I just bought my second Caddy and I'm having a helluva time find much information on it. I bought a '99 Fleetwood Limited last week, which from my understanding is essentially a '99 Deville, that was stretched a foot by Superior Coaches in Ohio and placed on a Hearse Frame. Strangely enough, while all my dealership documentation states it's a fleetwood and it's noticeably different looking from a 99 Deville, there is no badging anywhere on the car stating it's a Fleetwood. Odd. Anyway, I've found a few sites that give the history of the 98 and 99 Fleetwoods and mine definitely matches the pictures including the desk in the back seat, but that's about it. I've even contacted Superior Coaches requesting how I can get more info, but they've not replied as of yet. GM is supposed ot be sending me the a copy of the original manuals, but my guess is that they're sending me 99 Deville manuals.
I also own a '70 Coupe de Ville that belonged to my Great Uncle and was passed on to me by a cousin a few years back in exchange for a computer and the promise that I'd take good care of it and keep it in a garage for the rest of my natural life. LOL. So far, I've kept good on my end and I baby it, driving it about 300-500 miles a year. It looks pretty good for being all original with only 43,000 miles on it.
So, that's my Caddy intro. Hopefully these boards will turn out to be useful and interesting.
James,
First of all, welcome. Second, how many lugs are on each wheel?
Third, check the SPID label in the trunk and tell me if there is a V4U code on it.
The Fleetwood "Limited" was in fact originally built on the V4U Deville Limousine chassis. The big problem was that it was expensive, rode rough, and because the wheels are unique to the limousine, you could not change them to anything else. I can't remember which year ('99 I think) but the final year for the car it WAS built on the lighter, cheaper, better-riding W20 Livery chassis. Overall, it's a VERY SOLID car but since it was so expensive (the car qualified for the gas guzzler tax), they stopped making it. If yours IS an actual Superior car (there were others that did them), then it is the best that was made. If you intend to keep the car, I would suggest buying some extra rear doors and 1/4 panels since they were built "exclusively" for that car so they are probably already hard to come by.
James,
First of all, welcome. Second, how many lugs are on each wheel?
Third, check the SPID label in the trunk and tell me if there is a V4U code on it.
The Fleetwood "Limited" was in fact originally built on the V4U Deville Limousine chassis. The big problem was that it was expensive, rode rough, and because the wheels are unique to the limousine, you could not change them to anything else. I can't remember which year ('99 I think) but the final year for the car it WAS built on the lighter, cheaper, better-riding W20 Livery chassis. Overall, it's a VERY SOLID car but since it was so expensive (the car qualified for the gas guzzler tax), they stopped making it. If yours IS an actual Superior car (there were others that did them), then it is the best that was made. If you intend to keep the car, I would suggest buying some extra rear doors and 1/4 panels since they were built "exclusively" for that car so they are probably already hard to come by.
Cool, I figured this site would have people with the hardcore knowledge I was seeking. Thanks!
Yes, it is an actual Superior Coaches car, and it states that in the door jam sticker including the serial, weight, and date produced, etc. I'll have to look in the trunk for the code you're referring to for the chassis. And it definitely rides differently than a standard deville. I mean it's a tougher ride and doesn't have that bounce feel that most Devilles seem to have, but it still is an extremely comfortable ride, it's just tighter. That was something I noticed about it immediately.
The wheel lugs = 6. And Yes, the dealer told me even that finding other rims to swap would be very difficult. I mean for value sake, I'd want to keep the original wheels, but since their are only 800 or so '99s out there, I'm already weary of scraping a curb, which switching from a Mustang GT daily driver to this, is probably only a matter of time.
James,
You might also check the VIN. Instead of starting out "1G6....." I think it should be "1GE......" The "E" is for "incomplete vehicle" It's actually not much of an issue though since you already said that it's got the 6-lug wheels. That proves it's a V4U car. And as for the ride being "different", yeah you could say that. With a 7200 GVW chassis under it, the car is feeling like an empty 1-ton pick-up truck. Not really but you get the idea
Where did you get the car?
It does start with 1GE. I got the car from a dealer in Northern Baltimore - Chesapeake Cadillac. They bought it from a wholesaler who bought from a Limo / Executive Sedan Service out of NYC. Interestingly enough, it didn't go into service until February of 2000 and today it only has 25,000 miles on it, so I got it with the 6 year 100K mile "Certified PreOwned Warranty."
Knowing that about the suspension, I've noticed that (what I think to be) the tires give off a hum when I'm rolling. I can't tell if its the tires though or if its something else, or possibly just a "feature" of the V4U Suspension. Have you ever heard someone mentioning this before?
Check the tires, chances are they're the original "LT" type tires. They had to install tires like that to go with the GVW. You can change them to a "standard" load range tire and you'll notice a difference in both ride quality and road noise.
