Cadillac CTS/CTS-V

b4z

Just watched NBC and saw that the CTS got a poor rating on the IIHS bumper tests. In the group they tested only the Honda Element passed.

dindak

Yes, but almost all luxury cars do poorly in that test. It's not a safety issue, it's a $$ issue should you have a fender bender.

mannytranny

Here are the pics from the crash tests for the 2003 CTS

http://www.progressive.com/RC/VSafety/rc_crash_videos.asp
use the select box to luxury/SUV 2003

berrycherry

Cadillac seem to have deleted all 0% now.

Any info on what it will be?

Berry

oldsman01

Overall, how did the CTS rate in that 40 mph barrier test? It seemed to hold up pretty well in the pics compared to some cars I've seen tested. The bumper thing doesn't concern me too much as this seems to be a weak point on many cars. BTW, conducting those tests would be a hard job for me. I don't think I could bring myself to rig a nice luxury car up to be crashed, even if it is in the name of safty:)

cu95

CTS got their highest score.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20030416/t- - c_afp/us_auto_safety_030416195529

Most GM cars still get the 0% for 60 months for the month of May, the CTS is NOT one of them; 1.9/2.9/3.9 percent finance rates on the 2003 CTS. See press release:
http://www.media.gm.com/news/releases/030501_incentives.html

rsteph

Just under the wire...bought 6 days ago so I got the 0%.
(Told the Mrs..."If we're gonna do it we better do it now!!" She says, "No, they'll extend the offer." Talked her into it though. Luv it when I win...lol.)

bigdaddycoats

5751. New record. I guess that 0% really helped.

ctsjerry

I posted this at CaddyEdge, but for those of you who didn't see it here's a cool tip for you. BatmanCTS is right that the door sticker gives you the date but it's just the MONTH and YEAR. However, the exact build date is grease penciled on the backside of your rear bumper, on each of the forward "wings". Mine says "9/20", which jives with the door sticker that says "09/02". The engine run test date sticker is on the front of the engine behind some pulleys. Mine was test run in the England plant on 7/4/02. Yes, Fourth of July 2002! Not a Holiday in England, but pretty special date to an all American guy like me!

ctsjerry

Yes, the Impala SS was just a modified Caprice Classic, but what a great car! I agree that the CTS is a totally ground up well designed package, but the Impala SS was a success story in itself. Proof? Try buying one today. I'm in the car collector hobby and just last week my friends were talking about cherry SSs going for more than their original selling price. They are considered to be very HOT here in Southern California. My buddy sold his black SS, with gray interior, for $25K just over a year ago. What a beauty! The 1997-2003 Impalas are another story. What a loser! But the 2005 version might bring style & performance back to the name. Here's a couple of photos: http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame.mv?file=car.mv&num=1570 Don't worry, I'll still keep my 2003 CTS. We love it!

vcjumper

Someone messed up and put RX-8 pictures on the Chevy SS concept page

rsteph

Been perusing, with interest, many of the opinions here and in other CTS forums...particularly what the future may bring regarding the CTS (bigger V-6, V-8, etc..etc), how it "stacks up" against other cars, and so on. For me, I like the CTS just the way it is, puny 3.2 V6 and all. Fact is, it's my first Caddy...so maybe my "expectations" aren't as high as they should be. I came out of a 2000 Chev Impala LS and really liked that car. Matter of fact, I drive a 2002 Impala as a company car and enjoy it daily. I didn't buy a $35k+ CTS so I could go out and blast around the mountains or generally run it into the ground. It pretty much gets babied along. It's got plenty of get up n' go for my tastes, handles just fine, and so on. I even like the interior. The only 2 things I don't care for are the instrument panel clock (oh well..it's there to stay) and the grille. A billet grille will fix the latter in short order. It's an obvious upgrade from the Impala and I'm thrilled with it. Fact is, opinions are like .....well, you know, everyone has one. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find a group who thinks the Yugo (no slam intended) was the best thing they ever put 4 wheels under. There are also those who will tell you that a Rolls Royce is the biggest piece of ca-ca rolling. Everyone is 100% correct...from their own perspective. For me, my CTS is "primo" (anyone ever use that word anymore?)

