Help me think this out

EndersShadow

So my wife’s grandparents are looking at selling their 1998 Cadillac Eldorado 2 door Touring coupe. Its got ~100k on it. It apparently is the ETC model with all the options. I am unsure if its got Onstar or the “awesome” Bose sound system in it (hoping not since it would probably be a PITA to pull out). Its been taken very good care of and has been mostly sitting in their garage here as of late (hence looking to sell it). It looks like it has a V8 in it but the reviews of the engine are not the best from what I see (research still pending there)….

Right now I have a manual 2000 Jetta GL. I don’t have any power options (besides locks). Its got about ~159k on it and is still going strong. It needs some love in the interior department that I cant really give (fabric falling off door panels, plastic molding scratching/melting) as well as exterior (needs lights replaced and new paintjob). I love the car and have it decked out with lots of decent audio gear. I also have dynamatted the car on all 4 doors and the trunk 2 times.

As I need to keep the speakers in the Jetta (too much of a **** to take out and replace) for resale purposes I would need a new set for the Caddy if I purchased it. Here are the spec’s of the amp I have now:
Sundown 100.4: 100x4 @ 4 ohms | 160x4 @ 2 ohms |320x2 @ 4 ohms bridged

I haven’t seen the Caddy yet but am willing to bet that there are 2 speakers in the doors (pretty standard) that are either 5 ¼ or 6 ½ and 2 in the rear deck (also standard) that are probably 6x9. I wouldn’t really need the ones in the rear deck as my sub (subs @ that point) would drowned them out, so why bother amping or replacing them. So I could bridge the speakers if I wanted to, but I have having trouble finding the following:

1. a set of speakers under ~200 for the front
2. a set of speakers that can handle over 85 watts RMS
3. a set of speaker that can handle anything near 300 watts RMS (see first bullet)

So I guess I need some help deciding what speakers I should get provided we get the Cadillac. As my car is getting up there in mileage and my wife cant drive stick, my car will be getting replaced shortly. The bigger question is if this car would be worth buying given its age (and how far car tech has come since) and also what gear to equip it with. If we get it I plan on dynamatting the car front to back over the summer (starting w/ doors and trunk).

I am not sure how much they are going to ask for it, but my guess would be around 3k max (they said they would give us a good deal because they like me ). Is it worth it? What speakers would you suggest I look at (polk, infinity, ect). Also any thoughts or actual experiences with the car would be greatly appreciated…..

danger boy

pass on the Caddy.. with a big **** V8, you'll be paying out more in gas then it's worth.. with gas hoovering around $3 a gallon.. yeah.. not worth it. My truck has a v8 and I go through a tank of gas every 4 or 5 days.. at $45 per tank.. it's to much for me. so I don't drive it very often.

on the other hand. my v6 car can go 9 to 10 days between fill ups.. and only costs $42 per tank.

nothing worse to me than having a car that burns a lot of gas.. yeah getting there in a Caddy is prob more cool than a Jetta... but both will get you there. the Jetta for prob a lot less

thsmith

Unless you are getting for a steal I would pass. One thing about buying cars from Seniors is they do not get driven much and when they do it is for short distances and barely get to operating temps, this adds up to motor sludge.

EndersShadow

Also just to throw it out there, KBB lists it at worth 6k in Good condition (which this is if not Excellent).

Need to get the wife to get a price outta them, as this will make things much much easier. Good points on engine sludge and also gas. I think it takes premium which would kill our budget given the MPG on it. My Jetta goes 2 weeks per tank which is ~315 miles in city.

Jstas

It's not really a "big ****" V8. It's only about 4.6L worth at the most of Northstar V8.

But honestly, I'd pass on it. The ETC was the cushy one and rode like jello and handled about the same too. They never wore well and even 5 year old models looked like they were ridden hard and put away wet with less than 60K miles on them. They are often plagued with electrical problems as well with all the doodads and bells and whistles they had. There's nothing really major to stop them from running but it's alot of piddly little stuff that breaks or falls apart and costs a fortune to fix.

It has the 4T80-E which is a beefy transaxle mounted transversely. It's essentially a beefed up GM Hydramatic 125. It's rated for up to 8K pound GVW vehicles. It's electronically controlled, even the torque converter clutch. Well, newer version are. That 98 probably still has the viscous clutch which tends to burn up because of the weight it has to sling around. Since the Eldo pumps out between 270 and 300 horses through the FWD transaxle, the 4T80-E gets taxed. When they do go bad, they aren't cheap to repair. Thankfully though, they are still in production on the DTS and the Buick Lucerne so parts are readily available but due to the heavy duty nature of the trans, they do cost more than the lesser 4T60-E.

Also, and I don't know why this is, but I see many of the last gen of the Eldorados (92-02) dragging their butts around. Like something in the rear suspension broke. I don't know what causes that problem but it would make me shy away from them. It's also the reason why I don't have a 93-98 Lincoln Mark VIII.. They tend to blow up the rear suspension air bags and they can cost as much as 8 grand per axle to fix. Not exactly a cost I want to incur.

If you are going to get it, get grandmom and grandpop to let you borrow it for a weekend or something and drive it around. You'll be able to see issues with it and see if you actually like it or not.

Remember, expensive cars have expensive parts that are expensive to repair/replace/fix when they break. Cadillac are no exception even if they are just gussied up Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs.

EndersShadow

Jstas wrote: »

If you are going to get it, get grandmom and grandpop to let you borrow it for a weekend or something and drive it around. You'll be able to see issues with it and see if you actually like it or not.

Remember, expensive cars have expensive parts that are expensive to repair/replace/fix when they break. Cadillac are no exception even if they are just gussied up Buicks, Oldsmobiles and Pontiacs.

