[Terry Lange]

I have had 13 Cadillacs over the years, and have received and shared a lot of information on the DeVille forum of Cadillacowners.com. I will likely be purchasing a 2004 to 2007 SRX within the next 3 weeks. This is my first run at an SUV type vehicle, and I'm not sure what to look for. The reason for the switch is we have a black lab who likes to travel, and the current 2001 DTS isn't the greatest dog vehicle. Are there any particular years to avoid? How about the Northstar vs. the V6? I have had Northstars in my last 2 Caddys, but am pretty flexible since I'm generally not a leadfoot. I don't want to go crazy and spend 35K+ in case I end up not liking an SUV type vehicle, so this is the reason I am considering an older model. I haven't totally ruled out the Lincoln MKX, due to GM's financial problems and questionable future, but would really like to stay with Cadillac. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Terry

 

[c5 rv]

I'd look for a certified pre-owned unit. Cliff Notes of the years:

04 - 05: Wide doorsills can make entry and exit more difficult. Pants legs will often get dirty.
04 - 06: Interior has the same styling as the original CTS.
06 - current: Narrow doorsills and power rear liftgate.
07 - current: Restyled interior. However, some folks complain of sun reflections on the AC vents.

The SRX is a good dog car assuming your dog can jump into the rear hatch. (Buy the rear bumper protector to cover the top of the bumper.) I have the GM parts soft cargo barrier that uses factory mounting points behind the back (middle) seat. It goes up and down in a couple minutes and keeps a dog confined to the back. I'd also skip the 3rd row seat in lieu of the cargo management system. The GM parts cargo mat (rubber waffle type) is also a good addition.

As for engines, I've always said the V6 is OK for RWD, but the V8 is better for AWD. Your opinion may differ.

SRX drawbacks: The car has spent more time at the dealership than any vehicle I've owned in the past 20 years. There have been too many rattles and front suspension problems. Also, if you carry a dog in the rear cargo area, there are no opening windows, even vents. Dogs love to sniff the air go by.

The best dog vehicles I've owned are fullsize extended cab GM pickups. (The GM extended cab trucks have more rear seat room.) The rear seat folds up for larger dogs. For smaller dogs, a seat cover is useful. The trucks also have swing-out vent windows that dogs love.

My wife can no longer transfer up into a fullsize truck from her wheelchair. I picked up an 02 Dodge Dakota RWD extended cab. Our late dog loved to ride back there. Since there were no rear doors, the dog jumped into the front seat and (usually) went between the seats into the back.

 

[NorthernSRX]

Hard to add much to C5rv's post - that's the thumbnail sketch of the years.

Our '04 AWD N* had its problem period, including numerous trips to the dealership for warranty work. Oddly, once it moved into extended warranty territory, it was rock-solid and, frankly, we wasted our money on it. We liked the passing power and quietness of the V8 but the fuel economy was not great - highway mileage was particularly disappointing.

Our '08 AWD V6 has been rock-solid from the beginning. We much prefer the narrower door sills and the more refined interior of the 2007-current models. Plus, the newer models have more storage space in the dash itself. We miss the V8 for passing power and its quietness but the V6 is more than acceptable. The SRX now has a remote power liftgate standard - a feature that my wife absolutely loves. I believe this is on SRXs from 2006 on.

 

[robhersch]

We have also owned several Cadillacs over the years since 1969, and the only one with major problems was the 1982 H4100 engine. We now have a 1999 DeVille Concours 300HP - which is a beautiful auto but also not good for a big dog - and a 2005 SRX N*V8 320 HP RWD which we love. We note that the '99 4-speed has "free wheeling", but the '05 has the 5-speed "paddle shift" which seems to yield lower MPG both in city and freeway.
We drive from LA to Las Vegas several times a year; we find the '99 gets ~24-25 MPG at freeway speeds and the "05 ~19-20 MPG under the same driving conditions. City driving yields ~ 15-16 on the '99 and ~ 12-14 on the '05.
We have had no problems with either N*V8, drive train, body, etc since purchasing them new in 1998 and 2005.
Both are very comfortable, very quiet and good performers under our driving conditions.
Our friend's 2008 SRX V6 w/ 6 speed automatic does seem to have a bit more motor noise and seems to work harder - particularly in mountain driving - than our N*V8s with not much better MPG than our SRX V8.
We compared many "SUV/ X-overs" - MB, BMW, Lex, Dodge, Ford, GMC, etc, V6 to V6 & V8 to V8 - 2003, '04. '05 models and selected the SRX N*V8 RWD with the UltraView as the best for us; we could not be happier.
Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[NorthernSRX]

