Hello all, I’m sad to say that my car is officially dead. I just got back from the Bahamas (6/26) and apparently the whole f'n east coast was getting stormed on while i was away. I got the news last week from Allstate and I received a check in the amount of $23.3K from the insurance company (I just paid off my car note 2 f’n months ago!!!). She was just under 40k miles and had a borla exhaust, 19” Axis Crux and Tein Springs. I’m definitely gonna miss my ride, but maybe this was a blessing in disguise as I initially planned on getting a new car when I finished my car note but kept getting low ball offers via private sale and trade in so I decided to keep the car. This is a great forum, everyone is very helpful, much better than the forums I’ve found for the 2 cars I’m interested in purchasing, Acura TL (new) and Cadillac CTS-V (used). Any opinions on either car, which one should I get?? Also, I have my stock wheels and 2 spare tires, about 8k miles on them that I want to part with for cheap. I live in zip code 22204, I will post pics of the wheels soon.

 

damn bud I feel for you and your 8.. you selling any other parts are they already truck the 8 off?

 

Wow, does that flippin suck! Sorry about that, man. I personally hate GM cars, but of those 2, I would still pick the Caddy.

 

That sucks! Are the window blown out on the driver side? If not then how did the interior get damaged?

Between your two cars, I'd go with the Acura TL.

 

I had a little jaunt with a CTS-V the other day that had an exhaust on it, they sound pretty amazing. If you want some luxury with your performance and can't afford an M car they're a pretty nice choice.

 

The car was towed 2 Fridays ago to Allstate's claim center. I was not able to even get the 19"s as they were to lower my check by $600 so I said F it. The Axis had about 15k miles on them and the right rear had a slight bend, not worth the trouble IMO.
You guys may be able to tell, but in the 4th pic, my condo parking is located right next to a creek. Apparently this creek overflooded and the water may have been as high as 1/2 way up the window, thats how the interior got damaged.

 

That sucks man but between the two cars i would go with the TL, almost got one myself.

 

Love the caddy. Sorry about the 8. Did you find out while in the Bahamas? I hope not; that would be a f8ckin buzz kill on vacation. (Assuming it was a vacation - not very many people go for other reasons.) Good luck w/ the new car.

 

CTS-V:
Rear wheel drive? check.
6 Speed manual standard? check
Torque? check

TL:
Rear wheel drive? no
6 Speed manual standard? Optional
Torque? More than the 8, but also weighs 600 lbs more.

Bottom line, I wouldn't even consider a FWD to replace my 8. In the end however, I'd go with what I would want to drive for the next few years, not necessarily the sexier spec sheet.

 

TL IS BEUTIFULLL. i was going to get a tl instead of the rx8 seriously. Members of my family have 04 tl and an 06 white tl. I personally think they are great cars. learned to drive on a 2003 tl lol.

 

screw the fwd poseur family sedans, get the CTS-V

 

that's a really hard call, both are great looking and powerful cars, I would preffer the TL because it's an acura, but the caddy has more presence, looks a little bit better and maybe has more luxury, you just get what might be shoddier build quality or reduced reliability, oh and caddies still have that pimp-mobile thing attached to them despite their huge efforts to shake the image. My uncle has a TL and loves it to death.

I'd go with the TL, I've given a lot more serious thought to buying one than most other cars, the CTS makes me think.. "nice... but nah..."

how about a lexus? the new IS is nice and their customer service is nothing short of legendary.

 

Sad part is, that RX-8 will pop up somewhere for $12k - $18k.
They'll cart it off to the midwest or southwest, pass it through a few different registrations to loose the salvage title and off to a new owner it will go...

Glad I moved out of the DC area. They are draining an entire lake near where I grew up and near my home in Rockville just because it will flood a whole neighbohood if it rains that hard again. Sad.

I'd go with the Acura. The Caddy looks like a chrome-plated cracked cinderblock. Weighs a ton and a half, too.

 

Ours does too, ya know...

CTS-V for me. Anyone can buy a TL. Looks like a Camry or Accord if you don't get a good look at it. RWD ALL THE WAY!!!

 

Psh TL or CTS-V? Neither I say. Get an preowned E46 M3 or a '06 Shinka 8. Why would you get a boring Jap lux. vehicle or a shoddily built and engineered American blunder when you could have sports car perfection in the M3 or a new 8? You could get a '06 with sports package and then add an aftermarket turbo like the PTP kit when it comes out also.