cu95

Rsteph, for me, my CTS is "boss" (I’m pretty sure nobody uses that word anymore.) :-)

Seriously, my thoughts/feelings are pretty similar to yours. The 2003 CTS isn’t perfect, but I’ve never been this excited about a car either. It too is my first Cadillac. To the amazement of my friends, owning a Cadillac for me means owning the crown jewel of mainstream automobile brands (to give that comment some context, I’m 30 and my friends are all about that age –needless to say Cadillac is not the typical prestige car for this group). Very little interested me after the CTS came out (if I was an automaton where feelings/emotion had no sway and if owning domestic over import wasn’t important to me (it is), the G35 would have been a very, very strong contender). The last car that I was really excited about and wanted to own --but alas they discontinued it before I was in the market for a new car-- was the Caprice based Impala SS (particularly the ’96 when the shifter got moved to the floor). And that car is now a modern day classic, so maybe I know how to pick them. :-)

A couple of places I disagree: I don’t plan to drive it into the ground, but I won’t be babying it either. I bought this car because it allows for some fun, sure-footed moderately aggressive driving. (I think that the 3.2L has plenty enough oomph for doing that.) Also, I very much like the grill; I think it’s one of the CTS’s best styling points.

richw5

Your comments are right on target. The CTS was designed to fit the needs of a broad spectrum of drivers, like most of the CTS owners that post on this board. It's great to hear the exploits of the younger people who race their CTS on the weekends or the "age enhanced" people like myself, who enjoy driving cars that handle well. The everyday drivers include my wife, who enjoys her CTS more than any car she's ever driven.

While my wife loves our CTS just the way it is, just like you, some of us feel that it needs a few more horses (me). I guess it's because the CTS is my first 6 cylinder car. Still it's a great car to drive, whether it's on mountain roads or the city streets. It's our favorite car, a fun car, something that I brag about to anyone who will listen.

There will always be a few "Trolls" or "Semi-Trolls" who come here to post, but I've found that it's better to ignore them , as suggested by our host, then to get into an argument that will just pump up their ego.

I went to the local Cadillac dealer yesterday and sat in a pre-production SRX. It was an exceptional experience. The interior was CTS, but it was up-graded to correct some of the concerns that the CTS owners have posted in this board. The dash clock was replaced by a temp gauge (as reported by some newer CTS owners) and the look and quality were richer. I can only hope that the fit and finish of the SRX migrates to the '04 CTS.

Rich

rob35cts

I would like to know were the clock correction is at. One guy posted it but never told how to find it. Second this radio correction of the analogue clock. Where is this located, in setup? This could be causing everyone the trouble. Does it only change the analogue clock? My clock is 7 minutes off and it has only 791 miles. I called Cadillac and they said they were not aware of any problem. If you are having problems call 866-942-4368 ext 48389 and ask for Dottie. We can get something done it we all let them know.

