Opinions on '93-97 Cadillac Seville STS

[RedTransAm]

I'm considering purchasing a second car soon because I'm realizing that my Trans Am isn't exactly a practcal daily driver. I'll be leaving community college this fall and I'll be commuting to to a university and would like something more practical/comfortable for the 50 mile round trip. Koni shocks and competition spec coil springs don't give the Trans Am the smoothest ride... I've always liked this generation of Seville STS' and now I have the means to afford a second car and retire my Firebird to weekend fun car status. I don't personally know anyone who's owned one and I figured this forum would be a good way to possibly find someone who has one or has had one in the past. Even if you don't, your input is appreciated .

For anyone who isn't familiar with them:

 

[JCE]

Watch out for headgastket and cooling issues and of course high mileage. These cars are notorious for engine failure after 80k miles (at least around here). But if you find a cherry little old lady one they are cheap and can be a nice cruiser if taken care of. There are alot of other cars out there that are in the same price range but millions times better. You should look at 1995-1999 Nissan Maxima, 2001-2004 Ford Taurus, 1999-2004 Ford Crown Victoria, 1999-2003 Chrysler 300M and of course the obligatory 1999-2003 Subaru Legacy. All reletively in the same price range but are better vehicles to consider for price+reliability vs the Cadillac. Plus with the Maxima, 300M and Legacy you get performance too.

 

[CDailey]

I don't have any experience with the car, but I was looking to buy a 2001 STS (same engine) but turned out it had cracked heads at only 101k miles. Take that as you will, as I have no idea if that's a common problem or not. Buuuut....

...1999-2004 Chrysler 300M...Plus with the...300M you get performance too.

I will gladly second that notion.

The 300M is an excellent car. The interior is brilliant, especially compared to cars of today. Very comparable with the Cadillacs of the same vintage.

With the standard 300M, you will get a 3.5l 250hp 255tq V6, full leather interior with wood trim, and if you are lucky, a nice 9 speaker Infinity sound system.

If you can find a 300M Special (highly recommended! Check my sig for why) you get an extra 5hp and 8tq thanks to a nice dual exhaust, HID headlamps, lower body cladding, and a .5 inch lower ride height with 18" wheels and tires. The ride is slightly stiffer due to the bigger wheels and "sporty" suspension, but its still very smooth, and you would never guess it weighs 3600lbs by the way it handles. The engine is damn near bullet proof too, just be sure to change the timing belt and water pump at 100k miles.

The Specials were only made 2002+ though and may be out of your price range if you are looking at 93-97 years. The standard 300M would still be a very sweet ride though. 👍

/fanboy

 

[Tornado]

There are alot of other cars out there that are in the same price range but millions times better. You should look at 1995-1999 Nissan Maxima, 2001-2004 Ford Taurus, 1999-2004 Ford Crown Victoria, 1999-2003 Chrysler 300M and of course the obligatory 1999-2003 Subaru Legacy.

The only one in that group that I would say is better at all is the 300M.
Though one can not forget the Conti, which is essentially what the STS was supposed to compete against.

 

[JCE]

The Lincoln Continental is a good car too, I completely forgot about it!

 

[YSSMAN]

Speaking to the STS, and having family members who have had multiple models of it, they're nice cars when they're running, bad cars when they're not. Long-term reliability is not the same as the Cadillac of today, so you've really got to be careful when shopping for one. The thing is though, GM made these too:

The Buick Park Avenue and Cadillac ETC (El Dorado) deserve mentions as well...

RE: Lincoln Town Car

Not a bad idea. They don't break, they're easy to come by, and you can get practically new models for well under $10K. It seems like there are 2002-2004 models available with less than 80K on the clock, in the neighborhood of $7-8K around here. I'd call that a steal, frankly.

 

[mustangGT90210]

RE:RE: Lincoln Town Car

Not to mention the fact that they use Mustang 4.6 V8 block (I believe) so you can bolt up a new Mustang exhaust system without too much trouble I'd think.

If I'm wrong, don't be afraid to inform me!

 

[homeforsummer]

How about one of these?

Always liked the look of Intrepids.

