1989 Cadillac Brougham D'Elegance review from North America

I purchased the car the last week of 12/02.

At purchase, we knew that it needed work on the sun roof and air conditioner.

At purchase, an unknown leak needs fixing.

The sunroof doesn't close well and the interior sunroof cover gets stuck.

The rear window gets dangerously foggy in cold weather and does not offer good visibility.

The first time I used the car was to drive it to the inspection station. It failed inspection due to the emergency brake not working. I set an appointment with a mechanic for the following week.

The second time I used the car that week, the transmission went and had to be replaced - 146000 miles and $1000. This delayed the mechanic visit.

Without an inspection sticker since the grace period is long past by now, I was trying to drive the car to the mechanic today (in cold weather.) When I left home, it started fine. On the way to the mechanic, I stopped for a moment at the drug store. When I returned to the car, it would not start. Lights worked and battery worked. Cause unknown. A friend came up to jump start the car. He tried it several times and eventually it started. We also learned at this time the the hood sticks. My father feels there is an electrical problem with the car, we're unsure of what and will be happy to update this later.

The car is beautiful in appearance, comfortable, is certainly generously sized, and has a lot of quality features. Everyone feels that the car looks great and is made well.

I've read other entries on this page re. their beloved Broughams, and one person mentioned it's museum quality. I couldn't agree more; a museum is precisely where my car belongs - where it can be looked at and enjoyed by all the people that say how wonderful it looks, yet will not be asked to move from it's space. Perhaps they can entitle the exhibit "The Little Engine That Couldn't"

In seriousness, I don't know yet if I'd recommend this car to someone. It's a good sized car and I still feel it's well built, but if your vehicle is high mileage, do not expect it to be immune from repairs just because it's a Cadillac. Get a good tow insurance policy and some good jump cables, and expect the transmission to go. Prepare to spend anywhere from $1-$4000 on repairs on this vehicle depending on the condition and mileage. I purchased mine for $2400 which I suppose even with the repairs is still reasonable for the quality car you receive. However, be prepared for some initial and possibly on-going inconvenience.