im looking for a new cadillac since the brougham is almost 20 years old. i need a daily commuter vehicle. ive been looking at 96-97 eldorado's and STS's. i have found two 96 STS' that arent too far away. i was wondering what one is a better buy? here are the details.

1.) 1996 Cadillac STS (red) tan interior. 103k, good condition. $6k

or

2.) 1996 Cadillac STS (black) black interior. 122k, good condition. $6k

how are these vehicles for the prices and condition? what one would you suggest?

dunno where you are (which can change vehicle prices) but here in michigan I just bought a red 97 sts with black interior, 116k, great condition, and paid $5700.

Have you checked both of them out yet? I like my triple black STS. It's got 146k on it. These cars will last to 250k easily if taken care of. Do you like red? Go see the condition of both, run a carfax, see if the previous owner has maintenance records, take em for a spin ( get on the freeway, turn the radio off and floor it), and I'd offer like $1200 less in cash. Fan it out in front of them. Keep a hundread or two in your pocket just in case. Dont be afraid. My car was going for $6600 two weeks before I met this guy. I called him when he lowered it to $5500, I liked it and offered him $4500 and when he saw the cash, it was mine without hesitation. Is it a private party sale? I like the black on black. How long do you plan to keep it? The average driver puts 14k on a car a year. If it has 122k and you know it will go to 250k easily if taken care of then what does that tell you? It'll lasy you many years. Post some pics when you get it. I'd go for the one in the best condition. Which do you like best?

if both are in great condition go on what color u perfer and make sure the cars has been washed when u look at it cuz it is easy to pass up scratches and chips on a dirty car

ok cool, thanks guys for the valuable info. i live in NY, kinda harsh weather. the cars are both in NY. none of the sellers have ran a carfax on them. but they both said they run well. and no oil leaks. i will probably get a chance to check them out next weekend. if anyone else has any info feel free to chime in. i love peoples opinions.

both are not private property, but im sure the sellers will both come down with the price. id like to keep it for atleast 5-7 years. i dont put too much mileage in a year. red and black are my two favorite colors.

Take it to AutoZone and have them pull any codes that are stored outta the computer. Chances are the ECM has been washed but just in case they over looked it. With that kinda mileage head gaskets become a real concern. Does it run rough when you first start the engine?

Sorry to say...but you can't really trust a Carfax report. Carfax depends upon the honesty of others when compiling their reports...and honesty goes right out the window when you're dealing with a used car salesman! I got one for my car before I bought it and it came up clean. But if it's that clean why does the front valance have burgandy red primer and would the factory leave runs in the paint below the side moldings?

I love my Eldorado and I am most impressed with the performance of the N*...but...I don't think I would buy another used one...jmho :burn:

The 96's were the best year:) Look at mine, plus videos.

www.adumbrecords.com/hosting

you need to go look at them and drive them. I just bought a 99 STS black on black on black and there is no finer lookinig car on the road. Mine had 106k and I paid $8,500. In my area they normally go for about $11k. I love it and will never get rid of it.



pvb

This is caddybrougham87, made a new handle. Well i found another STS. It is similiar to the other two. It is a triple black 96 sts with 134k. But it is very good condition, and is loaded to the max with all the options moon roof, heated seats, and a 12 disc changer. It has brushed aluminum rims, IMO looks just as good as chrome. It drove good, the car has a European feel to it, a lot different than my 87 Brougham. I didn't get a chance to take it on the highway but from driving around it seemed pretty normal. The owner took car of it religiously. The dex cool hasn't been changed. Do you guy's reccommend thats the first thing i do? and anything else i should i do with it like maintance wise and such?

Do your self a favor and spend 25 bucks for a carfax. I did before buying my 94 sls. I am the third owner and the second one had the tranny replaced under extended warranty, also all of the seals and gaskets in the engine. My car burns nor leaks any oil. Just my 2 cents.
Ralph

Personally I like the 98-2004 the best but I do know that the 96 was the fastest year these cars were built in.

The redesigned 1998-2004 STS', are really sharp. I especially like the shifter, the way it is jagged instead of straight. Cadillac made a lot of nice improvements for the 98 and on. I was in the market for one within my price range and the 98's and on are currently a little too much. The 95-96 STS' are pretty beefy. Here are the listed 0-60 times for some different model years, courtesy of albeedigital.com
0-60 time and 1/4 mile time
1991 Cadillac STS 8.6 16.6
1992 Cadillac STS 8.1 16.2
1993 Cadillac STS 7.2 15.4
1995 Cadillac STS 6.4 14.7
1996 Cadillac STS 6.4 14.7
1998 Cadillac STS 6.8 15.1
2001 Cadillac STS 6.5 14.8

This is caddybrougham87, made a new handle. Well i found another STS. It is similiar to the other two. It is a triple black 96 sts with 134k. But it is very good condition, and is loaded to the max with all the options moon roof, heated seats, and a 12 disc changer. It has brushed aluminum rims, IMO looks just as good as chrome. It drove good, the car has a European feel to it, a lot different than my 87 Brougham. I didn't get a chance to take it on the highway but from driving around it seemed pretty normal. The owner took car of it religiously. The dex cool hasn't been changed. Do you guy's reccommend thats the first thing i do? and anything else i should i do with it like maintance wise and such?

Stay far away from that one unless you get it checked out by a mechanic who can verify it doesn't have any coolant leaks. 134k with the original stuff is a real good recipe for a blown headgasket.

