Am in the market for a 3.6 CTS Sport with stick shift (almost unobtainable, I'm finding), but am curious what other vehicles you all considered before coming to the conclusion that the CTS was IT. Infiniti G35? BMW 330i? Lexus 350? Or maybe even the new 2.0 turbo VW GTI? :confused:

I purchased a used 04 with 39k on it a few weeks ago. Also considered the TL, and G35 (really wanted the new IS250 with all wheel but not enought$$ to pay cash for it). The TL looks very plain to me, its nothing but a souped up accord IMO and the G35 is a girl car. The handling on the CTS is much better than the TL, while the G35 has a bit more power. As far as the BMW goes, there are to many of them on the road and it doesnt have enough power.

Actually nothing. I knew already what I wanted. I bought a 2002 Eldorado. Come trade in time the Eldorado was discontinued. I didn't want a Cadillac Land Yacht so that left the CTS. I bought my '04 CTS 3.6 new and never looked back.:)

I looked hard at he Passat with the Diesel :eek: , was actually on the way to purchase a loaded white one. Thank god my wife had me stop at a Big tent sale and their was one 04 blue chip sitting all by itself with 8K on the odometer. We both took it for a ride, and was sold on the spot(2 days of negotiating the correct price). Dealers getting above sticker on G35's here then and same for the TL's (I didn't want front drive again)Too many 3 series that are too expensive to match the equipment available on ours.

Infiniti, includes more equipment for less money but I wanted to buy American. I have owned all of GM's brands except for Cadillac.

The same day I drove the CTS I drove a Lincoln LS. CTS won hands down, the Lincoln salesman couldn't believe I chose the CTS over the LS. :thumbsup:

Looked for 3 months it came down to the following:

Dodge Charger
Chrysler 300C (too many now)
Lincoln Zepher
CTS... the others never had a chance once I drove my 3.6 Sport. Love the thing.

Considered '04 Mustang GT Coupe and '04 Grand Prix GTP Comp G when I bought the CTS.

Didn't consider anything else when I got the V cuz I really wasn't in the market for a car... I just really wanted the V.

1) 300C
2) TL
3) A4
4) Saab 93
5) Pathfinder

CTS just looked nice...and I got a GM supplier discout as well!! :thumbsup:

Actually, I am looking at turning in my 04 CTS in a few weeks for an 06. I wanted a CTS V but now I am looking at a 300SRT8 and Mustangs. You can get equal horse power or better for $10-15K less. Not only that but the SRT8 has a monster sound system.

i looked at the kia rio but i bought a 2004 cts just kidding i traded my 2001 eldo etc keep my ass should of kept it only had 1000 miles it was diamond white.....i miss that car........

06 Acura TL or 06 Ford Mustang GT

1. Mercedes Benz E55 AMG (didn't want to pay the 50K)
2. Chrystler 300C (saw too many on the road & didn't care for the feel of it)

I test drove an 03 CTS in the fall of 2002 and found the engine lacking. So, I bought a leftover 02 vette instead. In the fall of 2003, I test drove an 04 CTS, loved it, and traded in my Avalanche for it.

I test drove the Infiniti G35 and BMW 330i before purchasing my CTS. I had already ordered it, but wanted to make sure I had made the right choice before taking delivery.

Earlier that winter my Eldorado ETC had slid off the road driving in 4" of snow and a tree ended it's life, so I had originally started by looking at the then new limited final edition ETC. My choice in Caddies changed when I attended the NAIAS show that year and saw the new CTS. I was on the waiting list the following week.

The G35 was a fun car, but the interior was unbelievably cheap and the design wasn't as striking as the razor-edged CTS (which was the most unique looking sedan you could get in my opinion at the time).
The 330i disappointed, having driven older more connected feeling bimmers before. It felt confident, but not as fun and the styling was definately the blandest of the three.

In retrospect the only regret I have is not waiting a year and a half for a V, because my early production car with every option came out to roughly the same price.
Today there are CTS' everywhere and many cars have imitated the styling to one extent or another, so it doesn't feel as special as it did then. I'm not so sure I would make the same choice were it to be made today... but in 2002 the CTS was THE car to have. :)

Ok, here is my story.

First, looked at a 530i, but when i squinted I felt like I was looking at a really big civic, and I would have felt like I was putting nice rims on my mother's car.

Then, looked at a G35, nice, but a little ricey and common.

Last, looked at the CTS with color matched grill, chrome, spoiler, and I was hooked.

Did not consider a dodge\chrysler.

i bought my cts brand new in april/04.

I've considered
330ci - overpriced
TL - fwd
G35/G35X - Too many on the road but it was the sportiest out of the four with better aftermarket

The CTS was far and away my first choice. Backup choices were Pontiac Grand Prix GT or GTP, Nissan Maxima, Infiniti I30 (same as Maxima), or Acura TL. Still very glad I got the CTS!

I bought my CTS after a three year search for the ultimate sports sedan. The basic requirements were RWD, sporty suspension, and seating four adults. I drove the '05 G35 sedan, the '05 IS300, every 3-series BMW for the last five years, and quite a few BMW 5-series. The Acura TL didn't rate consideration because it was FWD. As for VW, I've driven my friends and remain unimpressed.

American muscle has always been close to my heart and my first loyalty is to Chevy because they always cared more about handling than Ford (consider the Camaro vs. Mustang). Dodge/Chrysler was never at the forefront for me, especially considering the weight savings between the CTS and 300C. Cadillac is a cousin of Chevrolet and the employee pricing last year closed the deal. All things being fair I might have waited for an IS350 or tolerated the crappy boom-box buttons of the G35 if I had to pay competitive rates for my CTS. As it was, the employee pricing made the CTS simply too attractive to pass up because I got everything I could want and more, for five thousand dollars less than the copetition.

