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7K views 64 replies 20 participants last post by  elwesso 
#1 ·
I've been saying since January that October would be my time to trade.

Well, it's here.

And there's a '96 Fleetwood at a Caddy dealership in Memphis.

Black/Black/Black. I just talked to the internet sales manager. It was driven by a little old lady whose husband just died, so she bought a new DeVille. Most, if not all service records are from this dealership.

59,000 miles. Supposedly very clean, great condition, yada, yada, yada.

I don't think I should pay more than $12K for it. Any ideas, comments, or suggestions would be appreciated.
 
#5 ·
#7 ·
Ralph said:
Getting ready for the MOB, eh Elvis!? :D 12 U.S. isn't bad, I was offered 17 U.S. for mine in the spring. Didn't see your pic though, took forever and no patience.
If you didn't JUMP on a 17K offer on a '91 Fleetwood, you're friggin' NUTS! The car's not worth HALF that. Hell, I'd jump on a 17K offer for my car. :rolleyes:
 
#8 ·
If I get it, it could be my little tribute to Johnny Cash. Tony Soprano drives a Denali, I think.

I already have a Tennessee "1-ELVIS" license plate I bought at the airport several years ago. But something tells me the real Elvis would've had a white caddy.

Which reminds me of a funny story...

A couple years ago, I actually SAW ELVIS driving down Union Avenue in Memphis. He was driving a beautiful white '99 DeVille. He'd speed up, I'd catch up with him, he'd slow down, so I slowed down too. Finally, he just looked over at me and waved, then turned off.

I didn't realize that it was "Death Week". That's the week in August when tens of thousands of Elvis faithful flock to Memphis (as if it were Mecca) to pay their respects to the King. This bozo was just a really good impersonator.
 
#10 ·
I want it too--it's absolutely gorgeous!!!! Our original intentions were to buy a black one, but all three black '93s we looked at ranged from needing work to absolutely disgusting. I just happened to stumble upon our immaculate white Brougham with very rare red leather and the lowest miles of any we had looked at, and we bought it on the spot. No, it doesn't have the LT1 and no, it isn't mean mobster black, but I love it the most of any car we've ever had.

I still would love to have a black one, but our black Avalanche is quite enough as is to keep in shape. The white Fleetwood is probably the easiest car to clean we have right now, except for the all-white, full vinyl roof. Sometimes it likes to be a little difficult to keep spotless. Otherwise, the car is gorgeous.

Anyway, I love that black one and I'd jump on it if I were you!!!
 
#11 ·
Get it...... Dont think, just do.......
 
#13 ·
Katshot said:
If you didn't JUMP on a 17K offer on a '91 Fleetwood, you're friggin' NUTS! The car's not worth HALF that. Hell, I'd jump on a 17K offer for my car. :rolleyes:
I know, I am thinking twice about it, thing is, in the spring I just got it so I still wanted to enjoy it. But what can I replace it with, a Neon??! I would take it now though! :crying2:
 
#17 ·
ProfX said:
Well... Do we have a new FOSS member???
I'm so sorry.

I thought I had it in me, but I guess I don't.

I'm not FOSS material. :(

-----------------------------------

After work yesterday, I went by to see the '96 Black/Black/Black Fleetwood with 59,800 miles on it. During the 15-minute test drive, the salesman TWICE offered to let me take it home overnight. So I did! :)

It's absolutely BEAUTIFUL. It rides like you're on a cloud. The shocks are in great shape, no bouncing. The transmission is solid.

The engine was in great shape, too. No leaks that I could detect. More power than I've felt in a car that size in several years. The injectors probably needed a good cleaning, there may have been some trash or something in the throttle body, or maybe it just needed a little tune-up. Or it could've been a vacuum-type problem, I'm just not sure. NONE of these minor complaints affected my decision.

The interior was very clean, but there was a hole in the usual place on the driver's seat right next to the lumbar control (see picture). The seats were as comfortable as any car seats I've ever sat in. They adjusted to my every mood. I couldn't ask for more.

