1983 Cadillac DeVille Coupe review from North America
"This is a car that should that came from an era that should be remembered"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The paint is peeling.
There's some rot on the lower areas.
The transmission failed at 46000 miles.
The engine refuses to keep oil inside it even though valve cover gaskets have been replaced twice.
The windows are very slow.
The driver's window sometimes won't go back up.
The radio has been replaced with 2 junkyard units, only to have the display blink after a few weeks, its got a Clarion 9700 (that's been passed on from my 1974 Olds 88 and then my 1981 Olds 88) in it now.
General comments?
Regarding the peeling paint, Dodge had this problem too, I believe it's when they had to "get the lead out".
The rot is expected, I don't garage it because it's 2" longer than my garage (~18'4").
The transmission probably went from years of infrequent driving (it blew doing 25MPH on an offramp).
My Olds and my wife's old 1983 Monte also had slow windows, new motors cured that.
The engine's performance greatly increased after using GM "top engine cleaner", although it really could use the Olds Rocket 350 engine, but we all know that CAFE is what limited the older cars base engines.
Driving the car is like sitting on my Lazy Boy recliner in my living room, a couple of times I have nodded off briefly.
Due to it's age and needing some work, I find I will be selling it, my wife won't let me put a grand into it.
My brother-in-law commented how great it felt to drive a car like this after driving a Saturn for the last 5 years (he incidentally bought my 1981 Olds 88 from me when I bought the Caddy and he felt that was the greatest car he owned).
Recommended reviews
| Fun. Solid. Pretty inexpensive overall. |
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| 1983 - DeVille 4 Door Sedan HT4100 4.1L (250 CID) V8 A sofa on wheels |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1983 |
| First year of ownership | 1995 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | ht4100 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 9 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 44000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 55000 miles |
| Previous car | Oldsmobile Delta 88 |
| Date of Entry | 11th December, 2002 |