Need Assistance in buying a V

1239 Views 17 Replies 13 Participants Last post by thebigjimsho, Apr 1, 2009

G

Discussion Starter · Mar 30, 2009

Hello Everyone,

I am looking at a 2005 cts-v with 129K miles on it. I have never owned a V so could you give me an idea on common issues with these cars? This car is in descent shape although the owner did some kinda weird stuff. For example, he stripped all the V emblems off the car-even the little GM quality emblem. But, he add cross-drilled rotors and a k&n system to the car. Some of the issues that I have found with this car are:

1.Tire Pressure Monitor -on the left rear isnt registering. Is this expensive to fix?

2.Buttons on the radio/nav/ dvd are flaking. I did see a post where it explained how to replace these so I guess this isnt a big deal. Can you still get them at a Lindsay Cadillac?

3. The owner claims that there is a vibration in the transmission and that it is a common issue. Is this true? I drove the car today and never felt it. He said that it is usually when its cold and around the 1800 rpm range.

4. 3 out of 4 of the wheels are the normal silver. One looks to be new and is like a gunmetal color. One of the silver wheels has lost a lot of its silver paint. Is this silver paint code available or do guys just get your wheels powdercoated a common silver?

This V will be my daily driver so I need a reliable car. Let me know what you think. BTW, the car is for sale for $15,500 but I'm pretty sure I can get him in the $14,2-$14,5 range.

Great to be on this site and we'll see if I end up pulling the trigger on this V.

Thanks,

Tim

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perfect

· #2 · Mar 30, 2009

ABORT ABORT ABORT

129 THOUSAND MILES?!

I guess for $15.5k that is possibly an okay deal. For a couple of thousand more you can get a car with half the miles.

I don't think many people on this board have gotten their V's up to the 100k+ range yet. So I don't think too many people can comment on long-term high-mileage reliability. But this is a sports car, make no mistake, it WAS driven hard and has 129k miles of wear and tear on it. The vibration in the drive-line is certainly not normal.

Save some more money and buy a decent 04 V with far less miles and you will be a happy man!

c4ss

· #3 · Mar 30, 2009

:yeah:

Nothing against the few high mileage guys on here, but thats a LOT of miles. I guess a lot depends on the carfax and proper service record. Personally I would save a little more and get one with a warranty and less miles. Good luck.

kimphamg

· #4 · Mar 30, 2009

1: if the sensor is dead, and you can replace it for around 60$. Otherwise, maybe it just need to be reprogrammed - check cadillacfaq.com in the wheel section to reprogram the sensors.

2: You can buy replacement button for the NAV from Luke, and it could be a pain in the ass to replace but I never tried it. You could also try to live with it.

3: I'm no mechanics but I'd be wary of any transmission vibration. It would also cost you $$$ to have it fix. If you didn't feel the vibration when you test drove it, one day on your way to work, you will feel it and might regret buying this car.

4: If you want to paint the gunmetal to silver to match the other 3 tires, check out the faq, there's a rim repair guide i think it might point you in the right direction for a color match.

For the above reparations/fixes, it could run you in the ~1000$, and much more in the long term. And honestly, 129k miles? If it was 129k KM, then maybe it's a good deal, but in miles that's crazy. And no V emblems? I know I couldn't live with my precious V emblems :cloud9:

My advice: DO NOT BUY THIS V! Try to find another V, remember that lease contract are usually 3 years, so you might find a few 2006 V with warranty for a few grands more. Like the saying says; Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.

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Civardi

· #5 · Mar 30, 2009

Keep looking.

Bueller

· #6 · Mar 30, 2009

Much better deals out there with way less miles for not much more $.

I would keep searching.

UnsafeAtAnySpd

· #7 · Mar 30, 2009

There should be a "I'm looking to buy this car..." sticky.

OldRoadDawg

· #8 · Mar 30, 2009

This could be a great 'project' car... for the right purchase price.
NOT a daily driver.

rand49er

· #9 · Mar 30, 2009

Bueller said:
Much better deals out there with way less miles for not much more $.

I would keep searching.

UnsafeAtAnySpd said:
There should be a "I'm looking to buy this car..." sticky.

