[elwesso]

Hey all you allante owners,
I saw a 89 allante with 75k for 6500, and i was definitely considering it. How much maintenance do these cars require. I have heard some pretty bad thing about them. I wanted to get an opinion from the people that have them! THanks alot

 

[Allante North *]

Hi Wes,

Allante brakes are the most important issue you could consider. I would ask the current owner for as detailed history of the car as possible. It would also be important to check the codes on the DIC(driver information center). The price sounds great if the car is in good shape. Try to get as much information on it as you can, and feel free to ask me any questions you like. I am no expert, but have many Allante friends that would be glad to help you as well. They are great cars if maintained properly. There are some quirks that they have, but nothing that can't be overcome. Parts are getting hard to come by in many instances. If you want to do some research on Allantes, visit Allantenet.org and try doing a search on the "89" and another on brakes. You will get some valuable information from that site. If you do purchase it, it would be in you best intrest to join the AAG.

Don

 

[elwesso]

This will be my primary mode of transportation, do you think i should look elsewhere?

Also, what specific areas should be considered when getting information on the allante brakes. Also what are some of the other "quirks" that come with it

 

[Allante North *]

Hello Wes,

The Allante would be a fine everyday car if it is really good shape. We have member with daily drivers with wll over 100k and some over 200k. The ABS system is one of the best ever made, but without proper maintence by those familiar with the Bosch III system should not work on it. Those brakes are excellant, but if they fail you have "NO BRAKES". This system is complex and under extreem pressure. No pressure, no brakes!

Find out as much history as you can about scheduled maintance and if the brake fluid was changed at least every two years. If not you could be looking at a very expensive rebuild. The DIC I mentioned earlier will show current and history codes unless they have been cleared. Check the codes and have a pencil ready to jot down numbers. I will help you to understand what they mean or get you in touch with an AAG member that can.

I wish my daily driver could be an Allante, but my work requires off road transportation at times and the Allante sits a bit low. I love mine and doubt I will ever part with it. I'm sure you will love yours as well if you get it. Please go into this one with your eyes wide open. There sure to be a collector due to the limited production and Itallian design. If you have a digital camera, send me several pictures and I will help you any way I can.

Look at the link below to read some of the comments about Bosch III brakes. I encourage you to spend some time at the Allantenet.org site to look at some of the topics that intrest you. That site is invaluable to Allante owners and those looking to buy one. Learn all you can about them before you buy.

http://www.allantenet.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?action=search2

Good luck,

Don

 

[elwesso]

How hard are parts to come by? Does it use the regular 4.5 that the other cadillacs used? I am not sure i am going to get it, i kinda like the styling of the eldos and sevilles better. But i do like the fact that my car could be worth some serious money later, and i would have an "exotic" car. Or do you think for my purposes it would be better to go eldo or seville with the northstar. I only have about 8k to spend, so im not so sure if i can get a really good allante, although i would like one.

Also, during a test drive, are there any things that could be telltale signs of things ready to go? After thinking about everything that seems to be involved with the allantes, it sounds like they are better weekend cars than daily drivers.

 

[Allante North *]

Hard to find parts would be body parts and interior parts. The engine parts are common with other Cadillacs with the exception of the manifold which is specific to the Allante I think. The parts are out there, but you will pay a premimum for them. A example would be the hood made of Aluminum at about 2,000 to 6,000 to replace. If you get one, be sure to insure it well as many insurance companys will total them even for minor damage. The good part to that is if you have a policy for replacement value, you could get a replacement Allante and buy back the wrecked one and fix it.

Don't let me scare you out of buying a fine car, just do as much homework as possible before you buy as with any car purchase. Tell me more about the car. Exterior and interior color, digital or analog dash, hardtop, and if the owner is the original owner or is it from a dealer. There may be a member of the AAG that lives close egnough to you to even offer to go look at it with you. Chigaco and St. Louis have very active Allante groups, and you might get some info from there web sites. Spend some time on the web and do some research and lots of reading about the car. They are great cars, and not alot of them out there. Most owners of Allantes are very helpful in offering info and advice on there cars and I think you would be very happy as an owner. The price and miles on the one you mention sounds almost to good to be true. Look at Ebay to get an idea of what they bring. Do a search of completed items to see what they sell for. I bought mine off Ebay, and was very pleased with my purchase. You might also want to take it to a dealer to let them look it over. Again look at the Allantenet.org web site to find a good dealer in your area or an owner near you to help coach you.

