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Newbie 1st time Caddy owner, been a wild roller coaster!

4K views 32 replies 18 participants last post by  StealthyOne 
#1 · (Edited)
Been a LONG 3 weeks. Never owned a Caddy before, never driven one till 3 weeks ago. I always thought they were floaty land yachts and had no interest.

Been driving a....Ford fusion :lame: for the last few years, it was a econobox long commute purchase... My commute is now 20miles round trip. Not been happy with it for years and realized I was finally right side up on the loan. I Started looking around for a new fun ride. Had to be 4door, V8 and RWD. I 1st went for Chrysler 300c, drove 1 didn't like it, same with the Charger, drive a few MB E500 didn't care for them.

Then a co-worker bought a G8 GT. Loved it but it was out of my price range. Then that same co-worker drove in his buddies CTS-V with work done to it, . The sound and resonance that thing gave off were mesmerizing and touched me in all the right places. Again WAY out of range, but it planted a seed. He mentioned looking at the sts and my caddy infatuation began. I have spent the last 3 weeks thinking researching and dreaming STS. The very 1st week I had one 5 miles from home, the nav was broken but I test drove it and was hooked!! I waited for the nav to get fixed so I could test everything and made an offer but the dealer would not negotiate. I had a number I needed to meet and he would not even meet half way so I walked. Car sold the next day. :banghead: Meanwhile I had test driven a AWD version, they wanted more $ but it had a bad drivers mirror, broken seat bezel(no know easy fix) and URPA sensors looked pushed in. I held off a few days and after the 1st one vanished I called and let the dealer know I would be up the next day. Next day I got a call, someone else sold the car. :cursin:

So hard lesson learned. Bought a carfax 1 month as well as compnine subscription so I could research quickly. Since then I have looked at every 1SF car within a 50 mile radius. OMG, what is wrong with people? Every one of them was hammered! broken seats, mirrors, heated seats, check engine lights, suspension failures, you name it and they all wanted $12k! I realized up here I was going to have to spend more so I increased the budget and also started expanding the search area.

Saw a few sts-v that were in reach, and started expanding search area bigtime. Each time I sent a contact out on one it was gone. These cars in std or -v form do not stay on market long if they are not beat up! NYE was quiet at work so I skimmed craigslist in cities within 200miles of me. I stumbled on a just listed 06 sts-v in Vancouver Canada. Dealing with Canada often I knew the exchange rate was good, so I impatiently waited till I got off work and called the dealer. Yes the add was Canadian $, yes the mileage was actually Kilometers. Quick $ crunching and I saw the car might be within reach with a trade in. But no trades across the border. I was talking with the sales guy and about to put a deposit on it when another guy at the dealership put $ on it. :gah: SOO close yet so far, the car was off the market 6hrs after it hit craigslist.

New years day I realized I just needed to get rid of the fusion as it had slowed me down and complicated making deals out of the area. I put it on craigslist. Within 2 hrs I had 3 hits and the second one followed thru. Met her on the 3rd for a test drive and she took the car, and I made 1500 more than I would have trading to a dealer! I called my credit union to update them on the sale and also got set-up to use the CU website to look at my accounts. Not 30min after I got home from that test drive I get a TXT from the dealer in Canada. The other buyer could not make a deal with them, wanted to much for trade in etc so it fell thru, the car was on the market! I had no idea how I could afford the car, but this time I put a deposit on it instantly and good thing too! Right after he took the deposit another sales guy was trying to take the car out on a test drive, but my rep had the key in his pocket!!:eek:wned2: I got to listen to my sales guy telling the other saleguy to get away from the car, it was sold, not available, get out of it... :histeric: Hung up with him after scheduling to head up the next day for a test drive.

That afternoon looking at the credit union accounts I realized that the profit from my fusion sale would pay off all but $200 of my other vehicle loan!! That means rather than 300 and eating PB&J for a few years I had $450/month and no penny pinching! Drove up the next day in my mustang, (V8, convertible, 5spd, posi rear diff), not 10 miles from border right into a snow storm. DOH! Went from cloudy and wet roads to slushed over fastlane in <1/4mile. Of course the "tools" driving in front of me hit brakes, then cut infront of semi to get into clear lane. Meanwhile I am thinking GREAT here I am in a rwd sportscar in the snow, going to drive a supercharged RWD car in possible snow.:bonkers: Thankfully it was just a small little storm and by the time I hit the border it was 10* warmer and light rain.

