Looking at 2006 xlr any suggestions?

[Jim Douglas]

Any suggestions as to what to look for when buying a 2006 xlr?

 

[rexster314]

Any suggestions as to what to look for when buying a 2006 xlr?

1. Lower the miles the better.
2. Check all connections that have to do with the folding top <electrical and hydraulic>
3. Be ready to spend some money in the future for unseen problems
4. Put it up on a lift and check for leaks around the oil pan, transmission and differential
5. Know a good mechanic you'd trust to work on a high tech car and that has a Tech2 tool
6. Try to get a good extended warranty. Mine's paid for a third of my cost of buying one and I've only had the car since first of October last year
7. Get ready to have the time of your life driving the XLR

 

[lextoy]

check the headlights for damage, and all bulbs working properly. internal lenses sometimes yellow/ burn on older years.
i dont think 06 was effected, but headlights are hard to find and expensive to replace.
check the front lower skid bars and valance, if the bars are cracked or damaged, most likely will have to be replaced.
the front skid bars also support the radiator. bumper would have to be removed to replace. not a cheap job.
inspect all 4 magnetic shock absorbers, if any are leaking oil. would need to be replaced. also expensive parts.
look for signs of water in passenger footwell and trunk compartment, especially in drivers side trunk cubby.
it contains hydraulic pump and control modules, if they get wet/submerged in water, they will fry.
ensure top cycles up and down, do it at least 3 times, not necessarily in a row. but a few full cycles to ensure it operates fully.
make sure car is running when you operate the top or it will kill the battery.
see if tires are original, if so they are really old and will need to be replaced soon.
try to get two key fobs. make sure both work.
and 2 emergency trunk keys.
try out the cruise control, make sure it works. it should also have the radar car detection function. thats kinda hard to test without some practice...
assume if the cruise control is working that the radar part is working? that is my opinion others may have more advice on the radar function.
check the lower grill adjacent to the fog lights, oem was a plastic amber smoked material, kinda liek really dark sunglasses. is it cracked chipped?
have to remove bumper to replace this part.
how old is the battery? has it been maintained with a tender? or is it near death...
contact your local cadillac dealer ask them to look up the VIN for service records, then you can see if its had any recurring major problems.
mine had several repairs for oil leaks, but that was actually good, since the northstar tends to be a bit leaky, so it got fixed under warranty.
but if i saw 5 services for the power top?? i might have reconsidered my purchase.
make sure the tip tronic transmission shifter works. i never use mine, but its nice to know its there
test drive, look for cosmetic wear , all the usual !!

 

[Army Al]

Delete

 

[XLRATING]

I have an '06 & frankly had dumb luck in getting a good one. It had 34,000 miles, now 45,000, & I haven't had any deal breaker problems. See if you can find one that is a one owner, or at least had owners that have kept it for years. One sign of a "problem child" can be owners not keeping it very long (it can also just mean someone just got it to play with for a little while, but better safe than sorry).

Definitely get the service records. Don't be scared by big things fixed early that don't show up again, do be scared of repeated electrical/computer issues. For example, mine had the differential fluid replaced 3 times in the first 9 months it was out. Had I known that, I might not have bought it, which would have been too bad because it hasn't had any problems with that since I got the car 5 1/2 years ago.

One thing a lot of Northstar engines (which is what is in the XLR) do is leak oil. It has to do with use of a sealant in place of a typical gasket, which gives up the ghost over time. Mine leaked, but not to the point of needing to add oil, so if I didn't have a service warranty I would have just left it alone. The fix is expensive from a labor standpoint because you have to drop the front to get to things.

Just remember, whatever the cost of the car now, it was once a higher end car so the cost of repairs is going to be "higher end" - like any car that would cost $95,000-118,000 in today's dollars. For example, the magnetic ride shocks are fantastic but cost about $1,000 each (which is why I got a daily driver without them). The car you're considering is going to be 10 years old so it's likely a few things will need replacing. Warranties are worth it but can be pricey, & it may be worthwhile to put aside money equal to the cost (if you can) to cover future repairs.

That said, my XLR has been worth every penny. It is one of the best things I've ever gotten & makes me feel like a million bucks every time I drive it. The icing on the cake is going to events held by members of this forum & meeting other owners. The friendships you can develop based on this car are phenomenal. So, go for it, get one, & enjoy it!

 

[Crimson Pearl]

XLRATING speaks the truth and said it very well!

 

[Rule62]

Buy a long term, comprehensive, low or no deductible warranty. Then you really don't have to worry about the inevitable. [emoji41]


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[Phil105]

Buy a long term, comprehensive, low or no warranty. Then you really don't have to worry about the inevitable. [emoji41]
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Although you still have the issue of parts availability, warranty or not. Something to consider.

 

[Rule62]

Although you still have the issue of parts availability, warranty or not. Something to consider.

In the last year, my Cadillac dealer has the retractable top pump and module, the radiator, the cd changer, body control module, both rear shocks and even the hood struts 100% under warranty with no availability issues.
And when I had the breaks done I actually found OEM brake calipers on Amazon for less than half the cost I was quoted to refinish my originals. So far parts haven't been an issue for me.



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[Phil105]

In the last year, my Cadillac dealer has the retractable top pump and module, the radiator, the cd changer, body control module, both rear shocks and even the hood struts 100% under warranty with no availability issues.
And when I had the breaks done I actually found OEM brake calipers on Amazon for less than half the cost I was quoted to refinish my originals. So far parts haven't been an issue for me.
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That's great. Hope you luck holds out.