Robhersch broaches an important change in the SRXes over the years: for the 2007 MY, the N* version got a 6 speed transmission. The V6 stayed with a 5speed transmission right through - i.e. from 2004-2009.

The only difference, I believe, between 2007 and 2008-09s was the change to the new corporate steering wheel with the heated feature and cruise controls on the steering wheel itself.

 

[ocabrera]

I have a 2008 V6 AWD ultraview and we like it. We find that the rear cargo room is not very big (we have the power retractable 3rd row seat) but aside from that the width of the rear cargo area is not very big. V6 is more than adequate, I drove a N* and yes it did feel better but it would be too much for in-city driving for 80% of the users. The stereo is just adequate, not great. Interior styling of the 07+ year is miles above that of pre 2007. Expect generally poor gas milleage from the 5000LB car, 15 city and 22 Hwy with AWD V6. Power lift gate and ultraview are very nice as is the interior and seats. Unless you are dead set on the SRX I would consider other choices as well.....my dealership was listing a new 2009 for something like $29k! deals are to be had in this car right now. If you get one used it will be cheap but the depreciation in these cars is significant. I will probably drive mine until 100k+ miles and it only has 3k now.

 

[USAFRET]

I can echo the comments posted above as I was out looking for a 2006 and up SRX. I found a great deal on a 2009 RWD V6 with all the options (had 18,500 miles) but since it was a CPO I wasn't worried. It was a GM executive vehicle sold at some GM auction. And so far our SRX (now over 20,300 miles) is built like a bank vault.

My real world fuel mileage is just at 16.5 MPG (that's a combination of true stop and go city and some places I can run at 55 to 60 for a few miles) I work on a USAF base and most are always out in the middle of no where so I get some opportunity to "cruise".

My only complaint is how in the world could GM/Cadillac sell the 2009 SRX without Bluetooth?

My Michelin tires look brand new, I would expect to get at least 50K out of them.

I paid $33,900 for my 09 CPO. Good luck and good hunting.

 

[Gideon's_test]

I though I'd mention that I have a coworker that is going back to France and is selling his '07 V6 SRX with 21K miles on it for $19K..

 

[c5 rv]

Assuming it is in good condition with nice options and AWD, that sounds like a good price.

 

[TSS]

Assuming it is in good condition with nice options and AWD, that sounds like a good price.

Greg,

You are the only person brave enough in Michigan to have a 2WD SRX. :thumbsup:

Seriously though, I agree, it sounds like a pretty decent price.

 

[c5 rv]

Greg,

You are the only person brave enough in Michigan to have a 2WD SRX. :thumbsup:

It helps that I have another AWD daily driver. Next time around, I'll only have one DD. It will likely be AWD or FWD. But, I may consider another RWD with positraction and a set of winter tires since I drove RWD DD trucks for years.

 

[TSS]

One more note: Although I don't really care about the styling updates for the 07+ years (I actually liked my 06 interior), one BIG bonus for me is that with the changes, came the dual digital/analog speedometer. The pre-07 SRXs don't have a digital speedometer, just the analog. I always look at the digital in my Lade and our SLS. Ironically though, I would be unhappy with JUST digital, as I like to have guages too, even if I don't use them. That change could actually sway me to an 07+ if I was in the market.

Since your 01 DTS has both too, if you have come to rely mostly on the digital, it is something to consider.

 

[c5 rv]

... I always look at the digital in my Lade and our SLS. Ironically though, I would be unhappy with JUST digital, as I like to have guages too, even if I don't use them. That change could actually sway me to an 07+ if I was in the market.

Since your 01 DTS has both too, if you have come to rely mostly on the digital, it is something to consider.

