Faults:

Water pump.

Manifold temperature sensor.

Blower motor controller.

Sway bar link.

Driver's side window falls all the way down if lowered more than half way down (a fault also found in my Pontiac Bonneville of the same year).

One rear window does not work, electrical problem.

Despite a brake rebuild, the rear brake's self adjusting mechanism does not work. A manual brake adjustment is required at every oil change.... no big deal.

The front subframe rubber bushings are getting worn and will eventually need replacement.

Factory stereo has no sound from the right side speakers.

Fuel gauge is inaccurate when the tank is below half-full, it tends to read too low.

Cruise control does not work due to one simple, corroded rivet in the throttle linkage.

General Comments:

If you want a vintage 80's front wheel drive Cadillac, this year, 1989, is the best year. For 1989, this model had an extensive overhaul to address the shortcomings of the 1984 - 88 front wheel drive Devilles.

The V8 engine was enlarged to 4.5 liters, with more power and torque. The engine is much improved for reliability. My car has a lot of mileage but the engine runs perfectly, smooth, powerful, no oil burning, no leaks, no strange noises.

The car was lengthened, with 3 inches more interior length (all in the rear seat legroom) and 7 inches more in the trunk length. The car was also modestly restyled and looks smoother and longer (less stubby and angular than previous models).

It's got the traditional Cadillac style. Beautiful vertical tail lights, and lots of lovely elegant style touches inside and out. Very much Cadillac style, just enough chrome to be flashy but tasteful. Interior is leather, with thick carpets, and lots of luxury details. There's a lot of polished metal trim inside and out, like handles, switches, window trims, bumpers etc, Less plastic than in other cars, which gives it an expensive, quality feel.

The car has a high quality feel, all doors, the trunk etc close with tight precision and a solid thunk. No sag or rattle.

It's nice to drive, for a vintage car. Small enough to be maneuverable, but large enough to be roomy. The upright square shape is very space efficient.

For an older car it's remarkably pleasant and easy to drive and live with. The steering is nicely weighted, communicative feel and pleasant. The chassis has a huge front sway bar, plus a rear bar, so it corners confidently and flat, despite the softer suspension. The brakes are excellent, powerful and a good feel, despite having drums in the rear, and no ABS (ABS was optional, but my car does not have it. IMHO it's not needed, these brakes are communicative so a skilled driver can moderate any skidding).

The engine has the TBI fuel injection, with 155 hp. It's not very fast, but the low end torque is ample and propels the car with confidence and great response. It feels strong and a lot more than 155 hp. It's fast enough for all regular traffic, highway merging, steep hills etc. No problems.

The transmission is fine, too.

The interior is comfortable and very quiet. My car has plenty of options, like the Lighting Group, with extra courtesy lights, 8 way power front seats, both sides, power mirrors, top-line stereo, tilt telescoping steering wheel etc. The interior feels roomy because the dashboard is pushed far forward, and is low, making for a huge windshield and hood with excellent visibility. This is a nice change from modern cars with huge, tall, ugly rounded, bulbous dashboards that you can barely see over.

There's bags of rear leg room. The windows are HUGE which gives the interior a light, airy feel, lots of light and great visibility (a nice change from modern cars which feel like claustrophobic caves).

I modified the suspension slightly. The original springs were a thinner diameter, but more loops than other GM cars. This is designed to reduce the spring rate. So the ride is soft and compliant but sometimes bottoms out on rougher roads.

I installed front struts from another full size front wheel drive GM car (a Buick I think), with stiffer, thicker springs and fewer loops for a higher spring rate. The ride is still soft and smooth, but more controlled on the highway and less likely to bottom out on rough roads.

I achieved the same effect on the rear by inserting a small rubber spring bolster, one per side, which essentially stops one of the spring loops from moving, and had a slight firming effect. The results are effective.

