[Elvis]

Same dealership that I borrowed the '96 Fleetwood from. The Fleetwood was still there, but it's been sold to a retired Lawyer in Missouri. He already has a '94 and a '95, loves black, and shouldn't be at all disappointed in this one. I'm glad to know it's going to a good home.

Anyway, the '98 DeVille was a nice car, green with a kind of gray interior. I liked the way it drove better than the Fleetwood. Steering was more responsive, acceleration was more instantaneous, but not quite as torque-y if you know what I mean. I liked the car.

It didn't feel at all like a FWD car! Magnasteer is nice. Very light touch.

One of the grandkids spilled kool-aid on the floor in the back. This didn't look like a stain that would come out, either. Then we popped the trunk and I saw the mat. It was even worse. This carpet needed to be replaced altogether, and at least one new floor mat was needed.

Then just out of curiosity I lifted the little trap door to check out the spare tire. THE JACK WAS RUSTY! The wheel of the space saver was rusty, too. I felt around, and there was one hell of a lot of moisture back there--almost like a sponge. There was some mold, mildew or something growing on the carpet, pretty thick, too. This car had been wet for a long, long time.

The salesman just about crapped on himself. He obviously didn't know, and was embarrassed about it, too.

Now, whoever knows about this, HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? Are these cars prone to trunk leaks? Is it more likely that the water came from the top or the bottom? Any ideas?

 

[Elvis]

No salvage title (the salesman said it had a clean CARFAX),

No sunroof (I've had that problem before with Acuras and know how to fix it)

I suspected the drain plugs in the floor first. But when I looked underneath I couldn't see any. The trunk lining had been removed and improperly re-installed. Not all of those "snap" plug thingys were re-connected. That may have had something to do with when they removed the CD player, though.

There was a lot of water that had evaporated and then condensed on metal & plastic. There was a little "eco-sphere" forming back there with all the mold and mildew that was growing. Kind of a terrarium effect.

The water also seemed to almost be puddling in the well where the spare is kept. Water from above makes a little more sense now that I think about it.

We've had about 3" of rain this week, and the car was sitting out. The weather stripping around the rear window appeared to be coming loose in the bottom corners, but I couldn't see how that could be the source.

The big gasket that seals the trunk looked to be okay. This was a puzzlement, and it looked like a problem that the previous owner had been experiencing for quite a while, but probably wasn't aware of.

I really don't think that anyone at the dealership knew about this problem, because I can't imagine them letting it go for so long, or until someone bought the car and noticed it--too much potential for long-term damage.

Otherwise, this was a very nice car. It had new Michelins, and the premium sound system already wired for a 12-disc changer. I like the way they drive, accelerate and handle. But frankly, unless I can find a pristine '98 or '99, I'm probably back to looking for a 2001-2002 model. That's a lot more money than I want to spend right now, so I'll have to sell a lot of software between now and the end of the year.

I have, at least, settled on a color. It gots to be BLACK. I prefer tan interior this time around, though. That narrows down my choices, but it gives me an excuse to turn something else down if I'm "iffy" about it.

 

[Elvis]

I wasn't too crazy about the gold emblems on the rims. They weren't real Caddy emblems. Aftermarket all the way. And the car had gold crests and script all over it. Not my style.

The salesman said they would swap the rims for me with any aluminum ones I picked at no cost (of course, I'd fight for a discount).

I wasn't serious about buying THAT car, I really just wanted to rule it out, and I can't now. It drives really nice and had a GREAT sound system.

I needed an excuse to make an exit, I had been there an hour and the salesman was trying to get me inside to talk money. As soon as I found the floor mat with the horrible stains on it, he started promising all new carpet, etc. Then when I found the water and the rusty jack, it kind of killed the mood! It was kind of funny. What ELSE could go wrong? I DEFINITELY wasn't going to make an offer on that car today.

I'll check back in a couple weeks, and I'll watch their web listings. If something turns up, I'll go check it out. Otherwise, I'm going to have to just sit tight for a few more weeks longer than I had planned. (remember, my original plan was to get a loaded Fleetwood for less than $12K)

 

[Elvis]

Thanks for all the suggestions and replies, ONE AND ALL!

El Dobro is probably right, but it's scary how much of this points to a possible accident.

I saw another '98 DeVille Saturday. It was silver, but had absolutely HORRIBLE paint on the rear panels. The car had probably been keyed--"BUT IT HAS A CLEAR CARFAX!"

I told the salesman that I had backed into a lawnmower once, doing over $700 worth of paint damage--no body work. It never showed up on CARFAX.

CARFAX is a nice thing to have, but there's no substitute for inspecting the car yourself. I think I've ruled out buying anything on the Internet unless it's new or under warranty.