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Comments
De Ville with 15000 miles in July.
Some observations: Car seems to loose a few mph
after cruise is engaged and cruise light comes on. is this common in the current model De Ville? Some of the standard features in the 98 are not in the 2004 model, Examples include: cup holders in center arm rest, electronic trunk lock, and heated front seats.
I was a little surprised that the automated trunk lock was not standard on the 2004 De Ville s. I never used the heated seats on the 98
so haven't missed them on th 04. Never used the
arm rest cup holders in the arm rest of the 98 but was a bit surprised that they were not even in the center arm rest of the 04.
All in all I am satisfied with my purchase, as I was able to get the 04 in the upper $ 20s and the car sold new for 44,650 MSRP (around 41k invoice) less than a year ago.
Have been intrieged by the new Chrysler 300C, I owned a 1997 Chrysler LHS before owning my 98 De Ville.
With 340 Horsepower and 390 ft lb of torque, the Chrysler 300C is quite a value with a price tag of around
$ 40 thousand fully loaded. Still considered my 04 De Ville with 15,000 miles a better overall value for upper $ 20s that I paid.
Are others in this conference familiar with the new Chrysler 300C? What are your thoughts and reactions? Biggest reaaons I bought Cadillac again were, satisfaction with my previous De Ville, price and the fact that the Chrysler 300C is a new and yet untested product in the market.
I would be very interested in hearing the reactions of other Cadillac owners regarding new vs older Cadillacs regarding included options and opinions of the new Chrysler 300C and what impact if any it will have on Cadillac in the future.
I really didn't notice anything different in my 02 or 03 base Devilles compaired to my 96.
The cupholders in the floor/middle of the seat seem much sturdier than the 96 ones mounted in the arm rest. Less spills and wet pant leg !...LOL
The 96 didn't have bun warmers and they sure are NICE in these cold NY winters !
My 96 didn't have the hole in the roof either. I had the hole in my 90 and t-tops in the 2 T/As I had and was sick of getting WET !
Only thru the BOSS nagging did I get the hole in the 02/03s !
Believe ME....Before I signed the papers on them. I sat thru a lot of carwashes AND hose running on the roof !
The 02/03 both had the BOSE......NICE ! compared to the 96 which had the reg. am-fm with the cd changer in the trunk. Sounded crummy !
My 90 had the BOSE cd gold series that POUNDED !
That was the BEST stock car stereo I had ever heard at the time !!!!!!!!!
The Northstar engine in all of them is a PIG compared to the 4.5 in the 90.
That motor was wicked off the line as far as seat of the pants feel ! BURN the rf Michelin tire off from a stop light !
They all would embarass a lesser lexus,bmw,etc. on the street or hiway with plenty of jingle left in your pocket !
As far as the new Mopars..The 300 front end looks like a new RR ! That HEMI sounds like fun too !
But tooo many folks beefing about some things like alignment problems and other issues.
Interesting car tho !
My 72 Fleetwood had it !
I got my fingers pinched a few times and I don't miss it ! Plus the valets, bellman, or non Caddy owners BEATING and slamming down the trunk lid !
The auto pull down on my moms 98 is broken from nitwits slamming it. I just re-adjusted the striker and unhooked the power wire.
So now its like a regular trunk lid.............
Mom is ready for a SRX. Had one for 3 days. She is undecided. Dealer offered $5000 for her mint 98 with under 50k miles.
Prob. ask 6k and sell it to somebody .
Regarding trade in value, I received $ 10M for my 98 with 39,000 miles and also in mint condition. I wanted to keep both cars but my garage is only a standard two car and both Cadillacs would have been to crowded.
Based on my trade value I would suspect you should receive anywhere from $ 8 to 9M for your mothers car with 50,000 miles on it even from a car dealer. Suggest you do a work up value on Edmunds used car value section. I have found it helpful in determining fair trade in values.
Yea, its a lowball on moms car for sure. But we get the GM employee deal so its expected.
Didn't really crunch numbers. It was a rough estimate. If she really wanted the car I would go at them for "hard" numbers.
