Well first off I'm a newbie to the site and a longtime Cadillac owner. I love the info thats provided here and its appreciated from less informed mechanics as myself.

Well here goes nothing.

I brought a 99' SLS back in April of 2012 from a private owner and everything looked great functioned properly other than some overall body dings that can be pointed towards a 13 year old car. The car had about 119k on it when I brought it and it has about 123k on it now. Around Thanksgiving of last year I noticed the car all of a sudden just out of the blu start to get hot(temp gauge). Luckily I was at my destination but it worried the heck out of me and I was about 20 minutes from home. The car sat about 3hrs so I figured I better just check the coolant and try to get the car home. I checked the resivor and it was about 3in from the neck which I thought was normal so I didn't add any coolant. The temp guage stayed in the middle until I got about half a block from the house then it started to rise. I made it home without the AC-off alert and I parked it. I didnt drive it for about 4days then I took it to my mechanic to have an oil change done and to check things out visually for me. This is only a preventive type shop so they really dont do big work. He changes the oil and shows me that I had coolant mixed in w/ the oil and it looked like it was in there pretty good so he changed it out for me free of charge and told me not to drive it other than right home which was pretty much 3min away. Here's my dielima:

I had it towed to the shop about a week later but didn't drive it before then only started it and let it run for awhile to watch the temp gauge. I let it run about 10min and the gauge looked normal about half but there was a trmendous amount of white smoke coming out the tail pipes alot more than a warm car should produce. I cut it right off at that point. I took it to 2 shops none of which were the dealership because times are tight and I gotta try the small guys first probably a mistake but hey. Plus I had to cover the tow on each occasion which wasnt cheap to and from.

1st Mechanic: I was referred to this guy.

The first thing he said he completed was a block/pressure test. He told me that some of my cyliders had been comprimised with coolant causing misfire. Which I never felt while driving and I only seen the service light once but it went right out so I really didnt think anything of it because it was long before this whole thing occured. Looking back that might have been the first sign. He also told me that it was a very strong possibility that my HG was gone or either going and that it would be a very expensive repair.Never offered any alternatives or further test to make sure. This was the kicker. He offered to but my car for $350. "You know since junk prices are down right now". No Seriously. I declined.lol.


2nd Mechanic:

I got my car towed in and about 3hrs later he called me back and told me that the HG wasn't bad and that I needed an intake manifold gasket,engine flush,new plugs,new oil/filter and waterpump wich he said was shot. He also told me that he seen coolant that had leaked into the valley and off the waterpump which after he showed me I seen myself. I didnt ask if he performed a pressure test but I probably needed to looking back.

I really dont know what to do at this point w/ probably a $1000 budget. I know to me option #1 is probably going to be the most expensive but is he taking me for a ride all together. My problem with the 2nd option is how can the first guy be so far off and if I get the work done is this really going to solve my issues without taking it to the dealer for the funeral and having to sell a car I really enjoy.

I know that was rather long but I was trying to give a step by step of where this has been and where I'm stuck. I know that there are alot of cadillac mechanics here and people that this might have been a problem for. Hopefully I can get some advice here because I don't know which way to go.

Thanks for taking the time to hear me vent and any advice is welcomed.