Hi everyone, I am thinking about buying a 96 El Dorado as a daily driver. I am currently building a 71 Cutlass pro-touring car and need something to drive back and forth to work while I build the Cutlass. I have never owned a Caddy or even known anyone who has. I was hoping you guys could give me some general info about this car.
What is the gas miliage like?
Are parts really as expensive as people claim?
Do they have a lot of problems (I've been told)?
What should I look for when inspecting this car, anything special?

 

Hey! I own a 94 Eldo for a little over 3 years now. The gas mileage (for my driving style) is about 16 MPG around town and anywhere from 26-30 MPG highway. Overall I have had no major problems besides a defective alternator which cost me $800 to repair. I just got new brakes (all 4) pads and rotors for $620. As for general maitenence, the car is not that expensive at all. An oil change is 20 bucks! It's a beautiful car and drives like no other, nothing drives like a Cadillac with a Northstar especially. This is just my opinion/experience you should know, because I am aware of the car's history and I know the car was well taken care of meticulously. Any car will have problem(s) sooner or later, it just happens. I would do a vehicle check and try and find out the car's complete history, and if you know the previous owner that would help you the most.

Good Luck! -Joe

 

300HP, SPENDY,LOVED MINE, IT WILL BREAK YOUR WALLET .DONT DO IT .READ MY POST ABOUT GETTING RID OF MINE

 

I love mine, the first problem I had was recently the radiator started to leak. otherwise the car has been great. I get16-20 mpg usually, andI have heard the horror stories of everything going wrong, but it depends on how the car was driven, and the biggest thing with the northstars I'm aware of is overheating. All it takes is one time and the engine is done. The parts are expensive, but not ridiculous. I have also heard the starter is almost impossible to get to without pulling the tranny, but im not sure if thats true. I would say if you like the car enough to potentially spend a couple thousand dollars on repairs in the future, go for it. I have to admit though, I do lose myself driving the car, and I love the way it looks.

[IMG]local://upfiles/2937/FE597BE421C746DF8A596A0F31538B2E.jpg[/IMG]

 

Downward: I just had my starter replaced, it's down in the center of the engine, (no tranny pulled), lot of labor, but, considering that, the price wasn't bad at $650. And that includes a lifetime warranty on the starter. Yes, labor & parts are expensive, but I still love my 99.
But, if someone bought a Lexus, Infiniti, Mercedes etc, etc, don't ya think the prices would be the same or higher??? About the only way you can beat the expenses connected to having anice car, is to drive around in a Geo Prism, and that's not my kind of tradeoff!!

 

Oh, that isnt too bad.. I would imagine any import's parts and labor would be more expensive, and yeah it definantly is worth it anyways.

 

I'm a MB ml320 owner, most of Mercedes ml320 parts are much much more higher than yours, Though I think it also last longer than other cars... Bottom line, i have the state of the art auto parts with a longer life span..

 

You can't find a car that is much more satisfying to drive for the price of an eldo. They're a class act. I have two of them, a 1994 with 138,000 miles and a 2000 with less than 9000 miles. On my 94, the starter caused a problem that once I pulled the manifold to get to the started it tested fine. The problem was in the computer or relay system and no one could find it. To solve the problem I converted to a push button starter. As I do most of my own maintenance the cost was some wire, a fuse and a switch ( about $30.00) and took two hours.
The car has electric fans that cool the engine, make sure they work.
As far as parts, if you have some time check out ebay and you can save some money.
Buy it and enjoy it, I don't think you will regreat the choice, and you'll look good driving it
Doc