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Cadillac STS: Good Quality?

50 messages,  Last post on Sep 25, 2009 at 12:03 AM

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What is this discussion about? Cadillac STS, Cadillac STS-V, Sedan

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#42 of 50 Re: Possibly getting an SLS [leonhard] by larryg6 Mar 25, 2009 (6:52 am)
Replying to: leonhard (Feb 27, 2008 10:49 am) I have a 2oo8 STS that is a three lemon car: cam shaft failure on right bank at 13,000 miles, cam shaft sensor failure at same mileage, driver's seat lumbar failure, key FOB failure, antenna key FOb sensor failure, left front whell bearing failure at 28,000 miles. And on and on. I will never again buy or lease a GM product! Replies to this message: kqqlv (Apr 12, 2009 6:25 am) mourerj (Sep 25, 2009 12:03 am)
#43 of 50 Re: Possibly getting an SLS [larryg6] by kqqlv Apr 12, 2009 (6:25 am)
Replying to: larryg6 (Mar 25, 2009 6:52 am) As long as we have people who rely on outdated talking points and myths that are demonstratably false we will continue to have discussions like this where North American car quality is belittled as if it were still 1985. Anyone who REALLY is into performance cars that are in the class of M's, R's, AMG's and V's and has followed any number of quality and reliability metrics that are published would know that Cadillac is equal to or superior to Audi, BMW, and until recently was miles ahead of Mercedes (as was everyone), when it comes to reliability and quality. BMW and Merc rely heavily on buyer loyalty and the got-a-have-it prestige factor. Just check out the JD Powers run down on quality over the last few years. In 2008 BMW was well below the industry average as was Mercedes for MANY years prior. Mercedes for years suffered from VERY poor quality. They have clawed their way back recently. So why are we talking as if that is not the case? Being a mechanical engineer myself I can tell you that the reason Cadillac doesn't put $20K worth of leather in the interior of the V is because they don't want to. They want to undercut the price of those M's, R's and AMG's by $20K-$30K. The reason they only sell 5K V's a year is because that is all they want to build. In 2008 only 2.5K M5's were sold. Why?....that's all they built !! V's don't even get a chance to get to the sales floor before they are gobbled up. I own a 2005 V and when compared to the M5 it can more than hold its own in any performance catagory on any day and do it it for $35,000 less. The guy in the 2005 M5 I passed at Nelson Ledges Race Track in Ohio last summer spent $85K because he wanted lots of leather on the inside, the BMW tag on the outside and probably thought the quality was superior to my V....but he was wrong.....and JD powers said so. Please spare us all your stories about friends who owned a Caddy and had transmission trouble. Because I'm bored with repeating the story of my office buddy's 2006 M3 that has cost him thousand's of dollars in mechanic bills since his warranty ran out. Hint to future car buyers: It is NO LONGER considered fashionable, vogue or a sign of snobby Eurocentric sophistication to belittle North American car quality. As we used to say down in Texas....That dog don't hunt! Replies to this message: mourerj (Sep 25, 2009 12:03 am)
#44 of 50 2009 STS V8 by jming Apr 13, 2009 (7:05 pm)
I recently bought a 2009 STS V8 pre-certified in the north Texas area. This is my first GM product but is certainly not my first American car. As of today it has about 14,000 miles on the clock. Here is my experience so far:   Pros: Outstanding powertrain - powerful and quiet. Decent fuel economy for a car of this size and horsepower. Comfortable interior for tall drivers & passengers (I am 6'5"). Responsive steering. Strong brakes. Good quality materials used in interior, good finish overall (but see caveats below). Styling is a matter of opinion but I find it pleasing.   Cons: Many driver controls are too complex and confusing to use, particularly while driving. Examples: nav system, rainsense feature, multi function headlight / turn signal / cruise control stalk. Noticeable rattles in both driver and front passenger arm rest controls, as well as passenger side dashboard - absolutely unacceptable in any 2009 automobile, and certainly in one of this price category. These annoying rattles and creaks mar the otherwise decent assembly. Trunk is deceptively small given the massive look of this car's rear-end. Interior storage is almost nil other than small glovebox (swallowed by gigantic owner's manual / nav manual brick - which you will need) and undersized console. Dealer experience was un-impressive for a car at $57k MSRP.   Overall I am happy with the car but the interior assembly is hardly up to the standards of the imports. Again, I am no American-car hater but it is what it is. Replies to this message: bunkie21 (Apr 16, 2009 5:56 pm)
#45 of 50 Re: 2009 STS V8 [jming] by bunkie21 Apr 16, 2009 (5:56 pm)
Replying to: jming (Apr 13, 2009 7:05 pm) I recently bought a 2006 STS V8. As a used car, it's a screaming deal. It replaced an '03 CTS. The CTS was also bought used. I put 65K miles on the CTS without any problems.   The STS has no rattles and the Northstar is a real treat after the 3.2 in the CTS. We'll see about quality, but based upon my experience with the CTS I'm not that concerned.   I agree that the nav system has issues. The user interface isn't very good and more than once, it has led me on a wild goose chase. I happen to like the rainsense wipers and the intellibeam features. The car is much quieter than the CTS and for a large car, it handles nicely. I do miss the fold-down rear seats.
#46 of 50 1999 STS by darenw Sep 20, 2009 (3:43 pm)
