1996 Cadillac Seville Review

Easy Rider

Written by: Jezk on 06/03/2008

Vehicle

1996 Cadillac Seville 4 Dr SLS Sedan

Review

I bought this vehicle brand new and have used it for just short of twelve years. The car rides and performs well, but is expensive to service and maintain. I estimate that to own and operate this car (less gas and tires) over 137 months was $68,500 or roughly $500 per month. All service work was performed by the dealer and the car still performs well with the exception of check transmission and check engine lights which occasionally come on and then go off. From the Edmunds Web site I learned that the fault is a defective "turbine speed input sensor" a $100 part that takes 15 hours of labor to replace at a cost of $3050 or $4000 for a rebuilt transmission.

Favorite Features

Handling, pickup, ride, and overall appearance. To maintain that look would require the driver's seat to be replaced with a new seat from Cadillac at a parts cost of $760 plus installation. Finally a new simulated convertible top at a cost of $900, and all is back to normal.

Suggested Improvements

Build a new car with body lines of the 1996 Seville, but enhance the quality of production and the reliability of the vehicle. Unfortunately Cadillac designs their new cars based on either a "star wars" concepts or as oversized behemoths to epitomize size and power.

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Great car!

Written by: stsgirl96 on 02/17/2008

Vehicle

1996 Cadillac Seville 4 Dr STS Sedan

Review

I have a 96 STS pear white. I bought it used with 160,000 miles. I am its 4th owner. I have owned alot of cars and I have to say by far that this one is the best. Yes, maintenance on these are quite expensive, but so are lexus and bmw maintenance. I think this is a great quality car. I have had alot of the same problems as others but I still love this car! Its a personal preferance. Either you love it or you hate it. I love it!

Favorite Features

Love the sleek body design and the roar of the northstar when you put your foot into it. Love the Bose! I like how comfortable the seats are.

Suggested Improvements

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Fabulous Car in All Aspects

Written by: Kent Bennet on 01/23/2007

Vehicle

1996 Cadillac Seville 4 Dr STS Sedan

Review

Back in '96 I paid $52,000 for this car brand new with all the options and it has been worth every penny. The ride is very smooth and there is hardly any road noise. I really like the exterior styling and the chrome wheels looked nice as well. The interior was possibly my favorite part of the car, heated seats and the Bose system was awesome. The fuel economy was maybe my least favorite part, but the mileage was decent for a V8. The only problems was premature brake wear and a slight burning of oil. I had to add a quart every 3,000 miles. Other than that I had no problems with this car. I hope the new STS I bought will be just as good as this STS Seville. It had 181,000 miles and still ran very well.

Favorite Features

Interior design and the engine was nice. It could sprint to 60 in around six seconds and had it going 120 on some back roads, the suspension on this car was awesome as well with the ability to take high speed turns.

Suggested Improvements

Nothing comes to mind, maybe a few thousand less on the sticker price.

3 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Love this Car

Written by: Me on 12/24/2006

Vehicle

1996 Cadillac Seville 4 Dr STS Sedan

Review

I just recently bought this car back in November and am glad that I did. It has so many features you would not expect in a car that is this old. The Northstar is an awesome engine and burns a little oil. The styling of the car is really nice as well.

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

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Very Nice Car

Written by: Dave on 12/23/2006

Vehicle

1996 Cadillac Seville 4 Dr STS Sedan

Review

I just recently bought this car. I was going to buy a newer LS but saw this car for sale and decided to drive it. I was really impressed. Its handling is great and EXTREMELY responsive. The car has 145,000 miles on it and it runs fine. I probably will only have it for another year, but it will keep me satisfied. I might stick with another Cadillac for my next car.

Favorite Features

The engine is very powerful. The sound system is nice, but like the last guy said it's not VERY loud. The seats are very comfortable, even in the back and all the features work properly.

Suggested Improvements

The gas mileage is just OK, averaging almost 17 to the gallon (I guess that is not bad for an 8). It has lots of torque steer, but that is to be expected with a powerful 8-cylinder front wheel drive car.

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