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Comments
calicadi: Didn't get to test before, but after is still a possibility. They did claim that it would enhance the performance a little, but that remains to be seen. As much as I have driven it (a 5K test drive under extreme conditions), I should be able to notice a difference.
I'm taking it on a trip to San Diego (lots of mountains, curves, and typically challenging roadways) for a joy ride shortly after I pick it up. Plan to take I-15 down and loop back using a combination of state highways 78, 86, 62 and 95. Lots of twisty turnys, and the weather sould be pretty nice.
Close to 650 miles total. Going by myself, so I won't have to worry about driver on the right side (I guess, we've all had them in the car). No offense to backseat drivers, but it just makes me uncomfortable when people don't understand the need to rock-n-roll a bit.
thebug...
thebug...
When I first saw pictures of the CTS back in the summer of 2001, I wasn't sure if I liked the look or not. Then in September I saw one on the road(black) and it's been love ever since. I can remember coming upon that car. I saw something ahead of me that looked out of the ordinary and as I got closer part of me thought it was a CTS but I couln't imagine seeing one since they were still months away from being on sale. Then as I came upon the car it was clear as day, a black CTS with Michigan manufacturer plates on it. I know I know, it's not like Cadillac is the only car maker to build a brand new model, but I think it is just the fact that many of us have wondered if we would ever see the day when Cadillac(or even a US company) would build a truly groundbreaking entry level luxury sedan that breaks the mold. The Lincoln LS was close, but the styling stayed too far on the conservative side. Aside from the CTS-V and the next gen STS, I'm looking forward to the 2005 Chrysler 300C.
The CTS replaced the Cadillac Catera, a German-built sedan that tested well but never caught on. Built in the U.S., this rear-wheel drive sports sedan feels agile and taut, but it's riddled with pesky oversights such as an unlit glove box and no assist grip handle for the passenger. Power was originally provided by a 3.2-liter V6; a 3.6-liter, 225-hp V6 is now the standard engine. Acceleration is quick and the transmission is very smooth. The ride is firm, supple, and well controlled, and feels very European. The rear seat is a bit cramped. Stability control comes only with the pricey "sport" package. A CTS-V with a 400-hp V8 from the Corvette will be available in the near future.
Seems like they are factually wrong about the engine. 3.6L 225HP? I don't think so. How about 255HP!! And as far as I know, the 3.2L is still standard for 2003, right?
Got to take the CTS on its first road trip. I was very pleased. Even with the car loaded with passengers and bags, the car felt agile. For those familiar with New York, I road it on the Taconic Parkway which is a nice bending, ungulating ride with some stretches of new/good pavement and some stretches of old, choppy pavement. The CTS had a comfortable ride even on the bad stretches (these sort of stretches are a big part of why I shied away from the LuxSport's stiffer ride). After getting to our destination and unloading the car, I got to take it alone on some back, rural roads and flicked on the Sport Mode for the first time. The sport mode is a whole other experience, very fun. It's like having two cars (well, that's sort of an overstatement, but you know what I mean). The complaint: my wife never felt completely comfortable in the passenger seat --that might be partially my fault since I didn't get the power seat on the passenger side and partially the CTS's fault for lacking adjustable lumbar support (which is what she complained about the most).
Thebug, did the Onstar phone end up working with your voicemail?
Well, we have deer on Ohio roadways, too!
Happy motoring...
Interesting comment on the seats (or seat) being uncomfortable. They are a lot firmer than what I'm used to but, so far, I can't say I'm uncomfortable in them. Also haven't taken any long trips yet...so we'll see.
Clock, I am going to get mine fixed soon. But I know it will be off as soon as I reset it agian. You know in illinois if a vehicle problem needs to be fixed 4 times in 12000 of the first year they have to replace the car! I might be reseting that clock alot! If i don't I will have to go in 2 a year as long as I have the car to fix the problem.
About the paint: I've noticed a few rock chips on my 8 month old black CTS. Regretably the primer coat is white, so the chips really show. I suspect the paint is a EPA approved water based paint, but I'm not sure. If you look very closely, or touch it with your hand, you might notice that the paint seems to "peel back" around the nick. I just use some of my black Delstar Acrylic enamel I have left over from one of my car restorations to touch it up. I use a small brush, no problem. However, I would only use the Dealer to do a major repair. Reason: Warranty. Notice in your manual that the paint is part of the bumper-to-bumper warranty. If the paint starts to crack or peel, you'll have no defense if you have the repair done by an Independent Shop. With the high cost of repairs, it's all about staying within the Warranty these days.
