Best caddy for yacht towing w\ bling

[florida_sailor]

I'm looking for a 3rd vehicle as I need to have one capable of towing my racing sailboat. Any bling is a bonus. My requirements are:
- tow 4,000# boat w\ 5 passengers and baggage
- fun to bomb around town w\ wife and kids
- reliability a plus
- economical to fix, find mechanic,... a real plus
- cheap ($$ goes into the boat)

I've gathered the 93-96 Fleetwood with V4P towing package is the way I need to ride, any other comments\suggestions?

They seem to be hard to find w\ the towing package, or perhaps they are not advertised that way, would a carfax check show the tow package?

Not in a real hurry so think I can find one for $3k if I give it a month or two, realistic???

[The Ape Man]

Your tow vehicle should always weigh more than the stuff which you tow. Tongue weight and sway will be critical. Not fun. Been there. Braking can be very dangerous also even with a good trailer brake. I'd look for the largest boat Cadillac available. A '76 Deville is easier to maintain than an Eldorado and weighs 5000 lbs. First choice '71-'76 Deville or Fleetwood. 2nd choice similar vintage Eldorado. See you at the pump

[JoCan]

How about an Escalade? After all it is a truck and it has bling.

[Cadillac Giovanni]

Yeah, I hear escalades are quite beefy in terms of HP and towing capacity. They also have alot of room.

But I wouldn't be caught dead pushing those stupid things. They're a disgrace to the Cadillac name.

[Red_October_7000]

Agreed.
I'd buy a Chevrolet if I wanted a truck -a GMC if I wanted an esepcially luxurious truck. If I wanted a Cadillac I'd buy a Cadillac. The V4P cars are towing beasts and even more powerful than the usual Fleewoods. The way I understand it, you WILL have fun in one of these cars... I've never driven one but I'm trying to track one down now to give one a test drive and see if I like it.

[BCs71]

A V4P FW can be hard to find, just keep in mind that a standard FW or FW brougham 1993-6 can be easily converted to accomodate larger tarilering loads. There is a mechanical fan that can be added to the front of the engine and also rear end gears in either 3.42 or 3.73.
Aside from slight tranny line pressure and shift point changes, that is the only difference primarily.

I believe all FWs got the external tranny cooler, so you should be ok there...

[bicentennialcadillac]

Originally Posted by Cadillac Giovanni

Yeah, I hear escalades are quite beefy in terms of HP and towing capacity. They also have alot of room.

But I wouldn't be caught dead pushing those stupid things. They're a disgrace to the Cadillac name.

Why? The BOF V8 Escalade has more in common with the grand beasts of yore than anything else Cadillac is currently selling, both in structure and spirit.

[90Brougham350]

Yeah, but a lot of people see SUV's as modern-day station wagons.

[caddycruiser]

An Escalade is probably by far the best fit for towing power, room for people and their stuff, and having the bling factor. AND, if you want to get technical, they're the CLOSEST to representing what Cadillac has stood for across the test of time--big, brash, powerful, and a vehicle that a lot of people lust for. A lot of that may be a bit out of touch with the more recent turn of Cadillac, at least in sizing and construction, but they're one of the best.

But if you're still dead set against any kind of Escalade for whatever random reason, a '93-96 Fleetwood Brougham could very well be your ticket. A standard Brougham model should be able to do 5,000 lbs in towing with a fresh or firmed up ride, and a V4P model is completely set to go with the lower rear gear, firmer ride, and performance tuning.

The latter is quite hard to find, yes, and even more so because most sellers don't realize the package is there and don't mention it, but you can ultimately find one if you keep searching and keep your eyes peeled. Look, #1, for a round mechanical fan shroud in the front of the engine compartment, and beyond that, the SPID label in the trunk would be the other key source of info (V4P the main code, with FE2, GU6, V08, etc.).

From the sound of things, scoring a '94-96 LT1 powered Fleetwood Brougham with the V4P package might be just the right ticket, if there's nothing else that attracts you.

[caddycruiser]

Speak of the devil--a V4P! About 2 hours north of me.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1994-...QQcmdZViewItem

Some trim issues inside and out, but otherwise looks solid...and still a 7,000lb towing beast.

[CaddymanTom]

How is this for Bling? I used to tow my boat with my 1985 FWB. It wasnt the quickest off the line but sure got the looks at the boat ramp

[florida_sailor]

Thanks for the info, I've got no problems with an Escalade .... except the price is bound to be way above my budget

Test drove a 94 fleetwood today and liked the ride, that car had been ridden hard but I know thre are some cherry ones out there

Caddyman, I looked at the link but didn't see it advertised as V4P, am I missing something?, I'll look again

[I~LUV~Caddys8792]

Do you have any issues against a 472 or 500 powered '70s Calais, DeVille or Fleetwood?

[caddycruiser]

Originally Posted by florida_sailor

Thanks for the info, I've got no problems with an Escalade .... except the price is bound to be way above my budget

Test drove a 94 fleetwood today and liked the ride, that car had been ridden hard but I know thre are some cherry ones out there

Caddyman, I looked at the link but didn't see it advertised as V4P, am I missing something?, I'll look again

Like I said in the other post, almost no one selling a Fleetwood so equipped even knows it, let alone mention it in their ad. So, to re-iterate:

Look, #1, for a round mechanical fan shroud in the front of the engine compartment, and beyond that, the SPID label in the trunk would be the other key source of info (V4P the main code, with FE2, GU6, V08, etc.).

The car at the Ebay link has the mechanical fan shroud (that's always the most common giveaway when it isn't mentioned nor the SPID label under the trunk shown)--and ONLY V4P tow package '93-96 Fleetwood's were so equipped. Take a look at the underhood pic and it's pretty clear--that's a V4P car.

Even for more help, here's a little comparo.

Base/Brougham/else not Towing equipped (dual electric fans and no bubble shroud):


And a V4P car (mechanical fan & shroud):

[florida_sailor]

Cruiser, thanks for the explanation. I now know enough to be dangerous. All that is left to do is find a nice one near my house.

Cheers,