Comments: 1-15, 16-17
Age related things, (cost to fix)
Exhaust pipes from gaskets to rear ($45)
Alternator ($60)
Battery ($88)
New rear brake lines and rotors ($145)
Great car, very low cost to fix problems.
Lots of power under that big hood.
Keeps on going and going, interior has held up well for a car of this age.
All repairs are fixable by a semi-knowledgeable person (I did all except brakes)
Huge interior.
Exceptional handling and great ride.
Terrible, terrible gas mileage. 4mpg in town and 11mpg on the freeway.
4 mpg?!!! still, they don't make em like that anymore, good on yer for using one.
Thank goodness they don't make them like they used to...
OPEC must have been rubbing their hands with glee as these trundled off the assembly line.
Having said that, I used to love the old Fleetwoods; they really had presence.
4 mpg.? It should get about 9-12. Something is wrong. My '71 Fleetwood Brougham averages about 10.5 to 11 mpg. They drink a lot of fuel, but not that much!
4 mpg? Something must be wrong? I have a 1972 Cadillac Fleetwood 75 Limousine (almost 1000 lbs heavier), and I get almost double that... under normal conditions. Of course if you open up all 4 barrels every time the light turns green, that would explain your poor gas mileage. I get just over 10 mpg on the highway.
My mom's 1972 Cadillac Fleetwood (and it's Brougham, not Broughm) was my first car. It got from 8 to 14 mpg. You might have a leak in a fuel line or the gas tank.
If gas mileage is your biggest concern you should really look into replacing your 3 speed transmissions with either a modern factory overdrive unit or an after market gear splitter. Either way your gas mileage should go from 10-12 to 18-20 with overdrive.
I didn't know you could add overdrive? Is it expensive? I have a 72 60 special and it gets between 8 and 10 mpg. also, I find it won't run well on regular. She HAS to have premium. I love that old car!!!
My 72 Fleetwood Brougham won't run on regular either. She MUST have premium. Needless to say, at three-bucks a gallon, she spends a lot of time alone in the garage while I'm out driving her younger sister, an 87 Brougham d'Elegance. I enjoy my cars... and they are the end of an era that we will never see again.
Do the 1972 Cadillacs have to run on leaded fuel? I heard that if cars of this vintage aren't run on leaded fuel (ie. unleaded) it ruins part of the engine...
6-8 mpg is really not too bad!
4mpg huh? You're getting near the mpg of an M60 tank.
Of course which is not as bad as the most baddest ass tank on the planet: our very own M1A2 Abrams and I laughed pretty hard when I saw that it's mpg is like 2 gallons to the mile. lol.
I have a 1971 and I replaced the points and installed a PERTRONICS electronic ignition module and I am sporting 14 miles to the gallon now. Of course, you have to go light on the pedal to get those results, but she is worth it. I love my Cady and my 2003 Deville isn't even a quarter the car my 1971 is.
All Cadillac's from 1971 and on were manufactured to run on unleaded fuel. It wasn't until 1975 that it was mandatory that you put unleaded fuel into them. Unleaded fuels in these cars from 1971 and on will NOT harm them. Read the owners manual and it will tell that!!!
Even a car that was originally made to run on leaded gas can be switched to unleaded, because the lead accumulation from all the miles it was previously run on leaded gas will still be present to lubricate the valve seats.
As far as whether you should be running leaded or unleaded, does it really matter? When was the last time you saw LEADED gas available for sale for highway vehicle usage in N America?
Thank you to Aug. 1st and Aug. 2nd commenters for answering my question regarding leaded v.s. unleaded gasoline.