1995 Cadillac Fleetwood brougham 5.7 LT1 from North America
Summary:
Perfect
Faults:
Nothing has gone wrong with the car mechanically. In regards to the interior, however, there are certain things that have failed. The drivers seat heat warmer switch no longer works because of poor GM design. You end up hitting the switch every time you get in and out of the car; of course it would wear out eventually.
Additionally, the steering column cover under the dash is made of plastic straight from the 60s; extremely fragile and expect to break the ridiculously fragile clips off of it with little effort.
General Comments:
The last true Cadillac. One of the greatest highway cruisers ever built. The car rides like a dream. People always comment on how smooth and quiet it is compared to new cars, even new Cadillacs. The large amount of leather, cloth, carpeting, and metal (yes metal) used to build the cabin of the car makes it extremely well insulated from road noise.
The self-leveling rear suspension is great for the car's appeal. There is nothing more unappealing than seeing a car loaded down and dragging its ass along the road; you don't have that problem with this car.
The double bench interior is also fantastic. No need for buckets and wasted space in a car meant for highways. Plus they make two beds or one large one if you manipulate the front just right. Absolutely comfortable. One can easily drive all day in these seats or be a passenger all day. That is one thing that car companies suck at today, a comfortable back seat.
Performance wise, this car moves for its size. Plenty or torque to handle 5 passengers and a loaded trunk. You will never find yourself begging the car to make it up a mountain road without ease. Gas mileage is also fantastic. Take the car on the highway at 75 with the AC on and 25mpg is no problem. For best gas mileage, I drive with windows down around town and AC only on the highway. The engine seems to be more efficient with the extra load on it, but around town the AC will chug your gas. And vice-a-versa for windows on the highway; they eat gas when down.
My one gripe about the car is the automatic climate control. I just wish I had more manual control over the fan speed and zoning of the climate (ie feet only). But besides that, the system itself is overkill, but in a good way. The AC takes a minute to warm up and will cool the car down just as fast. Same with the heating.
Ergonomically, everything is comfortably placed. The car is a blast to drive and easy at that. The huge wheelbase is what makes the car. Slight jerks in the steering will not affect the tracking of the car like they would in a smaller wheel-based one. The car tracks straight as an arrow on the open road. Additionally, all the cigarette lighters and vanity mirrors make it a great car for smoking 'cigars'. And to top it off, the car has one hell of a stock sound system, especially for 1995.
The one thing that you will need to maintain constantly is the dash pad. Its just huge and if you do not keep it moisturized, it will crack.
All in all then, this car does everything well that it was designed to do, plain and simple. Compare it to other cars of its size and purpose and you will find that this car stands on top, and you will feel that way when you drive it.
If GM wants its rep back, they need to start building cars like these again and ignore profits. Build quality once again, because that is exactly what this piece of mechanical engineering is and forever will be.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 26th August, 2008
23rd Dec 2008, 10:15
Amen to this review. I have had the same experience with my car. Still going strong at 122k. Hope to make it to 300k. The 94-96 Fleetwood is the best car ever made. No exceptions. I wish I could stockpile all the nice ones so that I could use one after another for the rest of my life. Even if gas was $10 a gallon, I would keep this car.