1996 Cadillac Eldorado Northstar

Summary:

Get to know the guy at the junkyard or get out the wallet for repairs

Faults:

Struts gone at 85000. Cadillac wants $880.00 each, what a joke, and thank god for aftermarket suppliers.

Eats a quart of oil every 400 miles, but does not leak or blow smoke out the tail pipes. Dealer says they had to replace the pistons on lots of them. Possible carbon buildup. Plenty of power still.

Heater box is falling apart wherever it is touched. Held together with duck tape for now. Dealer has seen tons of them. Problem plastic was not fixed until 2000 and does not fit this car.

Heater motor just went out, time to find another heater motor and box.

Plastic vents, all are broken.

Body molding held on with silicone, no fasteners.

General Comments:

The power is incredible and the car looks great.

Interior is comfortable and the sound system is good.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 10th December, 2004

14th Dec 2004, 07:28

This is clearly a lemon, or the owner just does not take care of his Eldorado. Quality issues plague GM, but these Caddies/Sevilles just don't break haphazardly.

9th Apr 2006, 08:09

More like the previous owner didn't take care of the car. Look at the current owner's distance when acquired and the current distance. The current owner has only had it 2,000 miles. So I'd definitely say it was the previous owner's fault.

14th Dec 2007, 07:00

This is simply a situation of someone not properly taking care of the car before you. Broken vents? That doesn't happen, that's simply carelessness on someones part. These cars eat about a quart of oil in between changes, its the very reason they take 7 quarts instead of five. Most newer cars eat a quart of oil in between changes. That's why most newer cars take 6 quarts, and not five. This is simply for engine efficiency reasons. No need to replace pistons, they dealer is trying to drain you wallet, to put it simply. All you need to do every once in awhile is a wide open throttle. If your dealer was honest, they would have told you this. Struts went out at 85,000? More proof of carelessness. My '97 has 185,000 miles, its just needing struts, and there original. Your car is just suffering from abuse from the past, that is all.

22nd May 2010, 16:54

With these Northstar engines, you cannot baby it like an 80-year-old driver would. These engines are designed to be run at red line; they are performance engines. The engine oil consumption is very common for engines which have not been driven hard enough. Also, babying the engine can allow carbon deposits to form at the top of the cylinders, causing a cold knock sound. By redlining the engine, you blow out the carbon, re-seat the piston rings, etc. The way to prevent all of this is to get on the highway in second gear, and then do a wide open throttle acceleration to 70MPH. Repeat about 10 times. After doing this procedure once a week or so, your oil consumption should drop dramatically. These engines are not to be babied! Beat them up once in a while.