Cadillac Seville STS

bartboy9891

bartboy9891

I'm not Moe
Joined
Dec 1, 2004
Messages
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How is the fifth generation (1998-2004) as far as long term used cars go? My friend is considering buying a later model with around 60,000 miles on it, the price is pretty low for this combination (lots for around $12K-$14K).
I hear that the 4.6L Northstar V8 in the STS is quite reliable and there are generally few reliability issues with the car overall.

But my info may not be reliable at all. I can wander around the internet looking for reliability info. But people here may have first hand experience or at least suggestions on where to look for reliability info.
 
I hope they're reliable. Because I want one too, badly.
 
all i know is is that the northstar is an incredible engine. idk anything else like there trannys or whatnot.
 
I've heard that high-mileage (100k + miles) Northstars tend to leak oil. A friend of mine who used to work at a Jiffy Lube told me this, but he'd be the first to admit that it's probably just a maintenance issue and that anyone who has the means should acquire an STS, they are most choice. :D
 
Those Northstars are fine... till you have to work on them. Everything I've read and heard about them is that they are a NIGHTMARE to work on when something goes wrong. Like just changing the oil pan gasket is a 12+ hour job because you have to unbolt a ton of crap under there just to get at it. My Park Avenue and the Deville/Seville are almost the exact same car (G/K body with a similar wheelbase) so I can tell you it both handles and rides very well. As I said before, the problem comes when it's time to work on the engine, and that would make me very cautious about getting one.
 
My dad bought a '00 SLS in 2003, got to drive it off and on for the three years we had it untill he passed. It was a very comfortable ride, of course couldn't take a corner worth a damn. Had massive power, a 275hp engine powering the front wheels was something else...when I took it though L.A., was very nice to negotiate traffic. And of course the STS has 300hp, even better. It eats up the higher rev range. Engine had 80,000 miles on it and never had a sign of problems. Also had a great sound to it, got to hear one with hollowed out cats...very sweet.

Interior is pretty nice, lots of room, comfortable and decent dashboard/console materials. Leather wore out easily in the time we had it, seat coushins started showing seams/cracks, and they were conditioned often. The Bose sound system in it rocks, the subwoofer in the back window gives some very nice sound. The power window system is a wire & pulley system (at least in the '00), and the wire got bound up on the passenger side, and read some forums in '05 about some other Seville owners getting that problem. The whole climate control system pretty much went out on it also (only had air without regulation), along with the heated seats. We never got around to fix it since we traded it in just after it happened.

For being a big sloshy air ride Americaland car, I loved it. Roomy, crazy nice power, comfortable and very nice I thought. When I lived in Montana I would always take it out crusing...definately felt cool in it compared to my Cavalier :mrgreen:. I'd definately suggest to him getting an '04 if they are decently priced, and I think they came with a fancy Magneride suspension in the final year too.
 
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One of my brothers tells me they motors suck, but he never really quantified it. I can only say that PB is likely right on about working on them. They just look to be a pain in the ass.

Good news is, GM worked very hard on designing these motors to last a long time with little maintenance. The early motors were designed to go 100k miles with nothing but oil/filter changes.

Take a look on edmunds and other car review sites about owning high mileage ones, also there are a few forums for people with these cars. Those guys will be able to tell you far better than 99% of us here.
 
Id say the Ford 4.6 DOHC is better than the Northstar, but they are both great motors.
 
I want an Allant? badly.

[YOUTUBE]WsGq4_19p6Q[/YOUTUBE]

:cool:
 
Bulky and heavy, yes, but at least in my experience it is very reliable. 170k miles and running strong on mine with over 200k relatively common. At least among Mark VIII owners the engine usually outlasts the rest of the car.
 
sonza68 said:
Bulky and heavy, yes, but at least in my experience it is very reliable. 170k miles and running strong on mine with over 200k relatively common. At least among Mark VIII owners the engine usually outlasts the rest of the car.
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Yeah, they are pretty vice free. The 4.6 in our Mach 1 runs as strong at 95k miles as it did at 5k miles. No oil leaks, and still gets 20+mpg highway. Sound is phenomenal too. :mrgreen:
 
thedguy said:
Take a look on edmunds and other car review sites about owning high mileage ones, also there are a few forums for people with these cars. Those guys will be able to tell you far better than 99% of us here.
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Yea I was lurking around a Cadillac owners forum and people seem to be pretty happy with their early 2000 Sevilles. There were a few complaints about transmission trouble on cars with over 120,000 miles on them, but these seem to be few and far between. But I'll go check out Edmunds to find some more common problems.

