Cadillac DeVille

oldsman01

Enjoy the new ride! Although I would prefer a CTS or STS/SLS to a Deville, I wouldn't complain if I were in the position to buy a brand new Deville. Let us know how it compares to the 96 after you've driven it a few days.

sonjaab

Whipping on it today ! I love the trac.
control off button. At least it starts
off in 1st gear. My 96 would start in 2nd
gear with trac.control off. Can't beat
that 275 horse V-8 ! I love doing burn outs
and suprising those guys in beemers, lexus,
etc! Maybe next time on a CTS with V-8 !~
....geo

sonjaab

The color is white diamond not pearl !
I liked the Ruby red one but it sold
fast ! My 96 was seafoam green (yuk)
But the woman liked the color ! The
salesman and I laughed NO SALE GREEN !
I didn't care as long as it was white,
black or red..............

marsha7

speaking of Vogue tires, I only see them on Cadillacs, and they always seems to have a yellow "whitewall"...is there anything really special about Vogue tires???

lemko

There's nothing special I know about them other than the V-pattern whitewall that constantly traps dirt and the extra yellow stripe. Whitewalls, (other than Vogue) look nice on a base DeVille but super-stupid on a Seville. Broughams and Fleetwoods would look barren without them.

wkeef

My 2000 DeVille has 30,000 miles and has generally been a good car. One morning recently I attempted to crank it and nothing happened. No dash lights, no noise, no nothing. I attached jumper cables from another car and immediately the lights came on in the dash and other places but on turning the key all that happened was the rapid clicking one hears when a battery is dead.

Then I left the second car running for about 20 minutes with the jumpers attached in order to charge the Caddy battery. On attempting to crank now the car started fine. I left it idling for about 30 minutes and shut her down until the next morning when I could get to the shop.

They kept the car three days and could find nothing. Everything checked AOK. I have had no further trouble but am keeping one of those jump start batteries in the trunk.

Anyone have any ideas? Thanks.

hydra2

At 2200 miles, still loving the style, ride, handling and power of my new 02 DTS. No major problems, but a few minor quibbles.

1. Memory seats sometimes develop temporary amnesia.
2. 14-16 mpg in the city, not great, but I can live with it in a two ton car with 300 ponies.
3. I am perplexed and a bit unsettled and annoyed that the 17'' Michilins (with 30 psi)seem to squiggle and wander instead of tracking straight when crossing steel bridges with egg crate surfaces. Any one else notice this tendency with 17'' tires on the DTS or the 16'' tires on the other DeVilles? This also happens when I ride my motorcycle over such surfaces, but this is the first time I have really noticed it in a car.

Still love the car and the power continues to intoxicate.

lemko

...I had that happen to my 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis LS. Turned out to be the ignition switch. It could also be the wiring harness in the steering column.

jgranata

you've got one menacing ride there, glad to hear you're enjoying the car. the wandering or squishyness (sp?) that you posted, reminds me of
a steel bridge over rt 15 in ct...every car i've ever driven over that bridge has done the "wanderer", having said that, i am a little surprised at the t/p in the michelins...it does sound a little on the low side. you might want to try going up in 2lb increments and see if you can live with the extra firmness...that might help the
handling over the bridge, somewhat. jackg

oldsman01

Your battery may have a bad cell.

hydra2

Thanks for the tip. I'll pump the michilins up a bit a see if it makes a difference.

On another note, We just had 4-8 inches of rain here in Chicago. It was the first time I got to test the wet traction of the DTS. Needless to say it passed with flying colors. The car gives me a great feeling of confidence. No matter how hard I pushed it on take offs, cornering or stopping, the car never lost its composure, in fact if the abs, traction and skid control even engaged they were silent and unobtrusive, as they should be in a fine luxury automobile like the DTS.

gk3

regarding the tire pressure, I also have 17'' tires on my DTS. The car manufacturer recommends 30 psi (cold). Most tire shops recommend 35 psi, which provides much better cornering ability and extends, they claim, the life of the tire. However, I found the ride somewhat harsher.

