[Tjkingx]

I am searching for my 2nd car now and I was looking into the Cadillac ATS

I found one at my local dealership (it a dodge and Chrysler) that I bought my first car from
It is a black 2013 Cadillac ATS with 43,000 miles
It is fully loaded with Nav, Heated seats, moon roof, keyless start and entry, front and back sensors and has the 2.0 liter engine with 272 horsepower RWD.

now I was able to talk him down to $23,000 including tax and title. so the walk out price will be 23,000 and i will be get 72 month with 2.9% interest rate. (i did not include the interest rate in final price).
Now from what research i have done and blue book and eBay values this car is a great deal.

Just want to get other people suggestion on the car if it is a good deal and if the car itself is good.
And if a 2014 CTS is worth the extra money compared to an ATS

Thanks

 

[CaptSoloNJ]

Maybe you can look at it this way:

A 2014 CTS is probably about $45K to 50K? Heavier ride and feels more luxurious.

A 2014 ATS new at about 20% to 25% off so about $40K.

At least $17K higher than $23K. If taken over 2 years that's over $700 a month someone else took the depreciation on the car.

 

[Ragtop 99]

the options you describe could mean the ATS is fully loaded, or it could be a luxury model, which leaves off a number of features. Easy way to tell: It's a performance model if it has paddle shifters. It's a premium model if it has magnetic ride control, a full HUD, and the paddle shifters.

 

[ben.gators]

ATS comes in 4 trims: Standard, Luxury, Performance, and Premium. Standard is the base model, luxury is above standard, performance is above the luxury, and premium is the top model.
I would say it should be a Luxury trim. And it is not a bad deal. That being said, when I search online, I regularly stumble on such deals for luxury trims too. I really doubt they let a performance/premium trim goes at that price. Visually, the easiest way to say the ATS is satndar/Luxury or performance/premium, is the front headlight.
Look at the front head lights and the possible vertical LEDs that run from the top all the way to bottom . Which one is yours?

This:

or this:

The first which lacks those LEDs is standard/luxury and the second is performance/premium.

Performance and Premium are the top trims. There are many here who regret getting the standard/luxury trim because they don't come with lighting package. There are more differences between these trims. Read about them, read about magnetic suspension that exclusively comes in RWD premium trims. See those options are important for you or not.

If it turns out that this is a performance/premium trim, I would call it a smoking deal and you should jump on it. If it is luxury trim, it is not a bad price. But you might find similiar and even slightly better deals easily too. The mileage is higher than normal.
So I would say there should be some more space for negotiation because of mileage - but not too much.

And if a 2014 CTS is worth the extra money compared to an ATS

Thanks

CTS is not a better car compared to ATS, it is just bigger! And as a result if you care about handling and performance, I would call the ATS the better car! CTS is good for a family who regulatory use back seats and need extra space in trunk. CTS is heavier, and the suspension is tuned for more comfort, whereas ATS is ligher and suspension and ride is sportier. There is no good or bad here, it is more about what you need or like; comfort and spsce, or handling and performance.

 

[Tjkingx]

http://www.northwestdodge.com/used/CADILLAC/2013-CADILLAC-ATS-a2b93d7e0a0a00e025479c1f4b309dcb.htm

this is the car i am looking at
i think it the luxury trim with some extras

 

[ben.gators]

Yes, it is luxury. That's a clean car! I wish I had such a car when I was 24 years old! Good for you, enjoy it! And I just added some new parts to my post about ATS vs. CTS. As I mentioned in my previous post, read about trims and options and then decide what you like and then find the one that fits your needs and likes. This is not necessarily a smoking deal, but not a bad deal either, so you don't need to jump on it regardless it whether it is an exact match for what you want or not.

----------

I am looking at CARFAX and its service history, and there is nothing strange or questionable there; just regular recals and maintenance items.
http://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistory/p/Report.cfx?partner=TMP_2&vin=1G6AB5SX4D0178217

 

[Tjkingx]

Thank to your suggestion i will keep this in mine with i do decide

 

[Billm0066]

Seems like a lot of money for a luxury with 40,000 miles. I paid $28,000 for a 2013 premium with 11,000 miles. Also do you really want to finance a 2013 with that many miles for 72 months? Hopefully you can pay it off much sooner. Personally I feel it's priced too high.

