Category: Cadillac

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Same Company, Very Different Childhoods; 2016 Buick LaCrosse vs 2016 Cadillac XTS Vsport

I started writing this post on the Amtrak Auto Train headed north after my Florida pilgrimage to see the 24 Hours of Daytona, hang in Florida for weeks, and attend the Daytona 500 in one fell swoop. Done. I was intrigued by the Buick LaCrosse below, a low-mileage, low-priced car with a surprising number of features for a 10-year-old GM product. Thought I would be in and out with a “quick hit” piece. Two things sidetracked me. First, I learned that the Buick shared a platform with the Cadillac XTS through 2016, and I wondered how they compared. Second, our train just hit a pedestrian in the woods southwest of Jacksonville, Florida. Tragic, although I have more time to write. I’ll try to keep it short. Like life.

Same platform, different lines. My preference is the Buick’s soft curves over the Cadillac’s sharp creases, even though I once bought a loosely similar 2018 Cadillac CT6. All personal preference. The Buick is your trustworthy, quiet, cardigan-wearing uncle up against his younger Cadillac cousin, who also bought an espresso machine and crypto. Honestly, if it weren’t for the Vsport these would be the same car – although Buick stopped making sedans in 2020 and Cadillac continues even now.

To be fair, although I’m being a little unfair with this comparison, the Cadillac XTS is the top of the line Vsport Platinum – but it’s not the CTS-V with the Corvette V8, so it’s not completely outrageous. This Cadillac has the same family DNA as the Buick. And clearly this family favored the Cadillac with a driving coach.

Switched the order up on you. The interior shot above is the Cadillac, the Buick below. Here’s what they have in common: heated and cooling seats, heated steering wheel, heads up display, auto cruise control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, driver assistance packages, Bose audio and navigation. A lot for 2016. The XTS also has seat massagers. We love seat massagers. Just like the exteriors, the interiors are soft and circular, or sharp and linear. The Buick’s cupholders are for decaf. The Cadillac all Red Bull.

Let’s look under the hood: both start with a 3.6-liter V6.

The Buick LaCrosse (above) stays with a naturally aspirated engine that ekes out 304 horsepower, which isn’t nothing, and, with GM’s Hydra-Matic six-speed, pushes 60 mph in the mid-six-second range. Not for me, but not horrible. The XTS (below) has the same 3.6-liter block (Car and Driver says it is – Cadillac says its a better block), but with twin-turbos added that increase horsepower to 410. Coupled to GM’s 6T80/6T75 series automatic with manual-shift mode, necessary for the additional power, the XTS zooms to 60 mph in a very respectable mid-four second time. Oh yeah, another difference is the Buick is front wheel drive, and the Cadillac AWD. Another reason for the upgraded transmission.

Which one would you drive? The Buick, with the added “Ultra Luxury Package”, sold new a decade ago for perhaps $45,000. Surprisingly, MSRP on the XTS Vsport Platinum was perhaps $73,000 – a whopping surcharge for the performance and complexity. But used they are within a thousand bucks of each other. Maybe the Buick is for retirees and the Cadillac is for retirees who still need to get somewhere? For sure the XTS warrants a MaxCare warranty. And with such low mileage, you could get MaxCare for another 120,000 miles on the Buick – but should you? Seems like a pretty straightforward car to maintain and fix. The Cadillac caps out at 88,000 miles of MaxCare, if that matters. I’d do it. With five years of MaxCare you could drive over 17,000 miles annually without risk of paying for a major repair. (And by the way, the Cadillac was wrecked once back in 2018.)

The 2016 Buick LaCrosse Premium is currently on reserve here in Norcross, Georgia. You can track it by the link or the Stock Number below. If you choose to. BTW – there’s an intriguing stupid low mileage LaCrosse I’ll add at the bottom of this piece if you’re interested.

Stock No: 27950006 VIN: 1G4GF5G30GF254367

The 2016 Cadillac XTS Vsport Platinum is also on reserve here in Winchester, Virginia (near me!).

Stock No: 28141142 VIN: 2G61W5S80G9128888

Amtrak Update – there is no update as of the next morning. A five hour delay into the night as the accident becomes a crime scene. The crew believes the “trespasser”, as Amtrak calls it, was a suicide. So sad. Googling it brings up nothing, except at almost exactly the same time an Amtrak train hit someone in North Carolina. Seems not infrequent – second time I’ve been on a train that hit someone on the tracks who wasn’t supposed to be there.

