I'm looking to purchase a Seville by end of summer

I started a new job in 2007 and things have been going great, I've saved away $3,000 and I'm working my way up towards a seville. I want the newest body seville's (1998+)

I was just looking for some reccomendations, what year and why?

theres one problem..
Basically, I'm forced into buying this car earlier than planned. I was originally trying to save the full amount of money to buy the car, but my car was wrecked and I have no means of transportation, getting a ride from friends and family will not last forever..

My job is pretty stable and as a matter of fact I think I should be getting a raise soon and I also have had an increase in hour and am getting lots of recognition and things are going good.. Since I only have 3,000 right now I am wondering if someone could offer me some options..

I was thinking about taking out an auto loan/financing through my bank something like that, I figure I could pay off the money in no time, but seeing the situation I'm in, my choices are not plentiful. What do you think? and what would be the best option?

I know some of you might say, buy something else.. then keep saving.
Well, I need a car.. and I do have until the end of the summer to save, so I could possible hit about 4,500 or so. Anyway, my next car has to be a car I'm proud of.. I'm sick of driving cars that I have no choice but to drive. I want something I am proud of.

I'm looking for a seville 98+, 80,000 miles and below..

how much do you think I will end up spending for a car like that, thank you very much

Price is going to be somewhat geographically driven - which means it depends on where you are. Search eBay, autotrader and craigslist and you can get a sense for what these cars are going for in your area. Read, read, read here and you can learn a lot and also scare the hell out of yourself, but you will learn what to look for. Personally I would avoid pre-2000 (and note: I own a 99) unless you can see the receipt that the headgaskets have been done and the block has been timecerted correctly. You will also want to try to get service records to validate that the coolant has been changed at the appropriate intervals. Learn to pull codes and what they mean:
http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-tech-tips/55172-how-pull-codes-got-codes-warning.html

Read these too:
http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-deville-1985-2005-including-1985/128912-found-99-deville-good-deal.html
http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/cadillac-seville-cadillac-eldorado-forum/91164-anyone-seville-trunk-water-leaks-look.html

There's lots more but that's a start.

If all you have is $3K, w/no way to get more easily...I would think long and hard before getting a used Cadillac (except maybe a '93-'96 Fleetwood Brougham). They can bleed you quicker than a pond full of leeches.

In your situation, if you are dead set on it, I'd finance it -- you may very well need some of that $3K to make repairs. Just be prepared that if the headgaskets go, it's $3500 -- so if you've financed the thing, you'll have to either fix it or pay the loan off. You won't get anything selling it that way.

If you were my son, I would advise against getting a Seville. I would suggest getting a very reliable and fun car that would cost $3000, since that is what you have saved up. I am selling my '01 STS right now, but I want $9000 for it. I have spent $3000 in repairs in the 3 years I've owned it.

They're beautiful cars and I will most likely own another, but I do not think they are the right car for a youngster on a limited budget . . . unless you completely identify yourself by your car.

dont finance. dont go into debt. get a reliable "beater" with your 3K. then keep working/saving and be prepared for emergencies (be it car trouble, or whatever else Murphy throws at you) with a nice cash emergency fund. pay yourself that car payment, instead of a bank

Also keep in mind you will have to pay to license the car and the sales taxes. This could add up to $1,000+ depending on the car you buy. I was just 24 when I purchased my 01 STS as my sixth Cadillac with about $3000 saved up. I had a loan lined up from the bank but found out that my grandfather was going to loan me the $10,000 at 5% over 4 years. My other option was to do as I had done for my last five cars and purchase a salvaged or mechanically damaged car and fix it up with my grandfather. I opted to go the expensive route and purchase the car with no work involved. Inevitably, there was work to be done on the car and there will be always be more stuff to break.

Though I have a relatively low monthly payment, it is still a pain in the ass to pay a car payment every month. It is almost $300 that I could be saving each month. From this perspective I should have just purchased the extra 97 STS we had in the family for $1500 from my uncle and called it a day with extra money in the bank and no car payment. One year later the 97 has a water leak....HG failure.

On the other hand, though the car payment sucks, I get a lot of enjoyment out of owning my car. I don’t identify myself by the car that I drive but the pride of ownership that I have in this car somehow almost makes the payments worth it. Sitting in, looking at, and driving this car is a whole lot of fun that I would not be having with another car.

I cant really tell you what to do because I am still split 50/50 on the decision I made a year ago. Hopefully this helps though. If you do end up buying a 98+ Seville I suggest you get as new as possible. If you are financing it, you will have limits on the age of the used car you can buy, most likely newer than a 2001. I would suggest a 03 STS for the best combination of age and options.