2003 CTS Running changes: 1) Digital clock added to DIC, 2) Temp gauge replaced analog clock in dash, 3) Black Dashboard, 4) White backlit replaced orange backlit gauges (does that match the DIC & A/C display? I prefer they all be one color. Orange was fine by me, but would have preferred blue)
The V6 engine size is still the same at 3.2L. The CR reviewer was mis-informed.
Re the Long Term Report: MT and others will NEVER admit they screwed up when they panned the CTS versus the BMWs and Japanese makes. It just shows their anti-American design bias. The Car Of The Year should have been the 2003 CTS. It is a milestone in American car design and they know it. I just wish they we're big enough to admit it. But then again, they chose the '61 Rambler as the car of the year in 1961! My choice would have been: the 1961 Impala 409 "Bubble Top" 2-door Hardtop. Which one is worth more today? Duh!
Recommendations: Get one of the Luxury models. Mine is the Luxury Sport and I'm REALLY glad I bought it. It has some creature comfort items for the passenger side, that will go along way with making your spouse happy. The heated seats were an option I never would have bought, but am so glad I did. My wife LOVES it. The 6 CD in-dash Bose system is fantastic. And besides those little Bose speakers on the pillars look so cool! I never thought I'd use that so much, but I do. I love my 17" polished wheels & Goodyear V rated tires. Great look and ride (Like "driving on rails" as everyone says). My CTS V6 is running better and better all the time. It likes to be revved, so don't be afraid to push it. The handing and acceleration is amazing, for such a "small" engine. I had mine briefly up to 110 mph a few weeks ago, and I could tell it had more in it. I just ran out of Freeway!
The programmable features are a book by themselves. A bit complicated, but once you set it up, and read the Manuals 20 times, it will be second nature. I love my handsfree Onstar phone. VERY COOL!
By the way, I found a good use for the Analog clock. I was calling my wife the other day and notice the digital clock was gone and replaced with the word "Phone". So I referred to the analog clock to tell her what time it was. First time I've found a use. Most of the time, it's an irritating 3 minutes different from the digital clock. If you're buying a 2003 CTS, look for the newer ones as they all have Temp Gauges.
More later..... -Jerry:>)
I think ALL 2003 CTSs have a problem with moisture around the EDGES. That's because the design has a 3/8" flange (or lip) all the way around it. Every time I wash mine, I notice moisture there. But I have not noticed any moisture or suds INSIDE the housing, thank goodness. Same for the front headlight covers. So, I guess what I'm trying to say, is that if you see moisture around the lip of the rear license bezel, that's no biggie. No need to complain to the Dealer. BUT if you see it INSIDE the housing, contact you Dealer asap. -Jer:>)
OnStar has this in the owner's manual, but the disclaimer states, this may not work on all models. I think this is a feature installed on models built at a later date. Mine has a Nov build date.
After this discovery, I decided that even if I had the ability to listen to voice mail using OnStar, I probably wouldn't due to cost at $.30 per minute. I'd rather use the units on something more important, like showing off the OnStar unit
thebug...
thebug...
My point was that most of us might see a little moisture around the edges after washing, but that's normal. If it get's INSIDE the bezel (like wwhite2's problem), so you see it in the back-up light, THEN you've got a problem. I was afraid everyone would go & complain because they saw a little moisture around the lip, causing undo upset and running around. The body colored panel on the 2004 model will certainly stop most of this angst, as you won't be able to SEE the moisture around the edge. But I hope they solve the bigger problem, with a better seal. -Jer:>)
I've only washed the CTS a few times, but it seems that heavy rinsing also helps clean out the tubing around the bezel. I haven't detected any internal leaks or water accumulating in the backup lights. I can't tell where the water enters the tubing or how it escapes, but I haven't spent much time investigating.
Two Clocks: I've posted some joking comments about the two clocks. However, I recently made a trip where I changed time zones a couple of times. I changed time on the clocks three times using the instructions in the owners manual. Each time, both clocks changed/sync'd correctly and continue to maintain correct time.
Owner Satisfaction: The trip discussed above was from Colorado to Indiana and return... about 2,500 miles total. We absolutely loved the way the car rode and handled. As we left our home in Colorado, my wife and I decided to count the number of other CTSs that we saw during our trip. We only saw two... and both were eastbound on I-70 in the middle of Kansas about 20 minutes apart on our return trip. (The first morning back in Colorado, I passed two in the 6 mile trip from home to work. It seems that the dealers in Denver and Colorado Springs have sold lots of them.)
