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Cadillac DTS

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Comments

  • 06lly06lly Member Posts: 21
    Go to www.cadillac.com. Choose DTS, then Packages&options, then Packages Overview. Its all there.

    Basically, the Performance includes all the Luxury III stuff plus the 300 HP engine and 18" wheels.

    I have one and it is A-W-E-S-O-M-E.
  • mraccountantmraccountant Member Posts: 5
    I got my 06 DTS with the performance package, color coded grill, navigation and chrome rims. Car is Black with Shale interior. Much better then the 2000 dts I was driving. Will try to post pictures when I get a chance to take them. I have discovered that if you get the nav system you do NOT get a 6 disc changer. Only a 1 disc changer. That is not a problem for me because I am now hooked on the XM radio they included free for 3 months and I will subscribe to XM radio at around $10 per month. Even my wife said why do we now need a 6 disc changer. Also a DVD can be played thru the changer if the car is in park.
  • miegelmiegel Member Posts: 2
    When will GMAC have a Pull Ahead program so I can get out of my 36 month lease that runs to 5/26/06?????? I want a 2006 DTS Now
  • jstutjstut Member Posts: 1
    Hi, I am currently in the process of purchasing a 2006 DTS. I want the small thin whitewall tires on it. My dealer says that he can not find them anywhere. Can anyone tell me if they are available from any manufacturer. Size is 235 55/17
    Thank You, Joe
  • dardson1dardson1 Member Posts: 696
    Cadillac getting back to it's roots. The new DTS looks like a real Cadillac (again). . . certainly a modern version. . . but those tall and skinny tail lights announce to the world (as it did for decades) it's a Caddy. Love that! While it's in question these days, I hope GM (the sleeping giant)has awakened and can recover. They certainly seem to be wide awake at Cadillac. It's the only GM division not giving cars away. Do it right, GM, and the darn cars sell. Make Cadillac with no compromise, offer Buick as a conservative man's Cadillac, Pontiac the sporty man's Cadillac, and Chevy the poor man's Cadillac. It's what made GM king 40 years ago and not that different from Toyota's game plan today.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    It is my belief that Pontiac will be history, like Olds, within a year or two...too many divisions will not work like it did when Alfred Sloan ran GM, no foreign competition back then to matter, maybe 5% of the American market...

    Now, with Japanese and Korean makes, plus German (Audi, Mercedes, Porsche and VW), GM has the capacity to make too many cars, but not enough folks want GM products anymore...

    It will be Chevy, for the common man, Buick for the Caddy wanna-be, Cadillac, and probably a consolidation of Chevy trucks and GMC trucks...GM is set to cover the market like in the 1960s, but the new reality is much different in this millenium...
  • dardson1dardson1 Member Posts: 696
    sounds good to me although a separate division for trucks seems like an unnecessary duplication. Three divisions is plenty to manage. I drive Tahoes and never understood the purpose of GMC (Yukon). Optioned exactly the same, there is zero difference in content, quality, or price. In this lean-and-mean world where merger-mania is the Holy Grail to cut costs, GM can't even manage to stop competing with itself. The stationery alone would likely save them a million a year.
  • geezer408geezer408 Member Posts: 10
    My 2006 DTS driver seat moves back and steering moves up when I remove the key from ignition. Unfortunately when I use the remote to unlock the car it repositions steering and seat before I even open the door. If I disable the seat memory link to door unlock I get in easily but need the extra step to select Position 1 in seat memory. My old Lincoln worked from key in ignition/returns seat; key out gives easy exit. Anyone found the setting I'm missing?
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    Actually, you are correct...why not just merge the trucks and just sell them under Chevrolet???...altho, in the past, I might guess that the GMC brand was created so that dealers of Olds, Buick or Pontiac could fill in a gap by selling trucks, but, of course, if not a Chevy dealer they could not sell Chevy truck...abracadabra...voila...GMC trucks!!!... ;) :shades:
  • geezer408geezer408 Member Posts: 10
    Don't know the story but I took delivery Nov 23 of a 2006 Level 111 and there is no gap. Love the car. A tiny criticism is that the seat memory systems are not as automated as my 98 Lincoln.
  • hammen2hammen2 Member Posts: 1,284
    Pontiac is not going away... it is being combined with Buick and GMC to form a full division (like Chevy). GMC exists because there are tons of people who either don't like or wouldn't drive a Chevy, but have no problem with the GMC models. They are just badge-engineered, but my wife and I bought an Envoy because we thought its interior and exterior styling was better than the Trailblazer. If that was all that was available, we would have bought something else. BTW, GMC is among GM's most profitable divisions... so it's not going away.

