Need to know... 2001(ish) Cadillac STS

[Big Rod]

Sssshhh! Don't tell anyone on the Jaguar forum I'm here okay!!

I currently have a 2001 Jag' XJR8 as a daily driver.

For the most part it's everything I want in a car, it's comfortable, has five seat, has all mod' cons, (except an easy way to plug an MP3 player in!!), and is fast... Oooooohhhh my God it's fast!!!

However, much as it pains me to admit it, I'm not getting on with it.

I'm happy to accept that it's cost me more than I bought it for to keep it on the road for the past six months or so. Hell it's an 'old Jag', so I have no beef with that. It's spectacular for overtaking and I mean unbelievable and, in my opinion, it's one of the best looking cars I've ever owned but I just can't gel with it.

I discussed it with SWMBO and it turns out she doesn't particularly like the Jag' either and won't even drive it. She does fancy something American though. However her idea of 'something American' looks like a '59 Caddy Coupe DeVille which really isn't practical as I still need to use it daily, it won't fit up my driveway, it'd be LHD so she wouldn't drive it either and is a fair bit out of my price range.

So, as you do, I started looking around for something a little 'off the wall'. I found an amazing looking Lincoln...



...Which I would seriously consider if I'd already sold the Jag' and had cash burning a hole in my pocket, but don't.

I have rediscovered the Caddy STS though and for all it's a whole 100 BHP down on my current steed seems to fit the bill, they're silly cheap and I think could be used on a daily basis.

So I need to ask, are they a nightmare?

Why are they so cheap?

Would I be buying a whole lot of heartache?

If the 300 BHP isn't enough for me, are they tuneable?

I look forward to your input and thanks in advance!

[irocfan]

you can blame snobbishness for the STS lack of success - friend of mine had one and it was fantastic, maybe not the last word in ultra-sharp handling but a lovely place to be

[Captain Cadillac]

They're cheap because Europeans have a prejudice against Cadillacs, and anything American for that fact. I can't wait to see what the European press says about the ATS... but I digress.

The only caveats on an STS of that vintage is with the engine, they can develop massive oil leaks (really more of an issue with 99 and older cars) that basically require the engine to be ripped apart. Also, the water pumps can act up and they aren't TOO horrible to replace but you do need a special tool to do so.

By 01 though these engines were basically sorted out. They should last for 300k miles with proper care which means using conventional, rather than aynthetic, oil and changing it frequently. Europeans tend to go 10-20k on service intervals, don't do that with a Northstar.

The engine design means that a quart of oil every 1000 miles is normal, so watch the oil level.

Downsides? 295hp in a FWD car means you'll learn what understeer and torque steer are. If you need something to run up and down the motorway all day long they are great cars. If you need to spend lots of time on B roads in Wales, you might not love it.

[LuS1fer]

It was never really anything more than an average car - something akin to a Rover 800 but softer in the classic American tradition. As has been noted, early engine problems which required the engine to come out from the bottom.
The North Star engine is also DOHC IIRC and so quite complex compared to the usual pushrod fayre the Yanks are better known for.