[BeelzeBob]

Okay. I think I'm done changing my mind.. I'm going to go for a '96 ETC since it's got the upgraded interior... I like the new options like rainsense wipers as well.. There are a few other minor improvements but I don't remember what they are. Anyways.. What are some things to look for when buying? What repairs would be GREAT to have done already. And - like Lexus - does Cadillac allow you to see what service has been done by the dealer?

 

[Brett]

We may need a seperate forum to cover all your "changes of mind"

 

[BeelzeBob]

Very, very funny!!

 

[elwesso]

Basically (I had an article about 10pages long discussing how to) you want to check ALL the fluids (make sure you take off the radiator cap so you can see the condition of the fluid....... the overflow tank doesnt do justice)..... You will need to check the tranny fluid after the test drive.... bounce each corner, get it bouncing, and then stop, it should just go to the top and go back to the center..... if it doesnt it means bad shocks..... Carefully examine the body, make sure that all the panels line up and that the paint is the same color.... you may need to get into different positions to see this....... Make sure EVERY power option works, and all lights are OK...... Make sure you get it into a dark area so you can see the dash lights and see if they work too.....

Test drive: make sure that the engine starts up quick, no strange fumes coming from the tail pipe, etc..... Get into the car, shift into gear, and make sure that it doesnt emit a loud "clunk" when going into gear (a little noise is ok, but nothing too noticeable)..... Make sure there is no sign of tranny slippage, especially after the first few shifts...... If it slips, that means that the tranny could be failing, or the filter could be plugged and it needs to be replaced and the tranny flushed..... hopefully the latter of the two....... Obviously you want to make sure that there are no weird vibrations or anything, should be smooth as silk, as you know from your 95!!

If something isnt right, that doesnt mean its bad.... make sure you work out a deal with the seller, if he isnt willing to haggle, then he isnt worth your time.....

You can tell how well the car is cared for by looking at easy things too..... check the air filter.... if its pretty dirty, the owner didnt care or he/his service place doesnt know diddly about cars......

Also, make sure you take it in for an inspection...... it will be worth your $50 (or so) to get it done..... they can put it on a lift to look at the exhaust and CV joints, etc......

 

[Night Wolf]

POS Netscape browser, I had this whole friggin thing typed up, and then it all just closed out on me, this happens semi-often and is the 3rd time it happened today (other 2 times I was at the GAOC making a long reply and it just closed on me) - damn POS

Anyway, to sum it up, I was saying, look at the engine bay..... if it is dirty, hoses and hose guard/insalators are cracked or dry rotted, then either the car was not taken care of, it was ran in bad conditions and many of this can reflect the inside of the engine, durability etc.... When we test drove the '91 Coupe DeVille, the only thing holding us (me) back was the 170k miles.... but the engine bay was kinda dirty, some hoses and insalators were cracked and dry rotted..... but for the price I would have got that car, it really didin't matter, but like I said.... those miles....

Anyway, on my CDV I have, the engine, engine bay, and whole car in general looks like it just came new from the factory, the engine has 80k miles (just switched to Mobil 1 synthetic) But here is a picture of how clean, and the way an engine should look.

Keep in mind, this car IS 10 years old (more actually, made November of '92)

 

[BeelzeBob]

Thanks for all the info - and sorry about that Netscape problem. Why don't you ditch it? Netscape is officially gone - even AOL is going to use IE for good...

Otherwise.. Thanks again for the help. I need to know as much as possible - and when the time comes to buy my car, I'll refer back to here...

 

[mnymaker]

WOW.... Now thats a clean engine. Looks brand new. Sweet job.

POS Netscape browser, I had this whole friggin thing typed up, and then it all just closed out on me, this happens semi-often and is the 3rd time it happened today (other 2 times I was at the GAOC making a long reply and it just closed on me) - damn POS

Anyway, to sum it up, I was saying, look at the engine bay..... if it is dirty, hoses and hose guard/insalators are cracked or dry rotted, then either the car was not taken care of, it was ran in bad conditions and many of this can reflect the inside of the engine, durability etc.... When we test drove the '91 Coupe DeVille, the only thing holding us (me) back was the 170k miles.... but the engine bay was kinda dirty, some hoses and insalators were cracked and dry rotted..... but for the price I would have got that car, it really didin't matter, but like I said.... those miles....

Anyway, on my CDV I have, the engine, engine bay, and whole car in general looks like it just came new from the factory, the engine has 80k miles (just switched to Mobil 1 synthetic) But here is a picture of how clean, and the way an engine should look.

Keep in mind, this car IS 10 years old (more actually, made November of '92)

 

[elwesso]

WOW.... Now thats a clean engine. Looks brand new. Sweet job.

It does look good, too bad its in sideways!!!!