Repair-It

So looking at the pictures again...

The paint on the back looks like it is starting to go, maybe clear coat issues. What in the world happened to the dash and steering wheel plastic?

I could replace the dash/plastic around the wheel if I wanted but the wheel damage is basically not repairable due to the airbag. I wonder if there is any way to tell if this was a fleet car without Carfax.

I guess if the rest was good and I got this for 4500 as an even replacement for the 3 it is tough to argue... I am more worried that based on the radio it was owned and abused by a kid, who may not even have done regular oil changes...

This goes back to wanting to be the second owner of one of these, not a third, and no fleet cars (Volvo S80 flashbacks).

kevm14 wrote:Reasons not to get AWD:
- Adds weight (I forget the exact number but it is probably between 100 and 200 lbs). At 4,1xx with RWD, these cars need no additional weight.
- Most of the weight is on the front end

The ordering guide actually lists the weights. The AWD adds 269 lbs. I'd rather not have that.

So you are down to 7.2%... 1300/18000... You are approaching needle in a haystack.

So that 18,000 number is actually 2005 V8s. I guess the way Comp Nine works is it goes by the VIN for make, model and engine since those are all part of the VIN. That's why there was no V6 RPO available.

I do have some good news. And it comes down to the wheels which are more or less freely visible in all ads (9 spoke vs 7 spoke).

2005 STS V8 total cars made: 18,087
2005 STS V8 total 1SG cars made: 4,797
Of those, 1,295 were RWD and 3,502 were AWD. Like I said before, about 25% RWD, 75% AWD.
But the point is, the cars with 18s are far more likely to be 1SG than anything else.
Total 2005 STS V8s with 18" wheels: 5,459
Of those, 4,797 were 1SG. Only 662 were not. That means 88% of the cars with 18s were 1SG. The RWD is less common but it's easy enough to identify and chances are it is a 1SG car. Not all were so I'd still run the VIN but this is obviously good news.

For fun, I also did 2006 which looks different. The numbers are cut in half.
2006 STS V8 total cars made: 8,348
2006 STS V8 total 1SG cars made: 2,492
Of those, 658 were RWD and 1,834 were AWD. Same ratio as the 05, just half as many were made.
Total 2006 STS V8s with 18" wheels: 2,855
Of those, 2,492 were 1SG and only 363 were not. Once again, 87% of the 2006 V8s on 18s were 1SG.

I did not do 2007 yet as the chances diminish of finding one in my price range as they get newer. It's just as well - the 05 is cheaper and more available.

Doing 2007. Had to get a 2007 VIN to start. I used this:
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/deta ... /overview/

Says 2007 RWD. I looked it up and it is 1SG. But wait, it decodes to AWD. Ad says RWD in at least two places. Isn't that special. Who would have thought VIN decoding was actually mandatory even to know something as simple as drive configuration?

Things just get even worse for 2007 in terms of production but like the SRX, 2007 was the first year for the 6L50. So that's something. Unlike the SRX, the STS had to wait until 2008 to get its refresh. I don't know what the tangible benefits are of the 6L50. I do know that the ratio spread on the 5L50 is 4.56x which isn't too different from the 4L60 (which was 4.4x). But the 6L50 has a wide 6.03x ratio spread. Steeper first, taller 6th. Theoretically better drivability/acceleration and also fuel economy. I don't think it showed up in the EPA fuel economy ratings.

2007 STS V8 total cars made: 4,094
2007 STS V8 total 1SG cars made: 1,427
Of those, 361 were RWD and 1,066 were AWD. Same split again. Even smaller numbers.
But now 18s are not a good identifier of 1SG. That means either GM or customers were more frequently ordering 18s and I guess this kind of makes sense.
Total 2007 STS V8s with 18" wheels: 2,443.
Of those, 1,427 were 1SG and 1,016 were not. Still more likely to be a 1SG car but not by nearly the margin as before. Only 58% of the cars with 18s were 1SG.

So you are down to 7.2%... 1300/18000... You are approaching needle in a haystack.

I think I am still right, of the 18000 V8s, only about 1300 are SG1, RWD, so 7.2% ov V8s... That percent goes down when you add all the STS V6s produced.

7.2% isn't terrible. It means one out of 14 cars.

My main concern originally was not necessarily how rare the car was but being able to identify it. I am pretty well set there.

This is down to $3700.

https://jerseyshore.craigslist.org/cto/6080383835.html

This is my 2005 Cadillac STS with 146k miles. Its in good interior and exterior condition with only a couple of blemishes. Car is the top of the line fully loaded model with the 4.6L Northstar V8 with 320HP(MPG 17/26). When the car first came out it was a $70k luxury car and it shows with all of its advanced features. It comes equipped with Dual power heated & cooled front seats, heated rear seats, power & heated mirrors, touch screen navigation, sunroof, remote start, power adjustable steering wheel, back up sensors, and much more and also has a brand new battery I installed 2 weeks ago($250). Like I said it was the fully loaded model so it has most of the high end features a luxury car today will have. The only problems with the car is that the check engine light is on since the mass air flow sensor is bad($40 part), the exterior passenger door does not work, and it needs one more matching rim(I have the brand new tire to match the set). All tires ar also in great condition with lots of treat life. I would fix it but I simply just do not have the time since Im currently out of state for the next couple of months and don't have the time to come back and deal with it. If you have any questions you can contact me on my cell phone listed above. Send me an offer 3700 OBO, I just can't accept low ball offers.

Cool story bro.

I saw that one... There is some weird stuff going on on the back passenger side. At first I just thought ok small dent near rear light, but the rim is also different... Is the back seat ripped? And there looks like something near the sunroof on the inside. Both bumpers look a little scuffed. Overall car looks good. The pics aren't clear for what I commented on.

Here is my CL search btw. Looks like Search Tempest is no longer needed.

https://providence.craigslist.org/searc ... chNearby=2