Made it to the dealer, took us 5min to get to the car as he had hidden it way down in the bowels of their multi story garage just to keep people from messing with it. He fired it up with the remote start as we approached and it stole my heart. Body is laser straight, Cold air intake, magnaflow exhaust that just rounded great, just a little rumble but still all classy. EVERYTHING WORKED, except the heater steering but hoping that is a fuse. I could find nothing else wrong with the car, the only bad thing was that due to the weather I could not lay into the car and see how the engine did WOT or even 3/4 throttle. The times I goosed it she jumped though and I went manual mode and got her revving past 5k with no bad sounds or missing. Had a good conversation with the dealer and headed home with plan to have my CU arrange payment the beginning of the week. I needed my fusion transaction to close before I made full payment.

Fusion transaction does not clear until late Monday night, to late to start deal for the STS-v. Tues Morning I get a call from the CU, they cannot perform loans on non US titled vehicles. My head about exploded at work. Went into panic mode. Home equity from house? Nope, not ready yet, Dealer financing?, not option out of country. That left CC as only option to get the car. I negotiated a bit with the dealer, talking him down given all the fees I was getting hit with and he worked with me a bit. We put it on the CC and paid the fee just to get it stateside, then the CU will repay us back with a refinance on the car. Man what a GOAT ROPE!!
:ride:

That said the dealer has been awesome, seriously he worked and made everything easy, also no playing shell games or changing numbers on the paperwork they hand you to sign. Class act, and sticks to his word. Buying a car in Canada is a breeze compared to the US.
:canuck:I signed 2 pieces of paper! And the dealer was able to secure customs brokerage and handled all that for me and bundled it into the price of the vehicle!! Then he filled the tank with premium fuel before handing it off to the importer!

I got the call today from the importer that the car will be delivered Mon or Tues, right to my driveway! Only coming with one Key Fob (#1) and key, so soon as the payment went thru I ordered a#2 FOB off ebay, stumbled on one for $40. That landed today!

2006 STS-V, 53K miles, Spectre Intake, Magnaflow Exhaust.





EDIT: typo fixes
 
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#5 ·
Thanks guys!


It never got to autotrader, it was in Craigslist for Vancouver, BC for all of 6hrs.

Very nice! The steering wheel heater isn't going to be a fuse. It seems to be a high failure part and the steering wheel isn't available from GM anymore.

I generally tune out on long stories like that, but I read the entire thing. Been there done that (just not with the V). Anyway...thanks for a well composed story.
I have seen a few people on here have it be the fuse, so that is probably the 3rd thing I will check once the car lands (1&2 being that there is no delivery rash and that it starts/drives ok still). While we are not super cold here in WA we get enough 35-40* and rainy days all winter long that the heated seats and wheel were a significant feature in my search.
Yeah I knew it was getting long so made sure to add some spacing and smilies to break it up. Really been a wild ride. I a not overly superstitious, but when my fusion sold so fast and then I got that call 30min after singing papers on it was meant to be and went out of my way to lock it up.

Nice.now get some coolant in that he/ic filler tube.
I am not following? Are you seeing something in the engine picture that does not look right?
 
#3 ·
Very nice! The steering wheel heater isn't going to be a fuse. It seems to be a high failure part and the steering wheel isn't available from GM anymore.

I generally tune out on long stories like that, but I read the entire thing. Been there done that (just not with the V). Anyway...thanks for a well composed story.
 
#8 ·
Welcome aboard.

My V was an impulse buy, I actually stumbled across mine while researching AWD V8s. Saw it was on my way home from work and the dealer was open until 9pm. Got there at 8pm and after a 45 minute test drive I told them to put it aside as it was sold.

The funny part was I was looking specifically for an AWD STS but since these don't come up very often and I always wanted one I couldn't pass it up. I ended up making due with my old winter beater another year then wound up with an Audi A6 V8 as a winter car. I have a 90 mile a day commute so now I can spread the miles between the two cars to get more of an average yearly mileage accumulation amongst them.
 
#14 ·
OMG It is FINALLY over!! I picked my new baby up @ noon today.

Of course another adventure there, I swear Murphy is my closest friend. He is always there especially when I DON'T need him!!

Car was given final customs approval Thurs. Importer told me I would see the car delivered Mon or Tues. I mentioned to him if it would get me the car sooner I would pick it up from the lot instead of having it delivered. Said he let me know... I get a text 2pm Monday finally saying I can get the car Tues afternoon.. I say I thought be delivered today or Tues, now you say if come get it I can get end of day Tues? Said sorry still waiting on paperwork..???