    If you want to discuss this further, head over to News and Views and look for any of the current GM discussion...

    We now return you to talking about the 2006 DTS.
  • rockyleerockylee Member Posts: 14,014
    Rocky
  • jws338jws338 Member Posts: 2
    The DTS is great except for the poor memory seat and the clock you can't see at night(No reflective on the hands). Why no digital clock? My Aurora had memory seats that worked and I looked at the Jag. On the Jag every time the door opened the seat retracted. This DTS is just too hard for me to enter. If I am doing something wrong let me know. For 50K it should be easy to enter!
  • geezer408geezer408 Member Posts: 10
    You can activate a digital clock in your radio that is always visible. You can activate Easy Exit so the seat retracts when you remove the key. Currently, you are best to NOT activate Seat Memory with Door Unlock. Then, when you remote unlock, the seat stays back, and after you're seated push the seat Memory 1 button on the door. Its one extra step and my dealer is baffled as to why GM engineered it this way and is inquiring if there is a fix. Otherwise, I love the quietness, seat comfort, engine and looks.
  • mikerochmikeroch Member Posts: 69
    Hi,

    I just test drove a luxury 1 pkg (i think...anyway, it wasn't the performance pkg).

    Like the car interior, features, etc...but found it a bit floaty.

    They didn't have a performance pkg to drive... Any comments on the difference? Does the magnetic ride thing give better "handling" without sacrificing the great straight line comfort too much?

    Thanks.
  • jws338jws338 Member Posts: 2
    I have the performance model with the navagation radio and there is no digital clock in that radio according to the manual. This car is NOT a keeper unless GM can fix the Memory seats and clock with a software upgrade.
  • dispencer1dispencer1 Member Posts: 489
    Has anyone heard what Cadillac is planning with the DTS for the next couple of years. I hesitate to buy an '06 if there is going to be some major body change in the next couple of years. My warranty on my Certified '03 doesn't expire till fall of 2008. Thanks - Karl
  • jimwilsonjimwilson Member Posts: 2
    I also have the DTS Performance Cadillac with the Navagation system. I am totally ticked off about the lack of a digital clock! There needs to be a software upgrade.

    The fuel economy is terrible! My car is four three months and averaging 13 MPG around town.
  • daryll44daryll44 Member Posts: 307
    A good friend of mine has an '03 Seville SLS that has been garage kept and driven lightly. It's exactly 37 months old and has 43000 miles. His true cost was about $40,000. It's now worth $15,500 according to Edmunds and KBB trade-in value on a new STS or DTS. My friend is a loyal Cadillac owner in his late 50s....their perfect customer. I don't blame him, however, for being outraged at the horrendous depreciation. He wants a new one, but I am pointing out that Lexus etc doesn't evaporate value like this. What's going on here? Is there some hidden GM program to keep their loyal customers
  • dackeldackel Member Posts: 2
    Do not attempt to trade it in, they will screw you to the wall. He needs to check Kelley Blue Book value and sell it to an individual for the retail value. I had a 98 SLS with 81,000 miles and had it serviced at the local Cadillac dealer since new and had all the records. Upon trying to trade it in on 2006 DTS they offered me $4,500, whereupon I informed them Cadillac's must have a lousy resale value, then they offered $5,500. I was so mad, the first person I found wanting a used car I offered it at $6,500. They bought it immediately. I should have asked more, Kelley Blue Book list is at around $9,000.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    interesting concept...what it basically says is that the retail price of the vehicle far exceeds the intrinsic value of the vehicle, or its value would not fall so much...hence, altho advertising may tell the world that a Lincoln Town Car and Cadillac sell for many $1000s over the Crown Vic and Buicks just beneath them, the resale market just does not buy into that theory, and values them according to their "true worth" whatever that is...

