Owners' Stories
2001 Cadillac Catera Stories
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2001 Cadillac CateraVisitor, Bergenfield, NJ, December 02, 2011 11:05Worst car GM ever put the Cadillac name on! Original owner traded to dealer for new Impala ... and as the second owner we now know why! In first week of owning and at only 32K all seals failed mixing oil and coolant throughout engine block. Car was under full warranty so GM had to tear apart and rebuild at their expense (dealer refused to take the car back and argued every time the car came in for other problems and they never supplied items that were missing when I took delivery: owner's manual and cargo net, both had been removed from gthe car. Englewood Buick/Chevrolet/GMC in Englewood, NJ ... DO NOT DEAL WITH THEM!). Between 32K and 45K here are a few more problems that surfaced: the third brake light failed (400.00 to replace, not included in warranty); the fog lights shorted out (too expensive to fix so they still don't work); various electrical problems that still occur; a burnt sensor on the transmission that would completely shut-down the car while traveling (replaced under warranty); warning lights that come on and off for no reason and when no problem exists. In short this is a high-maintenance and very expensive car to own. When everything works as it should the Catera is extremely comfortable and very much a great highway driver. When something goes wrong - as it does constantly - the car is a true horror. Stay away from the Catera and don't take any chance that you'll find one that'll never give trouble ... if you do take the chance you'll be sorry and bankrupt. I can't wait to dump the thing for a Lincoln MKZ.Flag ThisLike0
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2001 Cadillac CateraVisitor, Granite City, IL, July 24, 2011 05:37this cas after 5 years just keeps falling apart. Poor excuse for a cadilac. Very costly to have repaired 2001 only 57000 mile and looking at new motor not trade time.Flag ThisLike0
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1999 Cadillac CateraVisitor, Sarasota, FL, February 01, 2011 23:24Two years ago in 2009, I "inherited" this car from a family member. She was an elderly lady, and it really WAS one of those cars that was always garaged and only driven to the grocery store, the mall and the VFW hall. A TEN year-old Caddy with only 23,000 miles on it ! Thought I'd hit the jackpot. Since then, I've had to put over $3,000 in the car. New a/c, "copper tubing" for the cooling system, and brake lights that suddenly stopped working. The problem is, the damned thing is SO expensive to work on ! $500 in labor just to get to the a/c compressor ! Still...when it runs, it's an absolute joy. Plush interior, hugs the highway like nobody's business and a Bose sound system to die for.... I just can't give it up... (Not yet)Flag ThisLike | 1 person likes this1
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1999 Cadillac CateraVisitor, Tolleson, AZ, November 15, 2010 18:09catera uffFlag ThisLike | 1 person likes this1
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2000 Cadillac CateraJ4GOD, Hampton, VA, April 30, 2010 07:07I LIVE IN HAMPTON VIRGINIA AND IS LOOKING TO FIND AN REPAIR SHOP OR PERSON TO PUT AN NEW HEADGASKET ON MY CATERA THATS KEEP GIVING ME PROBLEMS. THIS CAR IS REALLY ALOT OF MONEY TO KEEP GOING. SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHY MY ENGINE LIGHT KEEP COMING ON AND THE ENGINE KEEP OVERHEATING
RookieFlag ThisLike | 1 person likes this1 -
2000 Cadillac CateraVisitor, Philadelphia, PA, April 24, 2010 14:17Terrible car bought it with 50,000 mikes have had nothing but problems it is a money pit at every levelFlag ThisLike | 2 people like this2
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1999 Cadillac CateraHot Rod, Saint Paul, MN, April 09, 2010 12:46I have had my 1998 Catera for 6 years and just in the past few years I have had to get a radiator, Idel arm, ball joints ($$$). Now I can't get the key to turn after it sat in the garage over the winter. I think the alarm reste itself (remote never worked)
EnthusiastFlag ThisLike | 1 person likes this1 -
1997 Cadillac Caterakidd47, Jerome, ID, March 13, 2010 18:44My Catera has just over 100,000 miles on it. I love it. It is such a nice little car. We have had to fix a few little things, but it all has been normal maintainance. My husband owns our own mechanics shop so we don't have extra labor costs, but we have not sunk much money at all into this car. And it definitly zigs!
RookieFlag ThisLike | 1 person likes this1 -
1999 Cadillac Cateraderpot1, Minneapolis, MN, August 31, 2009 07:31Power steering almost completely non effective. Steers extremely hard.
EnthusiastFlag ThisLike | 2 people like this2 -
2001 Cadillac Caterarinverso, West Palm Beach, FL, April 10, 2009 21:19this is the red headed stepchild of caddy gm. it was the caddy that zagged. this is the result of gm buying opel of europe. it is called a opel omega in germany and a vauxhaul in england. for the money you cant get a better car. i have owned for three years, and am the second owner. i knew the issues with the timing belt etc. that is why when i bought the car, i got an extended warranty. the warranty has paid for itself many times over. cadilac dealers aren't prepared or willing in many cases to repair. the mechanics that were trained thru caddy are limited and since this was the last year it was made in the states, it is getting fewer yet. overall the car in my opinion rivals the bmw, mercedes and audi. for comfort and performance. with that though as i stated, repairs are expensive. i would not have purchased this car without an extended warranty. the car still looks great and has great curb appeal. people often stop to see what it is exactly. i have made some minor body changes. such as a euro front grillle and rear oem spoiler. it is now 8 years old with 92,000 miles and im getting ready to sell it to upgrade before the warranty runs out. oh buy the way, it is also a very safe car. it has side airbags and is quite a strong heavy car, as are the other german cars.
EnthusiastFlag ThisLike | 1 person likes this1 -
1998 Cadillac CateraMoses, Hammond, IN, November 11, 2008 13:25Needs Heat
EnthusiastFlag ThisLike | 5 people like this5