Either way I make nice with the storage lot office lady yesterday. She calls me today 10am says everything is here come get it! VRRROOOOOM

Get the paperwork, they bring the car up and the driver says that a engine hot warning just came on. Sure enough Engine hot-AC Off is showing, but no CEL. The engine temp gauge also was at the bottom cold..

I get in and start heading home and too emissions. Then I notice the interior is a MESS! The damn truck driver must have dipped his hands in a mud puddle before getting in to take it off the trailer, literal muddy water drips and marks all over the seat adjust, start button, heater buttons and shifter... Total pig! It was raining, but it stopped by the time I got home, then I saw all the dirt on the car. This car had a full detail job on the 4th, spotless waxed, the whole package. It looks like it has been daily driven thru a NE winter and never washed, plus huge muddy glove prints were the trucker rested his hand while unstrapping the car.. UGHH!!
ANYWAY I got her emissions checked, licensed and home. Sat tinkering at one point with driver and personal settings and the NAV computer and noticed the car "cycle" looked at dash and realized the engine hot warning was gone and AC had cycled on. WOOT!!

Tried going to a no touch car wash and I am now thinking that the car is lowered as I could not enter the guide set-up, the car bottomed out trying to enter? It also ride pretty harsh though I have not felt it hit bumpstops, but the tires seem really tucked under? My new baby is filthy! I was able to give it a heavy water and soft cloth rinse off back at home, but it really needs a full wash..

BUT SHE IS ALL MINE NOW!
 

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#19 ·
Not had a chance to address the heated wheel yet. It did not function on test drive and still does not. Tonight I pull rear seats to check fuses as step #1 on that.

I will keep an eye on the temp issue, I appreciate the tstat info as I had not had a chance to research it myself yet. It was on for a while; drove it 25miles home stayed on, a few more short trips to DMV, Hardware store and back home and it stayed on. Finally it cycled off on a trip to the store with family while I was in parking lot tinkering while they bought food it had sat in driveway at home for probably 2hrs before that run so likely cooled down enough to make it cycle again...

I also noticed this am (1st time driving in dark) that the starter button is cracked. I know it is something that happens, but I also know it was not cracked during test drive.. Thankfully they seem cheap, and it functions just fine for now, just mocks me with bright green line in the dark. I also have a rattle in the driver seat upper that was not there on test drive, have to wonder if he was rough for some reason on purpose as well and slamming back in the seat etc. Not sure why, as the truck driver was not the one feeling my pressure to get it here asap, but who knows..
 
#26 ·
congrats. I'm also heavily shopping a V, but there are none around me for 50 miles. Thankfully, I have a 1SG 07 V8, so I know more of what to look for in terms of function when I finally find one. I might just get one from out of state, but the process terrifies me quite frankly.
 
#27 ·
Out of state scared me too, but a member here said it is not that bad when you know what to look for.

I can throw this out there, this one popped up here in WA a week or so ago, out of my price range, but was frustrating given the situation I was in..

https://www.tred.com/buy/1G6DX67D680101907
I do not know owner or seller or have any interest or gain on this vehicle, just sharing the listing..
 
#29 ·
Yeah I made out ok on mine due to dollar exchange rate and a better starting price. That said I get his concern on out of state for a few reasons that I have run into just with my deal this last month.

Of the regular STS that I drove prior to this all but one were beat up. Mind you the listing said they were great cars. That put me in a mode where I was/am unwilling to lock on a car I have not sat and drove in myself.

Then add to that shipping. Turns out my car was lowered and nobody knew it. So when the POS filthy slob truck loaded and unloaded the car he messed it up. I just found a crack in rocker on both sides yesterday when looking to jack the car up and check the springs. right behind the front wheels, at the same exact place on both sides, and fresh crack but was covered by all the dirt when I picked it up. Course the trucker did not work for the storage lot, so he was already long gone and no way for me to go after them. If you are unable to be there in person to watch unloading of the vehicle and do a visual check before signing as received I would never do it myself again.
 
#32 ·
Nice looking car same as mine.my car was at a dealer out of state but my local caddy brought it here
with the caveat I could. Reject it.had to pay transport and I specified a roll back and that I be there when they unloaded it.. I paid transport either way
I wish I had had that option, or better yet, had just handled import myself. Now that I have done it once and ended up doing half the work myself anyway I realize it is not overly difficult. Just have to have all your paperwork lined up.

I love the car, just have some things that I have to fix myself now.
 
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