Reliability? A few things have failed, no big deal, especially since I bought this car very cheap, for the equivalent of $400 (US dollars). It was in near perfect original condition, zero rust, perfect original paint and chrome and a super-clean interior. It ran and drove great. I performed a lot of maintenance to ensure reliability.... new brakes front and rear, new struts front and rear, new front ball joints and brake hoses, new tires, fan belt, spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor and oxygen sensor. Transmission fluid and filter service too.

Nothing had failed, just showing normal wear. Parts are cheap and widely available, so I did it all in a couple of days while I had the time.

The automatic air-shocks at the rear leak slowly. I've replaced the shocks and replaced all O rings in the system. It's a very easy system to service.

Problems? None, the issues are only because of the car's age and normal wear.

The complaints are minor. The dashboard is electronic. The trip computer and other electronic features work flawlessly. But the horizontal speedometer is difficult to read accurately. The optional digital speedometer is preferable.

The fuel gauge is digital and reads in 'gallons remaining'. This isn't as useful as the traditional gauge because you gotta do math in your head to figure out the percentage any given reading is of the 16 gallon tank.

Fortunately there's a "distance to empty" reading on the odometer which helps.

This is a Florida car, but I'm in Canada. All features are in Miles and Gallons. I'm Canadian, and under 80 years of age so I prefer to have Kilometers and Liters. There is no metric conversion button so I have to do math in my head as I drive.

My car has the awful Cabriolet roof, a popular option in Florida it seems, and nowhere else. This roof mimics a convertible top, with a fiberglass shell on the roof, with fake convertible bows and cloth. This was a popular custom feature in Florida, but for a brief time, Cadillac offered this as a factory option. It cost a LOT of money when new, but makes the car look as if it's wearing a Toupee. I hate it but old people from Florida think it looks great.

Cadillac offered a conventional vinyl roof, or a basic steel roof, both of which are preferable, IMHO.

The car has steel wheels and wire spoke wheel covers, another expensive, useless option. This combination is heavy and limits me to 15 inch tires that are getting a bit rare these days. The car would look and perform better with the optional 16 inch aluminum wheels.

A few parts are getting difficult to find. Generally, most parts are easy to get, but the MAT sensor I needed was a bit scarce. Also these Cadillac HT engines have an aluminum front cover that's subject to corrosion and replacement and is NOT available new. If you need one, you'll have to either repair the old one or scrounge.

Regrets? Is this car is right for you. Despite the redesign, it was getting a bit old fashioned and limited by 1989. In that year, the new sedans from Lexus, Infiniti and BMW were the same price but much, much more advanced as modern, solid, performance luxury sedans. This Cadillac was an old fashioned relic by comparison. It would take Cadillac another 5 years to upgrade the Deville to be competitive.

I got this car because it was super cheap and in excellent condition. But it was a compromise. For Cadillac opulence and style, the more expensive 1989 Cadillac Fleetwood (the front wheel drive one) would be better. For road handling or performance the Deville touring sedan would be better, or another General Motors car of the era, like the 89 Pontiac Bonneville SSE. I owned one and it was as large and opulent as this Caddy. Less Cadillac style, but better performance and handling.

However, life is a compromise. Overall I'm very happy with this car as a Cadillac collectible car that's also a good daily driver, and is nice to live with.

Faults:

Replaced radiator at 120000 miles.

Replaced water pump at 125000 miles.

Replaced the A/C pump at 135000 miles.

Replaced front main bearing at 140000 miles.

Replaced alternator at 145000 miles.

Replaced the front and rear struts at 150000 miles.

Grounds-associated driveability problems at 160000 miles.

Replaced headliner at 202000 miles.

Replaced oil pan gasket at 205000 miles.

Aftermarket brake pads and rotors last about 25000 miles.

General Comments:

Still use 10W-30 oil - changed at 3000 miles.

There has been no oil consumption at 205000 miles.

Gas mileage was 17/28 MPG at 40000 miles, and is 14/25 MPG at 205000 miles. It operates most efficiently at 70 MPH.

Drives great, has comfortable seats and good legroom, along with outstanding visibility.

Paint and clear coat are like new.

It is easy on tires - replaced at 50000 and 140000 miles.