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Buying used 2005 DHS: what to inspect?

2K views 18 replies 11 participants last post by  Caddy-EaRL 
#1 ·
Current daily driver is a 96 Concours with 235K. GM replaced rear seal at 60K under warranty, and we replaced engine at 160K due to cracked block. Done the usual replacements: EBTCM, rear knuckle bearings, water pump, struts, shocks, AC compressor, alternator (3x!), reglued the dash cover, replaced lotsa plastic trim parts over the years.

Now we're looking at a 2005 DHS with about 80K offered by a private party. What should we inspect/watch out for? I gather the HG issues were largely addressed by the 2005 model year.

Thanks for your input!
 
#2 ·
Same as any other used car: Inspect everything, believe nothing. Private party = Golden 90 Warranty: 90 seconds or 90 feet, whichever occurs first.

The usual litany of checks including: Cylinder block exhaust gas test, a look-see at any service records, both key fobs, 3 keys (2 black, one gray), owner's manual, decipher the RPO list under the spare tire cover, brake inspection, parking brake test, coolant change record. Aggressive road test to include hood open front motor mount torque check. Does the car look and smell good ? Water under the spare tire ? Spare tire not dry rotted and inflated to 60 psi ? Service tires good with no sidewall dry rot ? Oil level at the center of the dipstick hashmark (not all the way to the top) and at least brownish-amber in color ?

This could go on forever - Study the entire Cadillac Technical Archive way up ^^^ in the top black bar, and study the sticky posts in the Engines; Northstar forum.
 
#3 ·
Water under the spare tire ?
I failed on this on my '05 dhs. Had a spare tire boot full of water and didnt know. Got all the trunk lining removed and discovered previous leaking and attempts at sealing it up. I got lucky and the leak I was left with was minor and I was able to remedy it myself, but never assume anything as submariner said. Also, pay the 30-40 bucks for a carfax or autocheck history.
 
#4 ·
Kicker is, CARFAX is a voluntary reporting database - you'll usually see only emissions inspections and various title transfers.

"Honey, I smashed the doo-doo out of the DHS - BillyBob and Cooter fixed it good with Bondo - Tell CARFAX, will you ??"
 
#5 ·
All good points from everyone and let me add this...look closely at how the car was cared for. I did very well with my 04 DHS, the car is spotless an even looks/smells new inside but you wouldn't believe the crud that I dug out of the doglegs behind the rear doors. All that crap had been there for some time too so now I have a couple of annoying but minor paint issues to deal with and all because somebody didn't know how to wash a car. My .02Cdn. rant.


J.R.
 
#6 ·
^^^everything they said. In my case, I wish I had inspected spare tire area for water & rust, and done a more thorough inspection of suspension. If you have suspension issues, esp. rear, be prepared to open your wallet real wide.
 
#8 ·
first thing check for codes -

an 05 - with 80K miles - could have ALL ORIGINAL PARTS -

it might have only had a few oil changes -

and - IF the owner followed the suggested maintenance schedule -
some other fluids - coolant/brake/power steering/trans - might have been changed -

ask for service records

original battery -
original belts and hoses -
original spark plugs - not due till 100K miles -
original brakes -
could still have the original tires on it -
most likely original struts and shocks -

sounds good - or does it -
 
#9 ·
Thank you for all the good information. Haven't gotten an appointment with seller yet, but now i have a pretty good checklist.

I'm not worried too much about the condition of consumables (battery, belts, brakes, tires, etc.) because I expect to replace them multiple times over the time I'll have the car. More concerned about things needing an engine pull (e.g., oil seals, HG) or other expensive annoyances (cf. TCC solenoid).

My local independent mechanic says to watch out for oil pan leaks (= engine pull to fix).
 
#15 ·
Yeah, that ^^^^

Too bad most of the complainers never owned a brand new 1961 Corvair or a 1965 Chevelle Malibu SS 327/350. Or a '67 Cougar 289 HiPo. Leaks ??? Phooey. 1985 Mustang 302 GT - brand new, special order. Absolute junk. New engine at 6,350 miles - Ford assembly mistake.
 
#17 ·
My '03 DeVille with 136k is dry as a bone, as is the '02 STS with 138k. The '02 Eldorado ETC with 85k however is a completely different story. The underside of that car holds more doggone oil than the oil pan itself... And the Ellie has almost all of the original parts, 'cept for the plenum boot, spark-plugs, tires, half-shafts (CV Axels started leaking trans fluid) and 4 fuel injectors. Word of advice, I would buy a well taken car of Cadillac with a few more miles on it. Like the Ellie, if it just sits in the garage most of the time, crap starts to deteriorate and weaken. Like the radiator, hoses, thermostat, weather seals for the frame less windows (Massive air leak at high way speeds), HVAC temp actuator for the dual zone climate control, and I am now trying to chase down a short for the left parking lights. Keeps blowing the 10A Left Parking fuse, however, anytime the brake pedal is depressed, the left turn signal, or the hazards are activated, the left parking lights are activated too. Like I turn on the hazards at the airport, and the left parking lights flash with the hazards. Crazy I tell you. However with my STS and DeVille that are driven on a regular basis, no issues what so ever other than minor basic maintenance (Oil Changes etc.).
 
#18 · (Edited)
I was just basing my opinion off of personal experience, I love the Northstar and I have owned 5 northstar Cadillac's and all of them leaked oil, some little bit some a lot. Plus my recent experience shopping for one and all of them had oil on the bottom. All of those Cadillac's I owned were from the years 96-99 so maybe the northstars from 00-05 leak oil less frequently. I just bought a 2001 Deville and I haven't seen any oil leak on the ground yet but the oil pan does have a light coat of oil. I just accept it though because I love these cars.
 
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