 

[pissedoffwookiee]

You will have an 8 year old car with 130,000 miles if you are an average driver by the time the loan is payed off

Regardless of price you are buying a highline car that has a bumper to bumper waranty with only 10,000 miles left if again if you are an average driver (15,000 miles a year give or take) you have a lot of bells and whistles not covered after the first nine months of ownership....it will be a long 5 years, 3 months if you can't afford to fix CUE or sunroof or power seat out of pocket

Again if you are an average driver you will time out of power train waranty in 3 years, and even if time extended you will mile out of the waranty in 4 years, that leaves you two to 3 years with zero waranty at all before that car is payed off, and we are talking about a very complex and sophisticated machine and a first year car on top of that ....which likely has a higher rate of issues

I would look for a CPO (certified pre owned) at a Cadillac dealer and I would be looking at used 2014's especially if you can find one that was used as a service loaner...CPO qualifies them for cheap finance interest rates 2014 cars get a 4 year/50,000 mile bumper to bumper waranty same as 2013 but 2014 cars get a 6 year/70,000 mile powertrain waranty (as opposed to 5 year/100,000 mile on the 2013) both can be extended to 7 year/100,000 mile bumper to bumper factory Gm waranty as a CPO

What will this leave you with .....one a former service loaner has a lot higher rebates sort of... what I mean is you still get rebates but you can get these cars much cheaper because Cadillac payed the dealer a lot of money (the sort of rebates) to use them as loaners so you are starting with a much lower mileage car with a much steeper discount....and with the potential to extend the EXISTING FACTORY waranty you can have full coverage the entire duration of your loan

 

[DavidATS]

I wouldn't recommend financing a pretty high mileage car for it's age (really new either but it makes more sense for new) for 72 months. As cars get older it is normal to have some repairs or at least you should be prepared for some. This car will leave you with a high mileage car you still have payments on for years. If you have extra money in your budget for the unknown then I think it is fine.

As said above you will have an 8 year old car with 130k miles when you pay it off and any repairs in the last 6-7 years will be on you. If you said you were financing it for 3-4 years (or you could and don't want to) I think it would make more sense.

 

[carpenter]

Seems like a lot of money for a luxury with 40,000 miles. I paid $28,000 for a 2013 premium with 11,000 miles. Also do you really want to finance a 2013 with that many miles for 72 months? Hopefully you can pay it off much sooner. Personally I feel it's priced too high.

For a Lux car with CUE, nav, sunroof and heated seats, $23,000 out the door is actually a pretty good price. I would still be very hesitant to finance the car for 6 years without knowing I would have it paid off in 3. And if I had the means to pay it off in 3 I would just look at 5-6 year financing on a performance or premium either new, CPO, fleet, or very low mileage 2014.

 

[Mcgillaguddy]

I think you should search around a bit more. I just picked up a CPO 2013 2.0T luxury with 21k miles and all the same options for $22,000 out the door. I did have to tavel a little bit for it (3 hours), but I think it was well worth my time. Did all my haggling ahead of time over the phone and then only spent 30 minutes at the dealer.

 

[Billm0066]

For a Lux car with CUE, nav, sunroof and heated seats, $23,000 out the door is actually a pretty good price. I would still be very hesitant to finance the car for 6 years without knowing I would have it paid off in 3. And if I had the means to pay it off in 3 I would just look at 5-6 year financing on a performance or premium either new, CPO, fleet, or very low mileage 2014.

I disagree. Much better deals out there. That car should be under $20,000 otd. I was patient with my purchase and found a deal I was happy with. Patience will pay off.

 

[carpenter]

I disagree. Much better deals out there. That car should be under $20,000 otd. I was patient with my purchase and found a deal I was happy with. Patience will pay off.

Where are you coming up with OTD price of under 20K? That OTD price would mean somewhere in the $18,XXX sale price. Trade-in value is more than that. Not saying that it can't be had, but that would be more along the lines of a steal price that you just can't get everyday everywhere

 

[DavidATS]

Autotrader search, 2013's listed for less than $22k, anywhere in the country, there are 79 listed - http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/Used+Cars/cars+under+22000/Cadillac/ATS/Cincinnati+OH-45208?endYear=2013&listingType=used&listingTypes=used&makeCode1=CAD&maxPrice=22000&mmt=%5BCAD%5BATS%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&modelCode1=ATS&searchRadius=0&showcaseListingId=0&showcaseOwnerId=0&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&startYear=1981&Log=0

 

[Ragtop 99]

^^ The list got pretty short when I applied filters for NAV and a Sunroof, but there were two good looking prospects for less then $23k.

