1997 Cadillac DeVille Review
Price Estimate: $145 - $234

Edmunds' Expert Review
by the Edmunds Experts
Pros
- Huge interior, traditional luxury, side-impact airbags, fresh interior ergonomics, Northstar V-8 engine
Cons
- Rides like a cruise ship in 20-foot swells, low and unsupportive seating positions
What’s new
DeVille undergoes a substantial revamp for 1997, including revised styling, the addition of standard side-impact airbags and a fresh interior that is actually functional. Concours receives stability enhancement and road texture detection as part of its Integrated Chassis Control System (ICCS), while a new d'Elegance model picks up where the defunct Fleetwood left off. Finally, the OnStar Services package provides DeVille owners with security and convenience features that will pinpoint the car's location at any given time or allow you to book a flight to Paris from the comfort of your driver seat.
For sale near Ashburn, VA
8 listings
- 95,470 miles
- No accidents, 4 owners, personal use only
- 15 City / 24 Hwy MPG
- Prize Auto (25 mi away)
Close
Located in Alexandria, VA
100% Gauranteed Auto Loan Approals for anyone over the age of 18 with valid Tax ID or Social Security Number. No Driver's License Required for Purchas...
AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary
Accident Free Vehicle: Yes
Personal Use Only: Yes
History Provider: AutoCheck
Title Details: Clean Title
Salvage Vehicle: No
Frame Damage: No
Theft History: No
Lemon Status: No
Free History Report: No
Features and Specs:
18 Combined MPG (15 City/24 Highway)
Listing Information:
VIN: 1G6KD52YXVU208208
Stock: Q8208737
Certified Pre-Owned: No
Listed since: 06-12-2025- 55,258 miles
- 1 accident, 2 owners, personal use only
- 15 City / 24 Hwy MPG
- Oaks Automotive (363 mi away)
Close
Located in Cincinnati, OH
AutoCheck Vehicle History Summary
Accident Free Vehicle: No
Personal Use Only: Yes
History Provider: AutoCheck
Title Details: Clean Title
Salvage Vehicle: No
Frame Damage: No
Theft History: No
Lemon Status: No
Free History Report: No
Features and Specs:
18 Combined MPG (15 City/24 Highway)
Listing Information:
VIN: 1G6KE54Y8VU300217
Stock: J300217
Certified Pre-Owned: No
Vehicle overview
Poised to take over Big Kahuna duties when the Fleetwood departs at the end of the 1996 model year, the De Ville certainly looks the part. With its eggcrate grille, slab-sided flanks and long, thin, horizontal tail lamps, the De Ville is unmistakably a Cadillac.
The big news for 1996 is the addition of the Northstar 4.6-liter V8 to the De Ville. The new engine puts out 275-horsepower; a whopping 38 percent increase over the old 4.9-liter V8 under the hood of the 1995 model. With the new engine comes a new transmission, and long-life engine coolant designed to last for 100,000 miles. Also standard for 1996 is Cadillac's Integrated Chassis Control System and Road-Sensing Suspension.
Concours models get a power boost to differentiate them from basic De Ville models. The 300-horse unit from the Cadillac STS sits under the hood of the Concours, and a higher final drive ratio ensures that this sporty Cadillac feels faster than its whitewall trimmed sibling. Unique to the Concours is Rainsense, a system that can sense when raindrops are falling and turn the wipers on automatically, at the right speed to keep up with the rate of rainfall. Magnasteer variable effort steering replaces the De Ville's Speed-Sensitive gear on the uplevel Concours, and a Continuously Variable Road Sensing Suspension is standard as well.
Both De Villes change interior trim color to "Harmony Gray." New radios debut for 1996, and an integrated voice activated cell phone is available in portable or non-portable format. Customers can personalize door locks and seat positions for up to two drivers, and climate controls get an air recirculation function. Located in the glove box are new switches for valet lockout and turning the traction control system off. Daytime running lights make these behemoths more visible on the road.
In this class of American luxury automobiles, buyers have three choices: the De Ville, the Lincoln Town Car, and the Chrysler New Yorker/LHS. We'd take the De Ville Concours. It is quick, silent, somewhat agile, and offers scads of luxury in a tastefully restrained package.
