Caprice engine swap?

[kevm14]

He replied. He sounds like a real person to me. In fact this is pretty much exactly what I expected.

Hello Kevin, my name is Tim and yes, it's still up for sale. I've had a number of interested parties but mostly tire kicking. I'm going to reply to your email by copying and replying, if you follow. I tend to be wordy so bear with me. Full disclosure, I'm going to be completely up front and honest, and I'm happy to answer literally any question you have regarding the car, but let's not drag it out. I had a "serious interest" guy who strung me along for a few days, eventually insulting me and trying to lowball me. I don't appreciate that, so if you read something that's a deal-breaker, just say so. Cool? Okay.

- History of car (owners, where it has been as far as you are aware). Including your history and experience.

***I don't know anything about prior owner(s). I bought the car from a dealership in Richmond in September of 2013, after looking and looking. I went from an 07 CTS 3.6, and never looked back. I can tell you the previous owner was a smoker - there are a couple of burn spots. I too am a smoker, but pretty conscientious about it, and you'll never know if/when you get in it. And I can tell you at some point the previous owner had the car on a lift that crumpled the side skirts a little, but it's hardly noticeable unless you're right up on the car.

- Could you take additional pictures? Driver's seat bolster is one key area. Really looking for cosmetic or other wear/tear flaws (i.e. shocks) just to understand what I am dealing with. It looked nice to me from what I saw. I can suggest more specific pictures after I hear back from you.

***I'll be happy to take as many as you want. Give me a list and I'll send you them in one fell swoop vs. piecemeal.

- I am not local but not afraid to travel for the right deal/car. I am not specifically looking for an STS-V (actually I was looking for an STS, among other options). I would actually be looking at it as a daily driver myself. Sell me on the car. I already know it is the cheapest STS-V around. But let's pretend it is not. You said it drives and runs well. Keep going. Would be curious to see that long winded version of your ad.

***I'll see if I still have it saved and send it to you. It was intended to be funny, but I guess my humor doesn't really communicate well.

As far as selling the car - here's the deal. I love this car. It's heavy and unapologetically Cadillac - powerful and sleek and awesome. It's also 11 years old and a daily driver, so it's got personality - "character", if you will. I'm not apologizing for it, because the person who buys this car isn't gonna stuff it in a garage. Scratches? Yep, some. Little dings? Yep, those too. But I very rarely ever drive it hard, and I maintain all my cars well. I dropped over $1500 on this car when it rolled over 100k for new belts, hoses, coolant, transmission filter and fluid, etc. I had to replace the driveshaft and bushing a couple of years ago, to eliminate some drivetrain lash that I didn't like. My biggest complaint right now is the condensation in the driver's side headlight. You have to take the bumper off to get to them - just like the CTS - and I haven't had time to get to it.

There are a few reasons it's time to part with the V, and honestly I've been waffling over it for quite some time now. First and most important is that I've been dealing with some pretty serious back issues for a couple of years now. I herniated a disc in 13 - right after I bought the V, in fact - and it just won't heal right. I've had some serious sciatic pain ever since, and it's much harder to get in and out of the V than my Toyota Highlander. And I recently just made it worse somehow, and now may be looking at surgery. I didn't put that in the ad because it doesn't need to be public knowledge, but since we're doing the full disclosure thing... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Second, and the reason I put in the ad, is that I have a project I want to start on - a 93 Suburban - that's going to be outfitted with a literal ton of audio. I am an electronics engineer for the Navy as my day job and a car audio installer/fabricator by moonlight, and I want to do something wild.

- The gutted cats - they are bolted on but just gutted? Sounds like a job for HP Tuners...

***Yes, and I'm planning to get with a friend of mine to tune that out, right after my MRI/steroid injection in a couple of weeks. His name is Mills Robinson, built and drives a 67 Camaro racecar in the Optima "Search for the Ultimate Streetcar" series races. I just built out the stereo in his car and he's gonna pay me back by doing the tune. I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Being hobbled means getting anything done is a huge pain in the... well, you know.

The cats are actually cast into the stock exhaust manifold. A few years ago I was driving along and heard a fluttering noise when I'd accelerate. Took it to my mechanic - Art Walker's Auto Service, the only place I let touch any of my cars for the last 15 years - and it turned out the passenger side cat had disintegrated. So I had them take the whole exhaust off and bang the cats out altogether. I don't know that they'd admit to it, but yeah.

- Looks like the tint will be too dark for the inspectors in my state (35% min) so I need to assess all of those items (i.e. what does it take to get it on the road legally).

***The tint as far as I know is factory. My CTS had 35% all the way around and I would swear the V isn't as dark as that was.

-Anyway, if any of what I wrote sounds like it came from someone you might want to deal with, shoot me a reply. I'm in my 30s, wife, two kids, and happen to have Navy Fed myself...and I'll leave it at that for now. I take my time on car purchases, and it sounds like you're not in a rush. Not trying to be your best friend - just to come across as a real person. Hope it worked.

***No, I appreciate you taking the time to write out something thorough. As you can imagine I've had dozens of "I'd like to buy your item with Nigerian bank transfer" emails, so I can appreciate making a point of being up front and non-scammy.