Continue reading “Same Company, Very Different Childhoods; 2016 Buick LaCrosse vs 2016 Cadillac XTS Vsport”
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Reporting from Le Mans (Sort Of) – A Very Nice and Reasonably Priced 2014 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon

Even on vacation, I’m scrolling through the CarMax app for unicorns, and believe I added this 2014 Cadillac CTS-V wagon to my “saved” profile while in France mid-June for the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (my sixth). In my head, there was a loose connection between this Cadillac with a Corvette engine, the Cadillac Hertz #12 car (below) that came in fifth overall (fourth after the cheating #50 Ferrari was DQ’d), and the #81 Corvette Z06 GT3.R that finished on the podium third in LMGT3 – but there are lots of loose connections in my head in general. I couldn’t write until I got back to the USA. More on Le Mans later – back to the Cadillac CTS-V wagon.

Cadillac introduced the wagon version of the CTS-V in 2011, but only made them through 2014. With perhaps 2,000 units sold, it’s a unicorn (514 manual models are definitely unicorns!). “The CTS-V wagon shares the 556 hp (415 kW) engine and six-speed manual or automatic transmission, Magnetic Ride Control, Brembo brakes, 19-inch aluminum wheels and performance tires, and a dual-airflow grille also used in the CTS-V sedan and coupe.” – Wiki. Motor Trend tested an identical CTS-V wagon in 2014, achieving 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. This made it the quickest CTS-V sedan or wagon they had tested to date, matching the exact same timing as the 50th anniversary Porsche 911. The wagon also pulled 0.93 g in lateral acceleration. Not bad for a 4,400 lb “family” car.

By modern standards, the car is fairly average inside, featuring seat heaters, navigation, and Bose audio, but lacking in other technology and convenience features. It’s a driver’s car, and I have to remind myself that not all drivers are as soft and old as I am, insisting on features like seat massagers, heated steering wheels, and automatic cruise control. It’s actually a nice interior if you don’t want the fancy stuff. Underneath, the car has Magnetic Ride Control and Brembo brakes. Performance oriented.

The Cadillac has a giant cargo bay with or without the seats down. Great road trip car, except for the 14 city/19 highway miles per gallon. You pay a price for the horsepower.

The Cadillac CTS-V features a six-speed automatic transmission, making it less rare than a manual, but no less impressive in terms of speed. And look at CarMax’s key photo. Are they trying to make me think it comes with two keys by showing the emergency key in the photo? Shame.

The heart and soul of the Cadillac CTS-V wagon is the 6.2-liter supercharged V-8, based on the Corvette LS9 (from the ZR1), which produces 556 horsepower. Historically, the small block motor has been quite reliable; yet, I’d still opt for Maxcare, given some reports of trouble with the Magnetic Ride Control shocks and leaking rear differentials. Honestly, I suspect the shocks are not covered by MaxCare, but an inspection during the first 90 days or 4,000 miles should tell you if they’re healthy. If not, insist on replacement by CarMax or return the car and get your money back.

Typically, an American car like this would be eligible for MaxCare for an additional five years and up to 150,000 odometer miles. Oddly, CarMax has dropped the MaxCare terms on its website for all cars, it seems. What’s up with that? I will have to ask them and report back. I dislike this intensely.

Today, there are 18 CTS-V wagons on Autotrader and six on Cars.com. Not a lot out there. One has almost the same mileage and is $6,000 more. A few have only 10-15,000 miles and are selling for astronomical prices ($90k), and a few of the rare manual transmission models are also commanding high prices. This one is very reasonably priced at $57k and 32,000 miles. The 2014 Cadillac CTS-V wagon was sold new for approximately $75,000. In eleven years, it hasn’t depreciated all that much, but it is an unusual, limited-production car. At the moment, this Cadillac is being shipped to Ellicott City, MD, near Baltimore. Here’s the link to track it.

Stock No: 26709277 VIN: 1G6DV8EP8E0125037

KEEP SCROLLING FOR MY LE MANS JIBBER JABBER

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Quick Hit – Another 1 of 1,767 Cadillac CTS-V Wagons. Not Cheap.

