Caddy DTS: Comments?: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Feb. 12, 2011 7:29 p.m. erohslc Reader

The Hertz Gods smiled on me last week. I arrived in Charlotte, prepared to drive away in the usual Malibu/Altima/Accord clone. Instead, when I walked to the designated slot, there was a tan colored Cadillac DTS. I had to look twice at the rental hang tag on the mirror to be sure it was for me. Anyway, I was rather impressed. The Northstar delivered gobs of silky smooth torque on demand, with nice muted V-8 noises. Made merging onto Billy Graham parkway a real treat; looked down, I was doing 90, looke dup, there was a NC Trooper waiting to turn left ahead. Whoa, just act invisible. Not exactly a Spitfire in the handling department, but nimble enough for urban/business duty. The front/rear parking radar was 'unusual', but strangely appropriate. I could live with one as a DD. Comments?

Carter
Feb. 12, 2011 8:10 p.m. 93gsxturbo HalfDork

I also had a tan colored DTS as a rental from Hertz. It was a $23 upgrade over the Camry. (Company) Money well spent.
Feb. 13, 2011 12:01 a.m. Vigo Dork

They're good at doing what they were intended to do.. and not particularly good at anything else.

Most of the older northstar cadillacs are suffering from the issue of being cheap enough for poor people to buy and too expensive for poor people to fix. 1 or 2 repairs can add up to the cost of the whole car (rarely, but possible).

For example, the crank speed sensor that you have to take the transmission out and apart to replace. part= ~$90. Labor= ~$900. I used to work in a trans shop and northstars were some of the hardest to r&r.

Personally, i wouldnt RUN from one.. but i'd say dont buy it unless you're prepared to fix it when it breaks ($$).
Feb. 13, 2011 1:31 a.m. curtis73 Dork

They are wonderful at a basic commuter unibody car that has been stuffed to the gills with useless luxury. They're fine until they break... which they will, and it will be heavily labor intensive and a PITA to fix.

Seriously.

wonderful until they break, which will be frequently.
Feb. 13, 2011 1:50 p.m. plance1 Dork

I used to rent them all the time, really made my business trips enjoyable.
Feb. 13, 2011 2:17 p.m. mtn SuperDork

My grandpa had them for a long time. I always loved driving it, because when I was driving it it was in boring traffic or on boring interstates. Awesome car for such tasks.
Feb. 13, 2011 6:40 p.m. Raze Dork

I had a 98 Eldorado Touring, it was the most enjoyable highway cruiser I've ever driven, and it was also the most expensive, hardest to work on car you'll ever work on. That being said I miss the Northstar, but I do not miss pulling headbolts out of the die cast porous aluminum blocks and having to timesert it, not fun.