    So, if you buy a Caddy new, you really do pay overinflated costs, but if you buy 1-2 years used, you can buy one for half-price, because the trade-in value was even less...

    Lexus and Mercedes seem to "keep their value" because the REAL market seems to believe that they are worth close to their original selling price, so a trade-in also maintains its value...if the real world ever gets the opinion that Lexus is just a glossy Toyota, like it believes that Caddy is a glossy Chevrolet, then Lexus will depreciate like a Cadillac...

    Caddy used to call itself "Standard for the World", but after the junk of the 1980s and 1990s, that rep has been torn to shreds...Caddy and lincoln survive only because Americans over 60-65 remember the good old days, but even they are deserting for the Lexuses...

    Maintaining a good rep is easy, but once you have lost your rep for quality, regaining it, like trust, may take longer than a generation...and the generation behind the 65 year olds has no brand loyalty to GM, but they are brand loyal to whoever sells them a quality vehicle...

    Class dismissed... :shades: ;):D
  • daryll44daryll44 Member Posts: 307
    no cigar. Mercedes have had a big depreciation problem too lately. No one wants an "S" Class Mercedes out of warranty because the repairs are too numerous and costly. Lexus, however, commands a premium resale value EXACTLY BECAUSE of the Toyota quality delivered. Used Lexi are good bets....good bets that there won't be big repair bills. So the market prices them accordingly. Caddy/Lincoln are actually pretty decent cars, but GM and Ford have to produce more than the market can tolerate due to union contracts that inhibit a cut in production. So they sell them with all sorts of gimmicks, discounts, subsidized leases and voodoo. The used market, however, is, as you correctly point out, where the real story gets told.
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    So, if I understand you, if I had just left Mercedes out of my "keep their value" paragraph, I would still have earned a cigar, yes??? :shades: :shades:

    You are right, they (GM/Ford) probably make more than they need due to those union contracts (which, hopefully soon, will be trashed in a Ch 11 bankruptcy)...

    But, I would not be a happy camper if I just shelled out $52K for a new DTS, only to trade it in next year for less than half what I just paid...that would tell me that the car is seriously overpriced as compared to its intrinsic value...

    Yes, I know...if the market can demand $52K then it is worth the $52K...I understand freemarket economics...but I think you see where I am going with this...
  • daryll44daryll44 Member Posts: 307
    With all due respect, I still wouldn't give you the cigar, but in this post-Clinton era, that's not necessarily a bad thing!!!!

    My reason for retaining the cigar is because of your comment about the dangers (to Toyota) of the public ever perceiving Lexus as merely a gussied up Toyota. You said it as if that is a bad thing for Toyota. But actually the public TOTALLY understands that NOW and that is the MAIN REASON Lexus is such a runaway hit. It builds luxury upon the base super-quality of Toyota. A gussied up Toyota is EXACTLY what the public knows Lexus is...and why they can't get enough.
  • exalteddragon1exalteddragon1 Member Posts: 729
    the reason the public "can't get enough" is because toyota has makedly improved its cars in this past decade. If you look 10 years ago, the biggest toyota was the size of a medium GM, not today. They now have the same or greater size and feature content.

    While GM is spending countless millions on union contracts and pensions/health care, toyota is vicously investing in technology and new manufacturing processes. Over the years the technology simply cought up.