I want her to get the Northstar bad boy !
But $55 large !
Bought 3 Caddies from them so they are pretty good with us.
I do know better to ask Terry over at RWTV thread for trade value before hand !
Enjoy your new Caddy !
Actually every year something standard seems to go. The '02 Deville had the electrochromatic side mirror along with the power seat belt height adjustment. The mirror became an option and the seat belt height adjustment became fixed. The base radio now only has a CD slot, the cassette is gone except for the Bose radio. My '03 has both.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Decontenting is a common thing for Detroit to do as a model ages - it holds the cost down, and if demand for particular feature isn't strong, and they can save $5 by getting rid of it, they do. That's why I like to buy the second year of any new car model. The first year, they have burn in troubles - the second year, they usually have the glitches out, but haven't started stripping the car of the originally designed features yet.
I enjoyed my 98 Cadillac very much but had the opportunity to update
6 model years and took it. The 2004 is a bit more agile, a bit more quiet on the road and does have some options such as onstar and compass that the 98 did not have.
Now my trucks are a different story......
Snowplowing, heavy towing and hauling sure breaks $pendy parts !!!!!
Them... I usually dump in 3 years for another new one !!!!!
Check out gmoutlet.com for the lowest prices I have found for a GMPP warranty.
Forget those 3rd party ones!
Some not so good news: The cruise control on this car (2004) can only be described as erratic, the green cruise light come on indicating cruise engaged and then the vehicle looses three to five mile an hour before stabilizing speed. The 98 Cruise control was much more stable in that it stabilized at within
one MPH of message coming on and was easier to read on the dashboard.
This car just does not seem to have as much power as the 98 especially when floored for two lane passing or for entering highway on ramps.
I use premium fuel even though not required but that doesn't seem to have helped any.
I have an appointment at the dealership to address the cruise issue and will also ask about a check for horsepower and torque if such a test is available.
I saw a Chrysler 300C parked nearby the other day, awesome looking car and at a price of around $ 40,000 fully loaded it is an amazing value. This considering the 340 horsepower and 390 pounds of torque.
I was happy to get my 2004 De Ville but if things don't work out I would strongly consider a Chrysler 300C as my next car. The biggest issue is newness on the market and no reliability history to go on.
My cruise loses a few MPH also. I thinks its the PIA steering wheel controls. Fumbling around trying to push the right one!
I like the cruise button in the turn stalk like my other GM vehicles !
Like I posted my 03 seems no faster than the 96 !
Prob. cause is milder camshafts in the 04 than your 98. Thats why we can run reg. gas instead of prem.
Power curves etc. can be found here http://www.gmpowertrain.com
The power issue seems to be a variable one in that I had the chance to floor accelerator from a stopped position at a traffic light and car went like a rocket to the speed limit, leaving every one else in the dust. Sometimes the transmission appears not to downshift when floored so still not certain about power issue.
I have not owned this car long enough to make a reliable overall comparison with it and the 98.
I never had any problems with the cruise control in the 98, only replaced item in the 98 was a noisy alternator, thought to be a defective bearing. I will look for the storage area behind the cup holders, in the 2004, thanks for the tip.
Are the computers still adapting to driving style? I remember someone saying you can clear the learned patterns from the computer by disconnecting the main fuse to the Electronic Control Module for a few minutes. Then the computer defaults and started learning how you drive the car, gently or always hot-rodding it. That might change the downshifting behavior until it relearns that you usually drive gently.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
FUNNY.....I found the cupholders right off !!!!
Kids found the storage bin !....DOH!!!!!
I was more concerned setting the BOSE stereo controls ! My 96 had the crummy factory am-fm with the changer in the trunk!
Of course the kids reprogramed it to radio disney and hip-hop !...LOL
IM.......Somebody posted about throttle "tip-in" on certain vehicles. Seems to me these new OHC engines are all pigs untill the RPMs are up there !
Hmmmmm, ya might wanna check the Chrysler 300C problems board about that reliability history so far. Looks pretty dismal at this point. Hopefully it will improve.
