1998 Cadillac Catera review from North America

When the car was purchased within the first four days the rear tail lights went out. They were replaced by the dealership under warranty.

At 50,000 miles the whole ECU system went down in mid driving on the highway. I took it into the dealership to find out that it was due to three faulty fuses. I don't know, but for three fuses to go bad all at once is rare. A little problem, but it was taken care of under the 6 month warranty. Folks there is only one cup holder in the entire LUXURY car. It broke and cost $45.

Fifteen thousand miles later and the 6 month warranty was terminated, their became a coolant leak due to a bad hose. That one leak turned into a $1250 headache. Of course there were more to it than just a coolant leak.

After three months of no problems. The car starts to overheat constantly. So I replaced the radiator ($200+labor),heater hoses ($45+labor),thermostat and housing ($120-$150+labor). Luckily I had a mechanic in the family.

At 78,000 the front struts finally had enough of the normal wear. Replaced for 175+labor.

I started to hear and feel that the rear air bag system was leaking. I went to the dealer they wanted to charge $55 for a tube. By now I knew the car inside and out. So I rigged it using a air tube from my fish tank. First free Fix!

The car near death at 100,000 miles with overheating problems.

I must say that this car was built in Canada and is a German car sold in America by Cadillac. If you know Cadillac for their nice appearance, plush leather, comfortable handling and superior performance. Don't waste your time with this model unless you like punishment.

This mid size sedan handled good because of the air bag system.

The 200hp V6 3.0 engine was kind of weak coming from a line of 300+ V8 bred cars.

The leather interior never had any problems. Great leather! Lots of room for a small family.

The Bose radio was pathetic, it only had a cassette player. Kind of out dated for a 98'.