1988 Cadillac Cimarron V6

Summary:

I love this little car - it's great on gas too!

Faults:

- Instrument cluster replaced when purchased.

- Cruise control module went out/replaced at 120,000 miles.

- Seats are lightly torn due to my neglect.

- Tailpipe replaced at 130,000 miles.

- Replaced twilight sentinel light sensor at 131,000.

General Comments:

- Great car! Very under-rated.

- Has a lot of options not found in other J cars like the Cavalier/Sunbird/Starfire/Skyhawk, etc.

- Only thing missing is Climate control and Information center (Compared to other Cadillacs of the era).

- I had an 84 Model before - this one looks and runs much smoother/faster.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th December, 2008

1986 Cadillac Cimarron 2.8

Summary:

My best car, still going after 20 years

Faults:

Radiator, cooling fan motor

General Comments:

This is by far the best vehicle I have ever owned. I drive it ever day to work and back, and have had very good luck with it. Even the AC still works great.

For a 2.8L V6, it gets very good gas mileage - 22-25mpg in city. I would take it on any trip in I had to, and not worry about it.

For an 86 model, they put in everything the luxury cars of today have. Pwr windows, pwr locks, pwr mirrors, rear defrost, pwr truck release, locking gas lid, fog lamps, 14" aluminum wheels, digital dash readout (really love this, leather seats (mine after 20 years still haven't cracked up badly) and more I can't think of. This shows if you take care of them, they won't let you down.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st August, 2007

1986 Cadillac Cimarron Base 2.8L

Summary:

Small Caddy with Potential

Faults:

All problems experiencing with my car is a resulting from not taking proper care form previous owner (s).

1.) Needed to replace the engine due to a complete loss of oil-engine siezed-.

2.) Minor issues I plan to replace (motors to the mirrors, replacing the belt until the harmonic balancer was adjusted-new engine installed-,get the carpet and floor-board checked out, etc.)

3.) I plan to get a new paint job even though the paint is still good and shines well, just to make sure there isn't any rust problems.

General Comments:

With the problems I am addressing at the moment with my '86 Cimarron, I really enjoy this car. I did some research before I got it to get an idea of what I'm getting. Since it is used, the old saying "When you buy used, you buy the previous owners problems!" It's true only because this car was not taken care of and used as a "run it to ground" type of vehicle.

I tell people that I never liked a 3 speed FWD as much I like this one (I am partial to RWD). As was stated, it has good performance, handles great, comfortable, sounds good, among others. Cadillac had a good platform, it's just that they didn't think it through. The Cimarron did receive great reviews for auto mags and whatnot. People just didn't want a small Caddy and I believe it would have done better if it was released later. Cadillac should've had the V6 and manual 4 from the start. My Cimarron is about 3200 lbs so it's considerably heavier that the other J-body types. It also cost about twice as much as well. But when looking at the list of standard features, it makes sense. Personally, I would rather have at least an extra 2 inches in the passenger seats and another 2 to lengthen the trunk. Yet it's still in good shape and still looks good.

To anyone who is buy an older car should take the advice to find how well the vehicle before you and how many miles it has. Like mine, 93,000 for a 20yr. old car isn't a lot. I am more partial to the Big 3's and not much into to Japanese vehicles (though Nissan is an exception). I've known people to own an '88 civic DX, a 99 Solora, and a couple other Japanese vehicles and I'm not much into them. That's my personal view. And I can understand why people don't trust the Big 3 with a lot of recalls and everything, but do some research and you'll find everyone has the same quality. GM has recalls, Ford has recalls, Chrysler has recalls, even Toyota and Honda have recalls. From the cheapest to the most expensive, everyone has recalls and I mean a lot of them. Expect that from Mass-Production! I try to give a benefit-of-the-doubt to a vehicle before I criticize it.

My car red-lines at 5000rpm and goes as high as 7000 and looked at the tachometer while driving on I-40 at 80 mph and saw it was at 3700rpm, it's got range. I was like "wow" and wondered how fast I could go with this 3 speed transmission. The only reason I didn't give my higher marks in Reliability and Running Costs is the fact I am working to fix my car to where it's almost brand new.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th August, 2006

18th Aug 2006, 12:17

I think the main issue with the Cimarron was that it looked too much like a Cavalier. Cimarron had its strong following, but if Cadillac would have made it look more like a small luxury car and less like a Chevy with leather, it could have been a better selling car. Think about it, the first Sevilles were Novas. While the two had very similar proportions and even an identical roofline, the Seville looked like a sumptuous, refined, elegant Cadillac, not a fancy Chevy (not that there's anything wrong with Chevrolet) :

22nd Aug 2006, 20:31

Don't know what "auto mags" you looked at, but the Cimarron was widely panned by the automotive writers for the same reasons that it sold so poorly: it was not much more than a tarted-up J-car that was supposed to somehow compete with European and Japanese sports sedans -- and failed.

4th Sep 2006, 20:03

I agree with your statement (18th Aug), Cadillac did have a good platform and should've put more of their special touch in it. Most auto makers use the same platform and design for the same type of vehicle. Unfortunately some vehicles look too similar. It happens.

And to the other comment, do your research. What I stated is there. The main problem I see people have with the Cimarron is the fact it looks too much like a Cavalier. And it has potential to compete with the European and Japanese sports sedans, all Cadillac needed to do is put more thought into it.

19th Oct 2006, 10:04

Sooo... your review is of what the Cimarron could have been if "Cadillac had put more thought into it"?

Well, Cadillac didn't, and what you should be reviewing is what the Cimarron was in real life, which is what people want to know, not your idealized version of what it might have been...

2nd Feb 2010, 13:32

Okay, everyone needs to quit putting others down just because you think your car is better, keep it to yourselves. If you don't like the Cimarron, don't buy one. Simple as that.