I have been lurking in those forums and only note the alignment issues as major problems.
Heck, Check out the armada/titan threads.....
Everything from flimsy sheetmetal, cheap interior plastic, pathetic stereo, power window woes, steering problems big time in the armada, creaky noisy interiors............
100 day plus supply sitting on the lots !
My local dealer has a waiting list for Hemi powered 300s !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Only 4 v-6s on the lot !
Me thinks Mopar has a hit on their hands like Caddy has with the CTS !
Look at the Ford trucks with the 4.6. That DOHC? motor is a pig compared to the older ford v-8s.
It kills me why people carry on about how wonderful they are and pushrod motors are a no-no!
Ya got to figure a 04 N-star has got to have lower compression and a milder cam than a 98 N-star. The reason.......NOW you can use regular fuel instead of premium.
I had my hot rod years with 350/400,454/396 GMs, 440/383 mopars.
I KNOW raw and refined power.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Ask Andre69 he's the Mopar guru around these parts !
The fact is it costs more to go into an equivalent size/class GM product compared to the Chrysler product but you will get more for the GM product when you trade or sell privately...and it will hold up slightly better too.
I have been waiting to test out a new 300 with a hemi. My local dealer here in Podunk has a waiting list for V-8s and none to test drive.
They have plenty of 6ers tho.
Would I trade my 03 Deville for one ?
..............Naah !
On advice from the local Cadillac dealership I had them replace the cruise module, no improvement resulted. I have been working with a staff person in Detroit Cadillac customer service who is to call back. I will call him next week to relate my disappointment.
I have previously owned Plymouth Acclaim, Chrysler LHS,
Dodge Intrepid, and a 98 De Ville. This 2004 De Ville has the least desirable cruise control of any of the cars.
Do any of you other owners of recent model De Villes have any idea as to what might be done to correct this problem? While I can live with it if I have to it certainly is a disappointment in a car in the luxury segment.
is MSRP at around $ 46,000 and the 300C with similar options would be around $ 35,000. Based on the recent history of Chrysler the major question to be resolved is will build quality hold up? I am watching with much interest.
So am I. And I had more faith in Chrysler BEFORE Daimler got involved - I have little faith that they'll hold up as well as a Caddy does today. Nor do I think they're in that league of quality at all. It's a different type of car, and Chrysler isn't in the Luxury business.
I have not yet evaluated the fuel consumption records, but the computer's average MPG was at 33 MPG at the end of the trip. It varied up and down quite a bit from 26-27 up to 33. Sight seeing in the mountains lowered the average. Cruising across Salt Lake on the was to Salt Lake City brought the average up to 32.
By the way, I looked at the 2005 Deville. It is identical to the 2004 but has a different leather pattern. The sections in the middle of the seat have wrinkles. Looks a little nicer than the '03.
I DO know a tank of gas goes a LOOOONG way between fill ups. That N-star just loafs along sipping fuel unless I start putting my foot in it!
My 04 3/4 ton 4x4 xcab Chevy truck.......Anywhere from 8 to 17 mpg depending if I am towing, hauling, or pushing snow. That one always visits a gas pump !
But no complaints or dealer visits/recalls/problems except for a oil change or 2 on either one....And I LIKE it that way!
did I would change oil every 10,000 miles or so.
This seems a bit much to me but maybe the little
guy in the computer knows more than I do. I have
a 2001 DHC.
One thing I will say is that synthetic oil is affordable with a near 10,000 mile interval or a twice a year oil change. I have not asked them about putting mobil 1 in yet, but may discuss this with them next time. The old northstars went 3000 winter; 4000 summer for me. That was a 98 Aurora.
Funny tho..My dad has a 02 s-10. Must have all of 5k miles. He always drives moms 98 Caddy and the truck sits all winter while they are in Fla.
Seems he was driving and lost all oil pressure !
The oil filter had a hole rusted in it.......
Thankfully the selling GM dealer did the last LOF.
So they towed it away are taking care of it under warranty they say.
Not sure if the engine is smoked or not........
and appreciated.