 

Have you thought about a used M5? The E39s are hovering in the mid 30s on Autotrader..

 

Sorry about the loss of your 8. Watch out for the used CTS-V. I was considering buying a used one before I bought my 8 but I was leary about the "glass" rear diff. and the wheel hop. GM tried to use different bushings and added a "performance shock" option to help with the wheel hop but many on the Caddy forums complain that the wheel hop still exists with the upgraded shocks.

As far as the rear diff., many GM dealers are crying "owner abuse" when dealing with this issue. Cruise the Caddy/CTS forums before you purchase the CTS-V.

 

Someone's euro bias is showing.

Show me a shoddy build or engineered CTS-V, or any Caddy in the last 4years. They built the V series cars exactly how they wanted them, luxury with a little American muscle added in for fun, with a significant improvement in handling and other sports car categories. I agree that the M3 would be a great alternative (with the signifigant exception of usable back seats), but cost to own/mod trumps the price point for a used one, imo. German engineering means nothing in the modern world other than engineered in Germany(unless you want to throw mediocre reliability in there). How many engineers do you think work for GM (or any car company), that once worked for someone else (eg zee Germans)?

I do agree with you about the the lackluster, underwhelming TL (or any Honda/Acura short of the S2000/NSX), however.

BTW C&D (and most others) raved about the car, and noted it's performance in all areas, not just linear acceleration (ie steering feel, ability to control the car, 70-0 in 165ft, .9g on the skidpad, etc). And it ran "the Ring" faster than the lighter, nimbler M3 as well . But it must be a horrible, rusting deathtrap since it was made in the US... . The only reason anyone would buy the M3 over the CTS-V (both used), is for the little badge on the front and rear...imo.

 

Good points. Instead of generalizing that all American cars "are bad" I'll give my opinions on the Caddy:

- Looks more like a Gillete Mach 3 Razor blade than a car. Easily one of the ugliest cars on the road. A beautiful car stirs one's emotions when seen, the Caddy just makes me avert me gaze as quickly as possible if I see one.

- The interior. Lacks the attention to detail and fine quality of materials that most German and Japanese cars have.

There is not a single massly produced American car on the road today that you can tempt me with.

Are there any American cars that I fantasize about? Hell yeah: Salleen S7 and the Mosler MT900s are the only ones I can think off the top of my head. I'm sure there are a few other low-volume American cars like those two out there that are also amazing.

 

Thing is you can get an 05 CTS-V for low to mid 30's and can only get an 02 or 03 M3 for that. I'd still take the M3 myself the CTS is a bit large and heavy if you want something nimble.

 

There are a lot of parts on that car that wouldve been awesome to snag :X


I would've bought the car back from them!

 

No to the Caddy; it's an overweight, overpriced land yacht. The Acura is lighter and handles better, and looks a hell of a lot better.

 

I can't comment on the CTS-V, other than to say I've seen it get good reviews. I know CR recommends the regular CTS, but I don't know what the reliability ratings are on the V.

However, we own an 8 and a TL. The TL is a great car. It is different from the 8, but still a great car. I think it is much more comfortable than the 8. The 8 is more fun to drive and makes cooler sounds, but the TL is pretty fun too. The 3.2 V6 is a great engine. Good power and great gas mileage for the power it puts out. The nav system is helpful if you get it, and I enjoy the voice recognition. Plus its a good safety measure. You can adjust the nav, audio, and climate control all by voice. And the build quality in the TL is amazing for the price. Feels like a very solid car. However, I do prefer the RWD handling of the 8.

Actually the TL is what lead me to the 8. I didn't realize how much of a difference a car with good solid routine handling could make in driver fatigue. I have some health issues, so this is important to me. So I started looking at other cars with the same CR handling ratings, and came across the 8. I've liked them since they came out, and the more I looked into it, the more I had to have one

If you have any more TL questions, feel free to message me.

 

Umm, the CTS-V and TL have nearly identical curb weights according to the manufacturers websites.

 

Hate Honda cars. So no TL for me. No question.

How about a GTO? Legacy GT? G35 Coupe?

Personally I like the lines of the CTS-V, but that's me.