I'm not in any rush, and full disclosure I'm not at all flexible on the price. If I don't sell it for asking price, I'll keep it, and won't be the slightest bit upset. I feel like $9999.99 is funny - tell the wife you spent less than 10k - and a very reasonable price.

Especially factoring in that you'll get two sets of wheels/tires, the aftermarket Spectre intake AND oem intake, and the assorted engine covers and plastic bits.

I've even decided to go one better and offer to go half on a set of new tires if someone makes me a deal. There's a new place locally that will do a full set of Nankang staggered 20s mounted, balanced, and installed for about $700. The tires do need to be replaced soon, so either I'll do it and raise the price, or I'll split the cost with someone.

For the record, I'm in my late 30s, veteran and civil servant, with a fiancée, a 20 year old daughter, two granddaughters, a mortgage and all the other fun adulting stuff. I'm not some kid who's thrashed the car and trying to "get out from under" it, it's just time to move on. I'm also going to have the car detailed inside and out and top off the tank before handing it off. It's how I've always been. It won't be a $200 detail job, but my guy Terrell does fantastic work.

For what it's worth, here is the VIN: 1G6DX67D660214348

You're welcome to run whatever checks you like. You can call Art Walker's and talk to Jerry if you'd like to ask about the maintenance done. I'm not 100% sure he'll share it with you, but if it makes you more inclined to buy then I'll hit him up and let him know you're calling.

My phone number is 757-xxx-xxxx. I screen all my calls, after getting scammed one too many times, but you're also welcome to text. In fact, that might work better for taking and sending pictures real-time.

Hope this satisfies your initial requests, and I'll look forward to hearing from you.

~Tim~

I definitely like that black one better. But it's another $1500. On the other hand, I am not sure this is the car for me. The smoker part isn't super exciting.

[kevm14]

On the plus side he may be able to tune out the light for me saving me $500 up front. Sounds like it needs tires and I can't believe I'd bother buying tires for those wheels. I guess I need to figure out if I am still interested in the car at this point with the smoker thing. I don't really trust a smoker to tell me it doesn't smell in there.

Definitely a lot of car for the money. And sounds like it is mechanically solid for what that's worth.

[kevm14]

I didn't realize this. The stock wheels are 18 front and 19 rear. So annoying. Sizes are 255/45-18 front and 275/40-19 rear.

Tirerack carries 21 tire models that fulfill both sizes so decent amount of options. Prices are all over the place. Which is also good. I can get a set of 4 Sumitomo all season ultra high performance for $438 plus shipping at the low end (that is cheap as hell). Or up over $1000 for some options. And everywhere in between.

[bill25]

He said he would put tires on it and split the tires. Why wouldn't you take half off the tires and have him put the new tires on the stock rims?

That puts the car around $10,300. If you did that, what would the plan be?

As far as the smoking, that is a wild card. I am sure there are things you can do to fix that. Like a good detail/shampoo. I would think the main concern would be burns.

[kevm14]

I should probably pass. If my goal was to get into one of these as cheaply as possible this would be the car...

I just wanted my clean STS for $6k...

[kevm14]

It's not like the V is any bigger or nicer.

[bill25]

It is a lot faster though.

[kevm14]

STS-V vs STS

Pros: STS-V is probably no less reliable than the regular STS. All the systems are the same and the 6L80 is a good transmission. One of the few differences I can think of is the supercharger uses a liquid to air intercooler which means there is a pump. I know on the Mercedes E55 vehicles those can present maintenance issues (by failing basically). Extra 10 mph in trap speed solves the speed problem completely. I like top versions of things and the V is the top version of the STS. EDIT: Performance has a funny way of making up for other shortcomings.

Cons: More expensive. Worse gas mileage. RWD only (from a winter standpoint), which means I might be stuck with all seasons on a V-series Cadillac which compromises the extra performance I just bought. No bigger, no nicer. Extra $5k at the bottom end of the market. Probably be looking at getting rid of the CTS-V if I got one of these even if it wasn't immediately.

[bill25]

Well... there is this:

https://southcoast.craigslist.org/cto/6067222479.html

Florida car. Collectors edition with leather interior. New Bfg radial t/a tires. A/c blows cold. Needs nothing to pass inspection. Asking $3,500 best offer.

Should be clean, BFG tires, in Doom terms, that means... awesome. Plus for your rarity, it is a collector's edition, whatrver that meant. Your favorite color.
Triangle is missing but has rectangle. No interior pics, but it has the RPO code sticker, and the LT1.

EDIT: Oh yeah, 90,000 miles.

[kevm14]

Damn that looks pretty clean. It is not a Limited. It is also not a V92 car so it has 2.56 gears. It is a 95 so I can program it. I wonder what the interior looks like. I don't think the 95 can be a Collector's Edition.

The missing triangle is that someone did the home plate delete and put the hockey pick in the intake elbow. Only enthusiasts do that. And I think only enthusiasts know what the SPID is for.

Color is Light Driftwood which I do like. Looks a little more beige in these shots but I still think I like the color under Roadmaster SS (or Fleetwood SS) terms. Bone stock, not as much.

I did a VIN search. This is odd.

http://www.pricedrightautomobiles.com/1 ... tails.aspx