I didn't think of that. I like the digital and analog displays on my Allante and (too frequent) DTS loaners I drive.

 

[Gideon's_test]

Greg,

You are the only person brave enough in Michigan to have a 2WD SRX. :thumbsup:

Seriously though, I agree, it sounds like a pretty decent price.

Actually, it is RWD..He says it goes right through the white stuff, no prob...Well, he IS French after all...

 

[TSS]

Actually, it is RWD..He says it goes right through the white stuff, no prob......

Wow. Your side of Michigan must be very different than mine, or have unbelievably efficient plows with an unlimited budget. :hmm:

 

[Terry Lange]

Thanks to everyone for their insight and great comments. I hadn't been on this board for a couple of days and was really surprised at all the input. I spent most of this past Monday at dealerships here in the Phoenix, AZ area. Test drove an '05 V6 2WD that was the silver/green color that was only offered in that year. Plenty of power (for me, anyway). Disappointed in the dash and door panels with all the black plastic. Thought I was sitting in a KIA. The asking price was 21,900, which I thought was a little steep. Went to another dealership to inquire about dealer incentives on new '08's and '09's. Drove a black V6 2WD with a full load, including Nav., mesh grille and ground effects. List was around 48K, saleman thought he could get it for the low '30's once all the incentives were added up. He went in and talked to his boss, came out and told me that the wheels and tires were aftermarket (add 2K) and that it was a special order vehicle so no incentives applied. They dropped to 41,900 after 3 hours. That was too rich for my blood, so they showed me a new '09 that was so stripped I expected it to have crank windows. Pretty hard to get excited about that after driving the loaded one. By the way, one dealer offered me 2K for my 2001 DTS and the other 1K on a trade.

I'll head back out this weekend to do battle again. Thanks to those who posted about the newer ones having both an analog and digital speedo. I would really miss that after driving the DTS for almost 4 years. So far, the conclusions I have arrived at are that a V6 is adequate for me, I don't need AWD for 99% freeway driving, got to have that sunroof, and I now recall why I haven't bought a car from a dealer in 17 years. Will keep you all posted.

Terry

 

[jwoodie]

Keep checking the internet, especially autotrader. Later model SRX's are harder to find in western states. I had to go 400 miles (to L.A.) to get mine. Good luck!

 

[TSS]

By the way, one dealer offered me 2K for my 2001 DTS and the other 1K on a trade.

The highly sought after DTS chrome rims should fetch you $750.00 alone!

 

[nascarnation]

Before the economy tanked, there were a lot of new SRXs moved via 2 and 3 year subsidized lease deals. Now these are coming back to GMAC in a weak resale market, and not getting very good bids at auction.
That's why you will see a lot of 06 and 07 units available currently and they should be priced attractively.
If you have any contacts with a dealer license you might consider looking at auction vehicles directly and negotiating a minimum markup for their help.

 

[Terry Lange]

I had a real hard time finding a nicely appointed '07 here in the Phoenix, AZ area. Finally did locate one, and got the deal done last Saturday. Black V6 RWD with all the toys, including nav., ultraview sunroof, etc. The only useless options for me are the third row seat and the rear seat theatre package. However, the third row seat does fold flush with the floor, and this seating option includes ceiling A/C vents in the rear cargo area, so the dog should like that.

I got 10 miles from the dealership and already had a "Service Tire Monitor System" message on the DIC, so there's no doubt I bought another Cadillac! The tire pressures are all within normal range, but the l.f. shows a "-" instead of a psi reading on the display. I went to reprogram the monitors per the instructions in the owner's manual, but after the car sat for half an hour, all the pressure readings were okay again, and the fault message was gone. Likely a dying tire pressure monitor, as I replaced 3 of them in my DTS. I'm sure this is a non-warranty item, but it will be interesting to see if the dealer handles this at no charge since I only owned the car for 15 minutes.

Does anyone know if it's possible to "pull codes" on these cars like in the earlier devilles by pressing a combination of dash buttons, or do you need a scanner to get this information on the newer Caddys?

Thanks to everyone who helped me with my decision. I'm looking forward to many years of enjoyment with this SRX.

Terry