Rainman: Welp after +6 mos finally got "a" dream car

[Holladay]

tl:dnr (too long: do not read)





My dad worked for GM thus grew up around a love of cars, as most people do. My first car was a '68 T-Bird with a 436. Imagine in '68 a car with power everything: antenna raised and lowered, power trunk, doors, sequential rear blinkers, rotating headlights et al. Heck the steering wheel popped up to the 2:oo position so fat people could get in easier. Alas, no CD/Bluteeth.

Fast forward: '85 Fiero (college and army), a bunch of mundane cars (marriage and kids will do that, the wife always had the nice one), 1996 Chevy SS Impala (corvette with a back seat and a trunk, was a blast).

The Impala was my first dream car, fast (with mods = 158 mph) yet could tote kids and golf clubs around. The wife hated it. She is German and use to small cars, this was a boat. When it died, back to mundane cars.

So I HAD to give my mundane 2009 Dodge Avenger to my daughter for college. It's a nice reliable car for her. Darn it, now I HAVE to get a car for me

Specs: 4 door (too old for 2 door, grabbing a heavy briefcase from the passenger seat risking back injuries, and get 2 sets of golf clubs), manual trans, fast, hopefully in black, and not new. A budget of ~$20K (cars are a lousy investment, unless you have money to blow and $50-60K isn't that much to you. For perspective, I bought my house for 45k).

I gave those specs to my car mechanic. He said 2 choices: Ponitac G8 or Cadillac CTS-V. This started my search.

I found a 2009 G8 heavily modifiedautomaticfor 21k. The mechanic asked do I want a fire breathing dragon that would do 190 mph? Then asked if he could take out a life insurance policy on my 16 yr old son. (The son, 2 mos after he got his license, got a speeding ticket of 97 mph in a '96 Honda Accord with 296k miles on it)

Then I found this, and the mechanic "blessed" the choice:

2004 Cadillac CTS-V

Clean Title, 2 owners, Under 95,800 miles, 6-speed manual, LS6 V8 engine rated at 400HP/400TQ , Black exterior, Tan leather interior with Suede inserts, Sunroof, Bose Stereo with 6 CD Player with aux cable, Navigation and DVD Player, Power windows and locks

Notes from Seller:

I purchased this car on Oct 21, 2011 with 47,452 miles on it. The first owner put these miles on in around 7 years, which is under 7,000 miles a year. I bought it to use as a daily driver, and it currently has almost 96,000 miles. which is 48,548 miles that I’ve put on it, or under 13,000 miles a year. I am driving the Corvette now, but the miles will go up a little bit I’m sure. They will be under 96,000 by the time it is sold though.

So this is a two owner car, the first owner’s keys were registered to a “Brad” and an “Angelina”, so take from that what you will. I also found 500 free entrances passes to the Pink Pony in Memphis under the passenger seat (not included).

I get about 16 city / 23 highway MPG. It will get 24 MPG on cruise control at 70 MPH. The car has no engine mods, and a few convenience mods. Engine oil has always been Mobil 1 and gas has always been premium. Most CTS-V’s produced were black and a large majority have black leather. I wanted tan leather (black is hot in the South), so I searched a little longer before I found the one I liked. As a stock car, this car is very fast and more than capable of getting you up to interstate speeds. It is comfortable to drive, and your passengers will appreciate the comfort that is the standard for Cadillacs. Being a V, this comes with the DVD/Navigation system with 6 disc CD changer that is stock on all 2004-2007 CTS-V’s. There is also dual climate control, heated seats in the front, and a power sunroof. The car has been in the Southeast it’s entire life (Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida). It was not garaged while I’ve owned it, with the exception of since I’ve moved to Florida. In Florida, it has been garaged, so it has not been touched for lengths of time by salt air.

Engine Mods: None

Convenience Mods: Aux cable wired into XM input (play your phone or iPod music), LED lights in interior, LED reverse lights, Hardwired Whistler radar detector (included), Phone holder from proclipusa.com, Black stickers put over the V logos around the car, since the color on the original logos was fading (from 8th Day Creations), Tinted windows

Issues: Living in an apartment, my car was backed into 2 times within 6 months with no notes left. I bought a dashcam, and have had no more issues. I never fixed the front bumper (where it was hit all 3 times), because I thought it might happen again. Therefore, the top front chrome grill has a small scratch at the bottom and the bumper itself has some scratches/cracks/missing paint from these hit and runs.

