Joe Link

I'm in the market for a V1 CTS-V. Though I can spend up to $22k, I have serious reservations about spending that much on one of these cars, when it seems like there are many well-maintained examples out there for much less. It seems at this point V1 CTS-V's can be categorized one of three ways (this is my opinion, I made it up based on market observations), low mileage (around 30k or less), mid-mileage (65k-90k), and high mileage (90k+). Don't ask me where all the 30k-60k cars are, but I don't seem to see them!

I'm having a hard time deciding whether I should buy a low mileage CTS-V for $21k-$23k or buy a mid-mileage car for around $17k-$18k. Because I'm willing to travel a fair distance from Portland, OR, I've been looking nation-wide. I've seen two low mileage cars this past week, a 2004 with 19k for $21,900, and a 2005 with 26k for $21,200. There are many mid-mileage cars on the market right now, which seem to be well maintained.

My plan is to daily drive this car for 2-4 years, until I can upgrade to a V2. It's important to me that whichever car I buy is in very good to excellent condition, non-smoker, etc. I don't plan on any crazy modifications, but I'll definitely be addressing the rear differential and upgrading the headers, exhaust, shifter, and possibly the wheels. There's a better chance the mid-mileage cars will already have some or all of this done.

So, in your opinion, what would you do?

mild83

Buy my 05 w/ 67k for $19k.

Rock44

iTrader: (1)

Just bought a 04 with 76k for 12.5k. They are out there just have to look around.

Joe Link

I'm not trying to be offensive, but I've seen a couple like this, and it seems like they don't have the really low mileage or the low cost going for them, kind of a compromise all the way around. At that point it seems like it'd be worth the extra $2500 to buy one with 30k. I'm just talking here, I know nothing about your car.

Wow, where'd you find yours? Where was the car located?

gtistile

I've owned my '04 for 5 years and 55k miles. Other than radiators being a pain in the ***, there isn't anything that stands out to me as a car you wouldnt want due to high mileage for any specific reason. It is still on the original diff even, at 102k miles now.

I would save yourself a few grand on the front end, find a clean mid-mileage one, and either have $ left over for a rainy day or some mods. Especially if you only plan to own it for a couple of years

Rock44

iTrader: (1)

Ohio, Craigslist. Needs motor mounts and shocks, but that's it. Has the Extreme Composites hood on it as well

Becker

iTrader: (4)

I bought an extremely low mileage car years ago and found myself still doing upgrades and or preventative maintenance. Now a days I look into how long I plan on owning it and what I want to do to it and what I expect from the car. Also what is important on a car yo me might not be to others.

I look for unmolested cars with no accidents mileage doesn't phase me. By lookin at the car and talking with the owner I can see how they take care of it. That's important to me, anyone can bullshit and say its never this or that or always this or that but the car with a good inspection should tell the story. My opinion..

Also if u look at what these cars kind of lack in. You'll most likely go a similar route on beefing the V up a bit. So if you bought one clean for 3k more you could find a clean one and put 2k into it and have a way better and reliable driving experience .

Ls motors are stout and can definitely go the miles while also putting out some good power

gangnam style

+1

couple yrs ago i bought an 05 unmolested/stock w 27k mi from the original owner who garaged it.

kinda wish i got a high(er) mileage one but w everything i wanted to do already done (poly bushings, shifter, etc). so long as it checked out and had full svc records, the savings would go towards the next (V2) car.

price also depends on your area and how willing you are to go get one. in my area. beat high mileage V1's were high teens when i was looking and even then were getting grabbed up. others were 5-8hr drives on the low end to get something priced "reasonably".

Becker

iTrader: (4)

I spent 3 months looking at V's and I eventually looked at 4 total. First 3 all were "snowflakes"

1 was black black on black 06 when mid miles and original owner and low carfax - biggest POS V i had ever looked at....in 5 minutes of looking I threw the keys at the dealer and thanked him for wasting my time of driving almost 2 hours to come look at a POS that I asked if it was clean or not.

2nd was a red 05 with 122 miles, nothing that i wanted but i figured its better to look at more than not enough. I drove it and it was solid, needed some TLC but it just wasnt what I "wanted"

3rd was silver 04 which looked like it had seen WOT on every stop light, engine bay was a mess, road grime, axles leaking etc.. no thank you.

4th was a black and tan with a healthy list on the carfax, but the car was clean...owner at the time took great care of it and it showed. So after looking over the car I made an offer and left with it..

Just thought I would share that

MarkFJ40

I paid $14,000 for an 05 with ~85,000 miles.
I will sell it to you for $22,000k if you want.