 

[Tornado]

Intrepid is a 300M without the nice interior and with spongier dynamics.

 

[CDailey]

Exactly ^

The R/T model is nice but it still doesn't have the leather interior. The ride is a little nicer than the Special model 300M due to not so stiff springs and smaller wheels.

 

[homeforsummer]

Intrepid is a 300M without the nice interior and with spongier dynamics.

Gotcha 👍 I thought they looked similar actually and I suppose I should have put two and two together with Dodge/Chrysler.

 

[Keef]

The Trans Am isn't practical enough, so you want to buy another large and uneconomical car that nobody actually knows how to work on as your daily? Okay.

You also might want to talk to CDailey a bit more about the Chryslers. I can't remember the last time I saw one of those sharp-looking Intrepids that wasn't burning oil and various other fluids. The proportion of those things I see parked at the side of the highway versus other cars is enough to make you cringe.

If you insist on something domestic, I suggest something from GM, and with pushrods.

Terrible gas mileage, terrible fun, terribly underwhelming, but they work, and they're cheap.

That's an example from my local area. A little over 10 cents per mile, and there's less than 80,000 miles. That's pretty cheap. I lived with one for a number of years so I know how terrible a car it is, but it's decently comfortable and good on a long highway commute. My uncle still has his 2002 or so, and his wife drives it like a dog and it still works. I assume it's got well over 100,000 miles on it. Even the paint is still in good nick and I don't think it's ever had a coat of wax!

 

[CDailey]

You also might want to talk to CDailey a bit more about the Chryslers. I can't remember the last time I saw one of those sharp-looking Intrepids that wasn't burning oil and various other fluids. The proportion of those things I see parked at the side of the highway versus other cars is enough to make you cringe.

They probably all had the 2.7l engine. It's much more prone to problems than the 3.5l.

The newer Impala/SS would also be a good choice. My friend had the model one step lower than the SS a few years back and he loved it.

 

[YSSMAN]

The newer Impala/SS would also be a good choice. My friend had the model one step lower than the SS a few years back and he loved it.

Word of advice on the Impala:

Stick to that one

You can pick a 2006 up for less than $10K these days, that will still have the five year warranty on it I believe, and it isn't likely to break at all. The interior quality is far better than its predecessor, the fuel economy isn't half bad, and they're actually somewhat decent to drive. My Grandfather bought an '08 LT with the 3.9L last year, and it goes like stink.

Suggestion on the Impala?

Check out the 9C1 models on the seventh and eighth generation versions (the Lumina predecessor had a 9C1 model as well). They're damn-near bulletproof, and have a halfway decent chassis setup that makes it a capable driver otherwise.

Who doesn't love black-on-black?

 

[JCE]

I second a vote for this:

RE:RE: Lincoln Town Car

Not to mention the fact that they use Mustang 4.6 V8 block (I believe) so you can bolt up a new Mustang exhaust system without too much trouble I'd think.

If I'm wrong, don't be afraid to inform me!

Yup, all Panther cars can have a nice Mustang heads, exhaust and etc. They sound quite good with it as well. Plus you can bolt on the Mustang GT wheels as well.

How about one of these?

Always liked the look of Intrepids.

Junk. Sorry but the Intrepid was the quintessential POS Chrysler product that personifies crap. It handles quite badly, cheap of the cheap interior, lacks power and most importantly is as unreliable as a British Leyland car. There is a reason why most local municipalities here got rid of them. They are quite un-nerving at high speed (lift off oversteer in a straight line!) and they like to chew headgaskets.

Intrepid is a 300M without the nice interior and with spongier dynamics.

Partially correct, the 300M was put together alot better it seems. Plus the interior, driving dynamics and looks are a billion times better.

 

[homeforsummer]

Who doesn't love black-on-black?

Ooh. I never realised the Police used that shape Impala. Sounds fun.

We had one of the V6 ones briefly when I was in the States and it was a nice wafty thing. I didn't drive it personally but I'd second the comment about the interior being quite nice, though on the opinion of my mate who was driving it didn't even handle as nicely as his Ford Transit van...