    The union concesions might help save GM. We need to see what the labor situation is. If things keep going the way they are, however, toyota and its asian comrads will jump in technology so fast and so far away that GM and ford will not be able to catch up.

    For now, looking at this DTS, looking at the Enclave and Aura, alons with the GMT 900's it seems GM is getting its act together. These new cars are great. Take a look side by side of the old DTS and the new DTS, exterrior and interrior. THERE IS NO COMPARISON! The new DTS looks 10K more expensive. Finally cadillac has a chrome grille again! THe wood inside is in all the right places and its just looks good.

    That said, meybe the older DTS is now a good value in the used car maket. ;)
  • dispencer1dispencer1 Member Posts: 489
    I thought the DTS had an analog clock in the middle of the dash. Do you want both a digital clock and an analog clock?
  • dispencer1dispencer1 Member Posts: 489
    Frankly I can't understand why someone would buy a brand new DTS rather than a used one at the end of 2006 that has the 100k mile certified warranty. You get a much better warranty than a new one and you save 20 thousand dollars. The options are built into packages so you only have a choice of color in a used one and in major markets - Dallas, Los Angeles, etc. most large dealers will have a big selection of year old (or less) DTS's. If the Caddy is a business car and you can write off the loss that is another thing.
  • dispencer1dispencer1 Member Posts: 489
    I wonder what will happen if China decided to build a $30,000 car that is comparable to a DTS or a $10,000 car that is comparable to a Camry? Don't laugh. This is highly possible. These folks are pretty sophisticated -this is why you can buy a DVD player for $35. Remember that people bought Hyundai Excels when they undersold everything built in the USA. It was junk but it was cheap. Now Hyundai has a great reputation for quality.
  • carnutpacarnutpa Member Posts: 42
    I see many posts that the new DTS is so much better than the old one. I have a 2002 DeVille DTS and frankly, I am very disappointed with the new model. I drove a 2006 DTS for 2 days while mine was in the shop. I like the exterior better, however, I much prefer the 2002 interior. In the 2006 DTS, I don't like the layout of the dash and I don't like the way it lights up at night. The analog clock is useless. You can't see it in the daylight or at night. I think the fancy door handles look better in my car and there are many more small things that are enough for me not to buy one. My next car will probably not be a new DTS unless they fix some things soon and that won't happen until a new redesign in 5 years.
  • dispencer1dispencer1 Member Posts: 489
    That's a very interesting post. I have a 2003 base Deville and haven't driven the new model yet but was considering a 2006 DTS. Your comments are helpful. Has anyone else who owns a 2000-2005 driven the new DTS?
  • marsha7marsha7 Member Posts: 3,703
    OK, you have pushed me to the edge...as Popeye says, that's all I can stands, and I can't stands no more...

