Rarely Seen: 2010 Cadillac CTS Wagon

With the launch of the second generation CTS sedan in 2008, Cadillac finally gave the hungry masses what they demanded...a wagon version of the BMW 3-series & Mercedes C-Class competitor.  It wasn't a bad looking wagon (and much better looking than the slab sided CTS Coupe thing) and the American buying public did exactly what they always do...which is to not buy the wagon and instead buy some crappy small SUV.  A few years later Cadillac discontinued the wagon (when they launched the 3rd gen CTS in 2014) and now the only way to get one is on the used market...which is okay because they are cheap. Find this 2010 Cadillac CTS Wagon offered for $7800 in Phoenix, AZ via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

6-Speed V8: 2005 Cadillac CTS-V

Cadillac launched their CTS-V sport sedan in 2004 with a manual gearbox and firebreathing V8 that was nothing short of awesome.  The standard CTS sedan was focused on stealing sales from cars like the Mercedes-Benz C-Class or BMW 3/5 series..but the V-version was aimed at stealing sales from BWM's M division and Mercedes-Benz AMG division...and those German sedans are wicked and fast...but seriously complicated and used engines built like time bombs...but the Cadillac used a pushrod V8 from the Corvette that was simple to fix...and I think the CTS-V is the choice for the cheap driver. Find this 2005 Cadillac CTS-V offered for $8,500 in New York via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Standard Transmission of the World: 2006 Cadillac CTS

I remember quite vividly the first time I drove a Cadillac CTS sedan in anger.  It was at one of those GM ride & drive events that were all the rage before the 2008 carpocalypse killed many a marketing boondogle budget item -- but GM put us in the seats of a CTS, BMW 3-series, and some kinda Volvo (forget which one...it was that good) and told us to tear up an autocross style parking lot cone track.  The BMW handled the best out of all of the cars, but the CTS was shockingly well composed compared to the previous "grandpadillacs" that we were used to seeing from the brand that claims to be "the Standard of the World".  The CTS in 2.8 or 3.6 liter trim wasn't as fast as the CTS-V version, but the V6 was peppy and the car was happy to NOT attract the attention of the 5-0 or leave pieces of carbon fiber and plastic on every speed bump in town. Prices when new were approaching an Audi/BMW/Merc, but now they are used and cheap cheap cheap..which is exactly how I like my manual gearbox equipped late model luxury sedans.  Find this 2006 Cadillac CTS offered for $4,500 in Cohocton, NY via craigslist. Tip from Joker.

A Challenger Appears: 2007 Cadillac CTS Performance

BMW's infamous 3 Series (that is currently inexplicably also badged as a 4 Series) is the benchmark for sport-luxury sedans across the automotive world...and for good reasons.  So when a competitor says they've built a 3 Series beater, all of the automotive press rolls their collective eyes (or "i"s..heh!) and gets ready to defend the crowd favorite. But I had a chance to drive a competitor from Detroit back-to-back with the 3er about a decade ago...and I liked the CTS better. Does the Caddy withstand the test of time, or was it just a fluke? Find this 2007 Cadillac CTS Performance here on eBay bidding for $3,300 with 1 day to go, located in Cookeville, TN. Tip from DM.

Mid Week Match-Up: Mad Max Today

We've all seen the original Road Warrior, a timeless piece of cinema that deserves a place in your collection sandwiched between Citizen Kane and The Godfather, but what if the movie was filmed today in the badlands of New Mexico and Max couldn't get the last of the Interceptor V8s...what would he drive?

A Better Five: 2008 Cadillac CTS 3.6 6-Speed

BMW is just about the last company on the planet to offer a clutch shifted manual gearbox in its executive class sedan -- and that is a good thing if driving isn't just an A-to-B exercise for you.  However, I'm going to let you into a little secret, if you want the best BMW 5-series from a few years ago, you should get a Cadillac. Find 2008 Cadillac CTS 3.6 6-Speed offered for $8,999 in San Diego, CA.

You Can Kill a Horse: 2006 Cadillac CTS-V

The first generation Cadillac CTS-V was released for the 2004 model year as a complete and total departure from Cadillac's traditional role as a builder of coddling geezer mobiles.  The Corvette Z06 powered sedan was nothing short of an M5 beater and is cheap on the used market today.  Find this 2006 Cadillac CTS-V here on eBay bidding for $8,100 with 3 days to go, located in New Palestine, IN.

Mid Week Match-Up: A $7k Car For Oakland Jeff

It's Wednesday, so time for another episode of Mid Week Match-Up, the weekly matching game where we help our readers pick the best car for their budget.  Today's MWMU request comes from Oakland Jeff who writes:

The trusty BMW wagon is getting a little long in the tooth...'02 325i (e46) with earth to the moon mileage. I talked the wife into a lower mileage (sub 120k?) 330i with a manual trans (woohoo!). Still has 4 doors & room for the 4 year old and associated gear, much more fun than the slush box wagon.

Here's is problem. Kelly blue book maxes out at around $5k but all the craigslisters around here seem to think their car is special ($8 -12k on up). Budget is ~$7k including purchase price and the list of things my trusted mechanic will want to do to bring it up to excellent cond., tax & lic., etc...

Mid Week Match-Up: Daily Driver for Matt

It is Wednesday, so that means time for another episode of William's Wacky Reviews of German Sausages...wait...that's not right...Wednesday is time for DT's  Mid Week Match-Up.  Today's request comes from Matt who writes:

My daily driver is an E36 BMW convertible, bought before my wife and I had any kids. Now, we have two small children - both old enough not to need a rear-facing car seat, but sometimes I've got to tote the two of them around in my car instead of the wife's Camry, and I'd like my next car to have enough room to carry both kids comfortably in the back seat even when the driver's seat is all the way back.

10k: Hidden In Plain Sight: Cadillac CTS V6 Roundup

The Cadillac CTS was released as a competitor to BMW's 3/5 series in the 2003 model year.  You've seen a few of the Corvette powered CTS-V examples listed on these pages, but there is another version that offers overhead cam sophistication, a softer ride, a much lower price point, a non-blingy grill and still available with a manual transmission -- the CTS V6 sedan. I had the chance to drive one of these at a pre-2008 Carmageddon GM ride-and-thrash event where you could drive a CTS, BMW 328 and Volvo S-something back to back on an autocross course...and the CTS was surprisingly agile and fun -best of the bunch.  Today we are going to look at a few examples.

5k: Almost a V: 2003 Cadillac CTS w LS1 V8

The Cadillac CTS was built from 2003-2007 as a competitor to the BMW 3-series, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Audi A4.  GM produced a base model that was as good as anything from the competition and the performance version (CTS-V) that appeared in 2004 challenged any ///M, S or F version.  However today's example is a base CTS that has been transformed into a V wannabe and offered at a rock bottom price.  Find this 2003 Cadillac CTS w LS1 V8 for sale in Tucson, AZ for $7399 via craigslist.

15k: 2004 Cadillac CTS-V

The Cadillac CTS-V is based on GMs 'sigma' platform - sharing parts with Cadillac STS & SRX.  The base CTS is a good car to drive, but the V edition is fantastic.  This 2004 CTS-V is for sale on ebay for a buy-it-now price of $14,000 and located in Pembroke Pines, FL.