Cadillac Owners Forum banner

I cried because of sadness then cried because of happiness! :D

4K views 35 replies 18 participants last post by  mhamilton 
#1 · (Edited)
At 146K miles, my beloved Cadillac Seville STS was diagnosed with a blown head gasket (yeah, surprise!). It was still fine and I could drive around without any special problem. Until...

yesterday two of my friends and I drove to the other side of the island in my Cadillac. And we took Pali highway. As you may know, this highway is a steep mountain road! Too much load+steep mountain road= my STS overheated very badly and consumed a lot of coolant. We managed to get home after a few stops to cool down the car and add coolant.

Today I drove the car around the block, and it started to:
1- overheat even on flat roads
2- burn coolant very fast
3- idle roughly
and the car had crappy gas mileage, and the service engine was flashing. Furthermore, the STS started to run very rough! I think because of coolant in at least one of the cylinders it was misfiring.

It was so sad to see my beloved Cadillac crippled! I confess that I had watery eyes when I saw my lovely Cadillac in that condition. I have loved and adored this Cadillac! I had my rough moments in life, and during those periods of time, I used to drive my Cadillac, or just seat behind the wheel to feel better! Yes, I love this Cadillac that much! And now I see her in this condition! Unfortunately there is no good shop on the island to fix the car, and the Cadillac dealership wants $4-5k to fix!

So this is the end of my Cadillac Seville STS----

Cadillac Seville STS
1999-2013

Rest in peace!

She will be put to rest in Paradise (Hawaii)!



Today I felt terrible! I really did! I was heartbroken....

As a more practical concern, I also needed a new (to me) car that I can drive to work and around. So I started to search craigslist. Initially I was looking for a cheap cash car. I looked at Mazda's and Hondas. But it didn't feel right. There are tons of dealerships around the airport area. So I drove my STS there (and please even don't ask how she was running! :() . I was stopping by the dealerships and walking around to see is there any car that catches my eyes or not. But no, after STS it seemed that there is no other car that can cheer me up, until....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

I arrived at the Cadillac dealership, and after three hours I left the dealership in this gorgeous sweetheart, while I was smiling again, with watery eyes:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.



It is a Cadillac ATS 2.0L Turbo Performance! :cheer::cheer::cheer:

What a beautiful car, what a ride, and what an amazing technology embedded inside!

And not only that, but also when I connected my iPhone to ATS using CUE, this is what showed up on the dashboard:



Yes, the name of my iPhone is STS, and when I connected the iPhone, "STS" showed up on the dashboard and on CUE screen! I think the spirit of my beloved STS lives within my new ATS! :D


More pictures later!
 
See less See more
3
#4 ·
Always sad to see a beloved car bite the dust, but you're going to love your ATS!
 
  • Like
Reactions: ben.gators
#9 ·
Last night I reclaimed Pali again, but this time with my ATS! :D And what a great car! What a balance! Steering and braking are great! I should say that I never ever have driven such a nice car that is a great mixture of luxury and sport. And I have test driven BMW 3 series and Audi A4, and they both are nothing compared to this ATS.

Yesterday everything happened so fast and nothing was planned ahead! I stopped by just to take a look at their used car lot. While I was speaking with the sales guy, who was a very nice young fellow, he mentioned the new ATS, and asked me whether I like to take a look or not. And I said yes just for curiosity. AND I had no intention to buy or lease one!

They had just three ATSs. One was sitting inside one showroom, the second on another showroom, and there was just one ATS on the lot (with 25 miles on it). They all were performance trims and very loaded, and their MSRPs were around 45k and above. I test drove the ATS performance, and fell in love. After we returned, they asked me how I liked it, and whether I want the car or not. And my response was I like the car, but it is too loaded, and too expensive. But if you receive a basic ATS 2.0L turbo that you can offer me lease terms that are very close to Cadillac's advertised numbers, please call me, and here is my number.

My sales guy was almost pretty sure that they won't receive any basic ATS in the future, and even if they do, in Hawaii it will be almost impossible to offer any number close to Cadillac's advertised numbers. While I was leaving, he went inside to update his supervisor about the condition, and this time the supervisor himself came and spoke with me. I repeated the same things over, and he replied what if they give me a lease offer for this Performance ATS that is very close to Cadillac's advertised numbers for basic ATS, and they did that, and I signed the papers on spot! It was so unexpected and it felt great! It was a very good deal and I couldn't let it go!

----------



Thanks, and I am already loving my ATS! :D

----------

Oh how I can relate to your love of the STS. They are some of the best cars to ever make it out of a GM factory and one of the best looking cars. I still stare at them driving down the road and I will always enjoy the time I had with mine. But congrats on that beautiful ATS! You get the comfort of a Cadillac with the precise handling of an E46! Win-win in my book!
Thanks Ryan. Your description about ATS is very precise.

----------

Such a damn shame to have a car that looks that good and well cared for be junk now.:annoyed:

It looks like you got a great replacement that also solves your desire to find a "fun" car to drive. Now you can have both in one car!
Exactly! :D This is a fun car, and a very practical car as well! :D

----------

That blue is a nice color. I also liked that it was the least metalic of any of the colors. Black doesn't count since its not a color.
Initially I didn't like the color a lot. I thought it is too loud. I prefer more conservative colors. But the offer was good enough to convince me to sign the papers without thinking about the color or even the exact list of options on the car. But now, the more I look at the ATS, and the more I think about it, the more I like the color. Actually this color totally makes sense on this sports car!
 