 

[elwesso]

OK, let me tell you what i know. I am going to call them and get all the details, but this is what i know. I am looking at this through wheels and deals. It is a 89 allante, "full pwr", 74k, soft and hard top, white. It is located at prestige auto sales in Indianapolis, IN. It says at the top "pre owned state and gov't fleet vehicles". Here is a link to it: 89 allante

Let me know what you think, im sure you would be able to extrapolate more information from that than i could

 

[Allante North *]

Wes,

Its a good looking Allante, but only one picture. Looks like aftermarket wheels, but they may be Cadillac wheels. You should check them out. Look at the car very carefully and ask for a carfax report. Any history of bodywork? The interior is most likely red leather, but could be either charcoal or tan. The soft top will be black. Does it have a hardtop rack? If not you should think of getting one or a kit to hang it from your garage. Get some more pictures and I would suggest that you post on the Allante web sites for owners in the Indy area that might be willing to look at it with you. Again, the price is right if its a healthy Allante. Try to get the VIN number as well. One of the AAG members keeps a good database on Allantes. Try to get the names of previous owners since the car lot will not have much info on vehicle history and brakes. Yell back at me when you get a chance to get some more info.

Don

 

[elwesso]

Well if it has red interior, it will be a no go. I have a thing against red interior, it is of the devil. I will get more information, but im not sure i am going to go much farther than calling them, unless it turns out to be perfect.

This car sounds more like a weekend car, not a daily driver. I kinda like the styling of the eldos better. The allante is a little boxy for me. Bascially the only reason i would get it is because it is a collectors item, and i realize the money that it could be worth in later years.

BTW, could you give me a list of some of the allante websites.

 

[Allante North *]

Just a few to get you started.




http://allante.com/home.html

http://www.allantestore.com/page_display_home.asp?page=1

http://www.allantenet.org/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi

 

[kcnewell]

I really like the Allante with the Northstar. They "ROCK" I would buy one of those in good shape in a heartbeat! Ther's one at a lot near me for $12,000 asking. I looked at the car, Very low miles 45,000 but I looked it over real good.....Paint's not original and I think that's because it has been wrecked. If it was wrecked the repair is cosmeticly good but I don't know. I ran a car fax on it that came up inconclusive...Big gap of nothing between '94 and '98. I'd be a little leery of that one!

 

[Allante North *]

KC,

Check the paint code in the trunk on the left inside the spare tire well. It may have been a Mary Kay Allante and repainted after the lease was up. As you know, a good body man can tell if its been hit. That price is in my opinion way to low for such low miles. If its the real deal and never wrecked, its a bargin. What color is it, and does it have digital or analog dash. Mine is analog, and I much prefer it to digital. I would be interested to hear more if you get serious about it.

 

[kcnewell]

Dark green,Digital,New top,Tan uphoulstry looks new inside.

 

[Allante North *]

It sounds nice KC,

Is it one that you would be interested in, or just an observation. I have noticed a downward trend in the prices of Allantes with some miles on them. I watch Ebay all the time in case there is one out there cheap that I could experiment with. The one you describe sound nice and the price is right even if it took a minor hit. I would look into it a bit further if your serious.

I would like to see a 5 or 6 speed in an Allante, but Cadillac never had the balls to put manual transmissions in their vehicles til the CTS and its a six banger. The Allante Northstar has to much torque for the Getrag transmission, but the 4.1 or 4.5L might work with some minor modifications.

I drive a 4Runner all the time for work, so when I drive the Caddy I can't help but to see what she will do. I am not your typical Allante owner in that I like to push her from time to time just to hear the Northstar scream.

 

[kcnewell]

I agree on hearing the Nortstar scream, Nothing sounds quite like it! The Allante that I was looking at was sort of a fluke. I almost bought a new Allante once and have always liked them so occasionally when I see one that looks good I start "Thinking" again. I recently drove a CTS that a collegue of mine has and was kind of impressed. The car is underpowered in my opinion but other than that it drives very well. I'd buy one if it had a V8. I'm not a big fan of manual trannys anymore, Automatics are much better than they used to be and 'cause of all my years of trucking I'm just SICK of shifting gears!