1990 Cadillac Seville STS 4.5L V8 from North America

Faults:

Replaced front wheel bearings at 135,402.

Replaced air valve and 5 injectors at 137,444 to pass state environmental standards.

Vehicle currently has minor trans. fluid leak, but service technician tells me trans is fine.

Rear suspension seems to be giving out; vehicle's rear sits lower than vehicle's front.

Emergency brake does not automatically disengage.

Headlight shut-off timer periodically malfunctions.

General Comments:

Purchased this vehicle Feb. 2002 for $4500. Vehicle was in good to better condition. Slowly plan to restore and customize this car.

Features rare (for Cadillac) European orange tail lights.

Vehicle is very fast, quick, fun to drive, full of power. Sits low and my seat position makes for poor visibility.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th March, 2003

19th Jul 2004, 09:08

If you're unable to see, the seats in a 1990 Seville adjust in EVERY conceivable direction. The seat goes reclines down, moves forward, moves back, raises up, front of seat raises up, back of seat raises up. Unless you're 2 feet tall, a person of any height is available to see fine.

9th Sep 2004, 13:45

My 90 Seville has the full power seats, but the lumbar adjustments do not function.

1990 Cadillac Seville Base 4.5 Liter V8 180 Horsepower from North America

Summary:

Great luxury car for the money!! Fast too!!

Faults:

No air conditioning and no radio (bought car like this). A/C fixed by dealer for free, purchased and installed an after-market radio.

Weather stripping is shrinking and coming off the car, dealer attempted to fix it, but was not succesfull.

General Comments:

This is my first car, I got it in April of 2002 for $4000.

The exterior is nice, but the paint is very poor, a new scratch or chip every day it seems.

Weather stripping is coming off causing the driver's door to leak. Have seen this on other 86-91 Seville's.

The front of the car is low to the ground, I know all about it when I go up a steep incline.

The engine is very powerful, I have done several burn outs, however it does leak a little oil. I also get very poor gas mileage due to it being a V8 (14 city 18 highway). I have topped the car out at 115 MPH, it has a governor that limits the top speed to 115, I'm sure it could easily hit 160 or more without it. Car weighs well over 3,000 lbs, going 100MPH feels more like 75MPH or so.

The ride quality is phenomenal, the car glides over all the little bumps on the road, even the larger holes don't feel too bad compared to other cars I have ridden in.

Handling is also very good, the wheel turns very easily compared to most cars and the suspension can handle pretty sharp turns with little body lean.

The interior is very luxurious with power everything and leather all over (seats, console, steering wheel, dash). There is also some very nice looking wood trim on the dash and the center console.

All digital dash and Driver Information Center, displays such information as time, date, year, temperature, gas mileage, engine RPM, mileage until tank has to be refilled, oil life index, coolant temperature, battery voltage, and amount of gas used.

Climate control is also all digital and is very nice.

All together a great first car for a teenager if they can pay for the gas. Also a great family car. Upkeep can also be expensive as these cars need to be serviced often to be running their best. This car has never stalled on me once so far, in hot (100F) or cold (20F) weather. Will definitely buy a Cadillac again in the future.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th June, 2002

6th Dec 2003, 20:22

Hello,

I think that you must have a very heavy foot to be getting the poor mileage that you are reporting. I had a 88 Seville set up similar to yours and it consistently got over 20 MPG in both city and highway driving.

If you aren't heavy on the right foot, then your car needs a tune-up. The 4.5 is a good engine. If you treat it right, it will last for a long time. I had 150,000 miles on mine when I traded it for a 1994 Seville with a Northstar 4.6. Even better performance and mileage to boot. One caution though. If you don't know how long the anti freeze has been in you car, then, by all means, get it changed ASAP. The best thing is to do a total cooling system flush, drain both sides of the block and the radiator. Blow whatever coolant is left in the heater core out with low pressure air. Then use an name brand anti-freeze and DISTILLED water in a 50/50 mix. Also add the GM coolant supplement for aluminum engines and you will be good to go. If these engines have a weak point, it is due to not having the cooling system maintained properly.

Good luck with your car.

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