1997 Cadillac Catera from North America
Summary:
The absolute WORST car experience of my life
Faults:
This car was purchased with 44k miles. Although it was 11 years old when I purchased it, the low mileage was very attractive. It also was in mint condition as far as the interior and the exterior of the vehicle went. It looked brand new in and out. I should have known it was too good to be true!
This car was an electrical nightmare. In the year and a half I owned the vehicle, I spent more approximately $4 in repairs.
The heat from the engine came in through the vents, and was excruciating in the Florida summer months.
The interior lights never worked.
The sun roof opened on its own, and I was unable to close it, but had to wait for this ghost ridden car to close on its own.
The Bose CD changer worked when it felt like it as well.
The air condition control unit went out... I never fixed it. ($3K to fix)
The transmission was slipping.
The radiator was fixed but was costly.
Due to the many electrical issues with the car, my 2 yr old was locked in the car. I would get out of the car to walk around it to get her out, and the car would automatically lock itself. Luckily I learned to always take my key with me, and she was never in any real danger.
General Comments:
The one thing I did like about the car was the styling and the comfort. I was riding in a stylish car that was a nightmare. Hated making payments to the bank, because I knew I would need the money sooner rather than later for repairs.
I even took it to a Cadillac dealer, and they didn't even want to work on their own product... SAD!
I absolutely HATED this car! Not reliable, and was a true sore spot with me in all areas. I was happy to call the bank to come pick up this hunk of junk. I have a repo on my credit, but to me the issues of the repo are way less serious than wondering if it would start up to get me to work in the morning.
I will NEVER own another Caddy... Never ever ever own another Caddy... period, end of story.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 28th November, 2009
29th Nov 2009, 22:40
I hate to see someone steer clear of Caddys for good based on that one poorly-designed model. The Catera is not even a "real" Cadillac design, it's based on a European Opel model and they did not sell too many Catera's. They were targeting a niche market that basically didn't exist at that time or just wasn't interested. From what I understand the whole endeavor was a disaster for Cadillac, financially.. we call it the modern-day Cimarron LOL. I own an older Deville and my buddy has a 2007 DTS, and we are both happy with our cars. Mine has more than exceeded my expectations reliability-wise, and I hear no complaints from my DTS-owning friend either. Do a little more research before you buy.