1989 Cadillac Allante review from North America
"It's a fun 2nd car if you've got some extra money and patience"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Rebuilt Window Motors $200
New window switches $300
rebuilt ABS Brake Accumulator $400
Replaced all Struts $900
Bose Radio needs new amps in all speakers $?
New catalytic converter $300
New Radiator
New Starter
2 alternators
New thermostat
Needs new windshield $500 ($1,500 OEM)
Electrical Problems.
General comments?
Passionate, but this Italian Hottie Needs Constant Attention.
Pros: Classic timeless design, very comfortable and limited production, nice handling for front wheel drive
Cons: terrible "only car",discontinued parts, untrained dealer techs, repair costs=$$$$$
The Bottom Line: The Allante is like a pretty woman. The better you take care of her, the more fun it is to handle the curves.
Recommended: Yes.
Italian style with Detroit ala carte, this semi exotic is a lot of fun when it runs. Like a lot of Italian cars, it looks great, but often doesn't hold up in the reliability department. Even low mileage Allantes are tormented with ABS brake, electrical, and convertible top problems. Considering the cost of the car, one would expect a power top and heated seats. On the up side, people are now making a hefty profit by buying "Parts Cars" to provide for declining parts availability. I saw a wealthy celebrity whimper over repair costs. New shocks/struts $975, windshield $500, and eventually you'll probably need ABS brakes $2000. Dealers no longer train techs to repair Allantes, so work is often hit & miss. Allante owners are a very tight group, happy to share info in various web sites. In fact, I found this web site when I was searching the Internet for parts for my "89". Ultimately, this is a nice "2nd" car. In most cases, I think it would be a major mistake to have this car be your one and only. The problem is, this lady has a wandering eye for mechanics and auto parts stores.
Take it from someone in the business, buying this car as an investment is a total joke. Buy it because it's a nice Pinninfarina design, for fun to drive, anything, but an investment... unless it's in perfect low mileage condition and you plan to store it for 20 years.
Recommended reviews
| Elegant, and beautiful italian exotic, all- American muscle car!! |
|
| Best convertible for the price with excellent performance |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1989 |
| First year of ownership | 1998 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 4.5 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 2 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 3 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 2 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 35000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 79000 miles |
| Previous car | Ferrari Mondial t |
| Date of Entry | 6th June, 2002 |