buying advice

[mike 11111]

Hello....I am new to the forum and considering buying an 2004/5/6 XLR. It would not be a daily driver so I would not be putting a lot of miles on it.
It may be a long distance purchase so looking for advice/checklist etc regarding what to ask or look for.
I tried to find a thread or sticky regarding same but have not yet located one. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
thanks
mike..Saint Louis

 

[Rob]

Mike,

Welcome to the XLR Net. Glad to have you here with us!

 

[V Happy]

Mike
First off the well in the trunk(drives side) for water damage. The drains plug up and destroy the electronics (top hydraulic pump and control module among others. Mm make sure top operates properly. Check both headlights 04 05 had a lot of problems there Tail lights are becoming extinct. Key fobs on 04 are another problem,make sure you get two. Condition of rubber seals on top and trunk needs to be in good shape. Check dealer history will tell you a lot. From what I've learned I would shoot for an 06. By then a lot of problems were weeded out. You can get a lot of help right here on this forum. I own a v and love the extra performance so if you like power there isn't much you can do with the base to perk it up much. They are great cars.
V Happy

 

[mike 11111]

Still looking.....

Thank you for the welcome and the good advice. Have looked at a few but have not found the right one so I am still looking...........
Mike

 

[rexster314]

Thank you for the welcome and the good advice. Have looked at a few but have not found the right one so I am still looking...........
Mike

Take your time, when you run across one that tells you to "buy me" you'll know it

 

[beaver_jd]

Thank you for the welcome and the good advice. Have looked at a few but have not found the right one so I am still looking...........
Mike

Mike, I just joined this group and when I bought my XLR all I knew about it was that it was an " Old Mans Corvette " which I continue to call it and that is all I knew about the car. It had 80,000 plus miles and I figured I would drive it for a year and then either buy one with lower miles or dump it. That was 4 years ago. I have really lucked out. I think anything that was going to go wrong already had because of the ton of miles. I am beginning to think higher millage is better than lower. One thing I read here was that the fewer the owners the better or if the guy you are buying from has owned it a long time that's a bonus. I just finished looking at an 05 with 18,000 miles and I passed as I don't know if that's enough millage to get all the bugs out. I talked to a company that I got off this site about headlights and he told me there were big changes between the 04's and 5's to the 06. With the exception of headlights and taillights along with a couple of other small items you can still get the majority of parts for the 06 but not so with the 04's and 5's. I drive my car 5 months of the year in Southern California and have never regretted buying it. If you want to talk about "Living the Dream " driving around in one of these machines top down is it.
John F.

 

[rexster314]

I wouldn't look at anything older than an 06. Seems like 04 and 05 were a little more troublesome. By the time the 06 and up came out, most of the gremlins had been worked out.

 

[mike 11111]

good info...

Guys...thanks for the continuing input.....sounds like I should look at 2006+. Any guesses what a realistic 'buy-it' price might be for a 2006 with 50 to 75000 miles? I see all kinds of stuff on Kelly BB, NADA, car Guru, auto trader ad nauseum.

We always see the asking price...but seldom the real selling price.

Mike

 

[Phil105]

Guys...thanks for the continuing input.....sounds like I should look at 2006+. Any guesses what a realistic 'buy-it' price might be for a 2006 with 50 to 75000 miles? I see all kinds of stuff on Kelly BB, NADA, car Guru, auto trader ad nauseum.

We always see the asking price...but seldom the real selling price.

Mike

Go onto ebay. Do a search for Cadillac XLR. Scroll down and on the left side of the screen you'll see a box for "sold listings". This will give you some idea of what to expect to pay. Be sure you inspect closely before you buy. These cars can be quite pricey to maintain, if you can get needed parts.

 

[rexster314]

Guys...thanks for the continuing input.....sounds like I should look at 2006+. Any guesses what a realistic 'buy-it' price might be for a 2006 with 50 to 75000 miles? I see all kinds of stuff on Kelly BB, NADA, car Guru, auto trader ad nauseum.

We always see the asking price...but seldom the real selling price.

Mike

We got our '06 last October for 27000$. Had 42000 on the clock. Dealer wanted 29000 for it but the driver's seat was worn through on the outside bolster and headlight washer covers were missing. Had to replace a radiator with a leak and about a month later the shift cable broke. Both warranty work. Then Feb the driver side window regulator gave up the ghost, also warranty. Warranty is a 100$ deductible on each visit. I still feel like we got a fair deal. Headlights are clear, no paint marring. I replaced the washer covers myself.

Bottom line is you should find your dream car for 26000 to 29000 in my estimation. If you're looking for a V add another 10 to 15 thousand on top of the base price.