rsteph

Like is said..."from their own perspective". Don't get me wrong..if you like to (please pardon the term) drive the crap out of your car then good for you. Go for it. Whether you're a "baby'er" or a "driver", I think our current CTS will do the job for ya. If you tend more toward the "driver" end of things, I certainly understand the interest in the upcoming bigger engines, etc. I'm 48 so my speedo days are somewhere in the past. I actually was originally looking in the Seville arena but wasn't willing to pay more for a car than I paid for my first house. I can't say I hate the grille. It's just not my favorite part. I like the billet grille look. On the other hand, I haven't looked real close at whether the front emblem will come off the stock grille for mounting on a billet. (I also haven't quite got momma talked into the billet thing. That's a whole different story...lol.) I've seen pics of CTS billets with and without the emblem. "With" looks much better to me. Besides, what's the fun of having a Caddy if you remove the "wreath n' badge"? (That part's pure vanity...plain and simple. I confess openly...haha.) I've never, ever, found a car that I liked 100%. I will always "love" the Corvette's and Camaro's and Firebirds. Would never buy any of them. They may be kick in the hiney cars to drive but they're the most uncomfortable things to sit in for my aging backside. (Again, my opinion only.) I like the ride, comfort, handling, power, looks, etc..of the CTS (minus the two minor personal dislikes...which obviously were not important enough to me to make me not buy the car.) To my eyes and butt, it's a cool and sporty car (even though I don't much use the sporty part). Regardless, it looks the part. On the other hand, mine's got a whopping 350 miles on it now (jeeeeeez...almost time to trade if off...lmao). I can only hope that the "solid feel" remains and that it won't be on it's way to "rattle trap" land 4 or 5 years down the road. I had a "how to" kind of question to post here too, but now I can't remember it...sucks to get old...haha. Oh, now I remember. Mine came with the standard halogen headlights as opposed to the Zenon self washing things. I'd like to try the Zenon lights (my eyes need all the help they can get) just for grins n' giggles. I have no experience with them. Can you simply replace the halogen bulbs with Zenon one's???? Any heat issues and so on that could cause problems with the current halogen housings? Anyone know.

mannytranny

If you read post # 2715 you can understand how to set the analog clock to show the correct time. In the owner's manual follow the clock setting instructions but set the time ahead the number of minutes you need to adjust the analog clock. Mine was off by 2 minutes so I just programmed the time ahead two minutes and it's (the analog ) kept perfect time since. I really don't look at it too often though since I have a watch on the left hand that is easier to look at. I guess that is why so many others also want a gauge there in its place.

bingoman

The conversion from halogen to HID lighting is much more complicated than just a bulb replacement. There are additional components needed to provide the proper current to run the HID bulbs. You would also not bet the washers. I imagine that the entire headlight system could be replaced but I think it would be a major undertaking, and would cost over $1,000 for parts and labor.

You might want to consider a pair of well aimed after market driving lights instead, although the HID lights (which I have) are really great. They provide great city lighting, bright and evenly distributed, but I have never had anyone flash me to indicate my headlights were in their eyes. I believe this is in part because by regulation cars with HID lighting must have a headlight leveling system built in to assure that when heavily rear loaded the headlights do not point upward into oncoming drivers eyes.

cu95

Mannytranny, the problem with that is the digital clock is then incorrect. I gather that older CTSs don't have a digital clock displayed on the radio but newer ones do, so that solution works for the former group but not the latter (in which I find myself).

Rsteph, I'm hoping there's some middle ground between babying it and driving the crap out of it. :-)

rob35cts

I have a digital clock on my console. I want my analog clock to match. When I try to reset the time they both move the same amount so I can never get them the same. Does the error/offset help fix this problem. According to rsteph it does not. It seems to me if it does I will be constantly trying to fix the problem as the analog does not keep proper time.

mannytranny

You are so right about having one clock or two. I only have the analog clock and there is no digtal display on the screen.
Try the post #2467. It was fixed by a service visit as reported. There were two clocks I believe.

rsteph

I didn't say anything about the offset/error thing. So far, both of my clocks have the same time. So, if they do go off kilter from each other, I don't know if that's the fix or not. Haven't had the problem so haven't tried that fix.
Ok...ok...so maybe now and then I do move slightly above "babying it" mode.
(I gotta say though, there's this little voice that keeps telling me to see just how close to the 160 mph speedometer limit it would get.) So, since we're being really "radical" now...lololol...anyone know what the actual top speed of the 3.2 V6 CTS with auto tranny is??
Thanks for the info on the headlight thing. I kinda figured there was more to it than just swapping bulbs.

