Used 2005 Cadillac STS Consumer Reviews
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Comfortable ride, good performance, clean styling
SLG, 09/24/2015
updated 03/28/2018
2005 Cadillac STS Rwd 4dr Sedan (4.6L 8cyl 5A)
42 of 43 people found this review helpful
My 2005 STS Norstar V-8 since it was new. Currently, it has almost 80,000 miles. There were a few minor mechanical problems when new, all covered under warranty, but over the last several years the repairs have been minimal, or just routine maintenance. The car has very good handling, braking and acceleration for a luxury car, and plenty of room to ride very comfortably, which makes road trips no problem. With the Norstar V-8 it has plenty of power, but without sounding like a "boy racer." The major caution when driving this car in wet, slushy, or icy conditions is the power. The traction control is okay but does not really rein in the car quickly enough if the rear wheels loose traction. I found that using snow tires during the slushy and/or winter months as well as adding 150 pounds of sand in the trunk made all the difference.
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Gorgeous car with a decent price tag.
Alex, 07/25/2016
2005 Cadillac STS Rwd 4dr Sedan (3.6L 6cyl 5A)
23 of 24 people found this review helpful
Bought this car from the dealership with 106,000 miles. It came in the "white diamond" color and the looks on this thing are head turning to say the least! This paint scheme practically could sell the car on its own! I've only owned the vehicle for a few months now but aside from a few flaws, which i'll point out, this is a relatively fun and comfy car to drive in. Firstly, for a car thats over 10 years old, the technology is surprisingly ahead of its game. Air conditioned seats, heated seats, driver recall settings, bluetooth which works great, nav system, dvd player, rear proximity sensors, tire pressure sensors, heated mirrors, and the list goes on and on! Too many electronics to name, which could be a blessing, or a curse, if any of these fancy bells and whistles malfunction. Thankfully its been smooth sailing so far, and everything has worked great. This car feels fast...i'm not one to boast about it, since I normally don't spend my time racing it, but it really does pick up and I find it almost hard not to give it some throttle on occasion. I find myself looking down at the speedometer from time to time and asking..."am I really doing 50 right now?!". The only complaints I have so far are the suspension. This thing is certainly not the smoothest ride out there! It feels awfully stiff and you can feel each and every bump on the road. I dread things like potholes because in this car, you'll practically knock yourself out if you drive over one!! My girlfriend has complained multiple times about the bumpy ride, and though the interior is loaded with luxury, it isn't doing its job correctly if you aren't comfortable during the ride! Other than the stiff as a board suspension, this car is a blast to drive around! In my old beat up Cavalier...I regretted driving on the highway...mostly just merging onto the highway because the thing was so sluggish and unsafe. Now i'm eager to merge just to hear the engine roar for a few brief moments! Not to mention the car feels much safer as well. Lastly, I keep hearing bad things about the gas mileage. I deliver pizza as a side job, and after a 6 hour shift, i've gone through a little under 1/4 of a tank. Not too bad for my standards. Not expensive to fill up, and it isn't as bad of a gas hog as people say it is. Overall, i'll say that this car has been a dream come true for me in my mid 20's. I feel much more confident driving this car than I did with my previous one. I have more fun on the road, and I feel safer while driving it. Did I mention the sound system is awesome?!
