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Time for a CTSV

8K views 60 replies 18 participants last post by  JimmyH 
#1 ·
Hi, first post here. I have been on lots of car forums, and ever since I can drive, I have always wanted, and later, blessed to have fast cars.

Except my first car, a POS 86 300ZX that broke down on me all the time, I have had an E36 M3 sedan, E36 M3 coupe, E46 M3 coupe, E30 325is, 996 Turbo, 996 GT2, S4 Avant, E39 M5, and the latest, E90 M3 sedan.

After the hassle of selling cars that we own so we can get into another car, the V will be a lease car.

Since both my wife and I are stick shift only drivers, and since we got one of the last few E90 M3 sedan's, my option for a new RWD family car with manual and good power are severely limited.

Actually, that's an understatement. At present time, the V's are the only option that I have if I wanted a RWD family car with good power and manual. F10 M5 is vaporware right now, and aside from it, there is nothing. That is quite a sad state of affairs for enthusiasts who got married and had kids but didn't want to give up on the joy driving.

I went with the mrs and checked out a V coupe with Recaro seats and alcantara wheels and shifters, and if you didn't see the Cadillac emblem on the steering wheel, you could easily mistaken it for something German, which is a great thing. There are still a few little things that you can tell were the results of last minute conference call denies by the accountants, like the fact that the trunk lining material is the same as the Chevy Malibu and not something from comparable Audi, BMW, and MB supplier. But, those things are so minor compare to the first gen V that this car is now a serious competitor to the Germans, which is awesome. Because, hey, as the dying breed of family folk enthusiats, the more choices of RWD manual sedans/wagons with power, the better.

I am deciding between the sedan and the Vagon. The sedan, because it is a little bigger than the E39 M5 in the rear seat area, way bigger in the trunk, and truck load more power. The Vagon, because it is an awesomely unique car like my old funky yellow S4 Avant manual.

We saw a non V wagon, and really were not terribly impressed by the rear folding seats design, the cargo divider net contraption, and the rear area in general. I thought those were really low rent. I am trying to find a Vagon in LA somewhere that I can check out to help out my decision making process. Autotrader seems to suggest that there is nothing in LA anywhere...

I am a patient man, I waited 4 months for my 996 Turbo, 3 months for the E46 M3, and 4 months for the last of the E90 M3 sedan, so I don't mind waiting to get exactly what I want. Many dealers in LA seem to be shocked that I don't mind the wait after trying to push the autotragic version on me.

It is too bad that the Caddy doesn't have a nice, bright red color for the V, because that would have been my first choice. Being a bright color car guy with yellow Turbo, GT2, S4 Avant, and now the red M3 sedan. So, it looks like I would be doing the following:

Black diamond
Black Graphite
Yellow caliper
Manual
Recaro

No, I am not getting a sunroof. Even though I am only 6'2," I have 32" inseam, which makes it very difficult to sit HPDE driving position (which is what I am used to from years of HPDE back when I was single) in a sunroofed car. The regular CTS sedan with no sunroof that I sat in had about 2 inches of headroom for me. But from reading the forum, it seems that it might work out better for me anyway, since the sunroof seems to make a lot of noises.

One of the worse thing about owning a Porsche or BMW in LA is the dearth of good dealer service department. I finally found one with BMW, but I know less than nothing about Cadillac service in LA. I am still reading through the forum, but if anyone has a tip on where to take the V for service in LA, it is greatly appreciated.

That's all for now. I am excited to wade into unfamiliar water. And since my FIL works at GM, I am sure this would improve my cred with him now that I am looking to get American and not another "fern car..."
 
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#2 ·
I couldn't even find a dealership in So Cal to acknowledge me. I live in Agoura" I we referred to James Quinn in Michgan and my car is being built next week with delivery early Nov. I am having it delivered to Bunnin in Oxnard cause they were the only dealer that didn't want $1000 for PDI. I work in Century City and live near Silver Star Westlake. I really havent made up my mind where I will have maintenance done. I'm 6'3" with the same inseam and have no problem with headroom with a sunroof on a coupe when I test drove one.

Mine is a Black Raven Coupe, Ebony interior, Satin Graphite wheels with yellow calipers, Recaros, sunroof, wood trim and suede wheel and knob. I'm replacing an SUV daily driver and will take turns with my 66 Chevelle for my commute.
 
#19 ·
I couldn't even find a dealership in So Cal to acknowledge me. I live in Agoura" I we referred to James Quinn in Michgan and my car is being built next week with delivery early Nov. I am having it delivered to Bunnin in Oxnard cause they were the only dealer that didn't want $1000 for PDI. I work in Century City and live near Silver Star Westlake. I really havent made up my mind where I will have maintenance done. I'm 6'3" with the same inseam and have no problem with headroom with a sunroof on a coupe when I test drove one.