@JCE - we all know you don't like Chrysler products anyway Honestly I know very little about the Intrepid (I didn't even twig that it was related to the 300M, for instance). I just like the look of them. Anything I mention in this thread must be taken with a pinch of salt as I've not driven any of them...

 

[Tornado]

Junk. Sorry but the Intrepid was the quintessential POS Chrysler product that personifies crap. It handles quite badly, cheap of the cheap interior, lacks power and most importantly is as unreliable as a British Leyland car.

Probably why they are easily the most well-regarded and reviewed American cars (aside from Oldsmobile) made at the time, right? Yes, they do have reliability problems, but if you are going to hate on the Chrysler products, at least get the objective things right.


Why is the Town Car being mentioned again? The OP didn't say he dealt drugs or prostitutes, did he?

If you want a Lincoln, there are two cars that are worth your time and no others:

Which is fantastic, easily attainable under $10,000 and completely worth looking for.

Which is less so, to the extent that you might as well look for a 5th generation (not a 4th gen. of the first post) Cadillac Seville rather than waste your time.

 

[JCE]

@JCE - we all know you don't like Chrysler products anyway Honestly I know very little about the Intrepid (I didn't even twig that it was related to the 300M, for instance). I just like the look of them. Anything I mention in this thread must be taken with a pinch of salt as I've not driven any of them...

I like some Chrysler products, I'm not totally hating on everything. I like the 300M, Charger V8, Magnum V8, new Ram, Wrangler, new Grand Cherokee, Challenger V8 and I like my Chrysler MINIVAN. I do hate the Intrepid, it is one of the worst offenders in all catagories. But I will agree to disagree and move on.

Probably why they are easily the most well-regarded and reviewed American cars (aside from Oldsmobile) made at the time, right? Yes, they do have reliability problems, but if you are going to hate on the Chrysler products, at least get the objective things right.


Why is the Town Car being mentioned again? The OP didn't say he dealt drugs or prostitutes, did he?

If you want a Lincoln, there are two cars that are worth your time and no others:

Which is fantastic, easily attainable under $10,000 and completely worth looking for.

Which is less so, to the extent that you might as well look for a 5th generation (not a 4th gen. of the first post) Cadillac Seville rather than waste your time.

The LS is obviously the best car mentioned in here, and the Continental was always a good comfy car with potential to be a good musclecar with some engine/exhaust mods and some good looking wheels.

What about this car:

Or...

 

[YSSMAN]

RE: MOAR On Teh Impala

We had one of the V6 ones briefly when I was in the States and it was a nice wafty thing. I didn't drive it personally but I'd second the comment about the interior being quite nice, though on the opinion of my mate who was driving it didn't even handle as nicely as his Ford Transit van...

Well, I think that was Chevrolet's main goal with the car. Build a comfortable, affordable, and ultimately bulletproof sedan that is based on a chassis that dates back to the late 1980's. Personally, I think the ergonomics of the car are bang-on for what would be needed in a generic full-size car, I love the seats in the front and back, and while the handling may not be as nice as a Ford Transit van, its decent for a car of its size (keep in mind that its over 200 inches long).

I love big cars, American or not. I think Keef has pointed out this problem before. Its an exciting time for me right now, particularly at Camp Ford. Too bad GM and Chrysler aren't following suit.

 

[neanderthal]

If you want a Lincoln, there is only one that is worth your time and no others:

Which is fantastic, easily attainable under $10,000 and completely worth looking for.

Nuff said.


I drive old Mercedes W124 300Es and E320s, the 1986- 1995 bodystyle. Can be had all day for $4K, reliable, cheap to run, etc. Rabidly fanatical following.

 

[Casio]

Wwwwooooooo.

 

[JCE]

Is that a good "wwwwooooooo" or bad "wwwwooooooo"?

 

[TheBook]

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=114124

I'd call it a good "wwwooooooo".

 

[JCE]

Ah I see. I really like older Saabs, they just look brilliant.

 

[Casio]

Is that a good "wwwwooooooo" or bad "wwwwooooooo"?

Good "wwwooooooo", when it's running that is. Also it's a 2-Door, which seem to be in the super minority as I'm still yet to see one, convertibles excluded, except for mine on the road.