It may not be cool to admit this, but I love Cadillac. I have for years. Their cars may not be the “Standard Of The World” anymore, but they are consistently interesting, and you can’t say they aren’t comfortable. Today, we’re looking at two full-size Cadillacs from two different eras, one from just before the brand’s great fall from grace, and one from its rebuilding years.
Our featured brand yesterday was Nissan, and we looked at a full-size Titan truck and an Altima sedan with a stickshift. The Altima’s salvage title gave quite a few of you pause, but the truck’s lack of 4WD didn’t win it many friends either. The truck won, but it was a pretty close vote.
Whenever the choice is between a car and a truck, I have to consider the fact that I already have a truck that I like quite a lot. Could this truck replace mine? If not, do I have any interest in the car? I’d rather have my Chevy than this Titan, and while an Altima isn’t all that interesting, at least it’s a manual. So it gets my vote.
Cadillac is a hard sell among enthusiasts, with a very few exceptions. CT5 with a manual? Yes. ’62 Fleetwood? Cool, and interesting, but not all that desirable. Cimarron? Be serious. A lot of times it has to do with the price; a cheap Caddy can be a lot of fun, but how cheap is cheap enough? Could you be talked into four or five grand? Let’s check out these two and see.
1975 Cadillac Eldorado – $4,000
Engine/drivetrain: 8.2-liter OHV V8, three-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Upland, CA
Odometer reading: 79,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
In 1967, General Motors did the previously unthinkable: it introduced two new coupes, one Oldsmobile and one Cadillac, with front-wheel drive. The Olds Toronado and Cadillac Eldorado were a harbinger of things to come, as it turns out; the Eldorado never returned to rear-wheel-drive, and nearly all GM platforms had gone to FWD by the mid-1980s. This 1975 Eldorado was one of the last of the really big ones; by 1979 the Eldo was a shadow of its former self.
It has a big engine to match its outward proportions: the largest displacement V8 that Cadillac ever sold, 8.2 liters, or a nice round 500 cubic inches if you prefer. It sits longitudinally in the engine bay, driving the front wheels through a three-speed Turbo Hydramatic transmission. It runs and drives great, the seller says, and it has had a bunch of new parts installed. Most of the ad text is a list of new parts including part numbers from, if I’m not mistaken, RockAuto. That’s a lot of refrigerator magnets.
To truly appreciate an older Cadillac, you have to sit in it. The interiors really are a cut above GM’s other offerings. This one is in very good condition, with just a bit of wear on the driver’s seat and a few cracks in the vinyl on the door trim. It’s loaded with power features, of course, but the seller doesn’t tell us what works and what doesn’t.
It’s about the same outside: nice, but not perfect. I think the paint might be a little dull, but it’s hard to tell from the photos. And there’s a reflector missing on the right side of the rear bumper. But the urethane bumper fill panels, which tend to disintegrate on ’70s GM cars, have been replaced and painted, which makes a huge difference in its appearance.
1996 Cadillac Sedan DeVille – $4,987
Engine/drivetrain: 4.6-liter DOHC V8, four-speed automatic, FWD
Location: Tujunga, CA
Odometer reading: 94,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
Cadillac is synonymous with V8 power; from 1915 to 1980 every Cadillac built had eight slappin’ pistons under its hood. The 1980s saw a new V8, the High Technology design, powering all Cadillacs except the little Cimarron. In true GM fashion, Cadillac worked all the bugs out of that engine, just in time to replace it with a new design with new and exciting failure modes: the Northstar.
This 1996 Sedan DeVille is powered by the Northstar, a 4.6-liter, 32-valve engine that sent 275 horsepower to the front wheels – for as long as its head gaskets held. It’s also prone to oil leaks. The seller claims this one is in good shape, but they also don’t include any underhood photos. And since the seller is a dealership, I’m sure there are no maintenance records. It runs and drives fine now, but who knows what the future holds?
Cadillac interiors haven’t gotten any less cushy over the years, and this one looks like a comfortable place to be indeed. There is a little wear on the leather, and possibly a broken piece of plastic trim near the seat controls – I don’t think it’s supposed to be at that angle. It looks really good otherwise, and the seller gives us lots of photos of the interior to prove it.