sevenfeet0

I think the LuxSport with proper tires tops out at 147 MPH. I've only been to 120 in mine. :-)

cu95

You might want to consider the Sylvania Silverstar halogens: http://www.sylvania.com/auto/silverstar.htm
They've recently started advertising them on tv (rather annoying ads, but they sure make you remember the product). What little fragments of comments I could find on the web indicate that these are a great HID alternative at a much lower cost.

mannytranny

I had my CTS up tp 99mph. That's the most that I could do at the dragstrip in a quarter mile.
Normally, I "baby " the car though! LOL

shnooksf1

Hi, I was just wondering if you can play dvd movies with the dvd navigation option?
I heard you can only play movies when the car is in park .
Does anybody know if thats true? If so can you get the option to play movies when the car is not in park?

Being able to play movies for back seat or front passengers would make the difference in whether or not that option would be purchased.

Thanks liz

ctsjerry

Hi rsteph- I hope I didn't insult you about the recent Impalas. I know they drive real nice and are very comfortable, but the styling was and is just.... well, lacking. The rearend is the worst part. Whose idea was it to make that big red plastic panel? Four separate light housings (or better yet six) would have been more in keeping with the old Impalas of years past. the 1996 Impala SS is a favorite of mine. I'm both a Chevy & Caddy guy. Glad you stepped up to the CTS! -Jer:>)

mannytranny

Got my CTS back today after the week long fix. Most of the cosmetic damage was repaired day one. Then came the painting and drying and painting and......... days 2-4. Finally the reassembly on day 5. It would have been back sooner but a part was not painted (they forgot it ) so the extra delay. The new replacement wheel ( $530.00 )was scratched which I saw as I did a walk around and I pointed it out to the service person. They never did the license plate surround replacement, repair. I noticed the moisture still there.It was not part of the repair but I asked the dealer to do it while the car was there anyhow. By the time I arrived all of the regulars had left for the day. I will contact them tomorrow or Monday. With the free time they had on day 5, it should have been completed. I didn't want to have to re-schedule another shop visit because I had already not had the CTS for 5 days.
THE CTS IS BACK!!!!!!!!!!!
On another subject, my insurance paid for a rental. I got an I35 Infiniti. It was an auto (gasp) and I had to live with it. The car did not handle like my CTS especially taking turns and curves on rural roads. I did try out D1, D2, D3 just to get the experience. Not impressive at all. I couldn't get comfortable in the seats until day 4. The only saving feature was the trunk lid which just came open and up. I really played with that a lot. That is what I wish the CTS had.
 As each day went on I drove it less and less. On day 5, I only drove it back to Enterprise rentals. I always had to remember to keep the brake on because the car seemed to have a mind of its own and would just start to go. Torque?... LOL. I couldn't figure out why this auto trans car had a tachometer. I called my brother that I was driving an auto Infiniti with a tach. I must have been LOL for 5 minutes just trying to describe it to him via the phone. Was totally fascinated by driving an auto trans on day 1. On day 4, I tried to have fun by just stomping it at a green light to see how fast I could get out. What else do you do? That was the first 100 miles I have driven an auto trans in so many years I can't even remember.
 I guess that I have more fun with a manual trans. I kept looking for something else to do. I am not ready yet for a "aim and go" yet.
LOVE THE CTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ctsjerry

First of all, I want to congratulate all of you younger guys and ladies who have bought a CTS. I'm one of the older guys at 56. This is our second Caddy, with the first one being a Carmine Red 1991 Sedan Deville that we loved. But when the new CTS came out, we fell in love with it. Like many of you I haven't been this excited about a new car in years. Insofar as the performance, I too am a V8 guy and this is my first six since I sold my family-owned-new 1953 Chevy 8 years ago. All my cars are V8s, and I love the torque they put out. That being said, this perky 3.2L V6 is just great for my needs. I really love the performance once she gets rolling. On the Freeways it's unbelievable. I had her up to just under 100 mph last week, on an open stretch. The acceleration at speed is amazing. Since it's max HP is 220 at 6000 RPM, I guess that's a hint that it does like to be revved. Ours is the Luxury Sport and I like (almost) everything about the interior and handling. (The analog clock is off by 2-3 minutes, but I'm hoping the cure posted earlier here will work). Anyways, bottom line a big V8 would be nice, but I do like ours the way it is. The cost upper would probably be too prohibitive. -Jer:>)

ctsjerry

Interesting tale about your car repair. Hope the Dealer gets it right eventually! Some of these Dealers just need to be ridden to get it right. Don't be afraid to call the GM Regional Rep in to help if you can't get something fixed.

