I found a winter beater

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So, lately I've been thinking about the prospect of driving the Volt in the snow. I did it briefly last season, and it was flawless. It isn't about traction or mobility, more that the car has never (except for this season a couple times) seen a salt-strewn road. It was an Iowa car it's whole life and it shows.

Since I already have 17" snow tires mounted on 5x115 wheels, I decided to limit my search to mostly GM FWD cars that share that bolt pattern (so.... almost all of them). After a couple of vodka's sitting on the couch last night, I came across this beauty:

2003 Cadillac Seville

I know what you're thinking... a 15 year old Cadillac. I thought the same thing. But, the photos were decent and the miles are low. I had the day off today so I went and took a look.

I have to say, I was impressed. No, it isn't perfect. Far from it. There's some rust on the quarters, the rear bumper is busted (but he has another I can have painted cheap), it needs a complete fluid service, etc. The factory nav doesn't turn on, I'm not terribly worried about that. The important things were all there: all power options work, the coolant was full, it did NOT overheat in the least, and the suspension has been converted from electronic already. The tires have around 8/32nd of tread left and all match. I guess it was the kids grandfathers and they just need it gone. I didn't even try to haggle with him on the price, for that money I'm lucky to have anything outside of a Ford Escort.

I'll be bringing it home Thursday assuming all goes well. I'll make sure and get some more pics. I think I might be a little crazy... but I can't turn down a Cadillac.
 
What's the problem with driving a 5 year old Chevy in the winter again?

Are you keeping the Volt forever or just keeping it nice for the next guy?
 
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
What's the problem with driving a 5 year old Chevy in the winter again?

Are you keeping the Volt forever or just keeping it nice for the next guy?


Absolutely none! I have no NEED for a winter car, but the benefits of the electric car are GREATLY diminished in the winter, so the gap between a gas-powered car and the Volt just isn't as great. That, and the fact that it's as clean as it is prompted me to find something to take the miles off the Chevy.
 
Batteries do not do well if you leave them in a discharged state in cold weather. If you do not use the Volt in the winter the batteries in it will self discharge with time. So it you do not use it be sure to put it on charge on some regular time interval that is short enough to insure the batteries do not get too low.
 
Good one
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Yeah, I would keep an electric car as far away from salt as possible! Just salt air like near the beach will start to cause crevice corrosion in the connections. Eventually you'll be chasing ghosts in the wiring ...

The Caddy's perfect. All the mean stuff like the suspension is done. The motor is broken in, but not worn out by any degree. A soon as you see snow clouds in the forecast, put the Volt away. Put it on a smart charger and it'll be good for a long time.

Run the Caddy through the drive-through car wash once in a while and it'll run a long time, and be comfy, and be nice, and be big enough to win in an ice road fight with anything but a truck
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Lengthening the attractive life of a car is a good thing to do.

Get a cheap power washer for the underside of both when they see weather or residual salt.

Have the Volt hot oiled like they do in Vermont.

How much was the Caddy? ...maybe hot oil 'em both?
 
Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Batteries do not do well if you leave them in a discharged state in cold weather. If you do not use the Volt in the winter the batteries in it will self discharge with time. So it you do not use it be sure to put it on charge on some regular time interval that is short enough to insure the batteries do not get too low.


The Volt will be in the garage and on it's charger all winter. I have a L2 charger, so it provides plenty of power to maintain the HV battery at cold temps, and the car automatically maintains the 12v battery while it's plugged in. I don't anticipate any issues leaving it for a few months.
Originally Posted By: Kira
Lengthening the attractive life of a car is a good thing to do.

Get a cheap power washer for the underside of both when they see weather or residual salt.

Have the Volt hot oiled like they do in Vermont.

How much was the Caddy? ...maybe hot oil 'em both?


I paid $1,200 for the Cadillac. I'm not going to bother any further rust-proofing on it, but it will get regular runs through the wash with an under body blast to keep things from getting much worse.
 
Sorry, but I wouldn’t have taken that Caddy if it were free.

The price between driving an electric car in the winter and this isn’t that far apart?

Chevy Volt vs V8 Cadillac. I’m pretty sure that Volt won’t be costing as much as a single digit mpg car.
 
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Sorry, but I wouldn’t have taken that Caddy if it were free.

The price between driving an electric car in the winter and this isn’t that far apart?

Chevy Volt vs V8 Cadillac. I’m pretty sure that Volt won’t be costing as much as a single digit mpg car.


Alright, I may have been optimistic about that. Yes, the Volt will still win hands-down once the numbers are crunched. However, the Cadillac is no single-digit car. I've owned several, and they will easily do 28-30 MPG on the highway and 21 in town. Also, I can take insurance off the Volt in the winter, or put storage insurance on it, so that saves quite a bit as well.
 
Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
A car like that is what drive-throughs are made for
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Don't you mean drive-in?
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Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Sorry, but I wouldn’t have taken that Caddy if it were free.

The price between driving an electric car in the winter and this isn’t that far apart?

Chevy Volt vs V8 Cadillac. I’m pretty sure that Volt won’t be costing as much as a single digit mpg car.


The Northstar beats the vaunted Buick 3800 in MPG most of the time in heavier cars, Like a Park Avenue vs a Seville/STS or a Northstar Lucerne vs a 3800 Lucerne.
 
Lots of people don't really understand what salt does to a car. It's criminal. If you get a couple of winters out of the Caddy and keep the rust and corrosion off of the Volt it was money well spent.
 
Originally Posted By: clinebarger
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Sorry, but I wouldn’t have taken that Caddy if it were free.

The price between driving an electric car in the winter and this isn’t that far apart?

Chevy Volt vs V8 Cadillac. I’m pretty sure that Volt won’t be costing as much as a single digit mpg car.


The Northstar beats the vaunted Buick 3800 in MPG most of the time in heavier cars, Like a Park Avenue vs a Seville/STS or a Northstar Lucerne vs a 3800 Lucerne.
I meant in the winter. Idling, cold starts, driving in the snow etc.
 
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
What's the problem with driving a 5 year old Chevy in the winter again?

Are you keeping the Volt forever or just keeping it nice for the next guy?

Another one who thinks they know what's best for someone else.

That caddie will plow through the snow without any problems. Looks like a nice buy.
 
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Originally Posted By: Lubener
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
What's the problem with driving a 5 year old Chevy in the winter again?

Are you keeping the Volt forever or just keeping it nice for the next guy?

Another one who thinks they know what's best for someone else.

That caddie will plow through the snow without any problems. Looks like a nice buy.


Til it breaks down...

Not to hate, but my experience and friends experiences with used luxury cars isnt good, but I hope it works out
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Originally Posted By: 14Accent
However, the Cadillac is no single-digit car. I've owned several, and they will easily do 28-30 MPG on the highway and 21 in town.


That's what I get with a 2.5L I6 in the summer. In the winter the city drops to 17 mpg.
 
I found a Caddy that I was thinking about , a couple of years ago . Did some research . Discovered some of the Northstar engines were problematic . Coolant leaks , I think .

Hope they got that fixed by the time they got to your model year .

I picked up a 2006 Lacrosse 3.8l June of 2017 . 37,000 + miles , looks about 90 - 95% . We really like it , although we do not put many miles on it .

Around 19 MPG in town and 27 - 29 MPG highway . Although we have not put that many highway miles on it . Think it has around 41,000 + miles on the clock , now .
 
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