Looking at a '96 Deville - taking opinions. *PICTURES*

[Benzilla]

So, those of you that frequent the RWD forum know me, I never post here really since I sold my last FWD before I joined here. Anyway, on the way home today I spotted a Frost Beige 1996 Deville sitting in a realty office's parking lot with a for sale sign in it... I had to pull in. You see, I used to own one damn nearly exactly like it, only difference is that mine had no pinstripe.

Anyway, so I looked at it. I don't need another car right now, but it would be nice to have something for highway driving & trips so that my '90 Brougham can take it easy. Back to the Deville.. it has 124,000 on the clock, and isn't quite as nice as my old one (it was mint inside & out) but still looks very presentable, and after a day of pampering, could be a really sharp ride. Sorry I couldn't get any interior pics, the office was closed & the car was locked. The leather has a few cracks, armrest is worn, steering wheel is worn slightly, nice carpets though. Very clean. Exterior has a few door dings, a couple very small chips that turned rusty, and the rear bumper is skinned (as pictured) also, there's a long scuff along the lower passengers side doors (yes, both of them) looks like they ran over a flower bed retaining wall or something. Overall the paint is very shiny, with no clearcoat problems. I also looked under it, for having 124k on it, the chassis is extremely clean. Not rusty either. Oh, and the front passenger side wheel has curb rash.

They want $3,250 for it. I bought my last one for just over 5k in 2004 with right at 100k on it, so that sounds reasonable enough to me, probably get down to 3k.

So tell me what you think; about the price, the condition, even if you think it's good looking or not.. whatever you think. I just need to be swayed... and find a place to park it, lol

[CadillacSTS2003]

i say grab it
just make sure to take a LONG test drive

[93DevilleUSMC]

I say it`s nice, but those thin stripe whitewalls have got to GO!

[Benzilla]

Thin stripe as apposed to.....? Blackwalls aren't an option, and the don't make any wider whitewall in a 16" tire. I went through the whole thing with my last one.

Hey, also found out they used one like it on The Sopranos.

[CaddyshackCadillac]

i would look out for cars of similar years ide bet you can get one with a better paint and less scraches and scrapes for 3000.00 just my opinion....

[Benzilla]

Well, the paint itself is pretty nice, except for the rear bumper. And I think I could get them below 3k.. then again, they are realtors.

How much would you pay for it?

[93DevilleUSMC]

Originally Posted by Benzilla

Thin stripe as apposed to.....? Blackwalls aren't an option, and the don't make any wider whitewall in a 16" tire. I went through the whole thing with my last one.

Hey, also found out they used one like it on The Sopranos.

Ah, I see your point. The don't have the standard 1-inch whitewalls for 16s, I take it.

I still say that Blackwalls look better than whitewalls that are too thin.

[TomDeville]

I would pay $2.6K ; but, then;
Where are you going
to park it; and, how much
to insure?

[CaddyshackCadillac]

ide toss an offer of 2200 and ya phone number i mean u have tons of cars your in no hurry to buy it but they are obviously wanting to sell....let em come back with a counter then go a 100 lower than that and she's yours

[ehall]

Body work isn't cheap and the mileage is kind of high, so unless there is something other than fond memories of the color I'd wait for a better deal to come along.

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

If you really want it, I guess I'd throw 'em a tentative $2500 and see where that goes. Just make sure you, like Jason said, take it out for a good long test drive to see how the engine (namely the cooling system) holds up. But I've never really been fond of that style deVille...the car just looks to "slabby" to me. I'd much rather have a 97-99, due to the open rear wheels, but that's just me. Especially if you could find a '97-'99 Concours.

But, I can see the benefits of this one. It's newer, more modern, more electronic toys, it handles better, it's a LOT faster, and it'll return 26mpg on the highway in good tune. But IMO, not much can beat a 350 Brougham, especially a dark blue one.

[Cadillacboy]

I ain't a fan of that color but it seems a good deal !
Whatever yo decide hope you are satisfied with your decision

[Benzilla]

Thanks guys, you've brought up a lot of good points. If I bought it, I'd sell my green Sentra (which got smashed up) and possibly my red '79... don't know about that though.

For me, bodywork is cheap, I could get the bumper fixed for $100, forget about it. I've got the best body man on earth.
The miles are a little high, I guess, but if that gets to be an issue I'll just resell it.
2.5k seems pretty low technically, KBB says about 3.5k average. But hey, it works for me.
I think I'll go back over this afternoon and get a better idea of how I feel about it. It's just so much like my old one, which I loved, but killed me with maintenance costs. I must be crazy for wanting another one, but other than that, she was a real Cadillac. Quiet, fast, dapper, roomy... we'll see.

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

What happened with the Sentra? I forgot you had that as your commuter car...I'd definitely replace a Sentra with a Northstar Cadillac.

[Benzilla]

I hit a guardrail last week, annihilated the front fender, scraped down the side, dented the rear fender, and knocked off the passenger side mirror. The night later a deer ran into the driver's side, leaving a dent in the front fender and messing up the other mirror. Around the same time, the taillights & instrument panel lights stopped working.

Well, I went back this afternoon, and the Deville was gone, so either they moved it, or it sold. Either way, no biggie. But I'll probably go back tomorrow looking for it.