Some minor paint issues on the rear bumper on the driver’s side from the 1st owner.

Minor cracking in front seats (normal for the age).

Paint missing on passenger mirror.

Only has one set of keys.

Paint is chipped on radio buttons, every single CTS-V has this problem. If it bothers you, most people use nail polish to refinish the buttons. It was chipped when I bought it with under 50k miles.

Rear driver’s side window is non-functional. It was rolled down in 2012 and did not roll back up. I dissected the door and set the window in the up position and removed the wiring harness so you can’t roll it down now. It simply needs a new motor, and I didn’t think it was worth my money to fix a window I never roll down.

Rear passenger window tint has a few small tears, would be less than $30 to fix if it bothers you.

Needs new tires within 5,000 miles or so.

Some clear coat missing by driver side headlight.

End of sellers' notes:

In closing (I know tl:dr) As far as an investment, a daily driver and thinking fun: it is a $13k car with 96k miles, 400 HP, 6 spd man, 4 drs, black, 11 yr old vehicle. Wife still doesn't like it (daughter college @ $1.6k/month expense coming up in Aug). Only 10,000 were made, fairly sought after vehicle (for racing?). It is a 2 owner fast rare car. I keep it for 5 yrs and sell for $5k, it comes down to $133/month

TC (too cool)

I glad it comes with a radar detector and the son WILL not be driving it

I will print this off and show it to the wife. This was a good catharsis exercise for me. Every man should have a fun, yet practical ride.

I am glad I didn't buy Rainmans' Apricot roadster

My son and I are flying to FL to pick it up and road trip it back next week. We'll take 4 days driving home hitting the sights along the way. (that might be a mistake: ref above)

Lastly, I try and have something to "look forward too" events. Healthy. If you can get everything anytime, there is not as much appreciation. Ref Stones song. I am blessed, in the next month: new car, 2 x canoeing/kayaking trips to southern MO.

Whew

[Hydrae]

Originally Posted by Holladay

this isn't too bad

Will think about it for later. I don't even have the car yet. No cart before horse.

Are those oversized wheels? It looks like it is sitting up some. Can't say I like that stance but otherwise it's alright (if you like that kind of thing).

[Tombstone RJ]

Congrats on your new Caddy, enjoy it!

[Holladay]

Well, I'm glad you didn't buy the apricot Z, because it was meant to be apricot. It shouldn't be black.

Understood. Not sure how this ride would look in apricot?? Thinking not. The trunk is large, thus can get the golf clubs in and small elephants.

Hey, we all like our rides...wife/kid they don't care. Guess it is a guy thing.

Thanks for your comments and I will let you know when I pick it up with the son on the road trip in a coupla weeks.

From the U-tube vid that I watched, I won't be able to wipe the smile off my face. Good times to look forward to.

[Bugeater]

Originally Posted by CrazyPhuD

To be fair the G8 was never a Pontiac....it was always a Holden.

Although if you buy a Chevy SS manual before 2017 that could be special....if you like world car history. Since it will be the last year that Holden's are made. GM is shutting them down other than the design team that year.

Too bad we never got the HSV vehicles....those would have been fun. HSV W427....Z06 motors in sedans....stupid fast, total sleepers...

Yeah I know they're Aussie cars, but it says Pontiac on it and it looks like one. I grew up loving the brand and was sad to see it go. I'd actually prefer the GTO but I'd take any of them including the Chevy SS because as you pointed out, they're a dying breed. I just hope I have the means to snag one before there's so few good examples left that the value gets stupid on them.

[eDave]

I love the black exterior, tan interior look!

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by eDave

I love the black exterior, tan interior look!

Me too.

[MIAdragon]

Originally Posted by Holladay

The only reason I wouldn't...yet is cost. I am not that vane and 50 yrs old. I love the concept though.

Guessing the main cost would be the wheels. I'll check on ebay etc. I sounds like I am gonna need new tires fairly soon. That would be the time to get new wheels.

It's a 6lug, you're not going to find much on eBay. Love the car, I've got an 05 that I play with, pm me with any Q's.