 

[ben.gators]

Autotrader search, 2013's listed for less than $22k, anywhere in the country, there are 79 listed - http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/Used+Cars/cars+under+22000/Cadillac/ATS/Cincinnati+OH-45208?endYear=2013&listingType=used&listingTypes=used&makeCode1=CAD&maxPrice=22000&mmt=%5BCAD%5BATS%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&modelCode1=ATS&searchRadius=0&showcaseListingId=0&showcaseOwnerId=0&sortBy=derivedpriceASC&startYear=1981&Log=0

Half of them are 2.5 liter base engines. There are standard trims with very few or no options among them. However, as I mentioned in my earlier post, I agree with you that this is not the best deal out there, and there are similiar, or slightly better deals. $21-25k seems to be the norm for 2.0 liter turbo '13 ATS with "average" miles. And you can find it everywhere. Anything better than it will be counted as a good deal and can be harder to find. Some of those very cheap ones might have a story, such as major repairs such as engine work, accident in the past, etc.

 

[carpenter]

^^ The list got pretty short when I applied filters for NAV and a Sunroof, but there were two good looking prospects for less then $23k.

I checked there as well and couldn't find a single one under $23K with heated seats, NAV and sunroof. That is also asking price too so probably some wiggle room. Often times those listed as the lowest price are from no haggle dealers though so hard to tell. I'm sure a better deal could be had, but picking that car up in the $18,xxx range would be one hell of a deal.

 

[blacktom]

I think it's a pretty good price, and it's certainly a great car, but it's not the car I would buy in your situation. As others have mentioned, you're financing this thing for six years. It was a brand new, first-generation car in 2013, and while far from assured, there could be problems with long-term durability that we won't even know about until the car has a few more years on it. I don't think I'd be comfortable with only 7k miles on the factory warranty in a situation like that. If you can afford an extra $1200 or so, I'd at least try to get a CPO warranty on the thing (I think you can buy them after the fact from Cadillac dealers who offer them), just for peace of mind.

But honestly, if I were in your shoes, and I wanted a quality car for around the same monthly payment, I'd be looking for something at around $20k, financed for 5 years or less, with a loan from a credit union that should run around 2.0%. So, what's a good choice at that price point?

• 
  2012 Hyundai Genesis Sedan
  2012 VW GTI (CPO)
  2013 KIA Optima SX
  2013 Ford Focus ST (CPO)

That runs the whole gamut, from small and sporty (FoST) to big and luxurious (Genesis). They're all within your budget (and cheaper than the ATS). They all have lower miles with tons of warranty remaining. They all have navigation and a sunroof (I think only the Focus lacks leather and heated seats). They're all, in my opinion, a better buy than the ATS you're looking at.

Not to take anything away from the Cadillac. It's a great car (I myself drive a 2.0T Performance model with the same black diamond paint, nav, cold weather, and sunroof). And at every price point (from factory new down to this used one in good shape), there's unquestionable value compared to its typical German competitors. But personally, I just wouldn't want to own it out of warranty within the first year of purchase, knowing that I have 5+ more years of payments to make on it, should any issues pop up, especially on a limited budget.

Forgive me if I went a little beyond what you were looking for. I spend a lot of time on /r/whatcarshouldIbuy, so I automatically go into that mode when people ask questions like this. Good luck! If you do buy the ATS, I'm sure you'll love it. I got the Performance pretty much just for the lights (and among the cars that were on the lot, it didn't add much to the price). I tell people that if I were to do it again, I would have gotten a Premium model without the added expense of the sunroof and sparkle paint (each one was a $1,000+ option), which would have given me MRC and HUD and 18" wheels for about the same price I paid. But you know...you have to draw the budget line somewhere, and I'm happy every time I see and get in the car.

edit: I just noticed that you said it would be $23k including tax and title, which knocks down my comparable prices a bit, but I think all of those cars can still be had close to the lower price. But that ATS is about 50% of its original MSRP just a year and a half ago, which is hard to argue with. So yeah, it's a good deal on a good car. But still, the previous owner also knocked out 85% of the bumper-to-bumper warranty by putting so many miles on it in that same year-and-a-half. If it were 24-year-old me, I would probably get the Focus ST (incidentally, 24-year-old me did buy a 2004 Jetta GLI). And 33-year-old me would get the Genesis if I couldn't afford a newer ATS.

 

[jjromano]

Very Well Put-