After the weekend novel on buying my Mercedes GLE63 AMGs, thought I’d squeeze in a really short piece here, another ultra-low mileage Cadillac CTS-V wagon that blog reader Cannon and I stumbled upon. Unfortunately, it’s an automatic, and yet it is still a quite rare unicorn. Rare, except CarMax somehow keeps finding these low mileage beauties – it was just last month that I posted about another 2012 with only 11,000 miles selling for $69,998. It just sold and here’s another chance!

This 2012 has 12,000 miles on it and is offered at $72,998. Looks brand new inside and out. But is it worth $73k? Yes, if you want a CTS-V wagon. All the others in the country, and there aren’t many, are far more expensive even with 50-60,000 miles. Hell, there’s one at PJ’s Auto World in Clearwater, Florida with only 4,000 miles on it selling for $89,990. All the sudden this price isn’t bad, although there are a lotta newer, hotter cars out there for $73k.

The Cadillac has heated and cooling seats, rear view camera, and Bluetooth. But what it really has is a huge 6.2 liter, supercharged V-8 motor rated at 556 horsepower. With the six-speed automatic, the Cadillac hits 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. (That’s what I wrote last month, and I’ll write it again next month when CarMax lists another one!)

This 2012 Cadillac CTS-V wagon is still worthy of a 150,000 mile, five year MaxCare warranty. Not sure it’s necessary. Find the three-owner, accident free car here in Fremont, California.

Stock No: 24452771 VIN: 1G6DV8EP1C0142534

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Quick Hit – 1 OF 1,767. Ultra-Low Mileage 2012 Cadillac CTS-V Wagon!

My father was a huge fan of station wagons. With four kids, family trips long and short were just made easier with a wagon. We had some behemoths, like our 1961 or 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air (Impala?) wagon below carrying us from Baltimore to Kentucky to see family. (That’s a two year old Chuck checking his pockets for keys.) My favorite was the Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser with the skylight roof window. We had some mid-sized Rambler wagons, and for some odd reason a tiny, two-door Opel Kadett wagon. Cruel parenting to squeeze three kids in the back of a two-door anything (the fourth kid, often me, rode on the front hump.) But my father never, ever had a Cadillac. And he never had a wagon this fast.

The wagon version of the Cadillac with a Corvette motor (that’s what CTS-V stands for?) is a rare Cadillac indeed, with only 1,767 units manufactured during its 2010-2014 lifespan. The manual transmission CTS-V wagon is an even more extinct unicorn, at only 514 with a stick. Last CTS-V wagon of any kind I saw was two years ago this month, and Hans and I swapped texts and a photo but I never posted and the CarMax link is long gone. Sigh. This one will NOT get away. Ironically, I had this one saved about the same time Hans texted me again!

This is an 11 year old Cadillac and (to me) the lines of the wagon are still unique, almost fresh. The wagon has a real sleeper, secret family hauler race car quality about it. No diffusers or special vents. The mesh grille looks purposeful, as does the muscular bump in the front hood. But you have to squint to see the V badges.

The body may look sleek, but the innards not so much. The pop up infotainment display looks clunky compared to an Audi A8’s slender screen. The thick steering wheel and Recaro seats ($3,400 option) should help with high-speed maneuvers, though. CarMax lists the car as “Loaded” with 9/10 on features, and yet it has only heated and air conditioned seats, panoramic sunroof, navigation, Bose and Bluetooth, a rear view camera, and remote start. My 2010 Mercedes S-class had so much more, but then again it sold new for maybe three times what this Cadillac did. So not sure how it’s “loaded”.

The cargo space is merely adequate at 25 and 58 cubic feet with second row up and down, respectively, and understand that’s less than a similar E63 wagon. But for those of us who think we need an SUV to “haul stuff” (even though we rarely do) the Cadillac wagon is a nice alternative.

My father also had a 1959 Chevrolet Kingswood wagon with the rear-facing third row seat, blue and used like this one, and it was the bomb to roll down the highway staring down Think there are still Volvos, Mercedes, Teslas, and even Ford Taurus wagons out there with these cool rear facing seats.

Enough beating around the bush. The best reason to buy a Cadillac CTS-V is the huge 6.2 liter, supercharged V-8 motor rated at 556 horsepower. With the six-speed automatic, the Cadillac hits 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. I’m sure it sounds badass through it all.

