My wife is bent on purchasing an '04 v6, price $20,000, with 20,000 miles, no sunroof, with 3rd row seats, and has had the radio replaced and an external antenna installed. I really, really don't like these SUV-type autos, have never had one, don't want one, and still don't trust anything with electronic ingition, but... What can I say? If I don't let her have the ugly thing, she's going to demand a new mustang convertible. Since you can't get five people in a mustang, that's not much of an option.

A perusal of the bluebook shows $20k to be a decent price(?), so I'm not troubled there. I am worried, however, about fuel mileage, tire cost/wear, reliability, and all the electronics. No nav, but an info center that looks pretty alien, to me. The last time we had a cadillac, it was a new '79 desiel Eldorado, which actually gave dependable, good service, for many years (maybe the only one?). What can I expect from this '04 SRX, and are the any serious reasons to avoid purchasing one?

Ya nice way to ask for help, it is not ugly it is what it is.


Last I checked everything had electronic ignition, maybe you need to get a nice Kia wagon so you don't have to worry about an ugly SUV type thing.


Like come on.....

For what it's worth, even if you don't believe it; it drives like a sports car! Your wife has taste--you don't!

What a way to introduce yourself on a forum! Come in cut down the car then ask for our help! Strange but true.

are the any serious reasons to avoid purchasing one?

Where is John D when you need him.......................

It is a nice ride and I have a 04 awd v8. The only prob I have heard of is that the tire jack department gets water in it but I havent seen it in mine and not everyone does either I think. Goodluck and it is nicer then the mustang convert.haha

If you are buying from a Cadillac dealer they can go the computer and show you the warranty/service repairs. Lots of the ’04 radios were replaced. If that and an antenna are the only warranty items it is apparent they do not affect any mechanical functions. If you are looking for high gas mileage you need to look at small 4 or 6 cylinder vehicles. If the SRX is a Cadillac CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) that will get you a 100,000 mile warranty.

Re the electronic ignition, all the other electronics, and the info center that looks pretty alien to you, welcome to the 21st century. Have you driven the SRX?

an external antenna installed.

An external antenna came from the factory in 04

This guy is a zipper and we should not waste time and effort on him, I like my SRX and will stand by it.

If you don't like it then take your dress off and say no, if you think it is ugly then keep it to yourself.


These are not advanced concepts like I think a 5 year old can figure them out, I just get tired of the haters.

My '04 SRX AWD V8 is a great car that had some initial bugs you should watch out for. Has 68,000 miles on it currently and is used weekly for towing a small utility trailer or boat. As a classic car collector I own 9 Mercedes from 1959 - 2001 plus some other cars, and this vehicle is my everyday driver used as a people and cargo hauler. Design defects on the '04 include 1) Rocker panel extensions are too wide, so a short person will invariably get snow/slush/mud on the back of his/her legs when exiting the vehicle. (Corrected in '07 I believe). 2) Continual water intrusion into jack compartment - honestly flooding the area. Is caused by no seal existing around the license plate bezel, so water enters the tailgate from car washes and drains through the latch into the cargo area. Dealer tried to fix 4 times under warranty with various authorized solutions, but the real solution is to get a roll of black windshield caulk and putty the perimeter of the license frame bezel, then remove the drain hole plugs in the tailgate, to allow remaining condensation to drain out to the bumper area instead of into the cargo compartment. You may still see condensation around the license plate lamps afterwards, but at least the main water problem is fixed. 3) Driver's footwell (even thru '08 models) has a low spot at heel, so water/slush collects and carpet stays wet. Partial solution is to install Husky rubber slush mats (get a Husky tray for the cargo area too, to keep it clean) but I still stuff a rag under the footwell as the mats can overflow 4) Paint quality on luggage rack, and clearcoat on headlight bezels is poor causing peeling from prolonged exposure to sun; no problems once replaced under warranty; 5) Watch out for front engine seal oil leak near radiator; repaired under warranty at 48,000 miles; no further problem. 6) Ditch the OEM Michelins (if you have 18" wheels) that will slide you around in the winter and instead put on Bridgestone Blizzaks or Pirelli Scorpions from Tire Rack; I use both; the Bridgestones stiffen the ride a little but are superior in traction control and the Blizzaks are a little noisy at very low speeds but fabulous in snow and on ice. 7) Rear wiper hinge design is cheap and slightly corrodes, so wiper doesn't clean glass unless hinge is lubed frequently. Only other goof is the ergonomically-lousy dash/radio design in earlier models, and the fact that this car has always used a quart of Mobil 1 every 5000 miles (I have Wal-Mart change the oil for $71 with the full 8 quarts, not 7.5, and then find that the oil is fairly dirty after 7500 miles so I don't go the recommended 10,000 miles between changes.) I do love this car for its handling, comfort and straight-forward design, and will replace it with the same model once it tops 200,000 miles. Your wife has good taste will love the comfort/handling/security of this vehicle, especially in adverse weather driving.

An external antenna came from the factory in 04

Only early build '04s had any external antenna. Those were analog cell phone antennas mounted to the rear side glass. Later '04s had the antennas built in to the glass, leaving only the XM puck above the rear hatch spoiler.

There was an issue with the original SRX factory radio and a lot of them (including mine) were replaced under warranty. I hope that is what the original poster was talking about.

If the radio is indeed aftermarket and someone has drilled holes and mounted an aftermarket antenna, I would be a little leery as a lot of the SRX's info system was built in to the factory radio.

Sorry about the 'ugly' folks, but I think the jury is in on SUV's - They're just plain unattrative. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, however, and just because I think it's ugly, won't keep me from buying it, or using the thing, if I think it'll be a good car. I'm not a 'hater', my family has probably had 8-12 cadillacs, and you wouldn't catch me dead in a Yaris or a Prius. I've just been in Crown Vics for the past ten years.

After searching through forum posts, I've my answer to (honest, owner-experienced) fuel mileage. It sucks, but it's more practical for hauling a load of kids, than having to drive two cars.

The radio was replaced under warranty, with another factory radio. I'm sorry to learn the external antenna isn't for the am/fm, as I heard about problems with the window antenna.

I've driven it, briefly. It's a far cry from a sports car, but it handles well enough. I was worried about the crummy ride, until I noticed the 17inch tires were replaced with Goodyear Eagles; hardly optimum rubber for a wagon.

There's a decent amount of info on this forum. Aside from the typical bad-luck stories and complaints (try a motorcycle forum, if you want to read some real complaints), I can find little reason to deny my wife purchasing this vehicle. So, unless she changes her mind, she can go pick the thing up.

twelfwisp- I don't mean to bust your coconuts but someone driving a Crown Vic shouldn't be calling an SRX ugly.
The 2004 SRX was a first year vehicle, so there might be some inherent design issues. If you can thoroughly check out the car and get a good warranty, you should be fine. Also by getting your wife what she wants, I am sure there should be some benefits with that.

So very kind of you to "let/allow" your "woman" to pick the "thing" up, and not "deny" her of a vehicle she likes.
Is this 2008 or 1958?!?!?!

:wtf:

Maybe you should try beating her eyes shut (for having a mind of her own), and get a Crown Vic with 22's for her. The the swelling will eventually go down, but she will be so delirious from the pummeling, she won't know the difference.

:gg: