1981 Cadillac DeVille Coupe review from North America

The water pump failed and needed to be replaced. This was inexpensive and easy to do myself.

The air conditioning system didn't work. I never had this fixed though I later discovered that the fix would have been easy had I any knowledge of auto mechanics at the time.

Had a spark plug oil fouling problem which eventually cured itself for unknown reasons.

Trunk pulldown motor was wearing down when the car was sold.

The headliner was also sagging badly.

This car was built like a tank. I have no doubt that it is one of the most noble cars I will ever drive. It underwent a lot of abuse from previous owners including infrequent (if ever) fluid changes. Car still ran fine at 130,000 miles when I sold it.

Cadillac's notorious boatlike handling was not missing from this vehicle. It suffered from severe body roll in hard cornering, and pitched badly under acceleration and braking.

The 6 liter engine was torquey enough to haul the car around at a decent pace, but produced a neolithic specific output of 23hp per liter. This was no doubt mostly due to the archaic emission controls which strangled the engine. This hampered acceleration greatly.

The 8-6-4 cylinder deactivation system performed very well. This is apparently rare, and the system was plagued by problems in most cars which were so equipped. The system shut down the right amount of cylinders at the right times, and helped noticeably with fuel economy.

This car's features combined to make the driving experience incredibly comfortable. Leather covered most surfaces of the car. The front and rear bench seats were huge. The car had power everything imaginable. The 8-6-4 system, cruise control, and trip computer were well ahead of their time.

Overall, very well suited to its purpose as a luxury cruiser. I miss that car, but I don't miss how slow it was.