I personally prefer it at 32 psi (cold), a happy medium, which gives a comfortable, quiet and pleasant ride with good traction. Again, to a certain extend, it is a matter of personal preference. However, I would not go below 30psi (cold) or above 35psi (cold) for safety reasons. Let us know what you are happy with.

oldsman01

I was in Chi-town Tuedasy for business, flew in that morning and out that night. O'hare was dead compared to usual. Have you driven the DTS is snow yet? If not, your in for a treat. My Intrigue has traction control and a lesser version of Cadillac's stability control system and I drove it in some snow we had last January and I don't know why anyone really needs four wheel drive. The traction control system is superb. Unless there is ice or the snow is 6 inches deep you should have no trouble. I tried several times to get my Intrigue stuck or to spin the wheels and could not as long as the traction control was on. The stability control system will not overcome the laws of physics and the usual cautions while driving in snow should be used, but the traction control system will help you go in nearly all situations.

lpark

I has a similar problem with my 2000 Deville @ 25000 miles, the positive battery post separated inside the battery & would suddenly shut down. It required a new battery. While my car was in the garage for repair, another Deville came in with the same problem

sonjaab

Hey All ! Finally PRIED the keys from my
girls hand to drive this baby .......
Likes; Stereo is awesome! Rides great, Handles
pretty good ( for a boat) , V-8 Power, Trac off
button on shifter (for doing burnouts !) Seats
are comfy. Those bun warmers will be nice come
winter. The double comparments in the center
of seats. Didn't know about the one on the bottom.
NO more PIA trunk pull down.

Dislikes: Only one minor... cup holders should
have a rubber holder in bottom like my truck
to hold cups firm.......But much better to use
than my 96. Time to go crusin'.....geo

jb7227

Just drove a base DeV yesterday - now I know what my next new car will be! What a ride - just like i remember from the old Caddy's, without the excess float - and practically silent at idle and at 75 mph. No matter what automakers do to their V6's, there is no substitute for V8 power. Car had acres of room, tons of equipment - the base model really is the best bargain of the three - right now i can buy a 2002 with safety & security package and the memory/convenience package and chrome wheels for around 36,900. That's a lot of car for the money. Hope to be posting soon after i'm behind the wheel of a new DeVille.

sonjaab

Its been a couple of weeks and lovin' it !
Likes..Climate control..easy to use, fan
speed temp etc..Even one in the back seat !
Pass. mirror tilts down when in reverse. I
don't wanna bent up those chromies !
Dislikes...Ashtray tiny..no flip up chrome piece
to protect the dash board like my 96.
Auto door locks..HATE THEM...according to
owners book no way to turn off completely.
Anybody know how to disable?...geo

JB: Go for it..you will not regret it !

jb7227

Sonjaab - thanks for the advice! BTW - do you have the base model or DTS/DHS? I would buy the DHS in a second, except i'm a sucker for that hood ornament on the base model - it just doesn't look right adding one on the DHS when it already has one in the grille. Also - what are u getting for mileage?

sonjaab

Got a base one ! Woman had to have bench
seat. Don't like buckets and shift on floor.
Price a lot cheaper. I hear the rebate is
now 5k. Heck you can get a base 02 used for
about 28k now ! MPG on DIC 20 mpg average
never check anyway..........geo

psedrish

Ouch....every time they rebate the cars, the resale falls through the floor. The Caddy is a better lease than purchase.

robh3

The following is direct from the Vogue Tyres Web site:

"About 1918 to 1919 Harry Hower, a chauffeur in the Chicago area, joined forces with the Woodbury family in the tire business to create a new design tire - the whitewall. This initial design had the whitewall on both sides.

Since practically all tires were blackwall at this time, they hoped to attract the business of chauffeur driven cars with this unusual design. Margaret Woodbury named this new whitewall tire "Vogue" and the name "Custom Built" was added at a later date.