The reason to get THIS 11 year old Cadillac CTS-V wagon is because it has only 11,000 miles on it. (If my arithmetic skills serve me right that’s….1,000 miles a year?) Find this 2012 Cadillac CTS-V here. It was reserved in Irvine, California and is now on its way to Oxnard for another test drive. It’s selling for $69,998, sadly that’s more than it sold for new. MaxCare? Why not, and run this wagon hard until it breaks. And someday I may have to pick up a wagon myself in memory of my Dad.

Stock No: 24619391 VIN: 1G6DV8EPXC0156237

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The End Is Near…….for Some 2010 and 2011 Unicorns!

CarMax inventory is returning to pre-pandemic levels – about 60,000 as I write – and things are changing. Not easy to see, but perhaps you can tell what the cars above have in common? If not, they’re 2023 cars – used cars – at CarMax lots. Only a handful, and yet it means CarMax is moving into a new inventory year and will be jettisoning some from long ago. Traditionally, CarMax says they offer European cars up to 10 years old, and all others up to 12 years old. In the five years I’ve been blogging, that really hasn’t been the case. There are (technically) 12 year old European cars still in the fleet, although not many. Of the 519 2011 model year cars nationwide there are only 41 European cars left. At some point there will be none. Some of the more interesting ones I’ve included below. For non-European cars, there are a whopping 156 cars from 2010 – two offered below. As you know, I love that CarMax will sell nearly bumper to bumper MaxCare warranties for cars that are now up to 13 model years old! And as part of this nostalgic post, here’s the link to last year’s post when 2009 models were sunsetting.

I (almost! Update below.) missed the opportunity to write about a 2011 Mercedes CLS550 available last month. It’s significant because 2011 was the last year for the C219 “shooting brake” model before it was redesigned in 2012. Maybe CarMax will get one last one. For now, here’s a 2011 Mercedes SL550 with an unbelievably low 17,000 miles on it. It’s being transferred at this time. MaxCare available for another 108,000 miles. With a 5.5 liter V-8 making 382 horsepower, heated and cooling seats (with massagers), Bluetooth, air scarf – it’s a fairly nice old convertible.

I believe the car is headed to Irvine, California. Here’s the link if you want to track it.

Stock # 22955064  VIN # WDBSK7BA1BF161828

UPDATE. Here’s the 2011 Mercedes CLS550 I thought had been sold. It’s back for $23,998 at 53,000 miles. Nice four door coupe. It’s back in Phoenix. Stock number 22953003.

What we have below is a truly obsolete car – a Saturn. Thought I had seen the last of these at CarMax some time back, but here’s an Outlook from 2010 – the final year of manufacture. It’s not the greatest SUV every made and only 3,600 were sold in the final year. It has a modest 281 hp 3.6 liter six cylinder and not much technology. It’s definitely cheap by CarMax standards at $10,998. Surprisingly, there are only about a half-dozen cars less expensive than this one out of 60,000 in the inventory. Used to spot unicorns for half this price.

Interestingly, CarMax is going to 150,000 miles for MaxCare but only 36 months. This 2010 Saturn Outlook is priced at $10,998 and in being transferred to Houston, Texas. Here’s the link.

Stock # 21947867  VIN # 5GZLRUED3AJ197696

The year 2010 also saw the last Cadillac DTS roll off the line, and this one’s a beauty – if you can get over the fake convertible vinyl top that takes us back to the 1920’s and 1930’s when automobiles hoped to replicate the style of horse and carriage coach builders. While you probably think I have a deep knowledge of these automotive topics, I stole this vinyl top background too from an eBay Motors blog. Odd it has a sunroof in the fake convertible roof. No shame.

This 2010 Cadillac DTS is less than $20,000, really low miles, and for an old GMC has some surprising features; seat massagers, lane departure and blind spot warnings, heated and cooled seats, Bluetooth, Bose sound – but no rear view camera. It does have the anemic 275 hp Northstar V-8, and it also has about 122,000 miles and 60 months of MaxCare available! It’s a platinum edition here in Southlake, Georgia.

Stock # 22551884  VIN # 1G6KP5E9XAU133371

Not obsolete, but this 2011 Mercedes E550 is just one handsome, 14,000 mile German family car. The 382 hp V-8 ain’t even broken in. It’s nicely appointed, with a Harman Kardon sound system.

This 2011 Mercedes E550 Sport is a one owner, accident free car available here in Doral, Florida.