And it runs on 87 octane gas!!! Could you ask for anything better?

i looked at a 98 or 99 Vette (dont remember the year now but it was a ZO6), a 03 Deville DHS, a Town Car, a 2005 Mustang, a Durango 5.9 liter, a 2003 Escalade, an Excursion, a 91 Seville, a 96 Eldo <- both low mileage at under 40k but i didnt want an older vehicle->, a Cobalt and a Cobalt SS, an Equinox, a Pontiac Grand Prix GXP, a Buick Century, a 2004 Seville SLS, a 350Z, a 3000gt, a 94 Impala SS that i wish i would have bought but i wanted something under 40k miles (it had 88k), a G35 (coupe), a GTO, a Mercedes SLK230 Kompressor, a Mercedes E320, and a Lancer EVO VIII believe it or not. all these cars were nice and i liked each for what they were but i was wanting a rwd sedan and it had to be a Cadillac. so that brought me to the CTS. good power, good looks, nice interior (even though some people dont like it) and a good daily driver. the only thing holding me back was that i wanted to buy another (and still do) a 93-96 Fleetwood Brougham. in the mean time i was driving my 89 Deville and i said i wanted to keep it Cadillac so that dropped it back to the DHS, the Escalade, the SLS, and the CTS. all of them were used but still pretty new with the highest mileage going to the SLS which had 28k and the lowest which was the Escalade at 18k. the CTS and the DHS both had 27k. well i wanted RWD so that optioned out the DHS and the SLS and that left the Escalade and the CTS. bought the CTS cause i wanted a car and not a SUV. and it left me with a little more money in my pocket to buy another Fleetwood/Fleetwood Brougham. :D thats my story.

i looked at a 98 or 99 Vette (dont remember the year now but it was a ZO6)...

C5 Z06s were offered for the first time in 2001. There was a fixed-roof coupes (FRC) offered in 1999-2000, but it shared the same powertrain as the coupe and vert. Chevy intended to offer the FRC as a budget vette with fewer standard features, cloth interior, smaller wheels. The price of the FRC was a bit less, but Chevy dropped the other cost-saving changes.

Tl
A6
G35

For me if was either the TL or the CTS. I think the TL looks great, but a little to sporty for me. I was trying to get away from the whole import scene for a while, so I decided to do the grown and sexy and went with the 03 CTS :)

i liked the g35 and its twin the 350- z. the 350z has no back seat and no stograge, the g35 has a small back seat and again.. no storage. I have a sports car for when i want to go nuts.
the 300/300c are simply too big. that and the 300 design is a direct rip off of the previous generatin bentley. I dont want to be a "wanna be" with a freaking chrysler.
mercedes.. i had to write them ALL off. I am simply too big for most of them, the E class is nice with a 4 matic, but i still felt cramped.

the cts basically said "lord vader, your car is ready" to me when i saw it. it has very distinctive looks (well.. its hard to tell a sts from a cts when its coming at you) and it has a classier feel. I am not 22 anymore, not for a while so i didnt want to be seen in a wrx or a freaking evo. :)

I considered G35 4door and Lincoln LS.

Here ya go:


Others considered:

acura-boring and didnt want fwd plus ive had 4 of em (88 and 89 legend) (98 and 01 cl). Plus my father had 94 legend gs ,04 tl, now 05 rl. mom has 06 rl bro has 03 tl. So im good.

benz- crap with a nice badge. my mom had 3 and the 01 s430 and 03 s500 stayed i the shop

bmw these i like but maint and general cost of owner ship is too high. plus they have a very very firm ride.

lexus -to boring and dont really like designs

lincoln - what?who?

infinity- really considered g 35 cuz of 260 hp and rwd but design looked really feminine and not classy upon further inspection. Coupe is hot though.

jag - see lincoln

volvo - see lincoln

new mustang- coulda got one but that new CAMARO is so damn hot that the pony is out to pasture when it drops, gotta have a droptop though.

T/A
G35
Avalanch

sticking with my MX-3 (still have this one, but gets no play time)

I got the CTS and all is history now.... :thumbsup:

I bought the '04 with 25k on the clock, but also closely considered an '04 MB C280. More hp on the CTS, as well as size and comfort. and I traded an MB for the CTS....love the stylin'

C5 Z06s were offered for the first time in 2001. There was a fixed-roof coupes (FRC) offered in 1999-2000, but it shared the same powertrain as the coupe and vert. Chevy intended to offer the FRC as a budget vette with fewer standard features, cloth interior, smaller wheels. The price of the FRC was a bit less, but Chevy dropped the other cost-saving changes.

well it had a ZO6 badge on it so it must have been an 01 then. i wasnt there long and they wouldnt let me drive it even though i was serious about it. they still wanted IIRC 36k for it (and this was last year!) but it was very nice. it was red on black, i think it had 16k miles i think (i looked at alot of cars that day so i am not sure). now i wish i had never passed it up but i forgot about it when i seen the CTS.

I really wanted a G35 coupe but they offered no incentives or deals. Would have cost $200+ more a month. Not worth it.

Then I looked a the Saab Sport Combi. I really really like this car. I love wagons. :rolleyes:

Then I saw an ad in the paper for a CTS and couldn't believe what a good deal it was. It took me a over a month and I had to deal with alot of shitty GM Sales guys.

If the Saab dealer called me in that time I would be probably be surfing the Saab forums! Glad he didn't!