[Gmecm] Re:Catera was Class2 DIY tools?

[Phillip Kuhn]

Well I think I am pretty familiar with them since I am
(actually I was since I left the auto industry in
october)a cadillac technician, but honestly they were
not that great for the most part. For a car that sold
in the $30k range they were lacking in the quality
department and replacement parts usually are way more
expensive than for much more expensive cars. And for a
car that was marketed under the cadillac name they
were a disaster as far as customer relations is
concerned. Almost every customer I dealt with had the
same thing to say about them, which was that it didnt
live up to the cadillac reputation. I did ocassionally
meet somebody who actually liked their catera but the
amount of people that disliked them far outweighed the
people that did in my experience. Most cadillac owners
have owned many cadillacs and have come to expect a
certain amount of quality and luxury that the catera
just didnt provide. So those that were long-time
cadillac owners that bought a catera were greatly
disappointed with them. If you have been used to
driving cars that were marketed in the $20k-$30k range
then you probably dont see much wrong with them.
However, since most all other cadillacs averaged
closer to $50k they tend be a bit more dependable and
durable and hold a certain amount of prestige. The old
saying that you get what you pay for is sort of true
in the car industry so when you go from owning an
expensive luxury car such as a deville or seville to
owning a catera you will be somewhat disappointed.
Most of my co-workers made cracks about them all the
time calling them 3rd generation cimarron's (the
allante being the second generation) which in essence
is what they were. You dont take a name that is
generally related to a luxury car and put it on
something that was intended to be an economy car or a
standard family sedan and expect it to go well. The
idea of an affordable luxury car to me is pretty much
an oxy-moron since it in essence contradicts itself.
Mechanically speaking there wasnt anything wrong with
the car, everything was pretty sound. However, when
you start trying to take advanced electronics and make
them "cheaper" that is just a disaster waiting to
happen. Anyhow, that is my 2 cents worth, but it was
also the general consensus among those I worked with
and dealt with.

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