Stock # 22844553  VIN # WDDHF7CB1BA420943

While on the subject of beautiful, low mileage German cars, how about this 2011 BMW 328 with less than 9,000 miles! Not even driven a thousand mils a year. Looks almost new inside. The 328 has a 230hp inline six cylinder not unlike the one in the 2002 BMW 330, and the 1992 525i I once owned. In all of them I could not understand the strong acceleration from such little horsepower. The car is selling for $26,000 a dozen years old.

This 2011 BMW 328 don’t have much in the way of modern technology – seat heaters and parking sensors and Bluetooth – but it has a ton of personality. Find this one owner, California car here in Burbank.

Stock # 22905123  VIN # WBAKE5C59BE755035

If you’re aware of specific models that are about to sunset (European 2011’s and non-European 2010’s) please let me know. Will do my best to track them. Thanks for reading.

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2018 Cadillac CT6 Clotmobile Returned for Refund.

Brace yourself. What follows is too much information about Cadillac seats and clots. And too many shots of my chicken legs. A few weeks ago I wrote this piece about buying a 2018 Cadillac CT6 and setting off the next day on a business trip to North Carolina. I was falling hard for the car and Super Cruise, the industry best Level 2 autonomous driving. Hands free for miles and miles of interstate driving on I-95 south. Made only one stop in Ashland, Virginia on the 300+ mile drive. I fidgeted with the seat trying to get better leg support but didn’t think much about it, until late the next day after a four mile run near Fort Bragg. The back of my knee hurt in an oh so familiar way. I’ve had blood clots twice, the first in 2014 and again in 2019, after which I’ve been on blood thinners. Thinking another clot unlikely I ran another pair of four milers that week unsure if it was clots or a muscle strain. By the time I drove back to Virginia I was pretty sure and headed to the emergency room, where I was diagnosed with another “acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT)” – a blood clot. Got a shot in the belly and changed blood thinners and made my 3pm music gig at a local brewery.

In between my 2014 and 2019 clots, with no blood thinners but getting up often, I’ve flown to India and back non-stop (each way, not the entire loop!), to Africa, and to South America. On thinners I’ve driven cross country twice in the Mercedes S600 and even knocked out a thousand mile day solo. I thought I knew how to manage. But on the 2018 Cadillac CT6 Platinum seat above, the intersection of the seat bottom bolster, the seat bottom, and the metal bar crossmember that should extend (but don’t) intrudes on the bottom of the leg just above the knee, and (for me) makes it impossible to get comfortable. And I’m 90 percent sure that pressure gave me a clot. Press the button and there’s a faint sound of a motor doing something, but movement is imperceptible.

The Dulles CarMax service folks were superb in taking a quick look at the car and sending it out to Cadillac for inspection. Sadly, per below, Moore Cadillac advised the seat is not supposed to extend despite the manual, the controls, and the infotainment graphics below suggested it should. They reported back that it works just like all the other Cadillac CT6’s. Disappointing. I even joined the Cadillac CT6 online forum to ask for help, and other owners confirmed that the seat bottom just don’t move. That despite the shot below of the infotainment display indicating extension and the owners’ manual confirming it should. Moore Cadillac just pissed me off. Pretty much offended me with their answer.

For comparison, I checked out a BMW X5 and Mercedes E300 seat, and both extended significantly compared to the immobile Cadillac seats. Below you can see what a normal Mercedes seat does. A cheap E300.

Unfortunately, the 2018 Cadillac CT6 Platinum with Super Cruise that I bagged after it dropped $4,000 one night had to be returned. And for what it’s worth, the Dulles CarMax business office processed the return in less than 30 minutes. Pain free (unlike my leg). A refund check for the car and a refund check for MaxCare are on their way. They had me drive it into the service bay to check the mileage and it was a wistful 100 yard cruise. It’s a really nice car with near Mercedes luxury at a decent price. The seats just (literally) came up short. I suspect for a less than six foot driver they’d never know. The car should be available again soon. Meanwhile, I’ll be driving the S600.

Here’s the link if you want to track the car – it’s not yet back on the market. Suspect there’s work to be done to clear the title.

Stock # 21964952 VIN # 1G6KP5R64JU157486

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Unicorn Hunt Ends – Bought Two More!

Last week the pieces fell into place to go nuts and pick up my next two unicorns. One is my daily driver and the other my business car. The journey has had many twists and turns, and both cars are compromises – but for me, pretty darned good placeholders until the opportunity presents itself to acquire what I really want. I’ve had the chance to put some miles on both cars this week, and I am not unhappy. Just broke. Let’s go to the cars.