Everywhere we went on the vacation, people commented that they had seen the commercials for the CTS but hadn't actually seen one of the cars. My original hometown is a GM town where most of the families have someone who works at the GM plant and 75% of the cars seem to be Buick LaSabres. (The rest are Chevy/GMC trucks.) The local Cadillac dealer reportedly has been telling customers that he can't get a CTS (possibly not true).
The car was a big attraction everywhere we went. When we parked it, we almost always returned to find people admiring it. We've had that same experience since the day we got the car.
I still wouldn't trade it for anything else I've seen on the streets.
If you meet or pass me in your CTS, you won't see me wave because my window tint is too dark. However, I'll flash the headlights to let you know that I'm as happy with mine as I suspect you are with yours.
Cheers!
Oh Lord, that's scary. I absolutely cannot imagine that. Maybe time for a movie sequel - "The Stepford Cars"?
People move to town driving perfectly normal Hondas and BMWs, then they use the sweetener at the local Starbucks and the next thing you know they're doing 45mph in the fast lane in their LeSabre.
While I was waiting, I spotted one of the recent CTS builds (5/03) on the showroom floor. This one had the ebony colored dash and the new gauge cluster. For all of us older CTS owners, it's a little strange to see a water temp gauge there versus the much derided analog clock. The font of the speedo and tach is lighter than the older cars...probably so not to roast your eyes with a white backlight instead of the previous orange backlight. Personally, I saw nothing wrong with the old backlight since it matched the radio and HVAC, but somebody at GM thought that it should be changed. Maybe it does look better at night, but I haven't seen it lit up, so I can't tell.
A sidenote: my dealership in Nashville (Andrews Cadillac) sometimes gets some unusual cars in for service, usually belonging to the owner's family or a friend of theirs. There has been a early 70's Jaguar V12 E-type parked in the maintenance garage for some time.
But the real stunner was 1997 Lamborghini Diablo that someone brought in. Apparently the owner had a fire in his garage and in the haste of getting this car out (and a Ferrari), he managed to scratch the paint on the left side panel just behind the scissor doors. Normally, there's another auto mechanics shop that deals with Nashville's few exotic car owners, but they don't have a body shop and apparently State Farm send this kind of work to Andrews. They don't see a lot of these customers, but it was a blast to see such a car up close with the engine bay exposed.
While the car was there, the presiding mechanic (also from the other shop) needed to change the battery (it is a 6 year old car). Have you ever thought of where you stick a car battery in a superexotic? At least with this car, you have to:
1. Jack up the car.
2. Remove the left rear tire.
3. Remove a large metal plate between the front of the wheel well and the passenger cabin.
4. Find the battery behind the panel, and replace it with a fresh one.
5. Reverse the previous steps.
No wonder these things are so expensive to maintain. And I thought my friends who have Porsche Boxsters had it bad when it came to oil changes!
(Now, Lamborghini being who they are, perhaps theconditions I've listed above are tough to swallow, but let's pretend that they DO have reliable electrical systems and DO buy quality batteries...)
If one looks at, say, the 3.2 engine in the CTS, it's most likely going to need a cam belt change sooner than that Lambo would need a battery, and I'd say there's a good bit more work involved in that.
Of course, I'm sure you can count the number of Diablos in the US with 60K miles on them on one hand.
The heat is murder on a battery. And we're talking about 10 months of summer. It's May 28th, and officially summer is three weeks away, and the temperature is already 110 degrees (if you ask the weather guy). The true temp is probably about 115 to 117 today.
thebug...
On another note I have a 94 c1500 extended cab pickup that is in A+++++ condition. The other day a dumb sob dropped his mower deck and shot rocks across the road. I have 10 rock chips. What makes this story even worse is that when I stopped to look things over and then talk to the guy he denied it all. In fact he told me to leave or else. I called the cops and they couldn't help. I called him on another day and he hung up. No here is the topper the sob works at the chev, cadillac dealership! Mechanic! I have real confidence in their work- Ha. I will give the dealership name to anyone interested.
OTOH, I had a Saab 900T that had the battery basically 1/2" from the turbocharger exhaust outlet elbow; the heat-shielding wasn't bad but still couldn't keep the battery alive for more than 18 months.
We find (by trial and error, mostly error) that lots of fair wear and tear auto parts require replacement more frequently. The most probably being the wiper blades (at least twice a year), and hundreds usually get caught on the wrong side of the rain curve.
It's usually an August sideshow, watching all those who forgot changing their wiper blades in various auto part store parking lots while it's raining. I feel overall, good car maintenance is a must anywhere. Because of my line of work (I drive about 3k miles/mo), I tend to make repairs, or try to (routinely) long before they're due. These cost are covered by the oranization, so why not.
thebug...