Really, you should have ANY Seville you are considering looked at for the headgasket. Nothing worse than finding out just after you bought it that the engine needs to be pulled.

Give me the VIN's, I'll run the carfax. 1 day till my subscription expires.

im looking for a new cadillac since the brougham is almost 20 years old. i need a daily commuter vehicle. ive been looking at 96-97 eldorado's and STS's. i have found two 96 STS' that arent too far away. i was wondering what one is a better buy? here are the details.

1.) 1996 Cadillac STS (red) tan interior. 103k, good condition. $6k

or

2.) 1996 Cadillac STS (black) black interior. 122k, good condition. $6k

how are these vehicles for the prices and condition? what one would you suggest?

I wouldn't call these "details" - not ones you can base a purchase decision on unless you just hate one of the colors. What does "good condition" mean? You really need to crawl all over them and get as much info as possible. There are some big $$ items you need to be sure about. Head gaskets as mentioned, suspension, tranny, etc. Tell us what the results are and the decision (opinion) will be much easier.

PS: The 2000+ models burn regular gas if that is an option.

the owner did replace the water pump, i was wondering when the dealer does this, do they also change the coolant? if so then i think i am pretty safe with the head gaskets. the suspension felt tight. the transmission is good. i believe original.

Condition of the cars being equal, I'd go with the red one. It also has the lower mileage. Black is a PITA to keep clean and it soaks up heat faster. My two favorite colors are the red and pearl white - we bought the white.

Watch out! I am a 22 year old with a 98 ETC...

The 93-98 Northstars should be relabled Deathstars. If you do some research and look at pricing and devaluation you'll notice a severe discrepency in pricing of Caddys pre 99s as the headgaskets were made of kevlar which warp under high temp loads, and degrade when exposed to water (engine coolant). I have a 98 Black/Black ETC that I love (It's got every option available cept the Zrate) that has developed a leaking headgasket which causes it to misfire in the 7 cylinder on cold startup. Once warm the block/gasket seals so there's no problem after that but it's an annoying nuisance which will eventually rupture or pull from the block. The car I have only had 68k on it when I bought it and now has 85k, It developed the problem around 78k. The easiest way to find a leak is to take it to a Caddy dealership and have them do a coolant test, they put dye in the coolant to see if hydrocarbons are leeking in from the combustion chabers, it costs $100 and takes about an hour.

Watch out because the cost of headgaskets can be anywhere from 2500-4500 dependinig where you live and that's just to have the block timeserted and gaskets replaced which will have no warranty and will go again once the new kevlar HGs breakdown. To do the job yourself is cheap, I think total parts are around 1200 but the tools and equipment to drop the block and the labor involved is EXCESSIVE! To get a crate N* from Caddilac costs 3500-4500 depending and in my opinion is not worth it. Luckily I have some cash and plan on resurecting the Eldo with a new engine from Jasper engines. These guys are awesome and have a 3-year 75,000 warranty on all parts. Their N*s come timeserted and use graphite headgaskets, they've also changed valve stems and a few other things to improve the overall quality but it's not cheap, 5000 for the block, not including deposits and installation, all told it should cost around 7-8k to put it in. Most of the changes listed on their website were incorporated into the 99+ N* design. If you only have 4-8K for a car, I would NOT reccomend a Caddy.

Don't buy into something that's going to potentially be the biggest headache ever. With the money you have just save yourself some trouble and get a used Altima, 240SX, Accord, Civic, Camry, or Neon and beat on it for a few years till you have some serious bank to throw at a newer/used luxury ride...

This all being said I will say that even after 1 year I would never have traded the headache I have personally suffered w/this car as it has helped me get more tail, and totally trash ricers/old men in Mercs/Lexs/Bimmers of every variety :)

just my .02 take it for what it's worth.

Hey Mate..,

I've got a '95 STS Red/Doe, all the bells and whistles. Great Great Ride.

The only recommendaton I'll give you (and I do hope you're -mechanically inclined-, and if you're not grab someone who is), is. Take all of them out for a ride (a good ride, put your foot into them). Check the visual condition under the hood (remember, these N* can conceal a few real messes). What you REALLY WANT to do is, take them all into a garage and put them up on a hoist for visual inspection. Hopefully you know the deal. Any visible leaks, the price comes down 'considerably'. Like 'how much will this cost to repair/replace ?', great, that's how much we'll take off the price !!. The thing you have to remember, is that if you're not so -mechanically inclined- you're going to end up paying through the nose for any repairs.
Check things over carefully, it could make you or save you a couple grand on the price. The cleaner the ride, the better the buy.
All I really know, is that these are the wildest 'Sleepers' I've ever driven...
Good luck :nono:

hey guys,

thanks for the all the info. i did purchase a STS. its a 1996 STS, triple black. has 132k. drives great. has so much pep i feel i can whomp on 98% of the cars on the road. the car is very clean, and under the hood you can eat off it. it has a moon roof which is really cool. and it has heated seats and a 12 disc cd changer. i believe it has every option. i really like it so far. i want to take it to the cadillac dealer and have them run some diagnostics, to see if everything is working properly. i do have a question, does your STS run about little over 2k rpm with standard driving. with even pressure on the gas at around 40-50 MPH. i thought this was pretty high, not sure if this is how they are suppose to be.