A 2013 BMW M3 (E93) hard top convertible surfaced out of nowhere at my local Dulles CarMax priced at $41,998 with only 32,000 miles and I immediately reserved it. The last year for the V-8 M3’s, low miles, and reasonably priced. The description said red interior – I hate red interiors – but the pictures did not look like someone bled out inside. You may recall the day I bought my Jeep I also drove to New Jersey to test drive an M3 that went badly. I’m so glad I gave this one a second chance.

The sales rep in New Jersey had no idea how the SMG transmission worked, and neither did I. The car revved and lurched at every stop light and I was embarrassed to look like I wanted to race everyone. When I arrived at Dulles, Ryan, my favorite service rep ever who also owns an M3, showed me how simple it was to put the car in “D” and drive like a normal guy. I test drove the car and in seconds it was clear this could easily be my daily driver. Hit the “M” button on the steering wheel and it screamed. Hit it again and I was back to daily driver mode.

Not sure the photo does the interior color justice. The photo looks more orange than red, and I thought what the hell, I’m from Baltimore and it’s almost baseball season and maybe I could accept this as Orioles colors? I think the color is “ox blood”, but it really looks like just brick. It’s not at all offensive and almost pleasant. Unique. The bolsters are not yet worn. I once owned a 2002 BMW 330CiC and the left bolster showed the effects of big bodies sliding in and out. This one not yet.

I’m pleased that with the top up there is plenty of trunk room for daily errands, and even a suitcase would fit in here. Top down, maybe a gym bag or two.

The 414 hp naturally aspirated V-8 is a joy. Old school. High-revving. Torque is low but most M3’s hit 60 mph in less than five seconds. Unfortunately, the additional weight of the hard top convertible hurts acceleration a bit and probably has it at five seconds flat. It’s still a joy getting to sixty.

Why an M3? Here’s my logic. It’s a convertible, and sort of takes the place of my recently sold 1971 Fiat 124 Spider for drop top driving. Second, it’s an enthusiast sports car, and sort of takes the place of my 2008 Porsche 911 I sold last year. That’s the only reason I call this car a compromise – I really want another 911 but the prices are upwards of $80,000+ for a 2017 991.2. Could be a while until 2017 911’s are in my price range. Last, I’ve concluded a daily driver sports car doesn’t need auto cruise control or seat massagers (although Apple Carplay would be nice), and should be legitimate enough to not embarrass me at cars and coffee. The V-8 M3 fit the bill. For what it’s worth, I thought there was something funky about the exterior and Ryan immediately noticed it has an expensive aftermarket carbon fiber package inside and out. The side panels don’t bother me too much and the front air dam I’ll probably tear off parking at some point. but the lip on the trunk just looks boy racer and has to go. It’s not me, and I actually like the subtle lines of the original M3 trunk. It’ll have to go. Also, in the glove box was a recent registration from an owner in Gaithersburg, Maryland, not far from me. The CarMax pictures were with California plates. Apparently, the car was transferred from the West Coast, bought, and returned. I do not know why. I did buy Maxcare (not cheap at almost $5,000 for $50 deductible up to 125,000 miles) , so I’m not at all worried that there’s a problem. I’ll let you know if there is.

About a month ago I wrote this piece about my discovery of the Cadillac CT6 Platinum model, with a 400 hp twin turbo six and tons of modern features. I took home a 2016 model and loved it. When I returned it I was just learning about Super Cruise, Cadillac’s industry leading self-driving technology, and thought I needed to find a 2017 model with Super Cruise. I would have been wrong. Dulles CarMax service tech James is a GM guru and told me I had to find a 2018 model and showed me the plastic arc on the steering wheel indicating Super Cruise. Kept me from making an unforced error. I found a 2018 CT6 in Charlottesville, white with black interior, and had it transferred. Loved it. Loved Super Cruise. But when I tried to use the automated parking feature it kept trying to back into spots that already had cars in them, so I returned it to be fixed before I made a decision. It was also $58,000 – a lot of money and not too much less than a Mercedes S560. While waiting, though, a 2018 CT6 that was white over tan, my preferred old man colors, showed up in Huntsville, Alabama as “coming soon” for the same price. The transfer fee was $249. The next day I saw the transfer fee increased to $349 and as I was getting agitated over the rise – the car dropped $4,000 in price to $53,998. I had no idea why. I still don’t. I immediately booked it for transfer, and when it arrived I bought it. MaxCare was less that $4,000 (the car is still under manufacturer warranty) and with the price drop, I’m viewing it as free!