Also interesting info on the G35. That's the car that Motor Trend called Car Of The Year, right? I always laugh because in 1961 Motor Trend called the '61 Rambler "Car Of The Year". What a joke! Here in Los Angeles we see a TON of Infinity G35s running around. Glad to hear that they are no match for our CTSs. Guess folks are buying them because of the cost. And you get what you pay for.

In regards to the manual tranny, I shudder to think of driving the L.A. Freeways bumper-to-bumper with a stick. I'm just gettin' too old for that stuff! Ha! Sounds like you have some rural roads where you live, so I'm sure it's a ball with the Getrag unit. Let us know when the Dealer fixes your CTS. Good luck!! -Jer:>)

clpurnell

He said "I"35 basically a souped up Maxima. The G's are a completely different animal.

rsteph

No insult taken at all. Everyone's tastes differ. I wasn't nuts about the Imp's rear either but didn't dislike it. Kind of neutral on it. I liked the new "sport appearance" look but wasn't gonna pay $1500+ to have a plastic cover put on the back. Overall, I liked their looks.

missouri2

thinking about my road trip the last week of june and first week of july. i always go to the southwest. this year thinking about washington and oregon. love the back roads and the scenic roads. is there much to see there. if you have never ran the mother road, route 66 you need to do it, is a lot of fun. also how is the weather that time of year. i love my cts. thank you for any input.

rsteph

Much to see up here? Guess that depends on what you like. If you're coming across Rt. 66 then north, I'd hit the Redwoods in Northern California, Crater Lake in south central Oregon, back to the coast (US 101 Hwy) and Oregon's Sea Lion Caves. All the way up 101 to Astoria then east on Hwy 30 to Longview, Wa. From there you can go to the Mt. St. Helens Nat. Volcanic Monument then Olympic or Mt. Rainier National Parks in northern Washington. Weather that time of year is usually pretty good, 70's on average I'd say, but it's still classified as the wet season so rain here and there is always possible.

wwhite2

Jerry it's excercise for your leg ! At least it inst one of those heavy duty aftermerket pressure plates from the "muscle car" era.
    
Mannytranny sorry to hear that the bodyshop screwed up, sounds prettty typical to me . cant believe they scratched the new wheel .....the joker who scratched it probably thought you wouldnt notice it . ....Like he has the intelligence to make that kind of decision . I have to have the bezel on the trunk lid resealed and it looks like I will do it myself . I have a brush on seam sealer from a restro job I did

natedog1227

DVD can be played only when the veh is in park. This is a safety feature.. I guess they do not want the drivers to enjoy the movie I have the DVD navigation on my DeVille and it will only play when in park.

berrycherry

Earlier it was 06-09-03. Is this date still accurate?

When will they get to the dealer in Calif?

Went in today as I want to order one but no pricing yet.

Does anyone have exact pricing on the 3.6 2004 luxury/auto ?

carsdirect.com has it at $32,395 for the 2003.