COSMETICS: Three door dings on the passenger side, two were pretty deep puncture-type wounds, but they could be fixed for less than $250. The rear bumper had a very minor dent in it, but barely noticeable. The front chrome accent strips were blistering a little, but again--acceptable and replaceable when it got bad enough. The right headlight had a rock hole in it that had been taped over, but AGAIN, replaceable and it didn't detract from the appeal of the car.

The paint was in extremely good condition. A few surface scratches from when the old lady drove through one of those car washes with brushes. But I know how to buff those kinds of things out and glaze them over. I could have this baby looking showroom new in probably two weekends. No rock chips on the front, either.

I couldn't find a single reason not to buy the car. This Fleetwood was in as good condition as ANY Fleetwood I was going to find locally. I don't think I could have beaten it, except maybe if I found an extremely low mileage car.

I LOVED sitting in this car.

I LOVED looking at this car.

I just didn't like driving it. Too "floaty" and too heavy for the kind of driving on the roads I drive. I don't remember Dad's DeVilles feeling this cumbersome back in the 70's and early 80's. It seemed they had a lower center of gravity or something.

I think I've grown accustomed to the "Euro" feel in luxury cars. I've owned two Acura Legends, and one Acura RL. Mom had a '92 Legend that was different from mine and was the predecessor of the RL. Dad has had two Mercedes S-class cars. I felt more in control of them, and I think that's what bothered me about this Fleetwood. I didn't feel like I had control of it, or that I could avoid a hazard at a speed over 40 mph.

-----------------------------------

It wouldn't fit in my garage, either. I originally built it to hold a 20' car, but I added on to the house and connected the garage. In the process, I lost about 18" of its length. If I'm going to have a black car like this, I'm not going to leave it outside. I'm too much of a paint fanatic to let anything happen.

On paper, this car was EVERYTHING I wanted. I'm thankful that the salesman let me take it home, because I probably would've bought it if the price had been right.

Thanks for reading, I'll be interested in your comments. I'll make subsequent posts for the pictures.
 
#19 ·
It's hard to tell in this picture, but the barge DWARFED the little Z3. Kinda scary to think what might happen if these two met in a dark alley.




Of course, the dealer said they would fix anything I found wrong with the car, and the hole was the first thing he pointed out. I have seen this same hole in at least three other Fleetwoods pictured on the Web.

The leather was overall in great shape. All I would need is a few hours with some of my magic potions to bring it back to life.



One final shot of my garage with a Fleetwood in it.

 
#21 ·
Elvis said:
If you're interested, this car can be found at Bud Davis Cadillac in Memphis.

but you better hurry, this one won't last.

Ask for Larry.

http://www.buddaviscadillac.com/index.asp
That's a beauty of a car... You do realize the ride you are looking for is less than 500 dollars away, don't you? I hated the way my car drove stock too. Now I love it and it's a blast to drive. :)

That doesn't solve the garaging problem, but removing the bumperettes will get you another 2" of clearance... ;)
 
#22 ·
Yeah, Bill, I thought about that last night, but I really didn't want to modify this car at all.

If I got one, I planned to keep it stock for 3-4 years and then play around with it when it became my second vehicle.

Now I'm seriously considering a 2001-2002 DeVille. They cost twice as much, but I'm pretty sure they have the "feel" I'm looking for.
 
#23 ·
Elvis said:
Now I'm seriously considering a 2001-2002 DeVille. They cost twice as much, but I'm pretty sure they have the "feel" I'm looking for.
Yeah, but they're "wrong wheel drive" to start with... ;)

Heh heh.

Good luck with whatever you chose, but I think you'd be really happy with the FW and a little bit of suspension work... Some stock Impala SS springs, a set of shocks... And you're done... :)
 
#25 ·
Elvis said:
Yeah, Bill, I thought about that last night, but I really didn't want to modify this car at all.

If I got one, I planned to keep it stock for 3-4 years and then play around with it when it became my second vehicle.

Now I'm seriously considering a 2001-2002 DeVille. They cost twice as much, but I'm pretty sure they have the "feel" I'm looking for.
I'm not following your logic here.

Changing the springs and shocks would give you that 'euro' feel. Using 9c1 springs should keep the stock height. $500.00 and you're set.

Or you could pay twice as much instead. :D

For twice as much you could enlarge your garage too!!
 
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