As for your warranty, the car SHOULD be covered under the PVPP(Professional Vehicle Protection Plan) warranty which is 6yrs/150K miles. You can verify this via any dealer running the VIN. It doesn't matter that you're not a commercial owner, as long as the original owner was, it should've been registered with Cadillac under the PVPP.
Personally, I would also change the springs to a "lighter" rate which would also enhance the ride quality while also lowering it slightly. Damn things always had too much open wheel well for MY liking.
Check the tires, chances are they're the original "LT" type tires. They had to install tires like that to go with the GVW. You can change them to a "standard" load range tire and you'll notice a difference in both ride quality and road noise.
As for your warranty, the car SHOULD be covered under the PVPP(Professional Vehicle Protection Plan) warranty which is 6yrs/150K miles. You can verify this via any dealer running the VIN. It doesn't matter that you're not a commercial owner, as long as the original owner was, it should've been registered with Cadillac under the PVPP.
Personally, I would also change the springs to a "lighter" rate which would also enhance the ride quality while also lowering it slightly. Damn things always had too much open wheel well for MY liking.
Hmmm, thanks for the advice. I definitely forsee quieter tires going on in the not too far off future, though adding a CD-Changer is a little higher on my financial to-do list. Just having radio and cassette blows. Of course, the debate is wheter or not to go with the Factory GM CD-Changer or go custom. I'm inclined to keep it Factory-ish cause I dig the collectible side of this car and don't want to stray too far into customized-land.
I'll have to look into the PVPP deal, since the dealer hadn't mentioned that at all.
I agree with the idea of keeping it as "stock" as possible. Good luck with the warranty issue. If you come up empty, try calling 1-800-43-FLEET and ask them about it. That's Cadillac's fleet help line. They're much more knowledgable about the PVPP.
The fact that it was a FWD was big selling point for me. I traded a Mustang GT for it and while I LOVED MY MUSTANG, it was the worst car imaginable for winter driving. Truthfully I miss it dearly, my '01 GT qwas great, but it sucked as a daily driver. With as many miles as I put on a car, I'll wait till I can buy another Stang as a 2nd or 3rd car. The Fleetwood having a 6200 LBs curb weight and FWD should prove to have decent traction in the winter.
To bring back some of my original questions, here's the full response I got back from Superior Coaches about the Fleetwoods. Not terribly helpful, but very salesy...
Thanks for your interest in our products. We still manufacture this unit on the 2003 Deville chassis. It is called a DES (Deville Extended Sedan). There was no specific manual for this conversion, since it has very few options available. The 1998-1999 units did have a fender skirt option. However, these are no longer available. I am always available for questions.
Regards,
Scot Andrews
Warranty Administrator
(419) 998-8618 Direct Phone
I'm purchasing a used 1999 Cadillac Fleetwood Limited that apparently Superior was the Coach Company that did the conversion for that year. However, I'm having a hard time finding information on the car. Is it possible to get a Manual for that vehicle and can you all possibly point me to other places that I gain more info on the car itself. For instance, I've noticed that some of the 99's had skirts over the real wheels where my 99 does not. Was that an option or are mine just missing? Thanks in advance for any information you can point me to.
James,
Call Scot. I know him personally and he's a real knowledgable guy. Don't sell him short.
Ask him for any parts books or literature they might have and ask if the body panels are still available.
OK, I'll take your advice and give him a call. I just got the (possibly wrongful) impression that while he was happy to hear from an owner, there wasn't much he could offer on an older product.
What does that mean exactly. My wife and I have actually been playing with the idea of buying a classic limo for doing weddings and such. When we got married she had a helluva time finding a classic car limo as a surprise for me, since I'm such a car nut. She found one though eventually. It was a '55 Rolls, i believe. I'll see if I can dig up a pic of it. It was just a sedan though, not a limo. I've been trying to figure out what the demand is though and I think it's not a huge demand and instead would just be a niche market. So, I've also tossed the idea around about buying a later model Limo to get started with, but the freak'n insurance for limo service is outrageous in MD. Any ideas about that? I'm pretty bored with being an IT consultant and would like to do something totally different and then just do private IT consulting. I think the limo gig has potential, plus even with as many limo companies as there are here, it's still hard to book one without reserving it far in advance, which tells me the demand is pretty high. But, it's an expensive endeavor, so I'm just doing some research for the time being. It sounds like you and some of the other guys around here may have some experience in this. (perhaps this should be a different thread)
The limo business took a HUGE hit after 9/11.
There was an overall shock wave that ultimately claimed as much as 50% of some local markets. Getting one or two cars is a good way to get a feel for the business, good luck.
One tip, sedans are always the money-makers, you'll be able to keep them on the roa 24/7. Limos are just something you need for special occasions.
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