[Intheknow]

I am selling my STS. One of my employees wants to buy it. She and her husband test-drove the car and loved it. I found myself thinking that these people wouldn't understand the finer points of this fine car. I was also wondering if they would even learn about all of the different options and wonderful electronic things the car does. Will they understand that the STS isn't just another big car? That the Northstar V8 is a revolutionary engine? Are these folks sophisticated enough for this fine car?

Then I started to think that I needed to stop being such an elitist snob. Who the h*ll am I to judge them on what kind of car they should be driving? Just because they have blue-color jobs they can't appreciate and enjoy a fine automobile?

So what happens to luxury cars that start to get past their prime? I guess I see the owners and the market for Caddys as Primary, Secondary and Tertiary. I'm a secondary owner. I would not buy an STS new for many reasons . . . nor any other car, but that is my own personal financial philosophy. In the case of my car, the Primary owner paid $56,000 for it new in 2001. He (an MD) drove it for 60,000 and sold it to me for $15,000. He paid $.68 a mile for his 3+ years of driving an STS. I put an additional 50,000 miles on it and will sell it for $9,000. My cost of driving an STS is $.12 a mile. As secondary owner, I get a much cheaper cost per mile when the purchase price is divided out by the miles, but the primary owner had almost NO maintenance issues. The secondary owner usually has several maintenance issues. In my case I had radiator and water hose issues, speed sensor and wheel hub issues, crank shaft position sensor issues, etc. . . I also have had to deal with a new onset oil leak and the Service Engine light came on right after I bought it (TC solenoid lockup), but ignored it for 50,000 miles. Even still, my cost per mile is greatly reduced from that of the primary owner. Will the tertiary owners luck out? I think they are facing a greater risk of high cost maintenance issues. The tertiary owners, however, are getting the car for less than 1/6 of its original price. If the tertiary owners get 13,000 miles out of the car and then junk it, they would get the same cost per mile as the original owner. And I think they would probably appreciate and enjoy it far more too.

I think the original owner, Mr. Rich Doctor, drove the car because he though he was entitled to it. He was an MD and had to look the part. Did he enjoy it and appreciate its finer points? No, I think he took it for granted. The Secondary owner, me, is an enthusiast. I shopped for months for that particular year and model, cut a hard deal and knew exactly what I was getting. I know the finer points and appreciate the evolution of the Seville. I didn't think I earned, deserved or was entitled to a fine luxury car. I bought it because I loved it. I think the tertiary owners are going to be thrilled that they get to drive such a fancy car. They may never learn all about all of the fancy electronic options. They will most likely NOT see what it can do WOT on the way down their street, but I hope that they will have at east half the enjoyment I had . . . and that's probably enough.