[geigs]

Hi all,
I have a dilemma and I’m hoping my fellow Caddy aficionados can help me out. I’ve had a 1994 Caddy Sedan DeVille for the last two years. I purchased it from my grandmother who had it since new. Currently, it has 59,000 miles on it. It just passed Maryland inspection, which is a pretty comprehensive mechanical and safety overview that is required by the state to ensure that the vehicle is roadworthy for registration. I’ve replaced the sim-con roof, as well as the water pump, idler pulley and tensioner and the A/C clutch. The only issues are the “service ride control;” the culprit being the left front strut sensor and the channels in the stock cassette head unit are going.

I’ve had problems pricing this car. In VA, the used cars dealers are asking between 7-8k. In MD, individuals are asking from the high 3s to the high 4s. I priced it at $5850 and was offered $4500; I priced it higher after the inspection ($6150) and was offered $3,500, but he might go up to 4K. The reason for the sale is that I’ll be moving next year and will have a commute of about 40 miles a day and I just think that gas would get expensive after awhile, not to mention upkeep. Additionally, I bought a minivan in March (we had twins, plus a toddler-who knew three kids with child seats would be such a tight fit! )
and now the Caddy sits in the driveway, so I would have to scrap the ice and snow off of it every morning. On the other hand, I freaking love this car and wonder if I’ll regret letting it go for a song. :crying: An option would be to keep the car for the winter (or longer) and try again next spring, but it’s not like it’s going to appreciate in value and then there are always the “what ifs” from a maintenance standpoint.
What I would like to do is find a 1980’s luxury car with an economical tilt (like a Cimarron, or New Yorker) to commute in next year :cookoo: (I know, it’s a dream; I doubt that would be practical from a reliability standpoint) Lastly, my grandmother suffers from dementia, so I do have this pang of guilt because the Caddy is one of the few things she remembers and it makes her very happy to talk about her favorite car.

So I have two questions: what would you do? And if you were selling it, what would be a fair price? Here’s the current listing, and I dropped the price again because I can’t figure out what to do: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/car/109095037.html and then there is this one: http://home.comcast.net/~geigs/
I appreciate any advice and I'll keep you all posted the outcome. Thanks!

 

[45244COLT]

Keep it. Forever. You will never get this much car again. At <60k there won't be maintenance issues for years

 

[caddydaddy]

Keep it. Forever. You will never get this much car again. At <60k there won't be maintenance issues for years

I agree! I commute 40 miles a day, and the gas costs aren't killing me, yet!
With 122k miles, I can still get 26 MPG on the highway, and the 80's era cars you are looking at don't get much better than that.
I vote to keep it! You'll probably regret selling it afterwards!

 

[noahsdad]

Keep it. Drive it. Love it. Forget the gas prices. Life's too short to drive crappy cars.

I've owned the Chrysler New Yorker and toyed once with buying a 92 Imperial. Trust me, those last generation overstretched K-cars ride nice, hold up well, and get great gas mileage, but they can't hold a candle to your Cadillac.

Few cars will ever be an appreciating investment, but even fewer cars will give you back as much pure motoring pleasure as wheeling that DeVille down the road.

 

[1998Deville]

I agree with the above posts! I'm getting an AVERAGE of 23 MPG combined city and high speed highway (80+) in my 98 which just turned 60k last night. Yes it does supposedly need premium but it's only $4 a tank more than regular. SO keep it, drive it, and LOVE IT!

 

[Ranger]

I'd keep it and drive (enjoy) it. Maintain it and it will give you years of safe, reliable and pleasurable transporation. I drive 40 mile one way. The way I look at it is, if I am going to spend that much time in a car, I want it to be safe and comfortable.

 

[Kdirk]

A keeper for sure!

Heck, it only has 60K, on a 94 that's LOW miles. Take care of it and it will serve you well to at least 115K, that's when the wear and tear on the mechanicals starts to cause frequent repairs - for a while. If you take care of these things as they happen you will come around the bend eventually and have a great solid car again. This assumes that the exterior has been maintained and it isn't going to turn into a rust can. Wash it regularly, wax it enough and the body will outlast the useful life of the car.

I'm starting to deal with this now, I have a 95 with 110,5xx and little things are just starting to go wrong. I am keeping on top of the problem items as I can do most work myself and keep the car decent and on the road.

If you buy a 80's econo-lux (Cimmaron? Good God, stay away from that! it's just too old now, even with low miles, and it's an 80's GM product, which wasn't so great an era for the General to begin with) you will have many more problems and frustration to deal with, and much sooner than you will with the Deville.