The Cadillac CT6 Platinum is also a compromise, in that I really want another V-12 Mercedes. There just haven’t been any at CarMax in a long, long time. It’s time to sell my S600 and I need a long distance highway cruiser with all the modern features – adaptive cruise control, Apple Carplay, seat massagers, HUD, and tons of leg room. I also wanted enough oomph to not miss the V-12 too much and I was hopeful the twin turbo six cylinder would give me that, with 400 hp.

The cockpit in the CT6 is comfortable and luxurious. Like the S-class, it has almost too much leg room in the front. The infotainment is a little clunky, in that some controls can only be accessed by reaching for the touch screen and it seems a long ways away. There is a touch pad by the gear shift but odds are I would crash before scrolling to where I need to be on the screen. I have been a little frustrated getting in and out of the car. With long legs the front seat is way behind the B-pillar and I feel like I’m squeezing in and out of the narrow opening. The “easy exit” feature moves the seat forward in such a way that only really small people could ever use it. Possible that’s adjustable and maybe when I take the time to read the manual I’ll figure it out.

Rear seat room is somewhere between an S-class and E-class in Mercedes. There are a nice pair of DVD screens that rise from the front seat backs, and a box of headphones and remote controller was in the back seat. Nice. The rear side window sunshade is manual, which seems primitive compared to my 12 year old S600. The rear window sunshade automatically drops when the car is in reverse and returns up when in drive – nice.

I’m currently on a business trip to North Carolina and left the day after I bought the car. The motor is the only thing really giving me pause. In “Touring” mode it is luxury car quiet and as strong as any six cylinder on the road. But I wanted more zoom and left it in “Sport” mode much of the time since I bought it. Yes, it will do 0-60 mph in almost the same time as my V-12 Mercedes. But it’s “growl” sounds an awful lot like the 1981 Citation X-11 V-6 my best friend once owned, and that brings back bad memories of all the GM failures of that era. I’m hoping, though, after watching Cadillacs dominate endurance racing at Daytona, that the motor will hold out.

The highlight of my drive from Northern Virginia to North Carolina was Super Cruise. It’s possible to literally drive a hundred miles and never touch the steering wheel. Driving I-95 through downtown Richmond Super Cruise executed some tight left and right curves flawlessly, even braking on its own to keep me safe. I only needed to touch the wheel to change lanes to pass. At dusk I had Super Cruise going, along with night vision, adaptive cruise control. seat massagers, a podcast on Carplay, and a rotisserie chicken cooking in the glove box (just checking to see if you’re paying attention). I was delirious with the drive. I was also getting a whopping 28 mpg gas mileage at 78 mph. So when I start feeling disappointed in the 3.0 liter six cylinder as only being adequate, and I realize gas is well over $4 a gallon for premium here, I’m becoming comfortable that this car is a pretty good compromise – and I have the M3 for when I want an old fashioned V-8 powerplant. One week in, I am not unhappy.

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Look At That Cadillac, Look At That! Seven Bargain 400+ hp Cadillacs That Are NOT CTS-V’s.

2016 Cadillac CT6 Platinum – Home for 24 Hour Test Drive

My 2010 Mercedes S600 has about 97,000 miles and two years of warranty left, and so I’ve been preparing it for sale (hint, hint?) and hoping to replace it with another long distance highway cruiser. The BMW M760 V-12 I drove last fall was not as spacious as the Mercedes, and there haven’t been any Mercedes V-12 unicorns at CarMax in an awfully long time. I’m starting to think there may not be anymore, and so I started looking at possible placeholder cars – nice enough to drive for a year or longer but not so expensive I couldn’t impulsively sell on short notice if a Mercedes (or Audi) V-12 came on the market. I’ve looked at Cadillac CTS-V’s, but they don’t have adaptive cruise control or seat massagers, features I just have to have on the highway. I am willing to sacrifice the aromatherapy in the S-class.