HI, I AM LOOKING TO BUY A 99 STS THAT IS IN GREAT CONDITION, THE OWNER REPLACED THE NORTHSTAR MOTOR WITH ONE THAT HAD 20,000 MILES ON IT, 10,000 MILES AGO. IF I PURCHASE THIS CAR WHAT PRECAUTIONS SHOULD I DO TO IT TO PREVENT FUTURE HEAD GASKET PROBLEMS WITH THIS MOTOR. THE PRICE OF THE CAR IS 4,500 AND DRIVES GREAT.
#47 of 50 Re: STS Quality [cumptrnrd] by lkimball Sep 21, 2009 (11:16 am)
Replying to: cumptrnrd (Apr 30, 2006 4:51 pm) We have a 2008 STS. Great car however, if you dont get awd you wont get around in New England without a set of snow tires. We also had a problem with the computer, the dealer reset it but could not find the cause. Blessings to you
#48 of 50 Get the STS by mourerj Sep 24, 2009 (11:22 pm)
Replying to: m4d_cow (Jul 12, 2008 9:54 pm) I've had my 2007 STS for nearly 3 years without a single problem. Statistical data suggests the person using the term "lemon" for his STS did indeed get a very rare bad apple of the bunch. Remeber Cadillac is #1 on several customer satisfaction surveys (e.g. JD power) -- yes, even beating #2 Lexus. Ditto for quality and repair frequency. Audi, BMW & MB have far more incidents per 1,000 cars sold than Cadillac does.   I find the powertrain on my car (320 hp V8 - 4WD), and frankly most of the car's features, superior to my last car, a 2005 Infiniti Q45. Even though the Q45's V8 had 20 more hp (340) and 18 more lb ft of torque (333 lb ft at 4000 rpm) than my STS, it was far from the sporty, fun to drive experience the STS provides. Actual 0-60 times are about 1.5 seconds better from the STS (5.7 sec), and their weights are nearly identical. Cadillac's sigma platform (CTS/STS) is far more rigid where it should be and is an entire cut above that in many of its competitors. The stereo (15 speakers, 5.1 sound, comes with Nav system) is the best I've ever heard in a car -- even trumping my uncle's $120,000 2008 MB CL550. For the price, you just can't beat the feature set and luxury + drive dynamics combo of the STS. Period. BTW. if you're looking at the 2008-2010 models, the V6 packs 302 hp with great low end torque -- according to several experts, it's so awesome that it renders the V8 a somewhat minor upgrade. GM's new High Feature V6s are the first from the Company that not only run head-to-head with the best from Japan and Europe, but in some respects is actually superior (fuel economy is not one of these respects -- so I read). The 2005-2007 V6 (255 hp/258 lb ft) is quick (7 sec 0-60) and far more than adequate. Its "numbers" are misleading, b/c the max hp and torque say far less about performance than many may think. GM's put some clever tech into the power transfer systems of these V6s. The V8 is better when you need a punch of power in the 45-75 mph range. Off the line the V8 is somewhat better, but not in a way that many drivers would likely even notice. Get the STS with Certified warranty. You'll have nearly the same time (6 years from new purchase or 100,000 miles) and coverage essentially identical to "bumper-to-bumper" with all of the "concierge" services like roadside assistance, new loaner cars to drive when yours is serviced and so on.
#49 of 50 Re: STS Quality [cumptrnrd] by mourerj Sep 24, 2009 (11:39 pm)
Replying to: cumptrnrd (Apr 30, 2006 4:51 pm) Just so you know, the Northstar V8 didn't hit showrooms until MY 1993. There is no '91 Northstar from GM. Also, the V8 used in the Lucerne is based on a 2000 update to the 300 hp (old SAE hp rules) version, with coil-on-plug ignition and roller follower valvegear for improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. Various undocumented "bug fixes" and tuning has been implemented every 2-3 years since 2000, making this one of the most tested & reliable V8s for the luxury market. Yes, it's a fairly old design, but one that is still world-class.   Sorry to hear about your Montana. I'm sure the reliability was terrible for that model and I don't blame you for never buying GM again, but I've had great experiences with them (albeit with a 2007 STS); non-GM affiliated quality studies prove that they've come an amazingly long way with quality, reliability and fit/finish, surpassing the Japanese makes in many cases.   The Toyota Matrix is the Toyota version of a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors, the GM part is the Pontiac Vibe. These cars were produced ont he same production line using the same quality standards & functional parts. Of course the badges & show surfaces were different. Many auto reviewers ranked the Matrix far superior to that of the Vibe (few direct comparisons, but when comparing their individual "final scores" and comments). We're all human with unavoidable biases, and this is working great for Toyota, but not so much for GM.
#50 of 50 Re: Possibly getting an SLS [kqqlv] by mourerj Sep 25, 2009 (12:03 am)
Replying to: kqqlv (Apr 12, 2009 6:25 am) Finally, someone who "gets it." That sounds arrogant, but the facts are clear. I'm a Biomechanical Engineer working for a tier-1 safety systems supplier and find it amazing how people can be so certain when drawing conclusions regarding matters with which they have little or no training/experience. The study showing how the Matrix/Vibe (GM/Toyota JV), coming off of the same line, received different scores when consumer (and even expert) reviewers wrote about both brands. It's no surprise the Vibe recieved far worse reviews than the identical Matrix. Most of these reviews were retracted or heavily modified subsequent to their authors learning of the pair's pedigree. Bias is unavoidable! Anyway, thanks for supplying some rational thought in this sea of ignorance and anecdotes disguised as facts.

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