Mine is a Black Raven Coupe, Ebony interior, Satin Graphite wheels with yellow calipers, Recaros, sunroof, wood trim and sude wheel and knob. I'm replacing an SUV daily driver and will take turns with my 66 Chevelle for my commute.
I am working with James now, he's really awesome.

I am realy hoping i can find a good dealer to service my V2. This is the no fun part of owning a nice car of any brand in La, where dealers can't even spell customer service...
 
#3 ·
Sounds like we have the same taste, except I got the roof.



It will be difficult to find a manual sitting around waiting for a test drive. They pretty much make them to order, especially the wagon. I've never driven a BMW (unless you count our MINI Coopers) but I think this car is incredible. It was quite an extravagant purchase for us but I convinced the wife that we needed to get one before GM came to their senses and quit building it or raised the price!
 
#9 ·
Thanks for posting pictures of the red. Maybe pale is not the right word, but surely you have seen the solid reds that I mentioned from Porsche, Audi, and BMW. And this is not it. Nothing wrong with the red from Cadillac, just not what I would want on my car.
 
#12 ·
Interesting read, as I'm kinda in the same boat. I'm leaning towards the Vagon as well, 6spd, etc etc. I think I'm going with white. I love black cars when they're clean but that seems to be an chore in itself. The new opulant blue is nice, but after seeing it in person I just don't like it enough... there just seems to be something off.... can't put my finger on it.

So anyhow, I think a white car with the black rims/yellow calipers will look pretty darn good. Tint and some blacked out grilles/badges from D3 and it'll be good to go.
 
#15 ·
Well, I had ASSumed that the CTS-V would have rear power sunshade and manual side shades, which is important for us folks with kids.

BMW, Audi, and Benz have had this feature since back in the 80's, I don't know why this is not available in the CTS-V.

It is not an expensive option, all three of those German car makers charge abotu 500 bucks for this. I am really surprised since CTS-V is directly aimed at the M5, and this options has been available since the E34 M5 days (though in the U.S. only E39 and E60 M5's).

I do not want to tint my windows, because I do not want to draw attention from the police. Countless cop friends and acquaintances have told me that an aftermarket exhuast and some tint makes you stand out like nobody's business.

It's really interesting what options get to survive the accountants axe at GM and what don't. It looks like side body plastic molding, trunk liner, and the sunshades from better quality supplier got the axe. Too bad, since they would not have added that much cost to an already expensive car. As in, do you think people who are looking at this car would care that the trunk liner costs an additional 200 bucks, or they would have to pay $500 for the sunshades?

Overall though, I am excited and happy at the direction Cadillac is going with the CTSV line, and I am impressed by the large quality improvement that has been made from the time of the first gen CTS-V to the V2.
 
#18 ·
Well, at the end of the day, it is still a sedan. And part of the utility of any sedan is hauling people, in this case, my two small kids.

The things i mentioned in this thread are what is stopping the V2 from being a no excuse competitor to the other rwd fast manual sedans of the world.

But, since F10 M5 is vaporware right now, I am looking forward to a two year lease with the V2.

I am a car guy, no fanboi.
 
#24 ·
It's 60 miles round trip and I leave at 5:15 am an get there in about 35 minutes. Going home is a little more but sometimes and likely more now, I do the Coast and up Kanan. I like driving. It's therapy.

I may try out Silverstar in Westlake for service just for the convenience, but will keep a close leash. They cater to a pretty picky crowd so I am not too worried about the basics with them. I'm trying to get over to Bunnin to watch them unload and prep the car. We'll see. James is a rare breed.
 
#25 ·
i am OBVIOUSLY biased.

it wasnt that the car i owned wasnt perfect. It was a POS. I lived throught the HPFP fiasco with the N54 in a BMW. I understand flaws... also, i understand that my issues were exponentially magnified by an absolutely incompetent dealership that had no idea how to treat an enthusiast.

i maintain that the cts-v is a $30,000 glorified chevy malibu with a 556 hp motor. At the end of the day, I expected quality at or near an M5 and got nowhere close.

remember, the car is at its core, a cts... THE LOWEST MODEL CADILLAC.

There are many people on this board that didnt have the issues I had... I hope that anyone that gets this car has an experience similar to what I had hoped for.
 
#29 ·
the v is crazy fast and a blast to drive... i loved being able to go RIGHT THERE, RIGHT NOW. there was no opening in traffic that was too small to get into... i do miss the power on a daily (hourly) basis.

the only 4 door that ive ever driven that felt anywhere close is the new cls 63. im very interested in the f10 m5 and in fact still have a deposit on the first one set to come to my state... when that will happen has yet to be determined. im hearing march/april for delivery in the us...

btw, LOVE the new e63 wagon.
 
