1999 Cadillac Catera Sport review from North America

At about 60000 miles I had to replace the coolant control valve. This is a VERY common problem with Cateras. The clue is if you start to see smoke coming from the engine and smell coolant and see it pouring out at a pretty fast rate. When the car is driving, the wind spews the coolant on to the exhaust and then it begins to smoke. Don't panic, its nothing major, but it will cost you about $300.00 to get it fixed. Other than that, the car has been great. I live in Michigan and the weather here is about 1-8 degrees F in the mornings and she never complains and starts every time (So far).

Before I bought the car, I read a lot of reviews and got really scared from what I heard. But I took the plunge anyway. Now I know that unless you own a 1997 or 1998 Catera you don't have to worry too much. Besides most intelligent people know to stay away from first year models, on any car brand. It's a safe rule to follow. 1999-2001 Cats are generally better. I have a hard time thinking that the Germans would design a piece of junk on purpose (as some Cat. owners say). Most of the flaws were fixed in 1999 and later models. Just baby the car. Don't push it hard. Keep up on the oil changes and tire rotations and you should be fine. Also if you ever take it to a mechanic who says its just a regular car, run away. And watch out for the 10 minute oil change places. It took Valvoline about twenty minutes to try to find my Trany dipstick and oil filter. Now I go to the dealer. Anyway, good luck and best wishes to all my fellow Catera owners.

WR.