LeanPocket

iTrader: (6)

150k miles and i had mine for $9k

Needed trans mount, motor mounts, shocks, worn infotainment center buttons. Thats it.

steves ls6

If you look long and far enough you can instantly recognize a deal. Don't just look at mileage. Look for maintenance documents. There is a lot of crap out there. I would look here or the Cadillac forum first for a long distance purchase. An enthusiast will have already taken care of the issues on a car that are common. When you buy from a dealer your taking a chance that is why I wouldn't buy a car for more than 5-6k (I'm not saying you'll find a V for that much) from a dealer long distance. That's an easy loss to swallow for myself if the car turns out to be a turd. Anymore than that is a tough pill to swallow. Spending $20k+ for a long distance purchase is dangerous without a proper inspection. Mine has 23k on it and I wouldn't take less than $25k for it if I was selling it. I already dumped $4k replacing mounts and driveline parts to get rid of the wheel hop, and a set of tires 18 months ago for $1200. Budget for stuff like that when you get it if its not already replaced. Like I tell everyone that buys a used premium car. Yes you can afford the price of entry but can you afford to maintain it is the question. I know a lot of people that sold Benz's and Bimmer's because they could afford the basic stuff.

76Y82

This is what I look for too, it just so happens that most of the time lower miles correlates to less abuse. Low mileage, higher price examples tend to come from older guys who didn't abuse the car.

I picked up a '04 with 25k miles on it last year. I was willing to pay the extra 5k because I knew it was babied and taken care of. I still had to do the typical maintenance like motor mounts, but it was as close as I could get to buying a new V1 in 2013. I like the fresh start and getting to do the work myself. I've flushed all the fluids, put in a short shifter and some poly mounts and the car is approaching 40k miles now. I've already lost that extra 5k I spent for a cherry example, but I've got a reliable daily driver that feels like a 2012, not the 2004 it is.

And to add to what Steve said above, I could afford to spend the extra money. I wasn't stretching my budget going for a nicer V. I could afford it along with replacing tires and other wear items. I was looking for the right V, not a V for the right price.

BudRacing

iTrader: (3)

After owning one for 3 years, I feel like there are a lot of compromises with these cars. The most frustrating part is fixing all the stupid things that are wrong from the factory. Not to mention it's expensive.

If you're planning on getting a V2 in two years you're better off getting one that has depreciated considerably but has the upgrades/fixes/band-aids already on it. Keep that extra 10k and DON'T put any more money into the car than necessary.

If you buy a pristine V then DD it, you'll likely lose a lot when it comes time to trade/sell it for the V2. If your goal is to get into a V2, going through a V1 to get there is probably going to be the more expensive way to do it.

What do you have now?

An afterthought: If you pay $20-22k for a V now, then over the next two years spending time fixing the shortcomings of this car and potentially adding some 'fun' things, you could easily be near $30k into it. How close does that come to a V2 (that doesn't need much more than a catch can for 'fixes')?

isis

iTrader: (1)

I got an 05 with 13k on it two years ago for 18k from my friend who took it in on a dealer trade. Kind of a favor, obviously. I still had to do all the fluids, mounts, and bushings within a year or two.

Mileage and time will age a car. Rubber and fluids don't last forever just because they are sitting. I wouldn't focus so hard on mileage or pay a massive premium especially on a 10 year old car.

Becker

iTrader: (4)

I agree with both of you, but I think some like to go that route of low mileage which it makes sense if you plan on having a nice car in mint condition for quite a few years. I however only last a max of 3-4 years on a car just because I like to get into newer gen cars as the price gets down. That however is my problem, but thats why I personally look for good deals, unmolested, right price

isis

iTrader: (1)

Yep. I don't think we're saying completely different things. That's how I went and usually do too. I also tend to rack up miles and find a new love in 4-5 years or so one way or another. I rack up 15-20k miles a year so I like the lower mileage if I can get a right deal, but a lot of these things seem to need the refresh work anyway so if I were to do it again I wouldn't hold out for any real mileage concerns. Especially knowing how early all the rubber wears out. You're more likely to find a 60-80k car with all new mounts and clutch and suspension parts than a 20-30k car with ones that would last 10 more.

ls1247

iTrader: (2)

i don't care if it has 30k miles or 130k miles a stock V1 will need motor mounts, an ls7 clutch, cradle bushings, a driveshaft and an 8.8. I found a high miles 05 with nice paint and interior and used what i saved on a low miles car to turn this can into more corvette and less cadillac.

isis

iTrader: (1)

Pretty much. I think if you're gonna keep it stockish power, the 8.8 and driveshaft could be traded to some other bushings and a new stock rear at some point. But that's what I was getting at. You're more likely to have all that in a more worn car so it may be a better deal.

MN_V

iTrader: (5)

My 06, I am the 3rd owner I got it at 90k miles it is at 110k now two years later. It has original everything... motor mounts, rear diff bushing, suspension. Everything is in excellent condition and the rear diff bushing does not clunk unless you are sloppy with the clutch in 1st or 2nd gear.

Motor mounts are not leaking nor do they have any excessive play. Original dual mass flywheel does not rattle or anything drives great.

A lot of it has to do with how it is driven and cared for. The average Joe that already can't drive well or who wants to beat on it will probably wear those things out with sloppy driving when dealing with softer bushings and a heavier, powerful car. The owner before me was very much so a perfectionist I could tell and I think he took it really easy on the car. I got lucky.

If I were to test drive my car today, including an inspection of the underbody and components, and someone were to tell me it had 60k miles, I would believe them.