CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusively

Non-repair car talk
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusively

Post by kevm14 »

Cars.com

A different one in NE, this time Lincoln, at Husker Auto Group. lol. Black, 122,553 miles. No pictures. Clean Carfax. $11,700.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/deta ... /overview/

Black, private sale.
2005 Cadillac cts-v LS6!for sale! Short throw shifter, K&N cold air intake, full Borla exhaust, long tube headers, high flow one piece aluminum radiator and high flow thermostat. New tires put on the car last spring. Call or text 507 312 8936
All blacked out. Detractor in my opinion. 117k asking $12,000.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/deta ... /overview/

Silver 05 in IL. 109,300 miles. Oh wait, this one was also on Autotrader. Never mind.
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/deta ... /overview/
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusively

Post by kevm14 »

Craigslist

One comp.

Stealth Gray 05 in Boston. 80k. Asking $10k. Don't worry, it has a story.
Cadillac CTS V in great shape, lots of great mods that get rid of some of the slop in the car. It still has issues like a check-engine light that is triggered although there is no mechanical failure or real issue of the car. I can show you and run the codes, but it's a well-known issue with the wiring. The V3 suspension is brand new and I have G-force axles to get rid of wheel hop. Bushings in the shifter, and all around the car. It has a cam and headers, both in great condition. I have it garaged now, looking to pass it on to someone who wants to put some work into her. She needs a little TLC. Come take a look.

Back Bay area.
Looks lowered, too. I don't totally hate the wheels/look but many people won't want to touch this. Yeah. So...mine's worth more. That's how that works. I know it has 40k more miles but I could still see it being worth $12k easy compared to some of these circus offerings.
https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/cto/d ... 35130.html
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kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusively

Post by kevm14 »

So given the price of the V2s, this seems to be pushing me back toward an STS-V. Interesting.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusively

Post by kevm14 »

Took the V out on another drive today. It was upper 70s or even 80 according to the car while driving. The tires certainly had more traction today.
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The warmer weather allowed me to get a little more rowdy, although there was quite a bit of traffic given the nice weather. Oh I got gas, too. Took 13.xx. gallons, and was the first fresh gas since 7/31/19.

Basically this car is still quite fun and enjoyable. The thing is, if I am not driving it properly (fairly hard) I generally prefer driving my STS. And the problem with driving it properly is there is too much traffic and whatever else to make it either not fun a lot of the time, or unsafe. I do love the LS6 + Magnaflow sound, especially with the windows down and the sunroof open.

I definitely like the way the car feels when you really start to push it. I drove it around in competitive driving mode the whole time. Definitely lets you have fun but preserving some form of safety net.

In fact after a few corners of progressive throttle to let the rear begin to rotate, I noticed I had finally set some new G peaks (since I accidently reset it after my NC/Dragon peaks from 2011). That's my favorite thing about this chassis. You can easily modulate the cornering behavior with the throttle.
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That said I feel like these tires don't have the grip they used to. But considering they are like 9 years old with 25% tread remaining, that's actually still quite good.

So yeah, still fun to drive, still more than enough performance for where I live. Only out on the open highway would I need more power than this. And that's just going to lead to bad things...
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusively

Post by kevm14 »

I don't know when this happened. It was 55 today so...probably the other day, after I took that picture?
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These 9 year old Michelin PSSs can't be doing that bad if I'm getting numbers like this. Also I like that I can actually approach the limits when there is some room to do so. I did this in competitive driving mode but I don't think it intervened. This car is pretty forgiving. That's a benefit of having 245 series all around and some allowable body roll. Not as good for the track but arguably better for the street. I'll say again I really like the ride/handling for a street vehicle. Taut, damped but still compliant over bad surfaces. This is why the V1 was a very relevant car for Cadillac and GM because this car came out in 04!

Also this.
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kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusively

Post by kevm14 »

1 bot.
1 offer for $13k (which I declined)
1 real person who is 72 and may end up test driving it soon. Sounds promising actually. He even said my price was fair on the phone which is not something you would typically say right before you low ball.

Expecting a pending test drive I washed it because it was filthy from sitting in the garage. I also topped off the tank, about 10 gallons of fresh Shell 93.

It's got a few new scratches from the kids and the wheels definitely look worse than they did 10 years ago. But mostly it looks just as good. I think he'll be impressed when he sees it in person. It would be cool if it stays in the state I guess.
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kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusively

Post by kevm14 »

I think I found all the spare parts.
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- K&N air intake system
- Lower steering shaft (didn't fix the steering play and I ended up replacing the rack which....also had play on center)
- Rear cradle spacers (stiffens and helps with the whole wheel hop thing)
- Poly diff bushings
- Diff bushing installation tool
- OEM AC Delco/Brembo brake pads, front and rear

Also found two extra sets of keys/fobs. One of the fobs worked after I cleaned the battery/contacts. The other did not so it must not be programmed. The two keys both fit in the ignition as well. However, they don't unlock the driver's door. Turns out, neither does my main key. I guess the ignition switch was replaced before I got the car and must have gotten new keys. I never tried the door as there is no need to.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusively

Post by kevm14 »

The thread subject should be "CTS-V impressions after driving the E55 almost exclusively."

Just topped off the diff (I got fluid on my finger when I stuck it in so that qualifies as "not low" but I topped it off anyway) and took it for a spin around the neighborhood. Even just doing that it is immediately recognizable that this car feels so good to drive. The chassis is so taut and controlled and I love the way the steering responds. It's a pleasure after driving some of my heavier, less sporty vehicles. Honestly if I lived somewhere with better roads (and I don't just mean potholes but curves, traffic, etc.), I think I would just keep the car. But the reality is, the E55 is much better suited to the kind of driving I actually do. That's probably why it has sat in my garage so long. There's nowhere to really use it properly.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusively

Post by kevm14 »

I guess this post closes this thread.

Buyer came and picked up the V this morning at like 7:30. He brought $14,500 in cash as he was supposed to. Here's what that looked like. The stack of $20s in the front is the $500 deposit.
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He wrapped $20s into $1,000 bundles and then had a $1,500 bundle that contained some $100s. I looked at it and laughed. I started thumbing through it and I said "I'm not counting this, I'll be here all day." Then I looked at him and said "look, if you are pulling something fraudulent here you are doing a terrible job." I was referring to the fact that I had his address, his wife dropped him off and I met his dog. Like...you'd have to be pretty dumb to think you would get away with passing counterfeit currency like this.

After he left I had a good sit and just looked at the empty bay. I will not confirm or deny whether anyone was cutting onions in there while I was sitting quietly. That car was special to me but I guess simultaneously not special enough AND too special. Kinda....weird.
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So here's how it went down at the bank. I was standing in line with my sketchy paper bag with bill of sale wrapped around it. Got a couple repeat glances from the teller. When it was my turn I slapped the giant bag of cash onto the counter and was like "I'd like to make a deposit." lol

They did not ask for any papers but I volunteered my bill of sale and they did make a copy. I then answered three questions:
- What do I do for work?
- Where do I work?
- What will I be doing with the money?

As this was going on, my money was being counted on that machine. It was exactly $15k. Of course it was.

That was it. I answered the questions, filled out a deposit slip, and I was done. I did ask whether I needed the bill of sale. They said it was not required but they seemed to appreciate having it. I'm not sure what that means. It was a legit transaction so having that "on file" can't be bad.

In my opinion it would have been absolutely stupid to blow this deal if I had I said "I won't accept cash."
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