2003 Cadillac CTS Lux Package 3.5 V6 from North America

Summary:

Great car that has respect on the road!

Faults:

The only thing that's really gone wrong with the car, and is a common problem on the Cadillac forum, is the stability system engaging when not needed. and saying service stability system. It causes one of the rear tires to slightly drag for a split second. I honestly don't think it's that big of a deal to repair, so to me, the only annoying thing is the service message that comes on the screen every now and then. It's embarrassing when passengers see it.

Also a few times, the brakes would grind when slowing down from a high rate of speed quickly. I'm not sure if it's my brakes or the design of the car.

Other than that, nothing has really gone wrong.

General Comments:

I didn't buy this car intentionally, I was trading in my beloved Jetta VR6, which was a dream itself, but the tranny started to slip, so I decided to trade it in.

I went to a VW lot with the intentions of trading it in for another Jetta or something of that nature. The Cadillac was gleaming in the sun light, and while waiting for my old car to be appraise, I went just to look at it. Turns out the car was on sale and was much cheaper than a pre-loved Jetta. After several hours of back and forth, I walk out of the dealer with the CTS with over $5000 off the list price. I got a great deal on the car, and would do it again.

The styling on the car is quite cool and edgy. It's is much more sporty than any other Cadillac out there, however I don't have the thrill of owning a sports car anymore.

The interior is great unless you don't have a butt; then it can be quite uncomfortable at times. The interior color is a little boring. The Bose/nav system is awesome! Love all the features and sound that it provides, and couldn't live without the seat warmers and the sunroof, they're to die for!

The polished steel rims are quite nice as well; they look like chrome, but are much more durable than chrome.

I love the HID lights, awesome when you're driving in the hills!

Overall, a great car, however if you still want that sports car feeling, I would recommend a G35.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st January, 2011

13th Sep 2013, 15:33

Like you I traded in my VW Passat; the CTS just jumped out at me. Loved the look and the interior, but when I got it home I washed it by hand; I do this to look for flaws. The rear bumper does not fit snug, the inner rear wheel well sheet metal looks like some hacker cut and welded it; it looks unfinished. When you roll the front windows down and close the door, unlike the Passat there is inner door noise. The quality is not what I expected. I always wanted a Cadillac, but I am disappointed.

15th Sep 2013, 18:12

I understand your disappointment. As the old saying goes - "They don't build em like they used to". I have a 93 Fleetwood, and the old 87 Brougham I owned had far better build quality. In fact, that was one of the best built cars I've seen or owned. I think the best built luxury car these days is Mercedes. They always have been well built (maybe a little too well built).

31st Dec 2014, 02:34

Awesome car. Don't read into the comment about the paint / body parts being cheapened out compared to VWs; they'll easily out do them. Come on, a Cadillac vs a VW? A really pointless comparison.

2003 Cadillac CTS from North America

Faults:

Tires are worn out again. After complaining about the noise from the front end of the car and after 5 trips to the dealer to have the problem corrected, the dealer finally replaced the tires. This was 10 months ago. I now have a vibration when I reach 60 miles per hour. I now have 15,000 on the new tires and I am being told all four tires need to be replaced. The tires are scalloped on the edges and I am being told by the dealer that the tires are wearing because I must exit the highway ramps at an excess speed. Have you ever heard of any excuse this crazy?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 18th October, 2006

30th Jul 2007, 13:14

While that is a crazy response from the dealer, it sounds like an simple alignment was needed.

15th Jan 2008, 23:44

Scalloped edges mean that the drive makes very frequent tight turns and thus the wear.

2003 Cadillac CTS Deluxe 3.2 V6 from North America

Summary:

How to beat a BMW 5 series

Faults:

Absolutely nothing.

General Comments:

I love this car more than anything I've ever owned. This car takes away my problems in life and fills me up with a sense of power and beauty.

Outperforms my previous BMW 528i, cheaper too, looks better as well.

I was hesitating to buy it at first, seeing how unreliable American cars generally are, but my oh my was I in for a surprise. this car is the shine of my life.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th March, 2006