Mutlu

To tell you the truth, I had the same dilema a year ago. I had a 02 M3 SMG and was getting bored with it. I usually go through cars every 1.5 to 2 years.

I test drove both the C32 and the S4 and found them not up to par with M3 as far as performance, fit or finish. After going through some options and looking for a car for my dad at the Honda dealer I picked up a 04 S2000 and sold the M3 the very next day.

After the birth of my baby daughter I barely drove the S and decided to look for a performance sedan. With the M5 discountinued and wanting a stick I came across the CTS-V. Yes I know it's a Cadillac and yes American cars have a bad rep, but after test driving it a couple times and getting the price down to $41k, I took the plunge.

I am very impressed by this car. It's fast, handles and comes with every option in it already. As for bang for buck you cannot beat it.

I am 34 and if you asked me if I would be driving a Cadillac a few years back I would have certainly said NO WAY!.

If you can live with a stick go test drive it. I am not sure if you're into tuning your cars but little things, like an intake, do a lot for this 5.7liter monster.

PLYRS 3

b/c for every guy that had problems, there's a guy like me who had none - not one.

i had an '03 C32 for 2 years (2-yr lease).

i'd get into another one (C55 now) if i was in the market for that class/size.

PLYRS 3

i assume you're not knocking the depreciation.

35K equates to a 62% residual after 4 years - exceptional.

steve c

That's after three years not four as we are still in 2005 -- but yeah the depreciation is not *that bad*. Then again there are folks finding dealer cars from 03 with 5k miles for 31 grand.

20k in 2 years.

ProV1

Mutlu,

how's the manual tranny in the CTS-V? the manuals in bimmers, ///M or non-///M, leave a lot to be desired.

also can you comment on the fit & finish on the caddy? creaks & rattles as the miles are going up? and what about the service at the dealers.. is maintenance program free for 3-4 yrs?

finally, you got it for 41k.. what is the MSRP? did you buy one thru the employee discount program? thx!

steve c

I like the concept of the CTS-V -- but the end product is a bit too flashy IMO.

Mutlu

The manual tranny in stock form is very "mushy". I had the UUC short shifter installed and it is close to the S2000 right now.

As far as fit and finish I am quite impressed. When I gave my wife her first ride, she said it felt solid like the E46 M3 I had just a lot quicker. I guess the 395lbs of torque helped quite a bit.

I currently have close to 4k miles and the car seems to be getting faster and faster. There are no rattles or anything like that.
Again, I wasn't big on American cars before the V but they have done a good job with this car.

As for free maintance, you really only need to get oil changes. I had my dealer throw in 5 of them. The Cadillac dealerships are nothing any other American car dealerships. They are very very polite and more of like a Lexus dealership. If that makes any sense.

I got my car before the employee discount but there were all kinds of promotions going on. It helped that the general manager of this dealership, Martin Cadillac, is a family friend. I would be more than happy to give you his information.

Couple of things they could have done different:
1. a normal handbrake, not the one you have to push with your foot
2. smaller diameter for the steering wheel. It's a little big but the rim is thick so it's not that bothersome.

Now if you're really interested in getting one, I would suggest a couple of things
1. short shifter
2. Corsa exhaust, which is offered through GM so it's under warranty and makes the car sound very very nice
3. FG2 Suspension, otherwise known as the "Nurburgring" suspension, also offered through GM
4. LPE offers an intake for $240 and you can definitely feel a difference in the car, power and throttle wise.

You can read up more about the car on this forum:
http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums...splay.php?f=98

Good article about the car from Motortrend:
http://motortrend.com/roadtests/sedan/112_...trio/index.html

And here is a video of a V drifting:
http://www.dtmpower.net/videofilexx...tvfirsttest.mpg

If you have any other questions, let me know.

s2kpdx01

I would like some more information on leases. Anyone have any good links for info on how they work? They always seem like a "good deal," but I subscribe to the idea that people are always trying to get my money and if it sounds to good, it probably is. Any tech would be helpful.
Thanks.

The Hoth

Wow, $3,000 down and $679 a month for 39 months. That is not very expensive.

Too bad MB, that is one of the drawbacks for making cars full of defects.

My friend's buddy sells MB, he "had" a customer who bought a AMG S-class sedan and returned it in less than two months. The dealer refused to take back the car in the beginning. He let them know he would line up his company's lawyers to suit them and get his money back. Yes, this guy has multiple lawyers on his payroll. IMO, they messed with the wrong guy.

His reasons for returning the car: Multiple trips back to dealers service department, car could not start in his garage (multiple times), basically an electronic nightmare. It all happened in the first month of his ownership of car.

Mutlu

Well you can check this site for lease/finance deals on all cars that are currently available.

http://www.edmunds.com/incentives/RebateCo...ncentives.1.1.*

I used to buy new cars all the time and get bored of them within 1.5 to 2 years. So I would sell them and take a huge loss. My wife got smart and is making me lease them now.

I do not like buying used cars as I really like to be the first one to drive them and fix them up. Plus in today's world I do not want to deal with cars that might be out of warranty.

Leasing is good if you like changing cars a lot and do not put over 12-15k miles a year on them. Also, if you are a business owner it works out for your advantage by being able to write off most of the lease payment.

What I do now is to lease a car for 3 years and sell it at 1.5 to 2 years into the lease. Usually, depending on the car, you will end up with a couple of grand when you sell the car.