It’s really clean outside, too. Someone took care of this car. It has a landau roof, which I’m personally not fond of on a car this new, but at least it’s in good shape. The rear windows have been tinted, but not too dark.
I know at least some of you are going to say “Ew, neither; I’d rather have a Lexus,” and that’s fine. But you’re missing the point. A Lexus might be a more perfect car than these, but it’s not a Cadillac. It doesn’t have the same presence. There’s a reason so many songs have been written about these, and why calling something “the Cadillac of” its type is a good thing. Which one of these is a better example of the breed?
The DeVille is probably a genuinely nice car to drive, but I always disliked the look of the exterior- Cadillac was trying too hard to cling to that classic look and the same era Seville with modern lines is SO much more attractive.
The Eldo is probably terrible to drive but saying “Let’s take the Eldo” has got to be fun, and owning a 500 CID engine would give me enjoyment as well, though fueling it, not so much.
I’ll take the Eldo; it would be a fun and weird weekend cruiser.
Irrational vote for the Eldorado
I just like it. Would be strictly a weekend car.
These DeVille’s are a dream to ride in. Not a popular choice apparently, but I’m going with the newer one. That Eldo’s trunk is the most useless piece of wheelbase ever grafted onto a two-door.
They are both crap as daily drivers, so I would take the Eldorado as a weird, fun weekend car. The proportions are ridiculous. The trunklid is enormous, and there is still an additional 12″ before you hit the rear window. Is that the largest car trunk ever?
Trunk capacity was measured in dead rats. And I don’t mean rodents.
The Eldorado was my second favourite car in GTA Vice City,so it gets my vote. The best one was of course the Sabre Turbo.
With Caddys like this, it’s go silly or go home. A mastadon-sized two-door is about as silly as it gets, so it’s the Eldorado for me.
I’m not voting with you, but I DO like your logic.
Northstar engine and switchgear lifted right out of a Cavalier? No thanks, I’ll take the Eldo.
Ooh, a Northstar V8! I’m sure the dealership has full records showing the headbolt fix was done already. Right? Riiiiight?
Eldorado. It will take a long time before it’s horrifying appetite for fuel surpasses the cost of fixing the Deville’s engine.
Eldorado, please. I miss cruising in a comfy, luxo-barge. The DeVille makes me feel like I’m trying to sell someone timeshares.
Welcome to the club! I’ve been obsessed with the brand ever since I can remember. My favorite car in the Dukes of Hazzard wasn’t the Charger, it was Boss Hogg’s ’70 deVille convertible. Favorite car in The Blues Brothers was Murph and the Magictone’s ’67 Sedan deVille. I may have teared up ever so slightly when Eastwood told Clyde “scrap the Caddy” in Any Which Way You Can, even though that Seville was one of my least favorite from the era.
At any rate, since I could only pick one I went with the ’75 Eldorado. I’d happily have went with a “both” option though. I’ve actually owned a ’75 Eldorado and a ’94 Sedan deVille at the same time in the past and would be more than happy to have that combo out in the garage once again.
Put me in the “Both” column, too.
Oh, man, the interior of the Sedan de Ville…one glance and suddenly I’m a kid going to lunch with my grandma again. (She drove a last-gen Eldorado, but close enough.)
I miss her.
I really like the Cadillacs of this era. I was a hospital valet in ’97 and drove a lot of them.
Is that a 60’s Olds Toronado hiding in the garage behind the USS Eldorado? If so, I’ll take that one.
Barring the seller agreeing to part with that, I’ll take the Eldo over Marty Seinfeld’s gifted Caddy. I’m not ready to move to phase III of Del Boca Vista.
Garage car is a Buick Riviera, and the Seinfeld Cadillac was a rear wheel drive Fleetwood with the 350, not the Northstar. 😉
Even better.
Lucky break for Marty! One year later and it probably would have been the Northstar deVille.
That’s Saul Goodman’s ride!
DeVille by default, as I have zero interest in any Eldorado after 1970. That ’71 refresh was terrible, and yet somehow it was all downhill after that. I don’t care at all for the DeVille, but at least it has interior volume to somewhat match the exterior mass.
