Today I just bought an absolutely mint '98 Mark VIII with 16k original miles for $5500, so the thought of that money being spent on Northstar head gaskets makes me want to puke!. I would NOT do it. As evil as it may seem I would try to do a quick (temporary) fix and trade it in.

I am getting close to thinking this way as well. There is still the independent mechanic with the 1600 quote, this was not fully timeserted, so I am thinking either go to him have him timesert the whole thing, or replace the engine ($5k+), I really have fallen for this car. Pretty bad...

Ill put it to you this way....

I love the Northstar Cadillacs, but I hate the Northstar. From now on I am going to exploit this unacceptable weakness from a different angle...

I will ONLY own another Northstar Cadillac if I can buy one thats ALREADY bad cheaply, and put 3-4k into a brand new rebuilt motor so that I NEVER have to deal with this problem.

I would NOT put 4-5k into one I ALREADY had paid market price for. It just makes me sick to my stomach to think about that much money going back into a car worth 5-15000.00 (an 02 or 03 with low miles MAYBE if I REALLY was in love with it).

Do with that information what you will.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fragile2009
I am getting close to thinking this way as well. There is still the independent mechanic with the 1600 quote, this was not fully timeserted, so I am thinking either go to him have him timesert the whole thing, or replace the engine ($5k+), I really have fallen for this car. Pretty bad...
Alright perfect. Let the 1600.00 guy fix it however he plans to and THEN sell it. Provide the receipts and records of the work he just did and what he fixed. Problem solved. The new owner knows about the repair, will actually feel MORE comfortable knowing its already been \"done\" and you get out of the car with a minimal loss, as opposed to keeping it and dumping another 5000.00 in it. You can be honest without hanging yourself. Dont get into details about timeserting or anything else... just say \"the headgaskets were repaired\".

Thats a RARE opportunity to get someone to do that work for 1600.00... Seize it. If it makes you feel any better, 1600.00 is usually at least how much I lose everytime I trade cars (Ive had 20 since 2001). The price I pay for my sickness I guess.

I think you are right. Dumping more money into it then this has been eating at me for the last three weeks.

Next step, what now? I love the Cadillac. I just want one that will not have the expensive problems this one has. Any ideas?

There are some on here that will tell you to run far far away from anything with a Northstar. Thats not me.

You cant really do anything to guarantee it wont happen again on a car that HASNT been timeserted yet *BUT* you CAN look for one that has ALL its maintnenance records from DAY 1. For a 2000 that would 1 if not 2 coolant changes already, all the oil receipts for oil changes according to schedule, all warranty repair documents and out of warranty repair documents, and prefferably from the original owner. I dont profess to know anything about your budget or financial situation... but if you must stick with a Northstar, id recommend at least a 2003 with lower mileage. We havent yet seen any 2003's with gasket problems here... that doesnt mean they are any less susceptible... but WE havent seen them yet if they are. Moreover, it will be easier to find an 03 - 05 thats got service history and less maintenance that would have needed to happen thus far, *PLUS* most likely withIN factory warranty.

Which brings me to my NEXT point... You can get another 2000 if you want to go that route, but get a warranty from a reliable provider like WarrantyDirect that sells exclusionary rather than inclusionary warranties. Meaning they tell you only what is *NOT* covered, rather than just what IS. If Seals and Gaskets arent in the NOT covered list... then they HAVE TO pay out if the Headgaskets go on the NEXT car. The newer the car, the cheaper the warranty. Either Certified from Cadillac, or with a warranty you purchase aftermarket... I wouldnt own another one without it if I had to purchase a higher priced one.

If you dont want another Northstar, which I can understand... maybe youd like a CTS or one of the older LT1 based Caddies? For me, there is no comparison to the Northstar models in sheer beauty and interior refinement... but that motor is a big deciding point.

Last, I hate to send you away... but Lincoln has several fine options too... If you liked the DTS, you may or may not like the 2003 Town Car or better yet, my favorite... the 2003 Lincoln LS V8 Premium Sport with THX Nav and Heated and Cooled seats. One of the BEST domestic luxury values on the road right now. Even the 1995-2002 Lincoln Continental would give you similar luxury to the DTS, though no where near the refinement of the Cadillac.

I know Im not being much help... but that will be your ultimate decision.