Going back to 70/80's Cars for next vehicle, ideas? (FWD, Cadillac, cylinders)
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My 2005 SAAB 9-5 Aero has a million senors and sometimes 1 goes off then another then another sets off another code and another senors goes haywire and the the other senors is set off by another senor. I am just so sick of all these senors that seem always to go off and set off other senors then different codes are going off. I don't mind having to crank up my windows and pushing down my locks. I guess I just like a more simpler car.
Detroit iron from that era isn't particularly durable but I always thought this car was uncommonly elegant
What year is that Seville? That's before they butchered it with that crazy rear end. I actually could agree with that, it looks pretty good even to me (who doesn't much like most of this stuff). Same grandfather had one of those too, before the Eldo, but I don't remember what specific years either of them were. I think he thought the Seville was the better car. Heh. We were kids not driving then though. We liked them both, full of gadgets that at the time we wouldn't expect to see in the types of cars we were able to buy for some years to come.
I wonder if his Eldo had this awful engine? Matt Garrett - Cadillac V8-6-4 Home Page No, apparently the awful engine is not the 8-6-4 if you read that, it's the HT4100 aluminum block. And it may have been used in that Eldo he had. If I remember right, the next car he bought was a Lincoln. He never did flip to German cars himself, but my grandmother had an Audi 5000 in the 80s, and a Volvo before that, and they also had an Isuzu Trooper for a while after she stopped driving because it was easier for her to get into. He had a Town car after the Trooper, but now he's back to a DTS for the last few years or so. Over 90 years old and driving around central Florida, look out.
I've been thinking some more about it and have come to the conclusion that you'd be a damn fool to not buy the 79 Electra. The 80 up Cadillacs have horrible drivetrains, the Turbo Regals are cult cars that are way overpriced in relation to value (plus your elderly parents ARE NOT going to be able to get into and out of the back seat when you, like a good son, take them out), the Riv's (and anything else made after 1980) will have the CCC (Computer Command Control) systems with the electronic Quadrabog, not to mention unique (i.e. expensive) CV joints. Just go ahead and buy the Electra and give us some pics. Nothing else is worth considering. OK?
the days of the 140HP LG4 305 the L69HO 305 with 190HP or the Oldsmobile 307 and when they were all bogged down with Restrictive cast Iron heads withlower very compression ratios the old smog pumps and the Y-pipes cats were still sapping power and emissions.
My grandfather had an Eldo of that vintage, your first pic up top. Nothing but trouble even when new. Maybe they get better with age? LOL
I would avoid the GM E-Body ( Riviera, Toronado, Eldorado). I bought a 1982 Riviera from the original owner who worked at a Buick Dealership. That car was plagued with electrical problems. In five years of ownership, I lost count of how many starters, batteries, and alternators I had to replace. I love the styling of that car, but it left me stranded one too many times.
I have always loved older cars, cars with style and cars made of metal and cars where the designers spent more than 3 min designing.
All of these cars look like a box with wheels. Each model just with different proportions of box. They have way less style than most cars made before the seventies and way less than most made after the early 90's.
If you go with any FWD drives, make sure to have the front end checked out or receipt of recent replacement. Ask how I know. Good cars otherwise, an Eldorado or Riviera convertible would be cool. Unless it's a 76 get a 77-81 coach Eldorado. This is to avoid the 4100 which should be done at all costs, so unless an engine swap has been done avoid any 82-87 Cadillacs except 86/87 Brougham. So many great options from 71-87 from full size down to intermediates. 71 Riviera GS would probably be my favorite. From late 70s up, I'd look for a 80 Seville coach, G body t-top, or El Camino SS.
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The word is "sensor"
He never did flip to German cars himself, but my grandmother had an Audi 5000 in the 80s, and a Volvo before that, and they also had an Isuzu Trooper for a while after she stopped driving because it was easier for her to get into. He had a Town car after the Trooper, but now he's back to a DTS for the last few years or so. Over 90 years old and driving around central Florida, look out. 
