1994 Cadillac Seville STS 4.6 northstar from North America

Summary:

It is a keeper for sure

Faults:

The problems didn't start until after the 100,000 mile mark. First the alternator went out, then the starter went out, and now the transmission is shot. Theses problems all occurred within 4,000 miles.

General Comments:

This car is beautiful; it still gets great mileage and is in VERY clean condition. But, and here’s the part that hurts; it is front wheel drive, has the 4t80E transmission in it and the cost to repair is close to 4000 no matter what I have done to it. Oh yeah, we plan on having it fixed.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th September, 2009

8th Sep 2009, 14:17

Each to his own...

9th Sep 2009, 16:10

This is a perfect example of the fact that domestic vehicles are disposable by 100,000 miles.

10th Sep 2009, 08:24

The correct phrase would be," To each, his own."

And to the STS owner, Right on man. You fix your car.

1994 Cadillac Seville STS 4.6 Northstar V8 from North America

Summary:

Eye catching elegance mixed with brute performance

Faults:

The car had several small faults when I got it, but for over 200,000 miles it's doing great.

Starter replaced at roughly 200,000.

Several obd1 codes solved by corrosion on battery cables.

Turn signal flasher replaced.

Drivers seat was quite worn, but repaired it with suede.

Coil pack was replaced at 190,000.

Service Ride Control warning is on, but I've heard that an inadequate ground will cause this.

General Comments:

The car easily outperforms most cars I've owned, which is surprising because it is so bulky.

I've out accelerated a handful of sports cars off the line, and the top speed isn't bad either.

Its classic styling, accented by black paint and gold lettering is eye-catching.

I just wish it would heat up faster in these Minnesota winters.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th December, 2007

5th Dec 2007, 20:51

The worst thing in a MN winter, is when the car is still cold and you try and drive it, and the car makes gurgling sounds, etc. Looks like it survived our first two snow storms this year.

1994 Cadillac Seville STS 4.6L 32V Northstar from North America

Summary:

Bulletproof Drivetrain, great performance, well engineered

Faults:

I've run synthetic oil in the car since I've had it - Castrol Syntec 5W-30 (winter) and 5W-50 (summer). Car gets decent oil mileage, pretty steady at about 1500-1800mi/QT. No big deal from my persepective, just put one quart in between changes and do the change when it's down the second quart. I also use Mobil One or Purolater Premium Filters - stay away from the standard Delco and Fram crap.

New Plugs @ 100,000mi Went from Delco Platinums to Champion Iridium's

4 New Coils @ 100,000mi Two were corroded, replaced with better quality Standard (Blue Streak) Coils

New Wires @ 100,000mi.

Good Parts Source: RockAuto.

That's it for the engine.. 113,000mi with only the 100K mile service performed.

Transmission - changes every 50,000 miles, a pair of shirt solenoids at 90,000 miles.

Alternator, Starter, and A/C Compressor all needed replacement between 75,000 and 105,000 miles. Pay the big bucks, have them done by Cadillac service and now they have a LIFETIME unlimited parts and labor warranty (they've already had to do the alternator again)

A/C also has a pipe issue - one of the pipes rubs against the frame rail on the passenger side and develops a slow leak.. easy fix.

Electrical - the only electric problems I've had are with the PW motors. Just go to a junkyard and get 'em for $40 and have em put in when the fail. Power Antenna and Bose music system still work perfectly, all mirrors, seats, etc work fine. The only real bad design defect is the big center LED tailight - there's an outfit in TN that rebuilds 'em the right way for about $150. Did that once 5 years ago and have had no issues since.

Suspension - all original Struts, tie rods, steering rack, ball joints.

Exhaust - replaced Cat Converter at 105,000mi.

Brakes - the rear brakes last forever, the fronts are the weak element. Go to Tire Rack and get a set of Brembo slotted and vented rotors and Green Stuff competition linings.

Tires - I run slightly larger tires than the OEM version, makes a huge difference in cornering. P225/60ZR16 are the OEM size, if you want the ultimate P245/50WR16 Goodyear F1 GS-D3s will fit, although the RH Front will rub just a bit against the plastic inner fender on full LH lock.

Exterior paint (Burgundy) has held up well, and Interior (Black) has no rips/tears just a slight bit of cracking on the driver's side. Make sure you get the windows tinted (3M is a good bet) if you want the interior to last.

Performance - here's a little secret. If you really want a good 0-60 time shift into L2.. the transmission will respond with a nice firm 1-2 shift, enough to light the tires! Car runs 0-60 in the mid 6's, I've got a 1/4 mile drag slip at 14.85 @ 96MPB and it'll easily do 135-140 MPH on the top end (I've read 144MPH)

Awesome car, a 4-door 'Vette, bulletproof Powertrain, decent handling, and great gas mileage (25.6MPG at 74MPH), high 17's mixed/ around town. Cadillac comfort and you can blow almost any non-M BWM off a stoplignt.

Car still has all of the original suspension pieces, radiator hoses, water pump, and mufflers/exhaust pipes. Not bad for 13 years and 113,000 miles.

Next report at 150,000 miles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th July, 2007

30th Sep 2010, 19:55

Thanks for the review. I have a 1996 and I concur with everything you posted. Mine just turned 123,000 and is as strong as an ox. No issues. I just wonder if the "little ol' ladies" driving these machines have any idea of what a hot rod they have. These are the best looking of the Seville series. Cadillac got it right with this one. :)