[srvy]

Originally Posted by Holladay

tl:dnr (too long: do not read)





My dad worked for GM thus grew up around a love of cars, as most people do. My first car was a '68 T-Bird with a 436. Imagine in '68 a car with power everything: antenna raised and lowered, power trunk, doors, sequential rear blinkers, rotating headlights et al. Heck the steering wheel popped up to the 2:oo position so fat people could get in easier. Alas, no CD/Bluteeth.

Fast forward: '85 Fiero (college and army), a bunch of mundane cars (marriage and kids will do that, the wife always had the nice one), 1996 Chevy SS Impala (corvette with a back seat and a trunk, was a blast).

The Impala was my first dream car, fast (with mods = 158 mph) yet could tote kids and golf clubs around. The wife hated it. She is German and use to small cars, this was a boat. When it died, back to mundane cars.

So I HAD to give my mundane 2009 Dodge Avenger to my daughter for college. It's a nice reliable car for her. Darn it, now I HAVE to get a car for me

Specs: 4 door (too old for 2 door, grabbing a heavy briefcase from the passenger seat risking back injuries, and get 2 sets of golf clubs), manual trans, fast, hopefully in black, and not new. A budget of ~$20K (cars are a lousy investment, unless you have money to blow and $50-60K isn't that much to you. For perspective, I bought my house for 45k).

I gave those specs to my car mechanic. He said 2 choices: Ponitac G8 or Cadillac CTS-V. This started my search.

I found a 2009 G8 heavily modifiedautomaticfor 21k. The mechanic asked do I want a fire breathing dragon that would do 190 mph? Then asked if he could take out a life insurance policy on my 16 yr old son. (The son, 2 mos after he got his license, got a speeding ticket of 97 mph in a '96 Honda Accord with 296k miles on it)

Then I found this, and the mechanic "blessed" the choice:

2004 Cadillac CTS-V

Clean Title, 2 owners, Under 95,800 miles, 6-speed manual, LS6 V8 engine rated at 400HP/400TQ , Black exterior, Tan leather interior with Suede inserts, Sunroof, Bose Stereo with 6 CD Player with aux cable, Navigation and DVD Player, Power windows and locks

Notes from Seller:

I purchased this car on Oct 21, 2011 with 47,452 miles on it. The first owner put these miles on in around 7 years, which is under 7,000 miles a year. I bought it to use as a daily driver, and it currently has almost 96,000 miles. which is 48,548 miles that I’ve put on it, or under 13,000 miles a year. I am driving the Corvette now, but the miles will go up a little bit I’m sure. They will be under 96,000 by the time it is sold though.

So this is a two owner car, the first owner’s keys were registered to a “Brad” and an “Angelina”, so take from that what you will. I also found 500 free entrances passes to the Pink Pony in Memphis under the passenger seat (not included).

I get about 16 city / 23 highway MPG. It will get 24 MPG on cruise control at 70 MPH. The car has no engine mods, and a few convenience mods. Engine oil has always been Mobil 1 and gas has always been premium. Most CTS-V’s produced were black and a large majority have black leather. I wanted tan leather (black is hot in the South), so I searched a little longer before I found the one I liked. As a stock car, this car is very fast and more than capable of getting you up to interstate speeds. It is comfortable to drive, and your passengers will appreciate the comfort that is the standard for Cadillacs. Being a V, this comes with the DVD/Navigation system with 6 disc CD changer that is stock on all 2004-2007 CTS-V’s. There is also dual climate control, heated seats in the front, and a power sunroof. The car has been in the Southeast it’s entire life (Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida). It was not garaged while I’ve owned it, with the exception of since I’ve moved to Florida. In Florida, it has been garaged, so it has not been touched for lengths of time by salt air.

Engine Mods: None

Convenience Mods: Aux cable wired into XM input (play your phone or iPod music), LED lights in interior, LED reverse lights, Hardwired Whistler radar detector (included), Phone holder from proclipusa.com, Black stickers put over the V logos around the car, since the color on the original logos was fading (from 8th Day Creations), Tinted windows

Issues: Living in an apartment, my car was backed into 2 times within 6 months with no notes left. I bought a dashcam, and have had no more issues. I never fixed the front bumper (where it was hit all 3 times), because I thought it might happen again. Therefore, the top front chrome grill has a small scratch at the bottom and the bumper itself has some scratches/cracks/missing paint from these hit and runs.

Some minor paint issues on the rear bumper on the driver’s side from the 1st owner.

Minor cracking in front seats (normal for the age).