#8 · (Edited)
Ben, sorry to hear you beloved Seville STS has come to the end of its' road. I will refrain from any references to local Hawaiian folk lore .... especially those concerning the Pali!

Your new car looks and sounds great ..... and considering what you were looking for in a "hobby" (toy) car, a great compromise. It should be great for exploring the by ways of Oahu. Best of luck with your new wheels!
 
This post has been deleted
#19 ·
Congrats on the ATS. Beautiful looking car. I'm sure it'll bring much happiness to you!

And I understand the sentimental aspect of an old car. For me nothing has more sentimental value than a 1987-95 jeep wrangler. And it's simply bc my dad bought a brand new 87 in 86 when I was just 1, and owned it until I was 26. It was the main family vehicle for 18 years. Everything I did with my dad growing up, it was done in or to that jeep. I learned to drive a stick in it. Not on a smooth paved road. Nah. In his freshly plowed farm field one day when he sent me up to the barn by myself to grab a tool he needed for his tractor. Lol. And all the family road trips we took it on. All the times he took us to the beach with the top down on a beautiful summers day.

In other words, a 1987 jeep wrangler can put a smile on my face like NO other car, ever. So I definitely understand where you're coming from with sentimental value.
 
#20 ·
Just think, if your salesman was a douche and not as pleasant to work with, this never would have happened!
 
#21 ·
Funny you said that; a few minutes ago I was exactly thinking about it! This was the second time that I went to this dealership. The first time was back in 2012, and it was a huge disappointment mainly because of the people I spoke with. This time I was lucky enough to work with a very nice and polite young guy that I think was in his early 20s, and also I directly worked with the finance/sales manager. They didn't try to play any game. They listened to what I want and need, and then they offered me a good deal, and I accepted their offer without any further haggling. The entire process took no longer than a few minutes. They didn't try to play any game, and on the other side, I was a well-informed buyer and when I heard their offer, I realized that it is a very good offer and I accepted it without any further negotiation.

To all pleasant sales guys! :cheers:

By the way, Chad, I am thinking to mail a thank you card to my sales guy, and maybe with a small gift. Normally I give gas cards in such occasions. But the guy was a very classy person and I am not sure giving him a $25 gas cars is very appropriate. As a sales guy, what is your suggestion for a classy, but not expensive, gift that I can mail to my sales guy?
 
#22 ·
See, whenever I get a customer, the first thing I do is sit them down and go over their needs and wants, talk about what they do and don't like in their current vehicle, talk about their driving habits, go over our inventory and find the car that fits their needs and wants the most while staying within their fiscal boundaries. It's a great method because they know I'm working for them and it builds rapport.
 
#24 ·
Chad, you are describing the old "Counselor Selling" program and the techniques the program taught. This program came into existence back in the early 1970's and was first used by the life insurance industry to train agents. Fortunately for all of us the program became widely used by many different kinds of companies. I first was trained on "Counselor Selling" by the Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Co. in their advanced sales training program, later I also ran into this program when I was a trainee with Merrill Lynch. My wife also was trained with it while with At&T. Initially the company that developed the "counselor Selling Program" charged companies a great deal of money to use the program in their training programs. I would imagine that today the program is pretty much standard in sales training programs. Although you wouldn't know judging from some of the sales personnel you run into today!
 
#25 ·
Congrats on the new Cadillac, i don't think id've done what you did in your situation, i'm extremely stubborn and love the STS's over the ATS' (that's just me) and wouldve done everything i could to get it fix or do so myself, then again i'm my father's sons, especially when it comes to a car i love (hence my cranky bitch of an Eldorado, i love her, but she hates me, we're kinky like that)
 
#26 ·
Sorry that your Seville turned into a mint condition rock, but congrats on the new ATS. From what I've read its one hell of a dialed in car, plus I think the turbo 4 is the way to go in this car. The v6 might have more hp, but its kind of a revver with no low end torque, the turbo 4 has a torque curve flatter than Kansas.
 
#28 · (Edited)
Sorry that your Seville turned into a mint condition rock, but congrats on the new ATS. From what I've read its one hell of a dialed in car, plus I think the turbo 4 is the way to go in this car. The v6 might have more hp, but its kind of a revver with no low end torque, the turbo 4 has a torque curve flatter than Kansas.
You are not helping, Aron! :nono:
Kidding aside, based on what I have read, it seems that the 2.0L turbo is the sweet spot for the ATS. The 2.5L I4 engine is underpowered. The 3.6L V6 is powerful, but it is heavy and hurts the balance of the ATS. The 2.0L Turbo is light and relatively powerful. So I got the 2.0L T engine.
 
#29 ·
I always value the ability to generate cornering G's over the ability to generate straight line thrust. I like a car that handles with enough forward thrust to get out of its' own way. Sounds like you made a good choice in your engine choice, you will appreciate the better "balance" on those twisty Oahu two lanes!
 
#34 ·
I know your sadness. My father's STS has a bad HG so when he got tired of it overheating he bought a 2013 Kia Optima SXL. It was my job to get the STS to 200K miles but she started getting worse and worse until I hit 196K and gave up on her. She now sits in the lawn waiting to be taken away by someone.

May you enjoy your new ATS!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top