Up until 1926, Vogue Tyres were sold only in Chicago, Illinois. Having been successful promoting Vogue Tyres to the chauffeur industry, Mr. Hower branched out to the West Coast and in late 1926 added Dodson Limited in Los Angeles as distributor in this region.

This unique wide whitewall design soon appeared on the cars of the motion picture stars. During the Depression years of the early 1930's, practically all large car sales were based on six tires. The movie stars were among the few who still had the incomes to afford Vogue Tyres. Dusenberg owners became a primary source of business for the company.

In 1935 Mr. Hower negotiated with the Kelly-Springfield Tire Company to take over production of Vogue Tyres. This agreement was the first for Kelly-Springfield which had just been purchased by the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. This is the only agreement Vogue Tyre and Kelly-Springfield have had for now the last 65 years."

In my opinion, aside from their potential appeal from their unique looks, Vogue Tyres also are purported to be very high quality, and they also carry one of the longest warrantees in the business (up to 80,000 miles on some of their models).

You can also get Vogue tyres with blackwalls (I believe), or you can install them "inside out" to get a blackwall while enjoying the quality and long tread life.

http://vogue-tyre.com/index2.html

richm4

Yesterday, I was given an "out the door" price of about $43,600 on a new 2002 loaded DTS that lists at 53K. This includes 6K Cash Back incentive, plus a GM employee discount, and a 1K hold back.

This sounded pretty good to me until I saw all the posts regarding big depreciation the first year.

Is this a really good deal, or is the automatic depreciation negating the 6K cash back incentive?

Any help is apprciated since the car I'm interested in may be sold off the lot fairly soon. Thanks.

carnaught

....imho, the $6K cash back incentive somewhat, but does not completely, offset the depreciation. But, as with all cars at the end of the model year, find out the difference in price between a 2002 and 2003, then make a decision.

oldsman01

On my Olds Intrigue, you can select no auto lock or unlock so I would think that you could on the Cadillac as well. Did your 96 not also have this feature? I know some Cadillacs have had this feature since the early 1980s.

richm4, that is a damn good price on a damn nice car!! Yes, depreciation is bad on these cars but cars are not good financial investments anyway and luxury cars do depreciate alot in the first few years. If you like the car, I'd get it as that seems like a good deal. Is it brand new and not a "demo"?

sonjaab

In my neck of the woods (NY)a 02 base Deville
used is around 28k. I hear ya about poor
resale. But I do get the GM employee deal
etc. I keep them to 100k miles and about
6 years. I always buy the base Deville
with few options (roof, chromies, bose)
to keep the price down. I got 6k trade on
my 96 when I got my 02 Deville.....
Want Resale buy a GM xcab 4x4 !
I traded my 97 GM truck for a 01 last year
and got $16500 trade ! Go figure...
the 96 Caddy cost MORE than the 97 truck !
Good Luck..........geo

sonjaab

My 96 Deville, moms 98, and my 01 chev.
truck you can program them a bunch of
ways on, off, lock in gear, lock at 15
mph etc.....Read manual in my 02 and my
dads new 02 S-10 and there seems NO way
to just shut them off completely.
I can live with it !........geo

incontrol

After 6mo and 10,000km (6000 miles for the metrically impaired:) I can say this....The car is absolutely superb, zero snags, looks great, runs fantastic, it's fast, has presence and prestige, and best of all, my women love it! Dark blue with oatmeal interior, extraordinary sound system, makes you feel like a somebody. And all this praise comes from a former Audi/BMW owner (which are also very good cars...) Totally happy with my purchase. For those of you trying to figure out depreciation/price/value etc. let me help you ...go with your heart, you only live once.

oldsman01

Is yours a base, DHS, or DTS?

incontrol

It's a 2002 DTS, all options except the DVD navigation package and night vision. These are costly gadgets which I do not need. IMHO, the DTS, with its wood steering, shifter, console, better leather, nicer instrumentation, electronic suspension and stronger engine is worth the extra cash.

oldsman01

I agree. BTW, does yours have XM radio?