OldRoadDawg said:
This could be a great 'project' car... for the right purchase price.
NOT a daily driver.

^^^Yeah those. ^^^

Rolex

· #10 · Mar 30, 2009

129k + transmission issues!?! If you buy this car as a DD you should expect your operating costs to be higher then just gassing it up and changing the oil. High mileage vehicles are likely to be high maintenance. Maintenance and repair on these vehicles IS NOT cheap. Unless you are very mechanically inclined and can do this (otherwise expensive) maintenance yourself to save $$$, this maintenance and repair will cost you big bucks out of pocket. I've seen so many buyers purchase a "good looking" pre-owned vehicle only to be disappointed with the nagging mechanical failures they have to repair to keep the vehicle roadworthy. People that buy CTS Vs and add performance mods like K&N intakes, etc. don't buy them to take Sunday drives. The car has been driven hard for a LOT of miles. Think about it long and hard before pulling the trigger. Have a qualified mechanic that's familiar with these cars do a thorough inspection.

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G

Discussion Starter · #11 · Mar 30, 2009

Thank you very much for the replies everyone. I have two Corvettes so I love the CTS-V. My last two daily drivers were high mileage cars -accord with 189K and a camry with 157K miles so I was thinking this V would be fine. There are two V's in the Knoxville area that I have seen for sale-both at dealerships with prices around $25K. Both do have a lot less mileage so I will have to look into it.

Again, thanks for the responses.

Tim

B-1 Buddha

· #12 · Mar 30, 2009

Rolex said:
129k + transmission issues!?! If you buy this car as a DD you should expect your operating costs to be higher then just gassing it up and changing the oil. High mileage vehicles are likely to be high maintenance. Maintenance and repair on these vehicles IS NOT cheap. Unless you are very mechanically inclined and can do this (otherwise expensive) maintenance yourself to save $$$, this maintenance and repair will cost you big bucks out of pocket. I've seen so many buyers purchase a "good looking" pre-owned vehicle only to be disappointed with the nagging mechanical failures they have to repair to keep the vehicle roadworthy. People that buy CTS Vs and add performance mods like K&N intakes, etc. don't buy them to take Sunday drives. The car has been driven hard for a LOT of miles. Think about it long and hard before pulling the trigger. Have a qualified mechanic that's familiar with these cars do a thorough inspection.

EJECT EJECT EJECT! :bonkers: That's a lotta miles... In a multi-crew, ejection seat aircraft, we call that "voting with your ejection handle".

Navigator: "We're out of control!"
Pilot: "I can recover it..."
Navigator: "You do that." :Eject:

Great graphic, Rolex. Mig-25 Foxbat, now that's a craft that's "all engine". :devil:

BTW, apparently you (and by you, I mean, all the Russian millionaires on the board) can go for a ride in a Foxbat like that in Moscow. Mach 2.6, 60,000 feet.

thebigjimsho

· #13 · Mar 31, 2009

Keep an eye out here in the classifieds. You'll see Vs for not too much more with a fraction of the miles...

lawrence1

· #14 · Apr 1, 2009

be careful what you buy.
a car like the CTS-V with 129k will need work once in a while. i see that you had a camry and an accord ... this is very different from the reliability stand point. even if you can do everything yourself as far as labor, it's the parts that will rape you.

nothing is cheap on this car and the idiots at GM make it even worse by not selling some wear parts individually. The drive shaft for example is one assembly that runs $800. the transmission vibration could cost you thousands in no time. the differentials are garbage as well and if it grenades you'll be out another couple thousands. This is just for parts, not including labor. and then you'll have all the other electronics that will fail and will cost you an arm and a leg.

if you want a V get one with low miles and/or with a warranty. If you can't afford one now then save some more money and buy one later.

good luck.

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trambow

· #15 · Apr 1, 2009

Tims94 Were are you from?

thebigjimsho

· #16 · Apr 1, 2009

Most of the drivetrain is cheap to replace on this car and readily available...

UnsafeAtAnySpd

· #17 · Apr 1, 2009

...and easy to make better.

thebigjimsho

· #18 · Apr 1, 2009

indeed.

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