Although I'm a fan of 1977-1984 Cadillac Coupe deVille's and this big old beast flirts with me daily...I wish it wouldn't. It's not that I don't have the room for it although with seven cars in my name at the present I certainly don't...but there's always room for one more, right? Well, thing is, even at a bargain basement asking price of just $4,000 and only 78,000 on the clock, I want no part of this thing because it's a "D'Elegance". 
Offered on Deville and Fleetwood models beginning in 1977, I've never been able to determine where in the Cadillac pecking these D'Elegance models sat. Where they top of the line or some odd off shoot of a base model with a plusher interior? Without window stickers or access to RPO codes, I can only speculate that Cadillac had these cars sitting at the top of their lineup. Speaking of sitting, sitting on these seats felt like sitting on a lumpy couch with something stuck under the cushions you can't get rid of. And just like sitting on an old couch, no two seating positions ever felt the same.
So, what did you get for ponying up for a D'Elegance? Aside from a throw pillow interior, you got nothing more than you 'd get on a base Cadillac with a cloth interior. While the interior of the D'Elegance was arguably more attractive than the base model's plebeian cloth, at least when new, I've never seen a D'Elegance of this vintage whose seating wasn't sun bleached and didn't smell like an old man who rolled around in a cat litter box. And then, again, there's the issue of how back breaking uncomfortable they are.
On this particular car that's a shame since otherwise, save for the rear filler panels rotting out and a rust bubble ouchie right there, it appears to be in great shape. All it needs to come alive at stop lights is a manifold and carb swap along with a set of 3.08:1 gears to wake up the ole 425 engine. Stiffen up the shocks and springs (without lowering the whole thing) and replace the horrible wheel covers with fancy Cadillac fake wire wheel covers, somehow those are cool, and this car would be a real winner. All that for about the same cost as to replace that awful interior with professionally installed, period correct leather trimmed thrones.
However, the interior swap with the powertrain and suspension mods along with the purchase price of the vehicle makes the value proposition of this grand old dame a hard if not impossible pill to swallow. And that's too bad. She deserves better than to sit in a used car lot on the cusp of what "The Farmer's Almanac" predicts will be a brutal North East Ohio winter. I wish you well, my love. Please find shelter. Soon. 
No comments:
Post a Comment