1981 to 1895 seville wanted ??

[gary griffin]

Having recently retired I am considering replacing my grocery car (Daily driver) with a 1981 to 1985 Seville for various reasons. I have used Town Cars for business and daily drivers for over 30 years and they are great daily drivers. Reliable and easy to maintain and non changing mechanical features. I am on my 7th and I buy lease returns a year old.

Logic's for considering changing patterns

  No license fee. Here in Washington cars over 30 years old get lifetime free collector plates!

  Cheap insurance on collector cars?

  No depreciation

  Bored with Town Cars

  Fun to have cars different from neighbors cars.

Negatives??

  Leg room??

  Reliability?

  Costs of ownership regarding repairs and fuel efficiency?

I would consider a low miles and well optioned car at a fair value, preferably on the West coast. No convertibles or Vinyl roofs because I park outdoors as my garage is full!!

Any advice would be appreciated!!

 

[waterzap]

Well. That engine, the HT4100, is probably the worst engine ever made by Cadillac. Not that they will break, but they do have a reputation. Actually after 85 they became better. The 81's still used the old engine, not the new HT4100, so thats probably your best bet. On the other hand, because of the reputation, you can get the 82's to 84's usually for a great price. There is someone here selling two for the price of one.

[gary griffin]

Thanks Waldo, I have been apprehensive about the 4100 and did not know the 81 model had a better engine.  It is too bad that they came out with an engine that would not outlast the old flatheads. 

[waterzap]

The 1980 one had the regular 425 like I have in my Eldorado I believe. But if it does, it’s a solid engine.
The 81 had the 4-6-8 cylinder deactivation thing that did not work well, but you can disable it easily from what I hear. Also the 425
82 â€" 85 are probably the worst years. I had an 87 with the HT4100, and honestly it was fine. The intake manifold gasket blew, but that wasn’t too bad.
Apparently you could also get the 81-85 in the Buick V6 engine according to Wikipedia. These engines are probably rebuildable. So might actually be worth getting one with a bad engine, and then fixing it up. On the other hand the alu block does get brittle over time.
There is an 81 on Hemmings, but it looks awful, and the price is awful too.
There is also a nice 81 Eldorado, which I see is here in Charlotte. The Eldorado and the Seville were the same cars, just one had a long trunk and the other the short one.

The other issues you might have is the fuel injection system. I had a 76 Seville, and the ECU was the weak point. There is someone here that fixes them, but it’s a non standard unit. When it run, it runs great, but when there are issues, there aren’t a lot of people that can fix it. I don’t know the system the 80- 81 uses. Maybe its carbs for all I know.

If its a 425, thats a solid motor though. Its actually a detuned 475, so the motor is over engineered in many ways

[76eldo]

1980 was the first year for the bustle back Seville.
The engine is a 368 cast iron Cadillac engine with digital throttle body injection.
Rock solid and reliable.

[Davidrubin]

Gary I am sending you a PM.

Dave Rubin

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

I don't know anything about licensing regulations in WA -- but you may want to check
a few points.

Here in PA you are not permitted to use a car with an antique plate for a daily driver.
When you apply for such a plate, you have to show proof that you have another modern
vehicle to drive or they will not issue the antique plate to you.

Also, some insurance companies have a similar rule about issuing coverage for antique
cars.

Mike

[gary griffin]

Thanks for the heads up Mike.

   Our regulation here is classic license plates are for club events, car shows, cruises, and occasional pleasure driving. I have no real idea of what that means. Classic car insurance companies want you to have a regular driver also. I will always have a pick up truck and my 2004 Diesel 4WD crew cab will probably outlast me. I think I am in the loophole of the law until someone defines "occasional pleasure driving and cruises". Being retired I follow no particular patterns or schedules. Not trying to scam anybody , just trying to economically enjoy a few classic cars while I can. I see no need for a "Daily driver" for me.

    I was an superintendent  for a Texas company and drove a new Ford pick up with Texas plates two years.  In the last month I was stopped and the patrolman was unable to figure out what I was doing wrong and let me go.  I have 3 neighbors with Model T's and they go out almost every day in good weather.