1997 Cadillac Catera Reviews from North America

Oil cooler.

Head gaskets.

Radiator.

Auxiliary water pump.

Headlights broke.

Rear LED lights don't work.

AC doesn't work.

Gauges work when they want to.

Worst car I have ever owned. I should have listened when people said that these cars are a JOKE.

I have the car for sale, and can't even get $400 out of it. It is quite possibly one of the worse car ever made in history.

I CAN give it credit for being comfortable... oh and it IS RWD and does handle well. That's about it.

The cost to keep one running simply isn't worth it.

This is will be the last GM I will ever own. I will strictly own Volvos from now on.

What's gone wrong? What HASN'T gone wrong!

Let's see here.

"Coolant Bridge" seals went bad at 58,000 miles; replacement piece and seals were nearly $300.

Oil cooler assembly at 63,000 miles.

AC compressor.

Misfiring, found the spark plug holes FULL of water.

Wiper cowl leaks like no other onto the engine.

Valve cover gaskets had to be replaced due to SEVERE leakage.

Oil pressure gauge stopped working, needed sending unit.

CD changer stopped working.

Control arm bushings at 60k and AGAIN at 80k. Are you kidding me?

Gauge cluster "freaks" out every now and then.

ABS system is very flaky. Sometimes the light will be on, sometimes it's not.

BOTH auxiliary water pumps have been replaced. One's starting to make noise again.

Mass air flow sensor went bad. Yet another costly fix.

Ignition coil damaged from wiper cowl leakage.

Winter and sport buttons work when they want to.

Head gasket (s) blew at 86,511, and that's where it sits. I gave up. Too much money into the car already. I'm afraid if I fix it, it will just break again.

Needed second key made, found out that the key is $150 at the dealership.

Reliability wise, worst car I have ever owned. GM should have NEVER sold this car in the US.

Even though it was unreliable, it drove nice and handled very well.

Oh, and it never rusted.

I think the only thing that was nice about the car was the interior and exterior appearance.

Vehicle requires constant maintenance and repairs.

I have had to repair the motor @ 2800.00.

Recent transmission repairs cost 3600.00

Motor seals replacement

Under manufacturer warranty, had to replace timing chain and belt, radiator, spark plugs and head gaskets, as well as numerous other parts

I have now got to replace the front brakes, heater core, and the air conditioner does not work properly..

Beautiful car, but beware of costly repairs.

The reason why there are few on the road is because they are expensive to operate..

And yes, I still have my Catera, for now!!

Car handles exceptionally well.

Drives like a European sports car.

Handles and negotiates tight turns easily.

Has a comfortable and smooth ride.

Heavy car with a variety of luxury equipment and appointments.

My 97 Catera has a rag top.

This car was purchased with 44k miles. Although it was 11 years old when I purchased it, the low mileage was very attractive. It also was in mint condition as far as the interior and the exterior of the vehicle went. It looked brand new in and out. I should have known it was too good to be true!

This car was an electrical nightmare. In the year and a half I owned the vehicle, I spent more approximately $4 in repairs.

The heat from the engine came in through the vents, and was excruciating in the Florida summer months.

The interior lights never worked.

The sun roof opened on its own, and I was unable to close it, but had to wait for this ghost ridden car to close on its own.

The Bose CD changer worked when it felt like it as well.

The air condition control unit went out... I never fixed it. ($3K to fix)

The transmission was slipping.

The radiator was fixed but was costly.

Due to the many electrical issues with the car, my 2 yr old was locked in the car. I would get out of the car to walk around it to get her out, and the car would automatically lock itself. Luckily I learned to always take my key with me, and she was never in any real danger.

The one thing I did like about the car was the styling and the comfort. I was riding in a stylish car that was a nightmare. Hated making payments to the bank, because I knew I would need the money sooner rather than later for repairs.

I even took it to a Cadillac dealer, and they didn't even want to work on their own product... SAD!

I absolutely HATED this car! Not reliable, and was a true sore spot with me in all areas. I was happy to call the bank to come pick up this hunk of junk. I have a repo on my credit, but to me the issues of the repo are way less serious than wondering if it would start up to get me to work in the morning.

I will NEVER own another Caddy... Never ever ever own another Caddy... period, end of story.