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Purchased Used 2005 STS. Worth it or not?

3.1K views 15 replies 11 participants last post by  corvette00  
#1 ·
Hello everyone,

I am a college student and I managed to save up some money to buy my first car which is the 2005 Cadillac STS V6. Only reason I got it was because it was sold by a used car dealership for $3200 and it holds 105000 miles. I tested the car with a mechanic and everything seemed to work just fine so obviously it was a great looking car which just happened to fall under my budget.
After reading through many reviews about the STS, I decided to buy the car and ensure I maintain it properly because I plan to drive it for 6 years/ 80k miles before saving up to get a better car.

After a week of my purchase, the check engine light came on with the P0332 and P0430 codes and I was prompted by autozone to replace the knock sensor which cost about $30 however the car kept on driving as it normally did.

I am especially worried because this happened only a week after my purchase so I’m bothered about having to deal with issues like this every now and then. Like i said, maintaining the car properly isn’t my problem, I just don’t want to be dealing with fixing something everytime, especially when I’m in college.

For this reason, I am seeking the advice of fellow Cadillac owners and more experienced users to see if this is a good purchase or not. Is 80k miles/6 years a rather unrealistic expectation with this car?

Thanks in advance.
 
#2 ·
Re: Purchased Used 2005 Cadillac STS. Worth it or not?

It can be an expensive car to maintain. You'll be buying parts for a $50,000 car and some are getting hard to find. If I were back in college I'd have a Honda Civic.
 
#3 ·
Re: Purchased Used 2005 Cadillac STS. Worth it or not?

Check your oil level every 20 minutes!!! Ok, that's an exaggeration but seriously, check it every time you get gas, at the VERY least. Many of the V6 think oil is a beverage.
Any 13 year old car with 105k on it is probably a bad % bet for another 80k and 6 years, and as mentioned, there's a lot of expensive parts to die along the way. That said, there will always be winners and loses, and if you're the only one driving it, things like seat & mirror adjusters may not be an item you'd actually fix. Depending on where you live, a dead rear window defroster, AC, various climate control doors & fans might not be anything that'd keep you from getting around while you make a plan. You already have the car, so enjoy the ride and see what happens. Lots of good people here, some are very up on these cars.
 
#4 ·
I actually think that’s a pretty good deal. Any used car purchase is a crap shoot. I agree that your mileage expectations may be a little optimistic. I’ve owned my STS with the 3.6 for three years and it hasn’t lost a drop of oil. Be diligent about your maintenance and enjoy your Cadillac.
 
#6 ·
The LY7 engine sucks dude. Not saying yours will, but engineering wise it is inferior, although people are still driving their older CTS (most common with that engine), some STS and SRX. I think people have more issues with the LY7 in the SRX (1st Generation) than anything. Perhaps the issues with the LY7 in the STS and SRX are more prevalent than with the CTS because they are more heavy vehicles; but they did build a lot more CTS than the other two, I believe. Oil consumption is quite typical, I would recommend looking into potential solutions for that.
Don't let my negative remarks over the 3.6 freak you out, being conscientious of the engine is better than having no idea, just keep an eye on the oil.
 
#9 ·
Thank you all so much for your advice. I really appreciate it. Are there any other notable things that I have to pay special attention to in this vehicle, from you all’s experience with them?
Thank you again.
 
#11 ·
It's a car. A machine. If you maintain it and fix it when it breaks (or preferably BEFORE it breaks) it'll keep on hauling you around.

In this day and age, GM doesn't generally build junk. I had a Saturn SL-1 I beat the crap out of, driving it 150 miles/day over city streets daily. It ran for 280K miles before the heater blew out and soaked the interior with coolant. It wasn't worth fixing at that point so I scrapped it.

I anticipate my STS will run for as many miles.
 
#12 ·
Very true, but not all cars are created equal. (Cadillac 6.0 Liter V-8-6-4, Pre-'81 Olds 350 Diesel) Not sure what's different on those Saturns but I know several people who got 200k~300k miles out of them until the underside components literally rusted away. I think you hit the nail on the head with the, "wasn't worth fixing" assessment. I'll put money into my STS that I wouldn't spend on a similar year & mileage KIA Rio ☺
 
#13 ·
I don't think its gonna expensive if engine & gear keep working fine. Many small things will come and just try to fix them timely and enjoy the luxury ride.

After all the technical know how, this n that......there is a thing call "Luck", if you got that surely you gonna enjoy cady for next 5-10 years.