Considering Purchase of 2008 STS CPO--Any advice?

[drb5392]

I'm looking at purchasing a 2008 STS RWD CPO 11,500 miles. What are the pro's and con's of this vehicle and any thing to specifically look at. Also I'm trading in a 2000 Catera and with my trade in I'm looking at a total price of
30K before taxes and fees. Is this a good deal? Any and all comments welcome.

[craig.martell]

Not sure what to look for, but the price seems pretty good. I paid $46K for the V8 new last month, so prices have really come down. You might want to go on Edmunds.com and kbb.com to see what they say the car is worth. In particular, Edmunds gives you their estimate of the price for a CPO vehicle. They will also give you a good idea of what your trade is worth. I just bought 2 cars recently, because there are some really steep discounts. The buyer definitely has the upper hand. Use the above resources, read the reviews at Edmunds, make the offer you want to make and be willing to walk away. Remember, dealers have about $3000-4000 in profit for a used car. Try to whittle that away.

Craig

[pjbizjak]

V-6 or V-8? If your located where snow is a factor in the winter, you might as well just park it....unless you invest in a good set(4) of snow tires and a little extra weight in the trunk.

[maroonedcatera]

I have been shopping around for used STS also and like yourself trading a 2001 Catera. Seems to be a number of 2008 V-8's available. check carfax, some of them seem to be rental car units.

Have settled on 05 STS V8 w/1SF and 23k on the clock for about 20,000 incl taxes

[STS42006]

the car isnt worth 30000 hes asking to much offer him 26-27

[MARKVIII]

Brand New v6's are advertised all the time in my area for 28,999!! Buy new, even if you have to spend an extra 2-4thousand.

[MARKVIII]

Just cracked open the paper and staring me in the face is the following certified used vehicles.

'06 sts 8k miles $20,995 which mean $19,500 in the real dealing world

'06 STS 'V' with 21k miles $34,995 which mean closer to $31,500 in the real dealing world...

lots of deals to be had..look around carefully.

[EChas3]

In April my wife got a 2007 V8 Hertz Rental with 11,000 on the clock for $29K. They wouldn't certify a rental car and the Zurich warranrty was nearly $2K of that price. In today's market, I'd say they are a bit high unless it's spotless. Hers has a few flaws but nothing significant. Remember, everyone drives a used car.

[ryannel2003]

If the car you are looking at is a fully optioned V8 model, then yeah $30k isn't bad at all. If it's a base model V6 with little to no options then no, I wouldn't buy it for that price. These cars constantly pop up as CPO since most come from rental agencies or off lease.

[cnotesonly]

Originally Posted by drb5392

I'm looking at purchasing a 2008 STS RWD CPO 11,500 miles. What are the pro's and con's of this vehicle and any thing to specifically look at. Also I'm trading in a 2000 Catera and with my trade in I'm looking at a total price of
30K before taxes and fees. Is this a good deal? Any and all comments welcome.

I have an 05 V8 with the Luxury Sport Package and I have driven the 08 V8, I would pick the 05 over the 08 any day of the week. The interior of the 08 seemed cheap and cheesy compared to the 05. I do wish I had the 6-speed tranny, though! You can pick up an 05 with low mileage fully loaded for under 23K.

[bigTYME]

I've had my 08 for a year now, and it has held up pretty well. The only problems I've had is with the door handles not recognizing the key fob every once in a while, and the shifter linkage not recognizing it is in park. Other than that the car is great.

[corvette00]

Price depends on equipment, like the other said do not buy rwd if you are in the snow-belt. Just for comparison I have a 1SG V8 awd with 19,000 miles I would sell for that price without the trade.

[cooncat]

If you are getting a pre-owned STS, it is a good idea to get it as a CPO car. The warrantee is infact better than new, since it is extended out to 100,000 miles and 6 years and it covers everything like a new car warrantee. Enjoy the car, you will love it.

[DTS_BOI]

You wil Looooooooove the car indeed. I would not pay 30 grand however. As it has been mentioned before, now is a great time to buy a car. You can literally STEAL a car right now. I would look on KBB.com and purchase a STS about $1,000 BELOW the private party sale. Whatever the private party price is, offer the dealer 1K less. This will guarantee that you are getting a sweet deal. I just got my 2005 STS V-8 with moon roof and loaded up with only 34K miles on it this way. I got the car from a Ford dealership. I literally STOLE my car from him. He kept saying no no no, but then I just walked away and he called me on my cell phone no less than 5 minutes later and accepted the offer. Actually, I only paid about $1500 more than the KBB trade-in value for my STS a few weeks ago.

It may seem kinda inappropriate, but when you shop always educate yourself with KBB.com, then offer dealership rediculously low prices. Really try to rip them off bad. Many will say no, but many will accept your pffer as well. ESPECIALLY if you have good credit. Make sure you give them a really low offer, then tell them you have excellent credit and you will purchase the car immediately if they agree. This is precisely what I did just 2 short weeks ago, and walked away with a stellar car at damn near wholesale price.

Also, please keep in mind that Caddy's are mileage sensitive. If you put 20K miles a year or more on your car, you definately do not want to drop 30 large on the car because they depreciate horribly when you put lots of miles on them. If you drive alot, I would look for a 05 or newer with the CPO warranty and spend UNDER 20K. Spend 30 grand, drive 23K miles a year, and after 3 years your car will be worth less than what you will owe. You will be in the negative...