“(Lexus) doesn’t have the same presence”
In most possible cases and interpretations, that’s a good thing. With rare exceptions, Cadillac hasn’t been prestigious for a long time, and the 1975 gives me trailer park vibes while the 96 has estate sale vibes. At worst, a Lexus makes you look like a middle-aged real estate agent.
Any-hoo, in this case the 96 Deville six ways from Sunday. I’ll chance the Northstar in order to drive a vehicle that doesn’t convert half of the gasoline to tailpipe fumes that plague everyone half a mile behind. Interior looks nice. The Eldorado is more “interesting” in the wrong ways, while the Deville could simply be a very nice cushy daily driver.
This. As a former, and hopefully future, Lexus owner, I’ll take the Lexus over the Caddy 100% of the time when talking the 90s and 2000s. Understated luxury has value, even if the front end styling Lexus has been using the last fifteen years has left a lot to be desired. But take any comparable Lexus from those two decades and put it next to the contemporary Caddy and see which one aged worse (always the Cadillac). Then start talking reliability and the Lexus will always win. Lexus may be the boring choice, but it is almost always the correct one as well.
Agreed. And here’s the thing: if you’re talking IS350 and GS350 F-Sport, IS-F, GS-F, LC500, it isn’t even a boring choice.
Exactly!
If I’m buying a toy luxo barge why would I buy the newer one?
How can you forget the magnificent top-of-the-line Caddy from 1930-1940: the V-16? There was also a V-12 on offer for a few years in the 1930s.
As for these two, it’s gotta be the DeVille. There’s no way I’m feeding fuel to a 500 ci V8 that only makes the same sort of power as the smaller-displacement V-16 from 1930.
Whoops, there was supposed to be an “at least” in there.
Old guy in this case. the Northstar is too problematic, though I would also rather take the 70 Cadillac around the corner from this 75. https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/d/beaumont-1970-cadillac-eldorado/7915217084.html
I like the lines of the rear of the 70 body better and the engine is pre-cats and other detuning efforts. Not sure either is worth the money though I suppose.
It won’t have to pass California smog tests.
I’d roll in the DeVille as a comfy daily knowing it’s one major failure away from the junkyard. A true disposable car, though a bit pricey for that.
OAN It’s kind of cool how the dash of the DeVille has a driver side switch pod, just like the old Eldo.
A: HUGE respect for the SCOTS reference. Voodoo Cadillac is such a great song (and Dirt Track Date is an essential record).
B: Deville. The Eldo is in good shape, I love the audacity of a 500 cubic inch engine that makes like 20 horsepower, but 70s and 80s Cadillacs age poorly. People paid a lot for that cheap plastic garbage and indifferent build quality?
Must have been the lead poisoning and the cigarettes.
My father in law has owned 9 Cadillacs, including an Eldorado of this vintage and 2 newer Devilles. I’ve been in the picture only during that 2nd Deville, and the way that car glided down the road with no road or suspension noise separates that driving experience from virtually anything else I’ve driven. Gimme the Saul-grade Deville today
“In 1967, General Motors did the previously unthinkable: it introduced two new coupes, one Oldsmobile and one Cadillac…”
Nope, not even close. Toronado was introduced on 24 October 1965 for 1966 model year, and Eldorado one year later on 6 October 1966 for 1967 model year.
(That’s why I kept suggesting the proofreaders and verifiers here…)
Sorry, but that Eldorado oozes presence in a way the De Ville just doesn’t. It’s the archetypal Cadillac, aside from maybe the 59 finned version. The kind of car you can wear a fur coat and a leopard-print hat in, while blasting Isaac Hayes. This is the way.
IMO it oozes presence the way a dead mouse somewhere in your HVAC system oozes presence. There’s certainly no ignoring it, but that doesn’t make it desirable.
Oh definitely. There are a hundred cars I’d rather drive before that Eldorado. But if I had to choose between just these two, I’m getting the one with more style so I can at least feel like Superfly while I get 8 mpg
My thoughts exactly, D-dub. Most of these 70s barges depress me in a way that’s hard to explain. Wrong kind of presence.
Northstar? No chance
I’ll take the Eldorado and its 0mpg (rounded)
Why be a square when you could Huggy Bear?
There’s just something so decadent about a car as long as a bus with only 2 doors. I’ll take the old Eldorado.