Looking at a possible "new" car


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Old 10-28-10, 07:47 PM
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Looking at a possible "new" car

I am considering another car to replace one of my two vehicles. My mechanic bought a car from the wife of a deceased customer because the deceased said he wanted the mechanic to have it. It is 1998 Cadillac Eldorado Touring Coupe with 72,000 miles on it. It looks great and is stored in a spare bay of the garage. The mechanic has several other cars he never has a chance to drive (including his 1970's Sting Ray). He is not actively trying to sell it, but he is running out of space.

I am wondering what the history and problem areas are on the 1998 Cadillac Touring Coupe are to evaluate the possibility. I recognize that it is can be a pricey car to keep running because of the goodies that come on it. I previously had the last of the C4 Corvettes, so pricey parts are not a shock. The Cadillac engine is a basic 4.6L V8 Norstar (sequential fuel injection, I assume).

I really do not need a different car, but my wife and I have 2 4WD SUVs that get the 4WD button pushed once or twice a year to make sure everything is still working, so two are obviously not needed and we do not do a lot of driving now - mostly around town and an occasional long trip.

My 1999 GMC Jimmy SLT has has 142,000 miles on it (23,000 while owned and maintained by GM and the rest by me that are mainly highway/freeway). My wife has a 2000 Blazer SLE that has 94,000 miles and she is not particularly observant and is not a good driver. My Jimmy is in great condition with new Michelin tires, not a spot of rust and is bullet-proof. Hers has 90,000 miles on it (decent condition), is a little looser, and is not as good a car, so I have to decide on which to keep if I jump to become a family with only 1 SUV and a nice driving car. She loves her car.

My main concern is what can I expect to go wrong with the Cadillac (at 70,000 miles of good maintenance) because of time and wear. My mechanic is brutally honest and is/has been very fair, although he can be a little slow unless pushed for a completion time, but he does give me a ride home and pick me up (4 blocks away), so it a question of the car and the future problems.

Any opinions on the Cadillac (including model historic problems) as a possible purchase will be appreciated. - Thanx in advance.

Dick
 
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Old 10-29-10, 09:04 AM
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Not much help, probably, but an uncle of mine has a 98 Deville and it has been a great car
 
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Old 10-29-10, 10:48 AM
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I am very interested in it because it is a newer and bigger/better version of a 1987 Olds 88 Royale Brougham Coupe I had (3.8L multi-port FI) that I had in the same color combination and not as many "goodies" or power and weight. I drove that for 175,000 miles in 3 1/2 years and enjoyed it totally. That is the reason I am interested since I do not need another car. With 6,000 miles per year on it and being garaged daily and well maintained, it could work out since I don't have any kids to haul around. If I had the extra room I would be in a bigger hurry.

Dick
 
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Old 10-29-10, 11:24 AM
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My mother had a 1998 Caddy with the Northstar engine in it (4 door sedan). She did have one big problem with it which was she had to have the tranny replaced at about 45K miles. Other than that it was very dependable. She quit driving in January of this year and sold the car.
 
 

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