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2005 STS v8 in 2016; So Much Car for so Little
Christopher Newton, 07/25/2016
2005 Cadillac STS Rwd 4dr Sedan (4.6L 8cyl 5A)
32 of 34 people found this review helpful
Ok, so I bought this car a few months ago for a little over $5k. Brand new, eleven years ago mind you, it was somewhere around $68k at the dealership. It is pearl white (my name for it because that's what everyone says it looks like), Northstar V8, with every imaginable option. All of them, each and every one of them, work - despite the age, despite the 130k plus miles. It has a quirk or two here and there, but nothing that hasn't been easily sorted out. Also, apparently the previous owner decided to delete the mufflers and go with straight pipes (cats are still there obviously), and that alone sold me on it when I took the test drive. The SOUND, holy cow! OMGoodness, that noise. At around 3k RPM the V8 comes to life and rolls from a growl to a roar as you accelerate all the way to 6500. It's intoxicating if I'm honest. But mostly, inside and out, the car oozes class and elegance. Nevermind the snobs that say a plastic dash is cheap - frankly it doesn't LOOK cheap and who the heck goes around feeling the dash of a car every day anyway? No one, that's who. Everything is first rate, high-end and maybe ten or eleven years ago, at $67,000 one has a reason to complain about minute things. But today, at $5 grand or so - or even two or three times that if mileage is low enough to justify - it's simply to die for. I couldn't tell you the number of compliments I get on the car - it's several each week - even being more than a decade old, it's still an eye catcher. It's also a joy to drive, although it took some getting accustomed to for sure. I read one review where the owner laughably equated it to driving a truck. This clearly is due to the handling, probably magnetic ride, and the turn-in the car gives as it enters curves and counters G's. At first it feels like rear-end body roll but it's the shocks adjusting to the road and conditions and stopping roll before it starts. It's a unique sensation to the uninitiated. Mine handles terrifically, eating up curvy roads with ease and provides a steady confidence. So, it looks amazing, drives amazing, and the features? Yes, it has a ton of them. The 8 inch LCD screen with navigation is great, I have the 2016 update DVD so it's not old or stale. Turn-by-turn, maps, searches that are a bit cumbersome at times, but once you learn the system it's fine. Also integrated is voice commands which are head-shakingly amazing. Just have to know the command and it works - most of the time lol. There are ones I use regularly that greatly simplify use of the car. Like "windows down", "windows up", or "navigation home". The head-up display is a feature I never knew I'd love so much. At first it was annoying, but as I grew accustomed to it, I will no longer drive a car without it if I don't have to. It's not just that it shows speed, but that it flashes up integrated data as well, most notably navigation turns. The adaptive cruise control is great, but sometimes traffic is just too heavy for it - although that's true of regular speed control also. Forward collision warning is nice for sure - in the event you're glancing away and you come close to another car or object. Automatic high-beam headlamps is nice too, but sometimes it doesn't turn off for an on-coming car. Remote start is really nice but I don't use it often as I'm not that pampered frankly. The automatic lights work well, but mostly I just turn it off and choose to set lights manually. OnStar and XM Radio are nice features I'm enjoying also, in addition to being able to use my phone's streaming media to pipe to the car's system via Bluetooth and the onboard RCA jacks. It's a 2005-era workaround for audio/video but it works. If you're looking to buy one of these cars, do a few things; 1) insist on the navigation center stack, it was part of a big option package and at a glance you'll know the car has other nice options 2) Adaptive cruise has issues here and there, but the head-up display system is first-rate and it's an option I'd insist upon, 3) Insist on the automatic wipers - seriously, it's one of the best features on the car, they rock, 4) If you're looking at an '05 to '09, insist on the Northstar V8, 5) Bottom line, get it with as many options as you can. You'll love the technology! I can't say enough good things about the Cadillac STS. In one word, it's ridiculous.
Amazing car! Good job Cadillac!!
CStradling24, 09/28/2009
2005 Cadillac STS Rwd 4dr Sedan (4.6L 8cyl 5A)
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
I am one of the biggest critics about everything. This car is nearly perfect. I am in my early 20's and usually people my age dont have cars like this. It was my dream car and met every expectation. I own the V8, fully loaded with absolute every feature besides AWD. It never gets old driving this car. When I bought it, the car was still under warranty and I had some small issues fixed without a problem. The performance of a car this heavy is nothing less than what you would expect from Cadillac. The interior looks great and very classy. I like how Cadillac did not go crazy with buttons, they kept it nice and simple.
Reliable Beauty
Ed, 11/28/2010
2005 Cadillac STS Rwd 4dr Sedan (4.6L 8cyl 5A)
23 of 25 people found this review helpful
In 2005 I leased my 5th (and final) one. I love the car. Comfortable, powerful and classy. But sad to say, Cadillac decided to discontinue the model. I have been driving these cars (SLS and STS)for over 15 years and never had any major problems. Except for normal wear of consumables. My 2005 has never had to be tuned, and continues to run like a dream. That's reliability.
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