Advice on buying 60/70s Cadillac

[64\/54Cadillacking]

Thanks everyone for such valuable advice! I have a lot to think about and will keep the forum updated!

Question: what is the average you spend on maintaining your Cadillac over the course of, say, 3 years?

I don't really keep tract to be honest, I do write down the date and explain what I did in a maintenance journal when I repaired something or did any kind of maintenance on all the cars that I own. I keep all receipts and write down the car info on the receipts to remind me what that part was used for and what car it went into. Believe me, you'll forget over time what you have done, especially the little of things. Like say a replacing the Flasher, or a light bulb.

Honestly it all depends on the condition of the car, some Cadillacs have been maintained extremely well, and won't require a ton of $$ to keep it running. Others will obviously be in rough shape, therefore will cost thousands of dollars to fix up over the years.

For example, when I first bough my 78 Lincoln Continental for a $1,000, it was missing it's hubcaps, and some exterior pieces, it had the wrong carburetor on it so it ran like crap, it needed new brakes, new exhaust system, new tires, some fluid changes, rust repair near the rear window and the removal of the old vinyl top including minor rust repair and touch up paint on different spots on the body.

I would say after about 3 years of ownership, including maintenance items, (Belts,hoses, plugs, wires, carburetor, body n paint supplies ect.. ) I've spent a little over $2,000.

I still need to redo the vinyl top, and after that the car will look pretty good compared to when I first got it. Ebay and the Junkyard has been my friend for getting hard to find parts.

[chrisntam]

You can spend as much or as little as you want, depending on how well you want the car to look and run, and how dependable you want it to be.

I'm trying to make mine new again, one part at a time and it costs more than I thought it would.  Still working out the kinks and have had my car for about 2 years.

Getting the car to that place you want it to be is what costs the money.  Maintenance from there is minimal, relatively speaking.

chris.

[Andrew Wall CLC#10638]

Len,

Everyone has had very useful, accurate  advice, but I will chime in that, whatever vehicle you choose, it  will in no way perform like your TurboR.  I currently have a 90 TurboR, and most recently owned a 1968 Deville convertible for 13 years, sold in 2013.  I sold the car, in small part,  because I worried about its ability to brake adequately in highway traffic.  4 wheel drum brakes are not easily maintained, and  a lap belt alone rendered me a little paranoid.  That said, if I only drove the car 30-40 mph around town, that would be good enough.

I have owned the following cars that are perhaps applicable; 64 Fleetwood Sixty Special (30 years ago, worth buying just for the 8 window master switch in the driver door), 62 Coupe de ville, (25 years ago, it did handle wonderfully), 67 Eldorado (driven daily for six years, sold in 1998, handled very well, loved that car) 81 Eldorado (owned 3 months about 5 years ago, not the best example to judge), 79 Fleetwood Brougham (owned 2 years, sold 6 years ago) best driving Cadillac I have ever owned!!

So, with all that, perhaps reading Maurice Hendry's Cadillac book, which does an excellent job of summarizing the marque through the 1970's, would help.  Great general overview that can give you context for all this great advice you are receiving.

In reality, it's hard to find the perfect set of attributes, in that safety increased while power went down and quality varied.  The 76 Eldorado sounds good (4 wheel disc brakes), but it's really about what you are willing to maintain.  Join the local chapter and see if you can get folks to allow a test drive.

[66 Eldo]

Len,

You need to get out and drive some Cadillacs to decide which one is best for you. I too do not understand the durability comment of the 472 and 500 engines. I believe they are more durable than the 390 and 429 but those are a little quieter as stated.

I personally despise the 71-76 Eldorados mainly for the convertible top mechanisms. (Sorry Brian) I have had a few  and to me they drive just OK. To be fair,  I prefer a rear wheel drive vehicle especially in such a large car.  Interior build quality went downhill fast on the 70s Cads, improving steadily beginning in 77.

My favorites are the 64-70 model year DeVille convertibles. A higher trim level RWD Eldorado Convertible was available 64-66 in these years. I like the 64 because it still has a nice tailfin and first year of the larger 429 V8 and the Turbo 400 transmission. 65 was a breakthrough year for Cadillac with a new frame. I like how my 66 Eldorado drives better than my 64 Eldo did. I also like the stacked headlights. Also, the 65-66 interior and dash is very nice. Not a big fan of the 67 and 68s although they are good cars. 69 and 70 are great cars but many criticize them for the plain dashboard. I just like the way a 69 or 70 feels and drives. The taillights and grille are real cool especially the 70. Firm ride, sit up high with big seats (like an R-R or B) and IMO feel the 70 is the fastest of the group. Lots of OPINIONS here on this thread but these are my observations since being around and owning these cars since 70. Thats why you have to drive a few for yourself.

Regarding repairs and maintenance, a Rolls or Bentley can be a money pit just for maintenance alone. I know, I have one of each. With the Cadillac there are more people available  that can perform repairs compared to the Bentley and parts are not dealer only. There are lots of aftermarket and NOS parts  available and not as expensive. More than a Chevy cheaper than your Bentley.

[76eldo]

They made a lot of 76 Eldorado convertibles, 14,000 of them.  The majority of the ones I see for sale have had a rough life although here are also a lot of time capsule cars that were bought and held as investments.  Mine is neither of those.  It was driven sparingly by the original owners who kept the car from fall of 75 to 2000. They drove the car about 4000 miles a year so it had just under 100,000 miles on it when I got it. Due to being dealer maintained its a tight quiet car and at an idle you can barely hear of feel it run. It floats down the road and really is one of my favorite cars.

It's the fact that there are always so many for sale in a plethora of colors that the prices are relatively low as far as a collector car.  Opinions vary but mine has been a joy to own and virtually trouble free for 15 years although I don't drive it much.  The original post mentioned a $20,000 price cap which puts a superior example directly in this range.

Brian

[Coupe Deville]

"Thanks everyone for such valuable advice! I have a lot to think about and will keep the forum updated!

Question: what is the average you spend on maintaining your Cadillac over the course of, say, 3 years?"


I acquired my 1972 Cadillac Coupe Deville in 2012 with 11,824 original miles (parked indoors since 1992). I gave it a full tune up, added a HEI distributor, changed all of the fluids, brakes, and valve cover gaskets. Not a lot of money spent and I had a nice solid car. Then September 22, 2014 (my 16th birthday) the car became a daily driver. And I don't mean a classic car that was driven 2 or three times a week I mean every single day. Even some highway use occasionally. The car has now just rolled over 26,000 miles. The only trouble I have had since it becoming my daily driver have been the fuel pump ($40), and water pump ($70). Then just factor in oil, filters, and gas. They both came with plenty of warning, and did not leave me stuck anywhere. I drove the car back home to do the repairs. Both jobs very capable of being done on your own. You cannot beat the 472/500's and TH400 reliability! My car has never let me down, and never not started on me. It is used a lot by me. I don't baby my car as far as driving it on the street goes. I give rides to people and my family. Just like a car of its day would be used. It has disk brakes upfront and the rear drums are very low maintenance. It also has 2, 3 point seatbelts up front. I like this car because out of all of my friends cars it is the only one we can put six people in. So if you haven't purchased a car yet, I would highly suggest a 70s RWD Cadillac. You wont regret it. And if it is before 1975, you can bypass some of the smog stuff for better drivablity.

Best of luck with you purchase!

-Gavin