here's my opinion: That Cadillac was about $53,000 new, and I think any car that expensive ought to run a long time without a major engine problem, and on a Northstar blown head gaskets are indeed major.

As a matter of fact, cars that expensive DO run that long without major repairs, if you choose the right one. The Infiniti Q45 of that era is well-known to run 300K with the same basic engine design as the Cadillac.

A 12 year old car with 146k at the end of its life? Obviously so if it's a Cadillac or other GM of the era. Hondas, Mazdas and Toyotas? Nope.