Thanks for the replies guys, now I've got a question about warranties. If my friend does end up buying Seville, it would probably be from a dealership. Most will have a 3 month warranty, but is it really worth it to shell out a grand or two (not sure about the exact cost) to get a bumper-to-bumper 3 year warranty? Since the Seville would probably be a higher mileage model, I think it would be safe to do so in case something catastrophic happens. But a few people have told me that that extra warranty is just a waste of money. Does anyone have any experience with extended warranties on higher mileage cars?
 
bartboy9891 said:
Yea I was lurking around a Cadillac owners forum and people seem to be pretty happy with their early 2000 Sevilles. There were a few complaints about transmission trouble on cars with over 120,000 miles on them, but these seem to be few and far between. But I'll go check out Edmunds to find some more common problems.

Thanks for the replies guys, now I've got a question about warranties. If my friend does end up buying Seville, it would probably be from a dealership. Most will have a 3 month warranty, but is it really worth it to shell out a grand or two (not sure about the exact cost) to get a bumper-to-bumper 3 year warranty? Since the Seville would probably be a higher mileage model, I think it would be safe to do so in case something catastrophic happens. But a few people have told me that that extra warranty is just a waste of money. Does anyone have any experience with extended warranties on higher mileage cars?
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With the Northstar, yeah I'd go for the extended waranty. As I said with the oil pan, I've heard they do have a problem with leaking and you'd be looking at a $1,000+ repair bill for a $50 peice simply because of the labor involved. I imagin it'd be much the same way for a lot of things on the engine, simple repairs are hard to do because of how they laid things out.
 
public said:
I want an Allant? badly.

[YOUTUBE]WsGq4_19p6Q[/YOUTUBE]

:cool:
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Yeah the Allant? is quite a cool car. The front looks like a Mk4 Maserati Quattroporte.

"Rambo is a pussy" :lol:
 
bartboy9891 said:
Yea I was lurking around a Cadillac owners forum and people seem to be pretty happy with their early 2000 Sevilles. There were a few complaints about transmission trouble on cars with over 120,000 miles on them, but these seem to be few and far between. But I'll go check out Edmunds to find some more common problems.

Thanks for the replies guys, now I've got a question about warranties. If my friend does end up buying Seville, it would probably be from a dealership. Most will have a 3 month warranty, but is it really worth it to shell out a grand or two (not sure about the exact cost) to get a bumper-to-bumper 3 year warranty? Since the Seville would probably be a higher mileage model, I think it would be safe to do so in case something catastrophic happens. But a few people have told me that that extra warranty is just a waste of money. Does anyone have any experience with extended warranties on higher mileage cars?
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I'd find out exactly whats covered under that warranty before I bother. I knew a guy that sold 3rd party warranties and was making a shit load because you essentially paid for a service which you never got short of the oil being made by nazi lesbian hookers.
 
Definately. A coworker found out the hard way that the 3rd party warranties tend to be very specific on what they will and will not cover. He had to eat a couple repair which you would have expected a warranty to cover, but weren't. He did eventually get his money out of it when he had to have a bent crankshaft replaced.
 
Northstars are fantastic engines. they had been designed from the get-go with tons of limp-home modes and reliability features. very unlikely to get you stranded, even for an older one. My suggestion, is don't look at miles as much as how well the car was cared for. if you get the chance, try and get it from a GM/caddi dealership. you can buy extended warranties that are more catered to the car if you decide to go that route. just scrutinize the underhood area. if it looks like it may have been cleaned vs just average dirt collection, that may be a sign to look elsewhere. definitely go for the later models, and the STS = firmer suspension, much better in turns so that's my call. he should post pics here if he gets it :)
 
I had a 2000 SLS with the northstar. Make sure he gets an 01 or above.
My head gasket went about a year after my purchase. 01 and up are supposed to be better with the gaskets. 3000 to fix one though.
I ended up trading it in. Overall, I loved the car...good power and great looks.
Black on black ones rule. They do tend to use oil, but GM states that even one quart every 1000 miles is normal usage. WOT runs tend to lessen the amount of usage. The latter STS models have the magnetic suspension that tightens to your driving style...pretty cool.
 
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