Want to plan my summer as I want to drive from southern Calif to Vancouver, Canada

Berry

oldsman01

How well did your 91 hold up over the years? I still see alot of those on the road. Despite their ultra conservative appearance, I always liked those Devilles. I was only 16 in 1991 and tried to get my parents to buy one of those rather than the Grand Caravan they ultimately bought. Needless to say, 5 years later when my father leased a first generation Aurora, he said he probably should have gone the luxury route before as he didn't realize what he had been missing:) As for MT's car of the year, sometimes they get it and sometimes they are way off. While the G35 is a decent car, I'm not sold on it. Remember that MT has picked some winners like the C5 Corvette(98) and the Cadillac STS(92) but also some real losers like the Chevy Caprice(91) and the Chrysler Cirrus(95, this one is really sad because they also had the redesigned Lincoln Continental and Oldsmobile Aurora in the mix) and most recently the Chevy Malibu(97).

wwhite2

the Saturn fans web site has posted photos of the new Saturn Vue Redline and they are using the steering wheel out of the CTS . I dont like when GM does this it really cheapens the Cadillac marquee. some visual parts should be individual to the division

thebug

Does anyone know what Cadillac list as the expected top speed of the 03 CTS? Just curious of how much a 30 mpg tail wind was contributing to a straight line run the other morning.

thebug...

rsteph

Back to an old subject. I recall the dealer (salesman) telling me 87 octane gas was just fine for the CTS. Then I read in the manual where it recommends 91 octane but says 87 is useable (although performance may suffer.) So, I read some of the other posts here earlier about the subject. Every other new car I've ever owned recommended 87 minimum and that's what I used and never had any issues (knock, ping, etc.) So, this is new to me. I'm more concerned about engine issues (knock-ping, etc.) than I am about loss of performance. So, my question for those of you who've now got some miles on your cars...any issues come up using 87? Is your mileage enough higher using 91 to offset the increase in price? And so on.......

bingoman

I believe the manual states that the CTS is electronically limited to about 126 mph for the base and luxury models and 147 mph for the lux sport model. The Lux Sport also has higher speed rated tires.

necros

Yep, as bingoman said, those are the speeds. I've been trying to get my dealer to reprogram the ECU to allow me to go faster than 126 on the base, as I have Z-rated tires now. but so far no luck.

Also, as others have mentioned, the I35 and G35 are not at all the same. The G35 will blow the doors off of a CTS, so don't go trying to drag race them and expect to win...

thebug

Thank you. I guess I did't search the manual well enough, I couldn't find that. The DIC registered 126.7 mph, and I beleave I had room to spare, so the wind was contributing. Backed off because of sharp side wind gust as I passed through lower terrain clearings, and approaching a well established speed trap.

Those who travel from LA to Las Vegas frequently will be familiar with this one (it's on the national news occasionally). They (NHP), say they like to get some of the money before you blow it all in the casinos. The CTS actually handled the wind gust quite well, felt very stable.

thebug...

thebug

In regards to the G35, I think "should" is a better word choice.

thebug...

oldsman01

Good point about the G35. It is quicker than a CTS, but the previous poster seemed to imply the CTS was a slouch which it certainly isn't.

thebug

I'm at 11.5K miles, and I normally use 89%. However, on a recent trip, I use all three, due to what was available at gas stops. Didn't notice a difference (no knocks or pings) with either. I did notice that the gas gets cheaper the further east you travel. You folks have pretty good prices (much less than $2.15 mid grade) from Denver east.

Ran out of gas during the trip, and the OnStar response person provided five (free) gallons of gasoline, and there's no telling what the octane was in that gas, I didn't ask, just greatful for the petro.

Because of post I read here, (many were researching) I tried three tanks of 91% (combination of city/highway driving) just to see if it would make a difference, and I didn't notice any, so I pretty much stick with 89%.

thebug...

bigdaddycoats

production starts 6/9/03. SRX starts 7/23/03. Don't know if this was posted before, believe these are accurate dates.

bingoman

I just read an article in the L.A. Times this morning which said it could cost you $500 if the CHP catches you doing triple digits. They especially mentioned the stretch of I15 between Baker and the border, particularly the downhill just before the dry lake.

necros

Well, yeah, I could have said "should", since a lot depends on the driver, but a G35 "should" take a CTS no problem with even a reasonably poor driver. Don't get me wrong, I like the CTS, it's just not a super-powerful car.