I've been thinking, let's say I find a nice, low mile (>100k) 1993-95 STS (my favorite Caddy ever) in great condition for $7000 when I have about $9000 saved in the bank for a new car. Is a Northstar Cadillac of this magnitude and age a wise choice for a car that is being purchased by a 20 year old who is trying to get a car that's gonna be cheap to own and reliable? Or would I be walking on thin ice with this purchase? Cadillacs tend to be expensive to fix and maintain, compared with other cars, and there's more stuff to go bad, all the electronic goodies and whatnot. Now my Cadillac is relatively simple, as far as newer Caddies go, but compared to other cars from that time period, it's quite complex.
Now I've had pretty good luck with mine, the majority of the stuff that's gone bad is regular maintenance stuff, but I've heard loads of horror stories about many, many things going wrong on the newer Northstar Cadillacs. So would it be in my best financial interests to wait off on the Northstar Cadillac I so desire until I am more financially established or just splurge on it now?
So basically, let's say I find a near mint, low mile, '93-'95 STS that's been owned by a person who's kept up on the maintenance religiously for $7,000...or a near mint, lower mile 97-99 Riviera or Park Avenue Ultra for $9,000, which car would be the better buy for a 20 year old who's very concerned about saving as much money as possible for the future and a house?
Now granted the theoretical STS is $2,000 cheaper, yes, but it might need $2,000 worth of work or maintenance in the upcoming future. Also, there's a lot more to go wrong on the STS than there is the Ultra or Riviera.
The hardest part is trying to find an STS like I described, all of the ones I like (1993-97) are getting to be over 100k, and one of my priorites on my next car is to get one with under 100k on it...preferably 60-80k. Otherwise it's hard to find any nice STS or Northstar Eldorado or Deville Concours with under 100k on it, for under $9,000.
Now I've had pretty good luck with mine, the majority of the stuff that's gone bad is regular maintenance stuff, but I've heard loads of horror stories about many, many things going wrong on the newer Northstar Cadillacs. So would it be in my best financial interests to wait off on the Northstar Cadillac I so desire until I am more financially established or just splurge on it now?
So basically, let's say I find a near mint, low mile, '93-'95 STS that's been owned by a person who's kept up on the maintenance religiously for $7,000...or a near mint, lower mile 97-99 Riviera or Park Avenue Ultra for $9,000, which car would be the better buy for a 20 year old who's very concerned about saving as much money as possible for the future and a house?
Now granted the theoretical STS is $2,000 cheaper, yes, but it might need $2,000 worth of work or maintenance in the upcoming future. Also, there's a lot more to go wrong on the STS than there is the Ultra or Riviera.
The hardest part is trying to find an STS like I described, all of the ones I like (1993-97) are getting to be over 100k, and one of my priorites on my next car is to get one with under 100k on it...preferably 60-80k. Otherwise it's hard to find any nice STS or Northstar Eldorado or Deville Concours with under 100k on it, for under $9,000.