Opinions on 2002 Eldorado ETC Collector Series--472/1,596

[Matt CLC#18621]

Opinions on 2002 Eldorado ETC Collector Series?

Cadillac should never have disappeared the Eldorado name.

2002 CADILLAC ELDORADO ETC COLLECTOR SERIES, 1 owner, accident free... - $14,990 (Spartanburg, SC)

https://greenville.craigslist.org/ctd/d/spartanburg-2002-cadillac-eldorado-etc/7258045498.html
No Affiliation with 472 of 1,596!

Regards,
matt 18621
i am 2nd

[okccadman]

I absolutely love my Red Collectors Series.  My first 02 ETC went 250,000 miles before it started giving me overheating issues.  My current Collectors Series has 107,000.   Take care of them and they are good cars.  If I have head gasket issues i will just fix it and keep it. 

[James Landi]

Agreed-- if properly maintained and not "pushed," you'll enjoy many miles and a couple of decades of pleasurable driving to and from work, and an hour each weekend cleaning it up for the coming week of commutes looking sparkling new.  My reaction to a price for such a vehicle of this age, yet of  such design distinction and engineering is as follows:  What can I purchase with those dollars on the used car market?  If I'm going to use it as a daily driver to commute to and from work, these style Cadillacs make the beginning and ending of the day much more tolerable and pleasant, so much more so when compared with a much later model used "anything" else for the same dollars. DO indulge yourself--   Just make sure you are purchasing one that's in excellent condition-- a very close inspection by a qualified mechanic is an important pre-purchase investment--- any hidden defect can truly turn the entire experience sour. James

[Anderson]

Agreed-- if properly maintained and not "pushed," you'll enjoy many miles and a couple of decades of pleasurable driving to and from work, and an hour each weekend cleaning it up for the coming week of commutes looking sparkling new.  My reaction to a price for such a vehicle of this age, yet of  such design distinction and engineering is as follows:  What can I purchase with those dollars on the used car market?  If I'm going to use it as a daily driver to commute to and from work, these style Cadillacs make the beginning and ending of the day much more tolerable and pleasant, so much more so when compared with a much later model used "anything" else for the same dollars. DO indulge yourself--   Just make sure you are purchasing one that's in excellent condition-- a very close inspection by a qualified mechanic is an important pre-purchase investment--- any hidden defect can truly turn the entire experience sour. James

TBH I suspect that (subject to one's tastes...particularly the '80s models wouldn't do much for me) this applies to most Eldorado years from '67 onwards...if you can find one that has been well-kept, the value is generally hard to beat for what you get (...at least with the older ones, as long as you don't mind not being able to pass a gas station ;-) ).

Then again, I'm a sucker for being able to park myself in a bubble of the past for a bit every day now...

[76eldo]

Any Northstar pre 07 will need work at some point.
I love that vintage Eldorado and had a beautiful 1999 add my wife had a 2000.
My 99 gave me a lot of trouble. I bought it from a friend with 98,000 on it and it looks showroom new.
Loaded ETC with chrome wheels and sunroof.

I won’t bore you with all of the things that went wrong but I had a Northstar Cadillac Master Mechanic overhaul the engine and he did the new studs and gaskets and resealed the bottom end and it was great for a year. Then the block cracked in the front.  That was the final straw for me.

99 and 2000 had brittle block castings as per my Cadillac expert.

So if you by a collector series even with low miles at some point you will be putting $5,000 into it does engine work.