Cost to Drive
Monthly estimates based on costs in Virginia
$205/mo for DeVille D'elegance
DeVille D'elegance
vs
$198/mo
Avg. Large Car
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
Cadillac DeVille Owner Reviews
Most Helpful Owner Reviews
Trending topics
A good deal for the $$$
3.75 out of 5 starsgm owner 4 ever, 09/08/2008
1997 Cadillac DeVille D'elegance 4dr Sedan
I bought this car last year and have only put about 5K miles on it since. It is used mainly for long trips. The car only has 74k miles on it. I have had no problems other than the power ant stopped working and now I have to hand wash the car. Very smooth ride and strong V-8. I paid $4100 for the car and never looked back.
GM pulled the wool over our eyes...
2.5 out of 5 starswordofmouththeonlywa, 08/22/2003
1997 Cadillac DeVille 4dr Sedan
GM sold us a bill of goods here. As
soon as the warranty was up (only 4
years) this p.o.s. started falling
apart. The name CADILLAC used to mean
quality that you could trust. I have
seen nothing but problems with this
car. From headlights literally falling
off to fuel sensors or pumps or
something shorting out IN the gas tank
causing the electrical system to go …
haywire??? You tell me why I should
pay over $40g for this again??? Very
disappointed and of course GM
says, "Thank you for purchasing a
Cadillac and we appreciate your
informing us of how to improve our
products." Basically "screw you
sucker. We got ours."
Pretty good, but why any problems?
3.75 out of 5 starsStorm22, 06/27/2002
1997 Cadillac DeVille 4dr Sedan
This Deville makes one quart of oil
disappear every 1400-1800 miles
...considered within normal tolerance
by Cadillac ...have seen this over and
over again on internet sites. A truly
free economy would produce an immediate
corrective response by the manufacturer
to their hoped-for future customers.
However, car is very comfortable and
still gets a reasonable 17-27 mpg … for a
4,000 lb. car.
'97 deville
4.63 out of 5 starscp, 06/02/2007
1997 Cadillac DeVille 4dr Sedan
I loved this car. Luxury, good mileage 19-21 mpg. Excellent ride. I'm not a kid, and I'm not in a hurry, I'm into comfort. We live 20 miles in a rural setting in California. We drive a lot. I also have a Prius for my sales job, 45 plus mpg, 40,000 a year, but when we go out, we always take the DeVille.
1997 DeVille Highlights
D'elegance
Engine Type | Gas |
---|---|
Combined MPG | 18 MPG |
Cost to Drive | $205/month |
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place | 20.0 cu.ft. |
Drivetrain | front wheel drive |
Safety
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriver4 / 5Passenger4 / 5
- Side Crash RatingOverallNot Rated
- Side Barrier RatingOverallNot RatedDriver4 / 5Passenger4 / 5
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront SeatNot RatedBack SeatNot Rated
- RolloverRolloverNot RatedDynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of RolloverNot Rated
IIHS Rating
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.
- Small Overlap Front Driver-Side TestNot Tested
- Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side TestNot Tested
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original0
- Moderate Overlap Front Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – OriginalNot Tested
- Side Impact Test – UpdatedNot Tested
- Roof Strength TestNot Tested
- Rear Crash Protection / Head RestraintNot Tested
Related Used 1997 Cadillac DeVille info
Vehicle reviews of used models
- Land Rover Range Rover Sport 2021 Review
- Nissan Kicks 2020 Review
- Chevrolet Suburban 2021 Review
- Bentley Bentayga 2020 Review
- Ford F 150 2020 Review
Popular new car reviews and ratings
- Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 2024
- New Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
- Kia EV9 2025
- New Audi Q5
- 2024 EX
- 2024 Honda Pilot
- New Volkswagen ID.4
- 2025 Silverado 3500HD
- Honda Civic 2025
- GMC HUMMER EV 2025
Research other models of Cadillac
- Cadillac Escalade 2025
- New Cadillac XT4
- 2025 Cadillac CT5
- 2025 Cadillac XT6
- 2024 Cadillac Escalade
- Cadillac XT5 2024
- Cadillac OPTIQ 2025
- New Cadillac CT5
- 2025 Escalade
Research similar vehicles
Other models
- Used Dodge Avenger in Sanford, FL 2014
- Used Audi TTS in Antioch, CA 2023
- New Genesis GV70 for Sale in Stockbridge, GA
- Used GMC Envoy-Xl in Lewiston, ME 2006
- Used Lexus LS-500 in Napa, CA 2023
- Used Lexus Is-350-C in Fort Smith, AR 2015
- Used Chevrolet Cruze in Amityville, NY 2019
- Used BMW 8-Series in Radcliff, KY 2025
- New Chevrolet Traverse for Sale in Ambler, PA
- Used Aston-Martin DB11 in Asbury Park, NJ 2023