 

[SJP]

My warranty is expiring in 6 months. Which coverage plan do you use?

 

[Rule62]

My warranty is expiring in 6 months. Which coverage plan do you use?

I purchased my XLR-V at a Lexus dealer across the street from the Cadillac dealer which sold the car new to the first owner. I priced out the GMPP just to see where it would come in, but in the end I got a $0 deductible, 4 year, 50K Platinum Used Car warranty from Toyota Motor Credit which was better coverage for less money than the GMPP. My coverage will expire in 10/19 so or 90,400 miles so I have a ways to go before I have to worry about it. The Lexus plan cost $5100 of which I contributed $1500 at the time of purchase. The dealer ate the rest.

 

[beaver_jd]

XLR vs XLR-V

I would like comments on the better model to buy. I currently have an 06 Base and am thinking I want a "V". What are the plus' and minus'. I have read about some of the problems these cars have and you should buy a low miler. Well I am a snowbird and bought one in California 4 years ago. It had 80,000 miles on it and it has been unreal. No problems, no leaks etc. Now I only put 600 miles a winter on the car. I have been very pleased but thinking of upgrading.
John

 

[Rule62]

I would like comments on the better model to buy. I currently have an 06 Base and am thinking I want a "V". What are the plus' and minus'. I have read about some of the problems these cars have and you should buy a low miler. Well I am a snowbird and bought one in California 4 years ago. It had 80,000 miles on it and it has been unreal. No problems, no leaks etc. Now I only put 600 miles a winter on the car. I have been very pleased but thinking of upgrading.
John

I have never owned a base XLR and my only experience driving one was in the very first 2004 XLR my dealership sold (which is where I caught the bug to begin with).

I've never heard of many "V" specific issues vs. the Base. They're potentially affected by the same quirks that any one-off, decade old, retractable hard top GM roadster would potentially suffer.

I can't imagine owning a base at this point. But, you can't miss what you haven't had. You should drive the V and see if you like it. The lower the mileage (and number of owners) the better.

 

[beaver_jd]

XLR vs XLR-V

Rule 62, I really agree on the lower number of owners the better. I have been looking for a real low miler but I am now thinking I want one with lots of miles on it as there will be a real good chance all the bugs are fixed. You have replied to a couple of my posts and I thank you. I just discovered this forum.
John.

 

[Rule62]

My pleasure John. This is a great forum and people have been very helpful to me here.

I held out for two years before I found one that ticked all the boxes. And my list was long: one owner, less than 50K miles, verified service history, clean Carfax, black on black 2006-7 "V" that was priced right. They made like 311 black on black units which is the most of any production year, but still like finding a needle in a haystack. But the Universe rewarded my patience and one popped up in Bakersfield one sweltering October weekend and I snagged it. And, outside of some warranty issues and the 50K mile service I've had no problems. I've put almost 8000 mile on it in 20 months and I still pinch myself every time I start it.

Good luck with your journey. Don't settle. There's one out there that's perfect for you!

 

[XLRATING]

I would like comments on the better model to buy. I currently have an 06 Base and am thinking I want a "V". What are the plus' and minus'. I have read about some of the problems these cars have and you should buy a low miler. Well I am a snowbird and bought one in California 4 years ago. It had 80,000 miles on it and it has been unreal. No problems, no leaks etc. Now I only put 600 miles a winter on the car. I have been very pleased but thinking of upgrading.
John

We have both a base & a V. The V hasn't had any different problems from the base (both needed oil leak/gasket repairs), & our dealer said there haven't been problems with the superchargers on the V's. I will say for some reason V's seem to end up in rougher shape appearance-wise than the base, both from stories on here & ours - V had 15k miles when we got it vs. base with more than twice as much, & the base was in way better shape than the V. Odd that it would work that way.

To the extent it's a concern, insurance rates for the V are significantly higher than the base (at least in my area), even with a clean record. Also, if you have an interest in an aftermarket warranty, it can be harder to find one that covers V's. Besides that, I find the V much less fun to drive than the base because I feel I have to stay more on my game with it. Much easier for it to get out from under you than the base, plus I'm not interested in trashing something they only made about 2,000 of so that it won't be easy to find a replacement.

Independent of the base vs. V issue, with these cars, if you have one that has everything working well on it, that may be better than a low mileage/low # of owners one with a bunch of hidden gremlins. Our V (which we got after the base) hasn't had any real gremlins, but while the top on the base has always operated flawlessly (knock on wood), we had a series of issues with the V top that ultimately led to a sensor replacement. That kind of thing is aggravating.

At the same time, we have a modded 600 hp Mustang & my husband says the XLR-V is just as big of a blast to drive as the Mustang, just more comfortable.

Obviously it all depends on what you're looking for, but if you enjoy what you have now & generally just go for nice cruises without much use/need for explosive speed, you might want to stick with it.

Just my .02 (or less)...

 

[beaver_jd]

XLR vs XLR-V

XLRATING, Thank you for your thoughts. Very interesting.
John

 

[Ol Timr]

Extended Warrenty

Greetings, You may want to look at your credit union or bank... This is where I have purchased several for my cars. A great price & good warranty when I have used it. 03 Thunderbird, 05 Ram Daytona, & a 09 Cadillac XLR
Good luck
Randy

 

[rexster314]

Remember, just don't settle for one, get the one you really want. When we were looking, we found an '06 silver for a good price, but it was a red one or not one at all. Several days later I found what became our XLR at almost the same price.