I think we have one of the best cars around.

Just comparing the suspension systems, our shocks are inexpensive compared to a Devilles, not to mention the complexity of the system!

Engines: Our's definately packs a better punch, and our's seem to last longer and get the same gas mileage as the Northstar, plus we use regular fuel, and our car weighs more.

RWD, easier to get around under the hood, funner.

Pricing: Fleetwoods lose value fast, 94 Devilles are still over priced.

Looks: The Fleetwood's look bigger(obviosuly) and bolder.

CONS: Limited gauges: I would at least like to know my temperature, have a tach, and oil pressure. I just found out my sensor for the windshield washer fluid doesnt work, it ran out and was wondering why nothing was coming out when I wanted to clean my windshield. Also, the Devilles got 4 wheel disc brakes, we got stuck with front disc rear drums. That's all I can think off.

Oh, and the only other thing I cannot stand, when I turn the wheel hard the steering pops, i hate going to the store and everyone stares at my car when they hear the popping sounds, I can hear it good and my windows are rolled up. :helpless:

We should be thank ful to have a great car, for less money, with less problems. :) You know, I was actually going to buy a 94 Deville, thank fully they sold, I didnt have the money at the time, and I fell in love with the Fleetwood.

the steering poping could be ball joints... I woudln't keep driving it like that....

'94 DeVille did NOT have full gauges.. even the Concorse... the DeVille didn't get them until 1997

'95/'95 could have had 4.9 or N*

between the 2, I would take a Fleetwood... for many reasons.... but if it is say '94 Fleetwood vs. '94 Eldorado ETC, Polo green, loaded etc... I would have to change my mind :)

I prefer the Deville myself, but thats for obvious reasons. Plus FWD is superior in snow.

yeah, FWD is alot better in rain/snow....

... but either of those cars woudln't be driven in that weather.... that is why I have a FWD knock around car :)

My RWD '93 Fleetwood Brougham with traction control does quite well in the snow AND ice thank you...and I'm not afraid to drive it in those conditions either :yup:

No crappy mid-90's Deville for me, with expensive struts, easily worn out FWD componentry, engines that need more maintenance than a FW, plus sub-par looks compared to the big, beautiful FW. :yup: That's my view and I'm sticking to it....never could I compare a Deville to my FW. :nono:

BALL JOINTS!? You know, that could be true, maybe I should get them looked at.

I know when I took it to autoshop at school, they were trying to shake the front wheels. There was about 1/4 or 1/5th inch of play I think when they turned the wheel(like you were turning the steering wheel, but you wernt). I do have a pull to the left.

It only pop's in tight turns, when the vehicle is moving. I have service records, the previous owner had this same problem, even at 30,000 miles. I think they greased the stop arms, and it was fixed.

As far as FWD vs. RWD, with FWD if you turn to fast in the rain your wheels are spinning and you lose traction, with RWD in the rain you can look in the side mirror and see your ass sticking out. I love the traction control, but you have to pull out extremely slow in the rain, as you lose traction so easily, I do anyways.
the steering poping could be ball joints... I woudln't keep driving it like that....

'94 DeVille did NOT have full gauges.. even the Concorse... the DeVille didn't get them until 1997

'95/'95 could have had 4.9 or N*

between the 2, I would take a Fleetwood... for many reasons.... but if it is say '94 Fleetwood vs. '94 Eldorado ETC, Polo green, loaded etc... I would have to change my mind :)

One thing I've noticed more recently is how ugly fleetwoods look. I mean the size and length are sweet but the front and back end are hideous.

I like the fleetwoods myself. My order of preferance is this: LT1 Fleetwood, Northstar Deville, 5.7 Fleetwood over a 4.9 Deville. I like the Eldo the best and the Seville the least.

It is very hard to compare these cars though... I mean... they are all very different.. yet very similar...

if this is gonna be an LT1 vs. 4.9 vs. NorthStar.... or FWD vs. RWD debate... then go for it...

.. I like all these cars for what they are... they all mean something to me, and if I had the space..... and money, I would own one of each.. or more...

... I used to make a big deal out of FWD... but I really don't care.. unless the car is a SPORTS car or PERFORMANCE orientated... then it dosn't matter... a Cadillac DeVille is neither.... my biggest complaint with the FWD layout is the sheer difficulty to work on things.... but, that is what happens when you stick what is now considered a large engine into a small engine bay... sideways..... the engine bay on the Olds is the same size, but with the 3800 V6... there is alot more space.... working on THAT is very, very easy... so it really isn't the layout... just the amount of room....

no matter what wheels drive your car.. when they spin, they are no making any traction with the ground, and you should let up on the gas.... that being sad, you would have to have bald, or real crappy tires on the front of your car, or be flooring it everytime you go to spin the tires to the point where the front of the car keeps going off the road... I drive the Olds aggressivly... I'd say about half the time... and with 14" wheels on it, and my new tires... they never spin... hell, even the old tires didn't spin... unless I did something out of the norm to make them... even the '93, with the new wheels and tires that thing rides on rails in the rain... I never get the tires to spin..... the '79 OTOH... with worn tires, and a front-heavy, RWD car... they spin more times then not.... not saying i can't drive either, and I know how to drive a car around that.... but for general town/traffic/pulling out onto roads driving in bad weather... FWD DOES have it over RWD... NOT saying if your car is RWD then you are gonna be stuck in your driveway at the first rainfall....