#34 ·
i gave Silverstar a chance but the sales manager overrode my poor salesguy with some crazy no manual ctsv policy and tried to push the slushie ctsv on th showroom on me.

Another nameless dealer tried to pocket my eva money by purposely quoting the wrong gm preferred and eva price.

I just love LA dealers, don't matter if it was cadillac, porsche, ferrari, or bmw.
 
#36 ·
Well, it's been 5 trouble free months since taking delivery of the Vagon 6 speed, and my car ADD is kicking in, hard. In the last 6 years I have had 03 Turbo, 03 GT2, 08 S4 Avant, 03 M5, 11 M3, and 12 CTSV Wagon.

Last week I got rid of our 2011 M3 sedan. Someone took over the lease and came and drove the car away. BMWFS really has the process down. I started the process on Monday with the new lessor, and on Thursday got an email from BMWFS saying that the car can now be surrendered to the new lessor. Wow.

The M3 is going to be replaced by a red or yellow 04 or 05 GT3. Last of the no traction control dry sump block racing motor GT3 before they go to this POS 9A1 non racing motor.

This brings up the Vagon.

Love the power, love the fact that it has been trouble free and have not seen the inside of a dealer in 4500 miles since new. But, both the mrs and I miss having a nice and pristine E39 M5 in our fleet, and as luck would have it, I found one that is very late production with less than 10K miles. A sub 10K mile E39 M5's are getting to be very difficult to find, so I need to make room and grab one before they are all gone for good.

My monthly lease payment is 799 before sales tax, hopefully it won't be too difficult to find someone to take over the lease. I will be contacting Ally to get the Vagon up for a lease transfer to free up a parking space for this M5.
 
#39 ·
I'm actually a 2003 E39 M5 owner thinking of getting a Vagon, haha. How is the driving experience between the 2 besides the obvious power difference? I love my M5 also but as repair bills mount up, it's coming time to move on. What made you miss your M5 so much? I don't want to have regrets selling the M5.
 
#41 ·
The CTSV is a modern big power sedan. Like any modern big power sedan, E60 M5, AMG E55, etc, it is big and feels heavy. Before I had the Vagon, starting from 98, I have had 97 M3 sedan, 98 M3 coupe, 2002 M3, 88 325is, 2003 Porsche Turbo, 2003 Porsche GT2, 2008 S4 Avant, 2003 M5, and 2011 M3 sedan.

The E39 M5 is no feather weight, but BMW managed to make it feel small and nimble. If you are in LA you are welcome to check out my Vagon.

It was the last 5 series that did not feel big and bulky. The E60 and the F10 just feel huge, and the CTSV was no exception.

Interior wise, the V2 while close, is still no E39 M5. The E39 M5 MSRP was 70K in 2003 (my Varon has an MSRP of 72K), and came with nice alcantara headliner, fine grain nappa leather dash and B pillar with alcantara A and C pillar. It has very nice trunk lining and mat (instead of the Chevy malibu stuff). And while the leather in the V2 is a huge improvement over the V1, heritage nappa leather this aint. And then there's the dome light surround in the V2, it is made of seriously cheap plastic with huge cheap looking buttons. Lastly, the trunk privacy cover is laughbly cheap even when compared to the bottom of the line 40K Audi A4 Avant.

These interior complains are small things. But if all you have ever had are German cars, it might bother you.

The biggest issue you have to consider is whether you are OK with the direction of modern sedans being big and heavy, regardless of brand. This more than anything is why we are moving back to a sub 10K pristine 2003 M5.

----------

You'll never be happy with an American car. This is a "V" forum. Buy a used German whatever and move on.
The reason the V1 came into being was because Lutz wanted something that can compete with the E39 M5.

With the V2, it was nice enough that people who previously spend their 70 to 100K on German cars are looking this way. Like it or not, for CTSV to be on par with the Germans, small things matter. Cadillac obviously agrees with people like me who are first time owners, because they tried really hard to rectify the horrid V1 interior with the hugely improved V2 interior.

I am hopeful that by V3, the accountant who said no on things like nice leather dash, alcantara headliner, and high quality trunk covering get out voted and the engineers get to source truely nice stuff.

----------

That's strange trading a 2012 awesome sedan for a 9 year old BMW?
The E39 M5 is iconic.

This is the car that got Lutz started on the CTSV. And when a last MY less than 10K mile one popped up, I just can't say no to that.
 
#43 ·
I know the coupe wasn't on your radar but maybe that would be a better comparison to M3s, and 911s. I've owned alot of the same cars you have and I hated my B5 S4 Avant and E39M5 but loved my M3s (E46 and E90) and 9111s. I'm considering the coupe to replace my 911 because I just love the silly power of the V.

Good luck with your lease swap. It's tempting.
 
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