    I am going out to buy my OWN cigar... :shades: :shades:
  • daryll44daryll44 Member Posts: 307
    Monica said the same thing!
  • exalteddragon1exalteddragon1 Member Posts: 729
    Dont listen to him untill you see and drive the car yourself. They really did improve the car alot, the interrior alone looks 5K more expensive.
  • dispencer1dispencer1 Member Posts: 489
    Check Cars.com. A used 2002 Lexus LS430 runs more than a certified 2005 Deville. Obviously the resale value of a Lexus is great but so is the initial cost. You can buy a new DTS for around $39k. The Lexus runs $56k and used -a year or two old is still in the 50's. Is it worth nearly $20k more than a new DTS? - it probably is based on resale value for 4-6 years. The problem is that a certified DTS in the fall with less than 10k miles will run less than $32k. This is with a 100k 6 yr bumper to bumper warranty. Unless you get a total lemon which is rare you will have a comfortable car with fairly good road gas mileage and lots of luxury features for a reasonable price. Frankly I don't think that the Lexus is that much different than the Cadillac but those who have comparison shopped may disagree. What IS true is that the under 60 market has no loyalty at all to Cadillac. The Lexus is now the status symbol in cars. Cadillac will need to build something that looks like the Sixteen but has 8 cylinders and is something that really looks neat. The LS430 Lexus looks like a 2002 Toyota -a very bland car. Cadillac has done very well with the XLR and the CTS. Even the Escalade is a status symbol and it is essentially nothing but a fancy Tahoe or Suburban. The present DTS is a nice car but Cadillac is going to have to redesign it in order to create a car that stands out and is attractive to people under 70. Right now it is a bargain compared to a Lexus, MB etc. but I don't think that that is where Cadillac wants it to be.
  • carnutpacarnutpa Member Posts: 42
    I am 46 years old and I like the exterior of the 2006 DTS. It's the interior that I have issues with and will most likely prevent me from buying one. In my opinion, the things I don't like are real screw ups by GM.
  • dispencer1dispencer1 Member Posts: 489
    I'm curious. What don't you like about the interior? Apparentely the dash is an inch lower and the seats go back another inch. The analog clock is kind of dumb but that seems to be the latest thing now (Chrysler 300, Fusion, Milan, etc).
    Frankly I didn't see anything wrong with the 2005 dash. The seats were OK and there was enough room in the back. This DTS is really just an update of the '00-'05.
  • carnutpacarnutpa Member Posts: 42
    A few things off the top of my head...
    The front seats don't have as much hip room. I'm a bit of a big guy (6'2", 230#) and I feel squeezed in the drivers seat. I am fine with my 02 DeVille DTS. The sides of the seat seem to come up higher in the 2006.
    The clock is a disaster. It is tilted back facing the windshield. I can't read it in the daylight (reflection) and I can't read it at night (poor lighting). I need a clock that I can just glace at in a second and know exactly what time it is. I can't be trying to drive and study a clock to see the time. The car needs a digital clock. It's 2006, not 1906. If they add a digital second clock to the radio / nav system, that would be fine as long as it can be displayed all the time.
    My 2002 dash has a pure flat black backround where the tach and speedometer is. It looks great day and night. The 2006 has these stupid glossy rings around the tach and speedometer that reflect light from outside and I just think the pure flat black is so much better.
    The interior door handles in my 2002 are fancy and neat looking. The ones in the 2006 are plain flat. I like mine better.
    I just think the way the dash is rounded and tilts back towards the windshield is less appealing than mine in my 2002.
    As far as the steering wheel. I'm not sure what the story is here. I drove 2 different 2006 DTS's as loaners from the dealer. On both of them, the seams between the center of the steering wheel where it meets the outer part of the wheel had large gaps at all 4 points. It really looked like some mistake was made in the fitting. The gaps were so large, I could fit my little finger in them. If I look at the interior pics on the Cadillac website, the seams seem tight there so I don't know what is going on there. There should not be those gaps there.
    I think the window and lock buttons on my door panels are better than on the 2006.
    These are a few things off the top of my head. The lack of a digital clock and the gaps in the steering wheel are enough for me not to buy the car. The other things, I can deal with. I have decided to hold out to see if these are corrected in the 2007 model when I plan to buy a new car. If not, I'm very likely to move away from being a Cadillac owner. I have already sent Cadillac a letter concerning the clock and their response was that they forwarded it to the appropriate people.
  • peetowpeetow Member Posts: 2
    I really hope you didn't avoid the DTS because of a lack of a digital radio clock. This can be turned on/off in the radio menus. We made this option because some people don't like having both an analog and digital clock, and some people are bothered that the two are not synchronized....
    (This is on the non-Nav radio...)
  • peetowpeetow Member Posts: 2
    As someone who worked on this radio, I beg to differ. RDS is there (press the info button), Auto tone control is there (push the center of the right tune knob, the note button). There are ATCs with the base amp, DSPs with the Bose amp. Auto Volume is there, in the Menu button (called Speed Comp or AudioPilot in the Bose vehicle.) Plus it now plays MP3/WMA CDs, has an iPOD input, etc.
  • volvodan1volvodan1 Member Posts: 188
    Am I correct that there is no digital clock on the DTS's w/ Nav, or am I missing something?
  • lanzzlanzz Member Posts: 76
    volvodan, I think you are correct. I have a 2006 DTS Performance with Nav - I do not know of a digital clock - just the analog clock in the dash.
  • carnutpacarnutpa Member Posts: 42
    Hopefully, someone (or Cadillac) will make a digital clock that will just pop into the spot where the analog clock is. It just seems to me that from where the driver sits, where your eyes are, to look at that clock while driving 70 mph and be able to quickly tell what time it is very difficult. I am in business and I pay very close attention to time. I find myself looking at the clock often while driving. I can glance at my digital clock in an instant and see exactly what time it is. I can't do that with the clock on the 2006 DTS and that would frustrate me.
  • dispencer1dispencer1 Member Posts: 489
    Obviously you are correct. When I made the comment in 2004 I didn't know what the 2006 radio was going to have standard. Now I am waiting for a total DTS redesign. Does anyone have any idea when this will happen?
  • dispencer1dispencer1 Member Posts: 489
    I've heard that the DTS will be redesigned at the end of the decade and will get rear wheel drive. Does any insider know anything about this?
  • kpsmkpsm Member Posts: 12
    I thoroughly enjoyed my loaded 2001 Aurora with the 5-year, 60k warranty for 50,000 miles. Checking out new cars, I first drove the 6 cylinder STS, but it seemed sluggish to me. Then I tried the V-8 Buick Lucerne which seemed peppier, but still sluggish compared with my Aurora. Then we drove a DTS Performance model with the NAV system, and it took me no time at all to want it.

