mrsaxman99

I'm tired of hearing completely opposite stories on the subject:

when comparing 04-05 CTS-Vs to 06-07s, what is different, besides the engine?

Is the differential actually different/upgraded? If so, how much of a difference is it? Is it worth it to only consider a 06-07 if I'm in the market for a 04-07 CTS-V?

NeverSatisfied02

iTrader: (12)

Difference is minimal between the 2. Nothing you would notice. HP is the same either way and as a matter of fact, ive heard that the LS6's have some strong points the LS2's dont. Like i said though, either way youll be happy. Diff has usually been upgraded to the 06-07 diff on the 04/05's anyway.

mrsaxman99

Yeah, I pretty much have heard all the in's and out's of the two motors, relatively speaking. I'm mainly interested in how the differential is different/better (what, exactly, is different), and what else is changed, if anything.

NeverSatisfied02

iTrader: (12)

06+ diff from what i understand is made out of steel instead of aluminum so it is much more durable. Thats really the only difference. If you are really concerned with the diff, looks for an 04/05 thats already had the upgraded diff installed (alot of them have) or buy the 06/07.

tweeter81

Keep in mind that the overwhelming majority of diff problems (04-07) were just whining and the dealer replaced the unit because of that. Very few actual broken diff cases occurred.

Chances are that any 04 or 05 that you might look at will already have some sort of upgraded (newer part number/design) diff. They quit making the first gen diff many years ago. Now, GM only replaces the parts with the newest (best) part number, so there is probably nothing to worry about.

Another thing, I run an older version (maybe the second generation style???) of the diff in my 04 and I have whining, but have not had any problems in the last 20,000 miles (which is how long it has been since my original diff was replaced for whining).

Bottom line, if you learn to drive the car around the wheelhop problems you won't break the diff, period. Even this is mostly a moot point now that all the aftermarket axles are available that completely stop the wheelhop. For $500 you can basically be free of the problem if you have a brand new diff to start, but the issue with used cars is you don't know how bad the previous owner beat up on the car, or how many times wheelhop occurred. I wouldn't shy away from 04-05 cars though. There are plenty of ways to make those problems go away now.

tweeter81

Sorry to be the info police here, but I am 99% sure that all of the diffs are still made of aluminum. The main difference in the different diff part numbers is the thickness of the metal in some areas has been beefed up. There are pictures around that compare the various generations of the diff.

NeverSatisfied02

iTrader: (12)

Hey man, i wasnt 100% sure. I asked that question awhile back and i was answered with "diffs are now steel as opposed to aluminum". I wasnt sure if that was correct or not thats why i said "from what i've been told" before i continued.

Sorry for the confusion. Im still learning myself.

tweeter81

No big deal. I just like to make sure that new guys like yourself, and potential buyers of these cars are getting the best and most accurate information from this forum (and the Cadillacforum.com) that they can possibly get.

mrsaxman99

I'm glad I've started a thread that has resulted in members learning things (instead of "UGH...not a one of THESE threads!"....I know it probably qualifies for such comments).

Okay, so let's take a fork in the road:

considering all other things equal (year, color preference, etc.), would consider it smartest to pay:

a) $24k for a v with 50k miles
b) $20k for a v with 75k miles
c) $17k for a v with 100k miles

Bottom-line question is - how do relative miles affect relative cost? I'm basically looking at an '06 with 50k vs and '06 with 100k, and while I prefer the lower miles, the difference in price is very attractive. What are all the little odds and ends that wears on these cars (besides visual, cosmetic stuff) at high mileages?

itsslow98

iTrader: (18)

ANy warranties on the above, that would be a huge plus in my book as Ive had probably 5k in warranty work done for free. Id stay under 100k miles but thats just me. Id go with the 50-75k mile ones. I paid 25k for my 05 CPO with warranty till June 2011. It had 37k on it when i bought it last january and it was from a cadilalc dealer.

Motor mounts, bushings, radiator, diff obviously, i had my clutch replaced under warranty for a TSB due to pedal sticking, power steering pump....ive seen all these as potential problems from reading the threads.

