Cadillac CTS Prices Paid and Buying Experience

cadillacmike

Well, one reason was GM essentially stopped leasing in mid 2009 and didn't restart again until mid-late 2010.

That said, this is not the leases forum - it's the prices paid forum...???

We are buying a CPO 2008 CTS this week, i might post some details here, after its delivered. I'll probably get told that i got taken to the cleaners, but it's only money.

stoneybroke

I purchased this car out of state, from Towell Cadillac in Akron Ohio, and negotiations were done via phone and fax. I have a fax from the sales person with his handwritten note stating that the "in service" date was January of 2010. The car in question is a Certified 2010 CTS Sport Wagon with 1,250 miles on the odometer. Thanks to my servicing dealer, I found that the actual "in service" date was May of 2009. Essentially, I've been shorted 7 months of factory warranty. I called the sales person about this issue and he promised to call back after doing some "research". Towell charged me $1695, or $70.26 for each month of certification coverage. I think that the missing 7 months of warranty should be worth at least $70.26 x 7 months or $494. After numerous phone calls to Towell Cadillac concerning the warranty on my CTS, they freely admit that I was mislead about the "in service" date on the car. I've been shorted 7 months of factory warranty and they refuse to make any refund. I thought some of the Toyota dealers skirted pretty close to the edge, but Towell's behavior is flat out unethical. It took ten years to get me back into a domestic car and the deal really leaves a sour taste. I really do like the CTS sport wagon, but every time I look at it, I'll be thinking about how Towell hosed us. Towell sells a lot of cars on the net, especially E-Bay. They probably get a lot of out of state buyers, and couldn't care less about repeat customers.

vinnyny

Write a letter to the general manager threatening a lawsuit. Include the fax, your contract, and any other documentation you have. Send it via certified mail with the GM's name on it. Tell him all you want is the $494 now but you'll obviously be seeking more if you have to pay a lawyer. Appeal to his sense of fair play. Concede that we all make mistakes but what matters is how we respond to them. He'll cut you a check if he has any sense.

stoneybroke

Actually, it gets even better. Towell Cadillac charged me $1695 for the certification. When I picked up the car the battery was dead, the tire inflator kit was gone, and the recall for rear suspension was still outstanding. I've got to wonder exactly what was checked for the certification. Clearly, if they had run the VIN, the outstanding recall would show up. The dead battery and missing inflator kit leads me to think that they did squat.

stoneybroke

Certified letter going out in the morning, followed by a complaint to the Akron, Ohio BBB. I posted this story on cadillac dot (you know the rest). A couple of days back, another of Towell Cadillac's victims came out of the woodwork. He bought his car on or about March 25. Turns out they gave him the same exact "in service" date that they fed me, and like me, he was shorted 7 months of factory coverage. Looks like a pattern to me: Lets screw the out of state buyers. They are not going to bring suit in Ohio

pao

$1695 charged to you to "certify" the car....that in itself is a ripoff if that was an additional charge to you above and beyond the purchase price..now is it a dealer certification or a GM Certified Used car....just curious....

stoneybroke

The car is GM certified. I had my local dealer run the VIN and the car showed up as being certified. The $1695 was above and beyond the purchase price.

pao

so the 1695 was a dealer add on for exactly what...the fact they sold you a certified car?.....that is a ripoff!

kyfdx

The $1695 is for the certified warranty..

That's the only part of certified that means anything...

stoneybroke

The Cadillac CPO program is pretty good. It essentially extends the bumper to bumper coverage another 2 years or to 100K, whichever comes first. GM charges the dealers 1K for the warranty and the dealer pays for the vehicle inspection. Buyer costs range from $1200 to whatever the traffic will bear. IMO, Toyota platinum is a much better deal, but Toyota doesn't make the CTS.

stoneybroke

A courteous Certified letter to the CEO of Towell Cadillac-Saab brought an immediate response. They apoligized for the foul-up and sent a very nice check as recompense for my agravation.

kyfdx

Good deal!

I love a happy ending..

cadillacmike

I'm glad you calmed down before you wrote that letter.

You really should do some homework. The dealer could have provided you with a BUILD SHEET in 1 minute if you had asked. It verifies build date, in service date, etc. and it also states all the options the car has.

You could have also asked for a carfax, which shows initial registration date, etc. but the build sheet is authoritative.

The certification process does cost at least $1,000 and it can be "removed" of one so desires, but most folks want it. I have bought 3 Cadillac CPO cars over the years, and i priced each one with the CPO, and in all three cases i paid LESS than the dealer's on-line advertised price. Next time do a little more research, and check several dealers. I realize this was probably not too easy with a 2010 used car in 2011, since not too many come back in in 1 year, but there are ways to figure out the going rate.

Do yourself a favor and get rid of the inflator kit and get a real spare tire / wheel. the kit messes up your TPMS valves and does not make a permanent fix to the flat.

How is TOYota better than Cadillac CPO?

cadillacmike

We did end up buying that 2008 CTS - certified back in Mar. Now i have to go back and figure out how much we paid for it. so i can post details. It was (is) an AWD premium edition with the 18" all season performance package and chromed 18" wheels (a non-factory option, that i can't ever pass up!).