    We now have the Light Platinum color, with everything on it except for the Adaptive Cruise Control, which I do not want. This car will really move, but the ride is about the best that I've ever experienced.

    I wanted the NAV for the enhanced display for XM radio. I am now enjoying using the voice command system for changing radio channels and CD tracks. My wife really likes the analog clock.

    We just took delivery on Monday, so these are my early impressions. But, it appears to me that my new Performance DTS is a very worthy successor to my Aurora that I had enjoyed so much for the past four and one-half years.
  • merckxmerckx Member Posts: 565
    I'm considering getting a base DTS for my wife this month. I'm a little concerned that the Caddy's size will make it a chore to park and not much fun to drive. I want to get the Lucerne-it's just slightly smaller. My wife likes the DTS...I'm also thinking of the STS. I'm just a little afraid of the DTS's size.

    Other than acceleration(which I'm not too worried about),how did you compare the three?. I'd get the base six in the other two,btw.
  • kpsmkpsm Member Posts: 12
    The DTS doesn't seem bigger to me than my Aurora, except for length. There's more rear seat leg room and a bigger trunk.

    Width seems like what I've been accustomed to. The STS AWD that I drove seemed narrow to me, and its seat was not as comfortable.

    My DTS is definitely fun to drive.
  • dotbowelsdotbowels Member Posts: 43
    Trying to see if I can live with the smaller ES, I've driven Cadillacs for many years but am sick of the depreciation.

    Going to be a tough decision.
  • jimwilsonjimwilson Member Posts: 2
    Your correct, there in no digital clock in the DTS with Nav, only the analog one above the radio console which is totally worthless!
  • quarrlesquarrles Member Posts: 1
    Took delivery of my new 2006 DTS a week ago. Did not notice (my fault) that Cadillac Motor Division had mounted Continental Touring Contact AS tires on it, 235/55 R17. These are $63.00 retail, tires.(Tirerack.com) $252 worth of tires on a $50,000 sedan? Dealership offered to change them for Michelins at a $386 additional cost to me, proving that these are inferior tires. They wanted me to put as few miles as possible on the Continentals so that they could "put them back in inventory". I can't do that to someone else. These are the "standard" tires for this LUXURY car. I'll put my own tires on this car, but Cadillac and I may have just parted company.
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