Faults:

I bought this car to repair. The person before me had blown the head gasket and the oil pan was leaking. Also, after driving, I noticed one of the motor mounts was broken, but this is very common in front wheel drive vehicles, especially with 100,000 miles.

After getting the car home I realized that the thermostat had stuck, but I still could not understand why the head was blown. These engines are designed to run for up to 50 miles with no water in them. After further inspection, I found that some moron had put the relays to the radiator fan motors in backwards. If they had not, the engine would have been fine with just a $12 thermostat replacement.

As far as the oil leak goes. The mid-late 90's Northstar engines did have a problem with their oil pan gaskets and plugs, and why they did not issue a recall I have no idea. This is a fairly inexpensive and simple repair though, and from what I understand the newer engines have no problems with it.

General Comments:

After repairing the car I have had no problems. These are very good cars and excellent engines. I have owned several Cadillacs in the past, all with good results.

I would recommend though, if your Cadillac has a Northstar and you notice it getting warmer, immediately turn the engine off.

Faults:

When I purchased the car at my local Cadillac dealer, the trunk needed to be re-sealed, and the console arm rest had to be replaced, as the previous owner damaged the hinge.

Front rotors needed to be replaced at 85 thousand miles.

The car never once failed me in 61 thousand miles, and didn't deteriorate in any sense of the word.

The car could sit for weeks on end and start up as if it were used five minutes earlier.

General Comments:

After an errant truck kicked up a stone and cracked my windshield, I took it to the dealer to be repaired. Their price cost 1/4 of everyone else's quote, and the car was ready in a matter of hours. They even detailed it for me! It actually makes me wish things regularly went wrong with the car.

All seats are comfortable, yet the back is a tad cramped, as this is the more eurocentric, sporting model.

The ride is smooth, yet it handles takes off, and stops like an F-16 jet.

These headlamps are some of the best I have experienced in a car.

Although it doesn't scream Cadillac, the styling is attractive, nonetheless.

Faults:

I complained about excessive oil consumption at around 47,000 miles and the dealer performed an oil consumption test that endured over two oil changes. They confirmed that the vehicle consumed 1.2 quarts of oil every 1000 miles, but said that this was normal and showed me a GM product bulletin.

My 6-CD changer also had to be sent to GM for repair as it ate up my CDs and jammed. The cost was a fixed charge of $249. I was told it is made by Nakamichi. For all I know, they could have simply replaced the unit rather than to repair it as no explanation was given by GM as to why it broke.

Other than the transmission case cracking at 55,000 miles, and the rotors needing resufacing at 75,000 miles, mechanically the car has been running well.

Unfortunately, there are annoying finish and interior items that have broken, such as the dashboard warping at the windshield due to heat, the plastic seat belt retainers cracking, and the plastic rivets to hold down the wheel well walls popping.

General Comments:

The Seville STS is a great highway car, looks upscale, has great lines and good power. Having owned a 1995 BMW 740i before getting this one as a company car, I can see that Cadillac was trying very hard to give the STS the kind of exuberance that the Germans have given to their 7 Series. All in all though, if I had $50,000 in 1999, I would have bought a BMW 540i. Besides, at least the dealer would treat me like a BMW customer. At the Cadillac Buick Chevrolet dealer I patronize only because it's near my home, they treat me like a Chevy customer rather than a Cadillac customer. I constantly tell them that and they constantly reply that they treat all their customers the same (yeah, lousy).