11th Mar 2007, 17:12

30 Yrs old I bought a 97 Seville STS, 115000 miles the car is burning oil and anti freeze like there's no tommorow! I took it in to a mechanic and was told that Cadillacs' value dropped because of weak Northstar motor... Ant truth to that? Can anyone give me info?

1st Jul 2007, 11:37

I am a 65 year old male and I purchased my 1997 STS in October of 2001. It had 35K mileage and was in excellent condition. It now has 165K and is still in excellent condition. The only problems I have had are replacing water pump at 110K and coolant reservoir (cracked) at 150K.

I get regular oil changes at 3000 - 4000 miles. After oil change I need one quart of oil at about 2000 miles and again at about 3000 miles.

The car's performance is still strong. I can't notice much loss since I bought the car. I plan to keep this car until it dies and then I will be in the market for another Cadillac.

My wife has a 1996 STS which she bought used from a not so reputable dealer and she has had a few problems with her vehicle. The only major problem was a need to replace the transmission. Fortunately, it was still under the dealer's warranty.

19th Sep 2007, 19:54

Hello, Have had a 1999 Cadillac Seville since November of 2006. GReat car until about april. I had a mysterious overheating problem, my temp gauge would tick up to H then tick back to the middle. When it got hot it would say engine hot AC Off. Engine Hot, Idle Engine. I finally got the thermostat change and so far so good. Haven't drove it on the highway yet though, and that's when it mainly overheated.

12th Oct 2007, 15:33

I bought a 1997 SLS in April of this year. It had 105k miles on it, but it was well taken care of inside and out. It is now 6 months and 10,000 miles later and I absolutely love the car. Plenty of power, excellent fuel economy, and no issues. I wanted some cheap transportation with creature comforts - and that's exactly what I have.

I'm 48yrs old and I've had many Cadillacs over the years. Yes, Cadillac has built their share of crappy motors... the HT 4100 motor was a disaster, thank goodness the V8-6-4 nightmare only lasted 1 yr, and (I hesitate to even mention it) the mid 80's GM diesel. And all were a result of Cadillac trying to "push the envelope" and maximize fuel economy while retaining the big, heavy coachwork Cadillac owners have demanded. This kind of engineering doesn't translate well into mass-production. Kudos to Cadillac for waking up in the late 70's and giving it a shot.

Here's my take on the Northstar motor. It's not perfection... far from it. But it is an excellent example of Cadillac pushing engineering and manufacturing technology to the leading edge - maybe the "bleeding" edge! When it's done right, it's a thing of beauty. Mine is smooth, quiet, clean, efficient, and impressively powerful. Remember that this is a late 80's design first introduced in very limited quantities in the Allante. Judging from the number of average to high mile Northstars still on the road in 2007 (and not the number of negative comments on the 'net), I think Cadillac did quite well.

If you want to comment on Cadillac's ability to build fine cars, please, judge them on the merits of their latest offerings. I am blown away by the powerplants Cadillac has introduced in the past several years. Dealerships and service centers will always be a mixed bag and a used car is more than just "pre-owned", it truly is used. You don't know how it was used - you can look for evidence of abuse and look at a CarFax report. Even if you buy from someone you know well, chances are there are things about the vehicle you would like to know, but won't be told. What exactly is "normal use" or "highway miles" or "regular maintenance"?

To conclude (sorry for the rant), I am a Cadillac man and I'm proud of it. I've had other great cars, too. I usually buy used cars and accept the risk. If I wind up with a car that has issues, then too bad for me. Caveat emptor.

My Cadillac ownership history: 1966 Coupe Deville, 1974 Coupe Deville, 1977 Brougham, 1981 Coupe Deville, 1983 Brougham, 1984 Seville, 1985 Sedan Deville, 1987 Sedan Deville, 1988 Brougham, 1990 Brougham, 1993 Sedan Deville, 1997 SLS.

5th Dec 2007, 11:50

I just had a bad 6 weeks with my 1997 DeVille. The dash would remain black and the car would not start. Once in a while the dash would light and then you knew it would start.

$3000.00 later and having been at my local mechanic, a dealer diagnosed the Dash module (IPC) as the cause. Since Cadillac does not support 1997 vehicles, I had to go to the junkyards for the IPC. Initially I was told the 1996 would fit, but after the dealer sent one I purchased for reprogramming, it came back and I was told only a 1997 cluster would work.

The car runs good now, but I am experiencing cold start problems and must crank the engine at least 8 short burst in order to get it running. Once running, it runs very well. The car has 101526 miles on it.

17th Jan 2008, 23:17

Still searching very happy so far.

26th Mar 2008, 03:55

I bought a 1996 Cadillac STS with 66,000 miles about 3 years ago. Now have 142,000 miles and issues to go with it. First oil leak, put in 1 quart bout every week... but does not smoke. Have to top off radiator bout once a week but no anti freeze on ground or in oil. Brake fluid needs topping off bout 2-3 weeks. All inside electrical goes off and on at will. Need to replace a/c blower motor. Seems like a bug in electrical system circulates thruout. Other than that plenty of power and satisfaction from my STS.

23rd Jun 2008, 22:49

I own a '99 Seville SLS. I make payments on my SLS, but I can't drive my SLS, because it needs new head gaskets ($4000.00). Cadillac made a mistake somewhere, therefore no wonder people don't buy American cars. Got to go; I can't miss the bus.

19th Jul 2008, 18:08

You want to drive the second most powerful front wheel drive car ever made, you want to do-it in luxury, and feel good driving something above most of the cars around, well you have to pay for it. People buying a Cadillac don’t look for a cheap impersonal mean of transportation.

I bought my ’97 STS almost 3 years ago with about 55 K on it, I was only looking for ’97 STS period. I used the car ever since as a daily driver and I enjoy every single part of it. Now it has about 105K and runs excellent to say the least. Of course I had my fair share of issues with the car (struts, water pump, fuel pump, etc.), of course it uses about 1.5 quarts of oil between changes, but also has 300 HP, power everything, looks and s.o. I cannot complain about anything on this car, is one of the best ever made and I plan to keep it forever.

Should you buy a Cadillac, if you want performance and luxury YES YES YES, if you are more the concerned about the budget character, maybe you will be better off, the only thing GM can do without is another confused customer who bought the wrong car for his needs. If you want to buy a budget car there are plenty of cheap boring but reliable cars out there. Keep in mind everything comes with a cost, either money or luxury power and beauty.

Also remember, a person not having issues with the car will most likely not bother posting a positive comment, but the 5% of the unlucky owners are most likely the ones posting comments (negative), and this is what you read. So for every negative comment you see, 15 other owners are happy with their car.

A proud Cadillac owner.