Northstar Lover

[Tomcat_AL200]

Hello,
While I don't have an XLR (yet) I am here for additional goodness related to the Northstar in my wife's 2005 Raven Black STS 1SE. I look forward to picking over the info on the forum and lusting after an XLR's.
When I am not wrenching or driving to / from my command, I play with my 4 mo. son and try to fly and shoot whenever I find the time.

 

[Rob]

Welcome to the XLR Net!

 

[CNC]

Welcome! : )

Yes, the XLR's are special vehicles and The Northstar V8 a great engine. But nothing is more precious to you I am sure than
your 4 mo. old son.

Welcome.

 

[onalaska]

Welcome to the group. We also started our Cadillac experience with a 2005 STS with the Northstar engine. Wife is still driving it with almost 150,000 miles on it now and it still looks like new. One of the best cars we have owned. It's going to be difficult for her to part with it, but we are looking to replace it with a Tesla soon.

Funny story about the XLR. We had actually gone to a Cadillac dealer to drive a new CTS V with the manual transmission. They looked at us like we were crazy wanting a Cadillac with a manual transmission and said they never had a V in stock and gave us a test drive in a STS. The wife liked the interior of the STS a lot better than the CTS so we bought the STS with the Northstar V8. They didn't have a STS V at that dealership either! While we were at the dealership they had a XLR in the showroom and they acted like it wasn't even for sale and just a showpiece to bring in customers. We had never seen or heard of and XLR at the time, but several years later I bought a used CPO XLR V from another Cadillac dealer and have enjoyed it ever since.

Before buying the XLR V I bought a used Cadillac Allante' and we still own and drive it occasionally. That got us started in the 2 seat convertible market, but wanted something newer that we could take on trips and the XLR has been the perfect road trip car for us.

 

[XLRATING]

Funny story about the XLR. We had actually gone to a Cadillac dealer to drive a new CTS V with the manual transmission. They looked at us like we were crazy wanting a Cadillac with a manual transmission and said they never had a V in stock and gave us a test drive in a STS.

Ironically, we had an ‘05 CTS-V manual (I’m sure you know they all were) that we traded in, later found out when the dealer sold it (1) the salesman didn’t know it was a manual, & (2) the buyer bought it ONLY because he wanted a car with a mesh grill. What the dealers knew (didn’t know) about those is appalling - ours had sat on the lot for about a year before we bought it.

By the way, you didn’t miss anything as the shifters on the first CTS-V’s were HORRIBLE, maybe best described as “long throw.” My husband hated that which was part of why we got rid of it after only a few years.

I got my XLR because the original owners traded it - after keeping it until the warranty was about to expire - for a 2d gen CTS-V. They only kept that 2 years, and I can understand why because I test drove it after they traded it in. It had the base seats & they put cheap tires on it so the ride was like sitting on a skateboard. The XLR is way better! And, I remain impressed with the number of miles people manage to put on the Northstars & they keep on getting it!