Then I started filtering my searches for Auto Cruise Control, Apple Carplay, Heated Steering Wheel, and Seat Massagers. You’d think there would be more choices, but of the 61,000 cars in the CarMax inventory, less than 400 have seat massagers. Iinterestingly, the highest count are Fords – F150’s and Explorers. Who knew? Sorry but once you’ve had your back and butt rubbed at 75 mph on a thousand mile drive, you can’t not have seat massagers again. Ignoring the $70,000 and up cars, I zeroed in on these Cadillac XTS and CT6 sedans with 400 hp six cylinder motors, AWD, and most, if not all, of the features I need. And I even took the 2016 CT6 Platinum model above home for a 24 hour test drive, so we’ll start with that one.

The CT6 was the Cadillac flagship from 2016-2020, selling about 40,000 units total. The Platinum trim is the highest level. More interior pictures below, but let’s just say I was as comfortable in this Cadillac CT6 as I have been in the 2004 Mercedes S55 and 2010 Mercedes S600 I’ve owned. And neither had the audio system in the Cadillac – a 34 speaker (including in the head rest) Bose Panaray sound system. Loved it – especially coupled with Apple Carplay. Never heard of Panaray so had to Google it. First, Panaray is a “portmanteau” word, blending the sounds and combining the meanings of two others – panoramic and array. The sound system is a $3,700 option in lesser Cadillacs and standard in the Platinum models. I can see me turning the stereo down to share with passengers what both Panaray and portmanteau mean, once I learn to pronounce it.

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Quick Hits – Seven Old Fashioned Family Sedan Unicorns

Time to get back to blogging after being totally consumed by the successful auction of my 1971 Fiat 124 Spider on Bring a Trailer – and yet another search for my next unicorn. Will post about both later, but it’s mid-January and I’ve hardly shared the cars piling up in my profile faster than a snowy stretch of I-95 in Virginia. Speaking of which, with another snow storm headed our way this weekend I thought I’d post seven sedans worthy of loading up and heading south to sunnier places. I can picture all of these with a clothes hanger bar spread from coat hook to coat hook over the back seat, with nicely pressed shirts and slacks at the ready for beach bars and buffets. Let’s start with one I didn’t think I’d see at CarMax again, a 2011 Lucerne Super.

I last blogged about a Lucerne Super here, another 2011 with 77,000 miles priced at $11,998. This one has 90,000 miles and lists at $19,000 – just another reflection of how crazy used car prices have gotten. If a front wheel drive 292 hp Northstar V-8 is what you’ve been waiting for (Mick?) this car is for you. I do find the lines and wheels to be quite handsome, actually, and while CarMax describes it as “fully loaded” (for 2011) it only has a heated steering wheel and heated seats – a bit austere for me.

Front wheel drive and a full size sedan means a GIGANTIC trunk.

You can find this 12 year old Buick here in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (where my Fiat is headed!).

Stock # 21016725  VIN # 1G4HK5ES3BU129006

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Farewell 2009 and the 2010 Euro-Purge Complete? (And a Beautiful 2010 Cadillac Consolation Prize)

A number of times I’ve written about the CarMax “policy” (meaning I think a sales manager told me this but I cannot find it written) of offering for sale cars not more than 12 model years old, and 10 for European cars. Recently a sales rep told me that’s because of the CarMax policy of offering MaxCare on everything they sell, and they need an underwriter that will cover even those older cars. Given that we are well into the 2022 model year – there are right now 33 CarMax used cars from 2022 – the purge of “old cars” is underway.

Hey Mick! This van looks badass and I think has your name on it.

Two weeks ago there was a lone 2009 Acura MDX available that is gone. If my arithmetic is correct that’s 14 model years ago! In fact, the choice of years on the CarMax website now begins with the year 2010 (although on the iOS version you can still choose years going back to 2007 – just not going to get any hits). Last week there were a handful of 2010 European models for sale. Today there are none – not a single European car from 2010 – only 142 2010’s at all of the almost 42,000 cars CarMax is selling today.

This low mileage single owner accident free Cadillac may be worth its own blog post!

So we are truly down to American and non-European foreign cars that are 13 years old, and for 2011 – of which CarMax has all of 338 models of all kinds on the lots, there are only 25 European cars. Makes me a bit wistful. Anyway, for what it’s worth, the best unicorn left from 2011 happens to be this bargain Boxster with low mileage and a low price. Get it while you can here in Clackamas, Oregon – and you can still get a five year, 125,000 mile MaxCare warranty! If I were a betting man I’d say 2011 European cars will be scare shortly at CarMax.

Doug? Trade up?

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