2002 STS w/Magnaride review and Question

[ga_etc]

I got to drive an '02 STS today with the Magnaride suspension. I love how the car drove, just disappointed with everything else. 2002 STS, Pearl White, Shale leather, sunroof, Bose... pretty basic. Only had 90,000 miles on it. It was on a lot and priced at $7800. Something sounds off huh?

The exterior was clean, with only one minor ding that I saw. Passenger side brake light had a crack in it and the lenses over the reverse lights were a little melted. The interior was filthy for that quality of car. Driver's door panel and seat were worn and dirty. The wrinkles in the material were very obvious from being black. The other seats looked dirty to me as well, but it may have just been the leather in that car? The dash pad was peeling up and warped on the passenger side at the defrost vent. The headliner was brown from being smoked in. The back seat/trunk pass-thru looks like it is screwed closed. The trunk was musty and damp from leaking seals. The reverse sensors didn't work. The driver seat wouldn't adjust properly and the telescope feature didn't work on the steering wheel.

As far as driving the car went it wasn't too bad. I'm 6'-6'1 and my head was hitting the headliner. When I took off the car didn't feel like it had the power it should, as I drive my ETC on a daily basis. I hit the interstate in it to open it up a little and it blew a cloud of carbon smoke. It gained a little more power after that, but still felt a little lacking. I'm sure it was never driven the way it needed to be to be kept cleared out. I would like to go back to a sedan when if and when I decide to give up the ETC but that's not the car I want.

I love my Eldorado and don't foresee getting rid of it anytime soon, but I love how planted and athletic the STS felt. So my question is this: Is it possible and how costly might it be to convert a car with CVRSS to Magnaride?

[ryannel2003]

That sounds like most Seville's I've seen or driven before; it's amazing to me how people don't take care of them. 1st owner buys it, trades it after 2 or 3 years to the 2nd owner who can't afford the upkeep and you repeat the cycle. It's unfortunate, but if you can't afford the car they shouldn't have it in the first place.

As for you question, I don't think it's possible. Completely different suspension setup, and even if you attempted it would cost alot of $$$.

[ga_etc]

That's what I figure, but I thought it was worth asking. If the ETC was available with Magnaride it would be perfect.

[ryannel2003]

I can only imagine what Cadillac had in store when they decided to kill off the Eldorado. From what i've read Cadillac was going to update it based on the '98 Seville but at the last minute decided not to because the personal luxury coupe market was dying off.

[ga_etc]

It would be interesting to see how the '98+ Seville redesigned styling would translate to the Eldorado. I love the sculpted lines on my car. It is the only car that I can recall seeing that honestly looks better moving than sitting still.

[mitchjagger]

Unfortunately CVRSS to Magnaride cannot be done. The computer info to control those systems are completely different. What you buy is what you get. And that price on the STS seems a bit high to me. My 02 SLS had 55000 miles on it and everthing looked and felt brand new and I paid 8000 with trading my 97 deville with 150000. It doesnt have magnaride, but for the age of the car and the fact that it is used it wouldnt effect the price much.

[ryannel2003]

Clean '00 STS's are going for around $6000, with $7-8k on the high side. The '03 STS's are still going for $8k-$13k depending on mileage, location and features. The SLS's typically sell for $1000-$2000 less depending again on mileage and location.

Eldorado's sell for more than Seville's regardless of year or mileage. '02 Eldo's can go as high as $16k with low mileage. The Collector's Edition is a bit more expensive as well. The value of all FWD Cadillac's has been hit hard within the past year. I paid $10k for my Seville last year, and the KBB price reflected that.

[ga_etc]

I feel like I did okay with my car. Bought it last year with 98k, 1 owner, for $6k. So when I see an '02 STS with 90k and Magnaride for under $8k I was intrigued. I mainly had to go see it to see what was wrong with it or how stupid the people selling it were.

[submariner409]

FWIW, Magnetic Ride Control became standard install at the morning line startup of 16 Januiary, 2002. Seville Touring Sedan after VIN sequence ........2U217412 are all MRC.

Body, ABS, EBCM, TC, and PCM controls changed with the suspension.