What you are describing.... shouldn't be happening... I would look at ball joints and tie rods.... I wouldn't trust kids at the auto tech stuff at schools either.... depending on the age and millage of your car... it could be regular maintenace for it anyway... I would just replace them.... it also shouldn't pull... once you replace the parts, get an alignment done.

I don't know how you can call a mid-'90's DeVille "crappy" is that the '91-'93 style like mine? or the '94-'96/'97-'99? either way, they are all nice... there are cheap apssive kits for the struts, when talking durability, FWD or RWD.... it has to do with the quality of parts used... both can be very, very durable... ask one of the many people with a GM FWD 3800 V6 car with 300k on the origanal engine and tranny and see how durable it is. the engine thing is controversal... if talking about the 4.9... parts and work are cheap... if talking about the N*, it dosn't need much service at all... and parts are still not very expensive, but more difficult to replace..... but... how is that $1,200 tune up on the LT1 doing?

About looks.... that is up to the person... one thing I really like about any of the '90's DeVille, the Seville/Eldo or the Fleetwood/Brougham... is the front end... class Cadillac... but horizontal grille with cross-hatching, on most cases, the real cool bumperettes... and just classy styling all around...

See what owning various cars on both sides do to you? it makes you neutral, and apperciating everything... and then thinking about how funny it is when 1 Cadillac fan argues with another in how much better their car is then the other... save it for the Honda kids that think their 1.6L budget banger is faster then any of our Caddys :) We'll show them what a high-end luxury car is all about. (excluding 307, HT4100 and diesel :) )

Oh, and about the service cost on any cars.... you drive a PREMIUM LUXURY CAR... if you can't afford premium gas, the occasional glitch, or expensive parts... then buy a Chevy or a Pontiac... not a Cadillac and treat it like a Chevy etc.... as far as reliability goes, Cadillac is up there.. sure the struts may need to be repalced, but the car is still fully driveable, or, in my case, the Service SSS light on, yet the car drives and rides fine..... those rear air bags on Lincoln are a pretty penny... and when they go, you are crazy to drive the car..... and there is no alternative.... go to any of the German brands and you get to deal with crazy electrical gremlims as well as crazy high prices... Jap... same thing but to a lesser extent....

When the times comes to replace my sruts, I am going to buy the kit to convert them to passive... about $350... if I want to spend $60/pair on struts... I'll replace the sturts on my Oldsmobile (as I will be doing)... that is the thing with that car... Cadillac-like comfort and luxury... but simple, easy, and cheap to run and maintain....

so... share the love.. respect everyones cars, and lets keep the debate tasteful :) we are all in this together.

The 94 fleetwood, and deville look exactly the same except for the fact that one is bigger. Also, FWD is better in rain?!? While I agree that FWD is better for around town, and on curves, I will take my 89 brougham over my '04 grand prix gtp in the rain any day.

As far as the tune up goes, im putting that off for another 6-7 months, I changed my air filter which was nasty, and my oil which looked nasty and black after 500-700 miles, with a synthetic blend 10w30, so that should help with gas mileage.

Im hoping to take a 220 mile trip on the interstate this week, round trip.

I intended to mention the popping noise was most likely being caused by dry steering stops but, you mentioned that the previous owner had it fixed by a shop. That's a very common issue. Every so often, just dab a blob of grease on the steering stops on the lower control arms. The noise happens when the suspension moves while the knuckle(s) are contacting the steering stops.
As for which car is better, IMO, if you have no interest in performance, the RWD Fleetwood has no REAL advantage over the Deville other than long-term durability, ease of repair and size.
Oh, and from what I've seen, the RWD Fleetwood holds it's value better than ANY of the FWD cars.

I would look at ball joints and tie rods.... I wouldn't trust kids at the auto tech stuff at schools either.... depending on the age and millage of your car... it could be regular maintenace for it anyway... I would just replace them.... it also shouldn't pull... once you replace the parts, get an alignment done.


Hey! being one of those kinds at an auto tech school...... I'm inclined to agree in most cases. Anyway, Want to check? Jack up the wheel on the lower control arm about an inch off the ground. (reminder: dont get under ANY vehicle supported solely by a jack) Take the jack handle or some other sturdy metal bar, and pry the tire up against the ground, while checking for excessive play. Then grab the top of the wheel and shake it back and forth, noting any excessive play. When in doubt, replace them. Whats involved? if there OEM, the top one may be held in by rivets that need to be drilled out, and the replacement comes with bolts. The bottom is often pressed in place. Not sure on your car. If you dont replace them, it can cause interesting things to hapen, such as the wheel falling off. Check them, better to be sure....

Haha....I was waiting to see who would get the maddest over what I said. :)

As far as traction goes, yes, you do have to start out very slowly sometimes when it's very slick out with the Fleetwood, but that's the case for FWD to a lot of the time. FWD has all the weight on the front and can "dig" better in snow, for instance, but that weight imbalance doesn't help on ice or on dry roads, for that matter, when it comes to a balanced handling feel.

Oh, and as for the "crappy" comment, that was the word I came up with at the moment and I'm sticking to it. I'm just not a fan of the styling of most of the years ('91-'93 wasn't bad, just too small; '94-'96 had an ugly front end; '97-'99 was actually much better and I liked them, just not a lot; '00-current I also like overall but hate the funky front end that looks as if it's from a completely different car), or the FWD mechanicals, as already said. These Devilles were built a little tighter, with some nicer interior materials and "creature comforts" than a Fleetwood, but the RWD, tough as nails reliability, awesome interior and trunk space, and super easy to maintain engines and suspensions more than make up for those minor things.

Don't hate me :rolleyes2 ....just my own take on things. :coolgleam