Both very good points and something to think about. I might just ask them if we can borrow it to get a feel for how it drives.

I know I love the way my Jetta handles (especially in the snow up here) and this would be a big adjustment for me.

I am not against getting a paintjob on the Jetta and doing some interior work, this was just presented as a option to us and it sounded intriguing. That and I want to have my talking points in order for when the wife asks if I give it a yay or nay :biggrin:

Jstas

If you like the way the Jetta handles in the snow you will absolutely HATE the way the Caddy handles in the snow.

EndersShadow

Jstas wrote: »

If you like the way the Jetta handles in the snow you will absolutely HATE the way the Caddy handles in the snow.

I am aware, but regardless unless I get another Jetta (unlikely but possible) I will have to make some sort of adjustment to any car....

exalted512

Jstas wrote: »

Also, and I don't know why this is, but I see many of the last gen of the Eldorados (92-02) dragging their butts around. Like something in the rear suspension broke. I don't know what causes that problem but it would make me shy away from them.

Around here its because its the gangsta car of choice with 400lbs of speakers, box, batteries, wiring, and amps in the trunk.
-Cody

KaosTsoc

Another good option would be, get the cadi for a steal, and then turn around, and sell it for double what you paid. Not only do you get your money back that you put in, but some extra back. Which in turn if done correctly could mean that not only did you get your money back that you put in, but the extra cash could go toward putting some TLC into your Jetta's interior. Just a thought though.


Thanks.

EndersShadow

KaosTsoc wrote: »

Another good option would be, get the cadi for a steal, and then turn around, and sell it for double what you paid. Not only do you get your money back that you put in, but some extra back. Which in turn if done correctly could mean that not only did you get your money back that you put in, but the extra cash could go toward putting some TLC into your Jetta's interior. Just a thought though.


Thanks.

I couldnt do that to her grandparents, maybe some random smuck, but if they cut me a deal on it I would need to keep it, otherwise they could have just sold it at a much bigger profit in the first place.

The devil on my shoulder tells me to do that, but the angel promptly beats him senseless lol....

EndersShadow

DSkip wrote: »

The issue with this is if you do, it might piss the g'parents off if they are purposely dropping the price to help out family. To turn around and sell it might cause issues not only with the g'parents, but other family members as well.

We recently purchased my grandmothers 2000 Toyota Camry with 106k on it and love it. We also knew the full history of the car and got it for a great price. She was happy because she got about another $2k on top of what she would have gotten trading it in. It ended up a great purchase all the way around for every party, but every case is different.

+1 on this. They were offering it to us because my car will go shortly and my wifes car has much less mileage on it. When we pay off her car we plan to sell it (we hate her Malibu) and get her a SUV of some sort to accomodate little ones that will come later.....

The Caddy would keep me in a decent car for quite a bit and then we could get me something I really want...like a trunk or a mini (quite a difference I realize lol)

EndersShadow

She just talked to her grandfather and he said he would sell us the car for 4k, which is under blue book for the car by about 2k (I would consider it to be in Excellent condition).

We are looking to see if we will have the cash for it but wont know till I find out what my raise and bonus are this year which is a couple months away.

My only concerns are if it takes premium gas (which is what is listed) the cost of gas might not make it worth it as I am already taking a hit from 27 mpg of my Jetta to the 17 mpg of the Caddy.

I also want to check his price of 4k against what cars of that make/model/mileage are selling for online to see what kind of deal it really is.

We might just end up taking 1 or 1.5k and getting my car painted, windows tinted and tuned up/checked out and pray my car keeps on chugging (currently I have no reason to think it wouldnt). Then we put the rest toward our credit card debt to try and get that all paid off this year...

If its something we decide to do I am going to borrow the car for a week to drive around to see if I like the way it handles. We also plan on them giving it to us as a "gift" to avoid paying sales tax @ the BMV. We still have to pay for plates which are based off the value of the car and any additional increase in insurance for it...

Comments/concerns still welcomed

arun1963

EndersShadow wrote: »

We might just end up taking 1 or 1.5k and getting my car painted, windows tinted and tuned up/checked out and pray my car keeps on chugging (currently I have no reason to think it wouldnt). Then we put the rest toward our credit card debt to try and get that all paid off this year...

Sounds like the best idea. The grandparents would get an additional 2K on the Caddy and you would be using your funds better, imo.

EndersShadow

DSkip wrote: »

If money is tight, safety + reliability > aesthetics. There's a reason my camaro has a broken bumper and a 1 ft deep dent right behind the rear wheel. It's probably our most reliable vehicle though, and I invested to keep it that way. Whatever isn't needed for tune up and whatnot, throw into savings for future repairs.

Its not that money is necessarily tight, its more of spending it in the most efficient way (i.e. get out from under that damn 29% interest on her credit card). If we keep my car, I will be getting it looked over, might get the timing belt and serpentine belt changed (because to my knowledge they never have been). Right now it needs the e-brake fixed (i just leave it in either 1st or Reverse so its no issue currently) and a look at why the front cigarette lighter doesn’t work as well (once again not particularlly pressing, but annoying when trying to power my GPS). Depending on how much tune up/fix costs would be we would then potentially look at tinted windows and a paint job.

So we are on the same page, I just didn’t list the items in order of importance. The Caddy is still a viable option, just not sure its one that fits where we are financially with what limited information I have….

EndersShadow

Lasareath wrote: »

Offer them $1500 and turn around and sell it for $5000

LOL...I dont think either the angel or devil on my shoulders would let me do that one...they helped us out with a big medical bill awhile back when we were in bad shape and I just never would screw over family (or at least them....there might be a couple in her family this may not apply to lol...)