Cadillac CTS

[DDBowdoin]

Hey Guys,

Any of the members driving this car...? I'm 23, out of college a year and am ready to make my first real car purchase. I've been hunting around AutoTrader and have been finding models with around 20 - 30K miles for around 20 grand and am just looking for peoples opinion on the model.

I've never had a nice car and am just looking for something that has some luxury that isn't going to cost and arm and a leg to fix (hence why I threw out a BMW or Mercedes almost immediately)

[The Rambler]

Def. a nice car.

[Ceej]

Looks like they get pretty solid gas mileage
I know someone who owns one and they are great for long trips or driving on the interstate
If you're looking at used cars at about 20k you might take a look at the Acura TL too

[DDBowdoin]

just need to come up with the bread... haha

[joshtpa]

I test drove one before we got the Volvo, and again before we got the Lexus. Then we test drove the escalade before we got the Range Rover. Very nice car. Still prefer the Volvo to it, and since they are in the same price catagory, we went that way, but definately a nice car.

[DDBowdoin]

just to let you all know I'm currently driving a 1996 Jeep Cherokee Sport with no power, AC or Radio (someone stole it)

I'm dying!

[GaijinGolfer]

CTSs are nice cars. Very fast too! Im not really into Caddies, but they are nice cars.

[DDBowdoin]

I'd like a Lincoln Navigator but with gas @ 4.09 I'd be pretty stupid to buy that

[GaijinGolfer]

Ummm, yeah. Last week I put $80 worth of gas in my F-150 and it still wasnt full. Not to mention the fact that it only goes about 300 miles on a tank of gas.
I love my big truck, but Im thinking my next vehicle with be either a Focus or a Fusion.

[Ben]

There's a few CTSs at my club. One guy has the supercharged one. I'd get one! They are sweet.

[Craig Mac]

The CTS is a sweet ride, it would make me feel pimpalicious to be driving one

[DDBowdoin]

The way I'm seeing it is pretty simple...

right now, my jeep is a piece of s***, 1996 with around 120,000

I obviously want a used car but dont want to upgrade to say a 99' because thats useless. If you search around any car that is around 12K is either a nice car with high mileage or just a piece of crap. As nice as a Hyundai might drive I just cant be seen in one...

so if 12K doesnt get you much the next logical thing to do, at least to me, is to bump up one price level and look at 17 -20K which brings in nice models around 30K miles which is great considering I want this car to last and am not looking to lease and switch cars but to own a vehicle semi maintaince free till around 100K miles

[alf174]

I have a black '06 base model with the 3.6L v6 I bought certified (factory warrantied to 100K) a few months ago. Good comfortable quiet ride, about 27mpg on the hwy, 22 in the city. Golf clubs fit in the trunk along with a cart though I have to take the driver out of the bag. These came from the factory with synthetic so oil changes are more ($70) but they last a lot longer (10K-12K using the on-board monitor). Visibility is pretty good other than the B-pillar but the mirrors make up for it. I added heated seats but failed to recognize I picked one without lumbar but it hasn't been an issue on long trips. Nice looking when its clean. Very popular around me. Pretty good value especially with the extended warranty being certified as I planned on getting 150K out of it. Let us know what you end up with.

ps: I paid $21K for this dealer certified model with 28K miles.

[GaijinGolfer]

You could probably buy a nice Ford Fusion, Ford Taurus or Chevy Malibu that is 2-3 years old for about $14,000. I dont know if youd be ok with a family car though.
Last year I almost bought an '03 Toyota Camry. It had 40,000 miles on it and they wanted $12,000 for it. Nice car, but at the time I didnt want to have payments again, so I kept my truck.
You're gonna pay big money if you want a luxury car, but you could pick up a nice sedan for about $14,000-$16,000.
Something to think about.

[DDBowdoin]

16 vs 20... family vs luxury

I think the 4 grand is worth it in the long run

[GaijinGolfer]

Its your call, I thought I would just throw it out there. I just want to see you end up with a car you can be happy with.
Me, Im a pretty basic guy, so I could happy with a Ford Focus with a manual transmission, no a/c and crank windows. I like luxury cars, but I just dont get the point. Id rathar spend less money on a vehicle and have more money for golf and other fun stuff.
Its your money and you're the one who has to drive it; so you gotta get whats right for you. Good luck.

[Dent]

Arent the caddies v6 and v8? those might be tough on gas, but if you're worried about the 20 grand, look at the Cadillac STS and the Cadillac Seville's. Those are sick ass cars, look on Autotrader for them for around a 2002.

[GaijinGolfer]

Nowdays, V6 and V8 cars are pretty good on gas. I know that Ford Mustangs get 27-30 MPG.
My sister in law's '00 Lincoln LS V8 will get 25 mpg on the highway too, so dont think that just because a car doesnt have a 4-cylinder in it that its a gas hog.