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Originally Posted by jcmills99  Had the carfax run, everything came back clean, it checks out as a one owner car just as the dealer told me. Don't know if theres anyway to get in touch with the former owner to ask what kind of car it was for him. The tires are brand new (part of my deal) and I do have the moonroof, but the one thing that i wonder about now and I didnt really pay attention to at the time of purchase was the dealer said it had just had a 400 dollar brake job, which sounds kinda high for just a brake pad replacement or rotor work, doesnt it? Also the ONSTAR doesnt connect, Onstar Tech Support says I need to take it to a dealer and have them reprogram a number into the car, dealer says it will be $107 plus tax. All the reciepts for service were inside the owners manual book and the upkeep seemed to be regular with a few misses here and there with the oil change. Looks like there was warranty work on the back left power window, it quit rolling up and down. Where should i take the car and what should I ask for to have the underside checked?
EDIT....the car was originally titled in central tn i bought it from a dealer in memphis in eastern tn. |
That's a pretty good report. The clean Carfax means a lot. Tennessee is a whale of a lot better than, say, Maine; but perhaps not quite as good as Florida. To me, for ANY used car, salted winters knock down the value of the car.
Also, respectfully, Memphis is located in extreme southWESTERN Tennessee. A car from this location, or central TN, is far preferable to one out of the hills and mountains of eastern Tennessee. Memphis weather is warmer, the terrain is flatter, and there is less salt, bottom line, because it is not needed to the same extent as in eastern Tennessee.
A well cared for Cat out of central TN or Memphis, other things (e.g., age and mileage) being equal, is going most likely to be a better car than the one that lived in, for example, Minnesota.
I hope other posters here will counsel you re undercarriage inspection. I can give you my gut, but others might not agree:
I would not take the car to a Caddy dealer. I would try to find an independent mechanic I could trust.
If you can find a Caddy dealer who works on a LOT of Cats, well, it would be different. But sometimes they lie. Many Caddy dealers never even sold the Catera. From these I would stay strictly away. A great many Caddy dealers do not enjoy working on Cateras and consider them a PITA. They would not ever get close to my car.
It is important you realize a Catera is NOT a Cadillac. It is NOT. The Catera is an Opel, built for Caddy by the Opel plant in Ruesselsheim, Germany. This plant is owned by GM, but it is NOT a Caddy plant. The Catera running gear was also not designed by Caddy engineering. The Cat does not resemble any other Cadillacs built during or prior to 2001. The Cat is a German Opel MV6 Autobahn cruiser, plain and simple. It is a high strung German car and requires a LOT more care and service oversight than the average Caddy.
It is a very cool car and a beautiful car, but the Cat is a lot more like a Jag or a Mercedes than it is like a typical Caddy. The Catera is a true European sports sedan. It is NOT Detroit iron, not in any respect.
Like the car thus far no issues really, except the drivers heated seat doesnt seem to get to warm. Just wondering about the bose stereo, i've searched the forums for about 45 minutes now and havent seen anything with detailed specs on the bose stereo in the car. Was just wondering how many watts, speakers, etc, and wondering if there is a sub in the car already. 
I agree with everyone thus far get the recalls if any checked at the dealer and have them check it all over before your warranty is up. Check this out for further info and help 
There is some goos stuff in here 