NeverSatisfied02

iTrader: (12)

Ill give you my honest opinion. Id say considering the price difference (i went through this same thing) I'd go with the 100k mile V for less as long as it has been maintained and is in good shape. I decided to go with the 100k mile V and havent regretted it so far. I figure for the price difference between the 2, i can spend that money on mods and even throw a built motor in it for less than the difference so why waste that money on 50k miles when for less, it can have a built motor with 0. Thats just me though. I have a lot of friends in the right places where i can get my work done for cheap and 99% of the time if i have an issue with my car, the answer is just a phone call away.

itsslow98

iTrader: (18)

Built motor most times means 1000 dollar clutch, possibly a built t56(another2k) beefed up diff(2k dollar axles). So saying you can throw in a built motor isnt completely true. Not o mention replacing all the bushings can get pricey if it needs them. Not knocking a high mile V, I just dont think its true that its more beneficial then a 50k mile V.

NeverSatisfied02

iTrader: (12)

Ok... well heres the deciding factor. Do you plan to keep it bone stock or mod it pretty heavily? If you plan to keep it stock, low miles might be better for you. If you plan to mod heavily either way, i say save your money and go with a higher mileage V.

Even if I bought all of those things brand new at full cost like your saying, those things still only add up to $5k (most likely can be found alot cheaper if you wait for the deal to come along). That still leaves room for a built block and heads/cam package to be completely done.

Im not knocking a low mileage car. If you dont plan to mod, its probably the better way to go because the warranty is added insurance worth paying for. In my case, the car will be completely built by the time im done with it so it wasnt worth me spending big money to spend even more to get it where i want it. Id rather spend less and spend the money i saved on mods.

tweeter81

I'm always a fan of the lower mileage stuff. When looking for used cars, especially sports cars, I don't even look at stuff that has over 50K miles, that is just me.

There are too many variables to consider when buying a really high-mileage (I consider 100K very high-mileage) performance car. They are probably going to have been driven hard and 100K miles takes its toll on every aspect of the car (seat leather, *****, arm rest, paint, suspension, brakes, bushings (there are a ****-load of bushings), motor, electrical system, etc. If you get a lower miles car, you can rest a bit easier knowing that you can rectify an issue before it gets really bad, i.e. if the previous owner was not maintaining something like the seat leather for 50K, you might still be able to save it. But if the problem went on for 100K, usually it will be too far gone to save and then that costs you money to fix something that is oftentimes mundane.

It also really just depends on the overall condition of the car. Are little things wrong, like scratches on the interior plastic and door dings on the outside? Things like that reflect how much attention the previous owner paid to the condition of the car. Go with the car the feels better, but if you can swing it, the lower miles car is a better bet in my book.

TriGuy

iTrader: (1)

I would go with the lower mileage V for the reasons above. I found numerous V's with close to 100k miles on them. When I was searching I put my cap at 50k miles. Took me a while of searching but finally found one I liked. 2005 with 50k miles for $19k....If you have the time be patient, the right deal will fall in your lap...that is what mine did.

onebadcad

iTrader: (1)

Buy the V that appears to have the highest level of mechanical maintenance and has the best paint, rims, etc... Mileage is a good measure, but why buy the lowest mileage car that was ragged on and not maintained properly. My V has 42,XXX and I guarantee you that no other V with less mileage looks better, as in the past 3.5 years I have only put about 9K in miles on her; I wax the V at least once a month just to make sure it looks pretty sitting in the garage. Check body panels for alignment, check under hood for leaks, look at seats and carpeting for wear and tear. Low miles, other than the warranty consideration, is a lesser factor to me than most people, as the LSx motor will get you 150+K miles. Also, consider the seller, if private, as I would rather buy a V with 100K miles from a little old lady from Pasadena, than one with 50K miles from a drag race enthusiast.

big reg

iTrader: (28)

I bought my V a few weeks ago from Ohio. Pd 20700 for an 04 with 28614 miles on her. You just have to look hard and be willing to ship. Interior is literally brand new. Aside from the usual rock chips in the square front end it is immaculate. It was only driven 4086 total miles the first 2 yrs of its life. The gentleman I bought it from bought it at 19k miles and sold it as he did not get to drive it as he has a 100 mile round trip to work each day. GMPP warranty is good to 8/11 or 55k miles. I dont know if the rear has been updated but I will try for one under warranty soon and then start modding.