I just redid my front suspension (new struts, springs, bushings, sway bar end links, etc.) cost about $650 in parts, $75 for a 4 wheel alignment and it rides beautifully again. I also fitted the mod to get rid of the "service ride control" message. This is the biggest single repair I've had to do yet, and it wasn't that bad a job save for a mishap with the spring compressor that left me with a badly bruised knee (now healing nicely). *Tip of the day: get the right tool for the job!

My point is that except for the suspension, which is already on the fritz on yours, you shouldn't have to worry about major repairs (i.e. injectors, or other major engine problems) for a good long time to come. Do your oil changes, and coolant changes, and maintain the tranny and you'll get a lot of good service out of it yet.

Your other problem is that a 94, even with low miles like you have, will not get much on resale [$4k-6k tops], unless either 1) you are in a hot market for used Devilles; some places around the US fare much better than others, or 2) you find a buyer who loves the car enough to pay a premium; which is a crap shoot.

You cannot buy a reliable replacement car with miles that low (unless it is some econo-crap box) for the money you'll get out of it. So, you will end up with a serious downgrade in size, safety, performance and style. Sure you'll save some gas money, but the mileage on the Deville isn't that bad really. If you have a 40 mile highway commute, you're MPG should be pretty good (upwards of 24-27 MPG).

You've already replaced the top, and the water pump (which is a common repair item that needs to be done, usually at at 100-120K) so you are a couple of steps ahead of the game at this point. Change the radio to a decent aftermarket head unit and then drive. Just be attentive to maintenance and repair needs as they occur, and you'll be in good shape for another 40-50,000 miles easy.

KDirk

 

[caddydaddy]

:yeah:

I agree, the only repairs I've done to my '94 Deville have been the original starter at 94k miles, suspension, with new shocks, struts, sway bar end links and a bypass relay for the "Service Ride Control" message at 105k miles. Other than basic maintenance, like a tune-up and brakes. It runs perfectly at 122,200 miles!
The only thing on my car that doesn't work is the drivers side seat heater. The passenger side works great, and my girl loves that! :bouncy:
I agree with them, you have a low mile car that should keep it's reliability well up to 100k where stuff will start wearing out.

 

[Stoneage_Caddy]

yah , low mileage and everything , your good to go ...

i commute wicked far , esp tuesdays , those are 150 mile days for me ....i get 20 mpg on the nose, and thats pretty heavy on the city side ...i got worried about gas prices , thought about dumping the car ...but int he grand scheme of things its pretty hard to beat the old deville ...

plus your not allowed to get rid of it if your grandma likes it so well , trust me ...i hope your takein her for rides in it

Im the freak of the litter , and if anyone here would advise to dump one of these it would be me ..but im not , there great cars ...im stareing at 150,000 miles now ...granted ive spent 8,000 dollars in parts and repairs since july 2003 , my car is perfect ....most folks let the small things go , my car however is perfect ....only nagging issue is the main bearing thump ...and parts are in hand and once i have a couple days to just relax and ejoy the job ill tackle it ...

my days of rushing work under the hood ended in 2003 ....this is now a hobby for me , i rush nothing ...what in the books calls for 8 hours , will take me 3 days ...doing little peice by little peice , ensureing each and every deatil is perfect ....and me stress free ....like i say its my hobby , thats why so much money was put into it , thats why it looks and drives the way it does ....

Ive enjoyed this car a great deal more than the other 8 cars ive owned over the years

 

[ted tcb]

Although I prefer the sportier Sevilles, that is one beautiful Deville.

The blue carriage roof really works with the white paint and those great wheels. With regular coolant changes, your 4.9 is bulletproof.

I gave away a real nice red 95 STS back in '02, tried a Lesabre/Intrigue/Corolla and Accord, and ended up with two more STS's.
Point being, as soon as I let my 95 STS slip away, I compared every other purchase to the Caddy, and they all come up short in terms of style, comfort, and prestige ... you just feel good driving a Caddy, especially an inexpensive used one.

Keep it, or sell it to me:yup:

 

[geigs]

Hey everyone: thanks for all your advice: you helped me make up my mind. As Madonna once sang,

...But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby, oh
I'm gonna keep my baby, mmm...,

although I don't think she was singing about a car. So taking your advice, I plan to keep the car :highfive: . So once again, thanks for this intervention. I'll see you around the Boards :thumbsup: !