Paint missing on passenger mirror.

Only has one set of keys.

Paint is chipped on radio buttons, every single CTS-V has this problem. If it bothers you, most people use nail polish to refinish the buttons. It was chipped when I bought it with under 50k miles.

Rear driver’s side window is non-functional. It was rolled down in 2012 and did not roll back up. I dissected the door and set the window in the up position and removed the wiring harness so you can’t roll it down now. It simply needs a new motor, and I didn’t think it was worth my money to fix a window I never roll down.

Rear passenger window tint has a few small tears, would be less than $30 to fix if it bothers you.

Needs new tires within 5,000 miles or so.

Some clear coat missing by driver side headlight.

End of sellers' notes:

In closing (I know tl:dr) As far as an investment, a daily driver and thinking fun: it is a $13k car with 96k miles, 400 HP, 6 spd man, 4 drs, black, 11 yr old vehicle. Wife still doesn't like it (daughter college @ $1.6k/month expense coming up in Aug). Only 10,000 were made, fairly sought after vehicle (for racing?). It is a 2 owner fast rare car. I keep it for 5 yrs and sell for $5k, it comes down to $133/month

TC (too cool)

I glad it comes with a radar detector and the son WILL not be driving it

I will print this off and show it to the wife. This was a good catharsis exercise for me. Every man should have a fun, yet practical ride.

I am glad I didn't buy Rainmans' Apricot roadster

My son and I are flying to FL to pick it up and road trip it back next week. We'll take 4 days driving home hitting the sights along the way. (that might be a mistake: ref above)

Lastly, I try and have something to "look forward too" events. Healthy. If you can get everything anytime, there is not as much appreciation. Ref Stones song. I am blessed, in the next month: new car, 2 x canoeing/kayaking trips to southern MO.

Whew

Bald tires? Dude should have demanded new rubber.

[CrazyPhuD]

Originally Posted by Baconeater

Yeah I know they're Aussie cars, but it says Pontiac on it and it looks like one. I grew up loving the brand and was sad to see it go. I'd actually prefer the GTO but I'd take any of them including the Chevy SS because as you pointed out, they're a dying breed. I just hope I have the means to snag one before there's so few good examples left that the value gets stupid on them.

I liked the GTOs too, if I were going to pick one that would be it....at the same time a foreign built car with the GTO badge just feels slightly wrong. But Holden builds some great cars too bad they will be going. I think they will keep hsv around which is good.

[jonzie04]

bad ass car, love the cts-v!

[Hamwallet]

Originally Posted by CrazyPhuD

I liked the GTOs too, if I were going to pick one that would be it....at the same time a foreign built car with the GTO badge just feels slightly wrong. But Holden builds some great cars too bad they will be going. I think they will keep hsv around which is good.

I've had 2. Last one I kept stock but the first one I had a mild cam, long tube headers with 3" exhaust, Fast 102 intake and a few other boltons. It was a freaking blast until some jackass read ended me doing 55mph while I was stopped.

[Holladay]

I've had 2. Last one I kept stock but the first one I had a mild cam, long tube headers with 3" exhaust, Fast 102 intake and a few other boltons. It was a freaking blast until some jackass read ended me doing 55mph while I was stopped.

Ouch. I heard a lot bout those. Was wanting 4 dr stick.
Toy yet utility

[BlackOp]

Just curious...why did you choose a Cadillac? You can get a 2005 M3 for the same money.

[Holladay]

Bald tires? Dude should have demanded new rubber.

I thought about that. I looked at KKB and he gave me $250 off for the flight down there. What do you value 2 owner racer? I don't know. He priced it just above "good" KKB. These are fairly hard to find...don't want a "dealer" car. Should have I have said "take 1K less" for the tires?

I have not seen "by owner" much thus I don't mind paying a bit more. I have done too many times with dealers that have screwed me.

[Holladay]

Just curious...why did you choose a Cadillac? You can get a 2005 M3 for the same money.

Good question. I have to defer to my mechanic, whom I trust bunch, goes back to the '53 chevy truck I had 20 yrs ago.

Part of it is that these are going to be older cars. Thus the cost of repairs etc is a consideration. I live in the middle of no where KS. So to maintain the vechicle was an issue.

Mechanic says G8 or CTS easy to maintain vs Audi/BMW/Benz...I go with what he recommends.