I would never buy a high mileage sports car to be honest. I bought my 03 Cobra with 19k miles on it a year and a half ago and sold it with 26k a few weeks ago. Most of my other cars I bought new with the exception of my F-body in 05.

SkullV

iTrader: (11)

Just in order to actually answer the question you asked.....

Differences include:
1) 06/07 have steering wheel radio controls
2) 04s have a separate on star antenna on the rear window
3) 05+ have a pass airbag light visible in the rear view mirror
4) 06+ upgraded transmission redesigned shift lever and gear set with carbon reinforced gears in 1st, 2nd and 3rd for improved shift feel and crispness

also a good reference:
http://cadillacfaq.com/faq/answers/my-chart.html

Finally all the differentials are made of aluminum, there are 3 variants of the differential for the V1. The first is the standard 04/05 diff, the second is the standard 06/07 diff which has increased fluid capacity, larger cooling fins, and slightly more material in the pinion are of the differential, the third is the latest "08+" style of the differential, it is exactly the same as the 06/07 but has even more material in the pinion area as well as an upgraded pinion.

NeverSatisfied02

iTrader: (12)

I passed up an 04 silver on black V with 64k miles that had a K&N intake, Corsa exhaust and K40 radar system for $15,500 to buy my car.

As someone else said, these LSX motors are strong! I've seen them go to 200k being sprayed without any issues. Proper maintenance is key and even when it does give out, a new built motor is more affordable than you would think.

I considered all of the things everyone else did. Paint... yeah, it could be better as it has some rock chips and flaws. I can have those PDR'd for cheap. Interior was clean but could be a little cleaner (im picky). It shows some wear which was expected. I planned to replace the tan with black anyway which ill be doing tonight so thats really not an issue for me. Mechanically, the seller had reciepts for oil changes and misc maintenance that had been done on it. I bought the car with just over 100k on it and the extended warranty had just gone out at 100k. Right before it went out, the car had a complete check up. The original owner was an older lady. She traded it in in 2008 with 60k miles on it which is when the previous owner bought it. He made a 100 mile commute for work and it was his daily driver so in less than 2 years, he put 40k miles on it. Considering the car had a lot of paperwork to prove it was maintained and that its obvious majority of the miles are highway miles, i know the car wasnt beat on. My car (im pretty sure) still has the stock 04 factory diff in it. 100k miles doesnt always mean "ragged". A 10k mile car could be beat on just as bad or worse than 100k mile car. The guys that rarely drive their cars are the ones more likely to beat on them IMO because when the car comes out, its usually for spirited driving as it is a "toy" to them.

Anyway, we all obviously have different opinions on this. In my case, i bought my car for $12,100 and it came with an extra rear diff. It also had a K&N intake and Magnaflow catback on it too. By far the cheapest V i've found considering how solid the car is. Thats half of what i see a lot of other guys paying. My car will be fully built by the time i reach ya'll's price tags on buying yours with less miles bone stock. I wasnt going to disclose this but for the sake of this thread, im just showing a perfect example of a good deal that can be found if you search hard enough. Warranty to me has never been very useful. Almost every car i've owned had a warranty and i've never even had to use it.

And btw, im coming from a 14k miles 300C SRT8 and a 39k miles built 03 cobra. Those are my 2 most recents before the V. I do have appreciation for low mileage cars. The newer definitely the better but not when there is such a vast difference in price.

maxspeed96ct

iTrader: (3)

ls2 makes alittle more TQ then the LS6 to the wheels.
especialy when cammed.

The 06-07 diff is stonger.

but there is a good size price gap between the 04-05 to 06-07