My aunt who always drove Cadillacs (1967 Eldorado, 1978 Coupe de Ville) had a 1990 Coupe de Ville as her last Cadillac for 24 years until she passed away in 2014. She loved that car! It had every option, including the Bose CD player that sounded fabulous. It also had all the bling a Cadillac owner could desire including a fancy grill and the wire wheel cover tire mounted on the trunk. And of course it had Vogue tires. To this day, I've never ridden in or driven a more comfortable car. She looked so stylish driving down the road, always dolled up like Dolly Parton with fancy jewelry and coiffed hair!
I was in high school when the ‘89 face lifted Cadillacs came out. For some reason I was totally enamored by the rear fender skirts on the Fleetwoods. 30 years later I finally bought one.
Indeed! Adding a foot to the wheelbase and revising the styling enabled the Cadillac to look like a Cadillac again, instead of all the late '80's GM box cars@@ErikDB6
My 1st Cadillac was a 1993 Sedan Deville, and it looked exactly like the one in your thumbnail. This was my favorite Cadillac of all time. I asked a couple of friends at the time to drive it around just so I could sit in the back. The ride quality was 2nd to none. It had a lot of power, and I felt like a king driving it. Thank you for this video!
The shape of this car was a winning hand. There was nothing like this one. I was a teenager and, on the way to school, saw rows and rows of these Caddy's. Wish I had one.
Adam, A lot of classic car fans might be tempted to scoff at the 'Old School (FWD) Cadillacs' but your video provides so many valuable lessons. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, luxury buyers would be contented with a 3,500 lbs Deville. Today the same type of buyer would require a 3 ton Escalade to tell the world they had made it. 🤨
Counter opinion. The Escalade is the only Cadillac out there that is still truly a Cadillac. Big, smooth, rear wheel drive V8 boat. The rest of Cadillac lineup is all euro-tuned small/medium sedan with limited interior space and "sporty" handling. Maybe people just want to be comfortable and not feel every bump in the road, this would explain the popularity of the Escalade while the others languish.
They can scoff all they want, but the first of these cars are now almost 39 years old and just because someone does not wish to accept their own age, does not mean it is inappropriate to refer to a 39 year old car as Old School. They are 1 year from the 40 year cut off of the definition of a clsssic car.
@@namemcnamerton4249 The first ones that came out that GM didn't give Cadillac a lot of breathing room with are horrible tacky badge engineered trash but they got subsequently better than that one. I think Lincoln's first impression with the Navigator was a good one and something Cadillac was never able to recover.
So, my Grandpa (rest in Peace) had been a Buick man since the 50s, right up until this year, 1993. He traded his '91 Roadmaster for almost exactly this model DeVille Fleetwood, with the RPO 57 Light Beige paint. Fond memories of summer vacations to both Coasts in the Nineties! Also, fun fact, the dealer installed an anti-theft feature on the hood ornament, making the horn honk! (Grandpa would use it, to great effect, to sound the horn when trying to get Granny to "hurry it up.") Great to see such a clean example of the car I spent most of my summers in as a kid!
I was a mechanic at a Cadillac dealership in the 90's. I agree Adam, they were great cars. We saw them mostly for oil leaks and water pumps. The intakes and oil pans leaked oil. The 4.9 was a great runner though, lots of bottom end torque and the cars were super comfortable.
Don't forget injectors. The 4.9 were notorious for them leaking, even hydrolocking the engine. I acquired a cheap, low mileage late 90 Coupe Deville with the 4.9 because it had a leaky injector that tweaked a rod. It would run rough, and nobody could figure it out. When I pulled the rear head, cylinder 4 the piston would travel short of TDC by about 8mm. It was enough to affect combustion and throw off the balance. Yet its compression reading was right on spec. 😂 Went to the u-pick junkyard, pulled a piston/rod assembly, and swapped it in. Didn't even bother to put new rings. I just put a new rod bearing. Thing ran like a champ. Took me all through senior year HS, and college. Put up with my constant tweaking and updating of big BOOM stereo systems. Then I sold it to a classmate in college. He put it to good use as well.
I was a mechanic at a Cadillac dealership also in the 90's. We had a lot of broken gas tank baffles, and the bulletin for the ground strap and bracket. They were fun to work on and got paid 3.7 hrs for a major tuneup. Good times.
Mom had a '78 Coupe DeVille. Body had rust holes all over and after neglecting the engine by not changing the oil it started to knock. Well, My auto shop teacher had an older hearse with a blown engine and we pulled the 425 out and put it in the hearse. Changed the oil, knock went away. Saw the hearse at a car show 10 years later and that 425 was still quiet and smooth. Lol
In 1990 I was in my mid-20's and living a "big city" life in Los Angeles (grew up in Santa Barbara). I wanted to give my mom and dad a fancy experience one Christmas, so I put them up at the downtown Hilton on my airline miles, got them tickets to Phantom of the Opera at the LA Shubert Theater, and I rented one of these Caddies to chauffeur them around town in style. I felt quite the "good son" for it, and the Caddy was a big part of it!
My first Cadillac was a brand new 1991 Deville Sedan in Garnet Red with gray lower cladding. Purchased in November of 1990 after several lively test drivesI absolutely loved that car, and as you say Adam it was a pleasure to drive. Plenty of power, very smooth ride and a fabulously classy design. I fell in love with the finned taillights and the new for ‘91 grille. The matching interior was so elegant, it too was a joy to ride in. I sadly sold it to buy the newly released 2003 CTS, another great car. In 2009 I purchased the 2010 CTS Premium Sedan that I still drive today. All great cars for their time. As always Adam, I love your very informative videos. Your cars are fantastic!!
Just bought a 1991 Deville for my other half. One owner, 89,000 original miles, and only $1600. The other half simply loves the comfort and room it offers, and as the family mechanic I love the way GM laid out the engineering. The water pump sounds like a bear, but I'm willing to bet it'll be a world of improvement over the 2004 Trailblazer he was in. From an upkeep standpoint parts for these are very reasonably priced and easily available (including the BCU). I love being able to know the history of this era and its designers; thanks for all you do!
I've owned my "old school" '90 deVille since '93. 17.5 mpg suburban mpg the last 500 miles as the temps plummet. Easily 25 mpg on the road. Lots of low end and mid-range torque in the 4.5. A great engine. Leather, comfort, and technology that doesn't overwhelm me. What a car!
Yes! I had a 1989 Sedan de Ville with the 4.5. That car was awesome. Rode super well on the highway, power felt good, got good mileage, super comfortable seats, huge back seat, great stereo, toasty heat and cold AC. Loved it. Hurt my back doing the water pump, but the brakes, and the rear air shocks were easy.
As a retired Service Director, I became somewhat found of the 4.9L. Had several demos during 1991 and 1992 Deville and Seville/Eldorados, loved them all .
Demo's as in brand new not the poor slob fixing the thing when 5-6 years old constantly. Lol, you were the bandit link in the chain taking the money on something that was garbage from the start...
@robertdiehl9003 Well, sorry your so cynical about my remarks. Just saying I enjoyed driving that generation of Cadillacs. Sure they had some weak links, and I was blessed to have a first class technical team that could repair them in or out of warranty. Those guys were the best. Oh, and I am not a bandit . Won five trips to Europe from GM for having the highest customer satisfaction scores for my dealership in the Midwest from 1990 to 1997.
Had a 92. Loved that car. It did really seem faster than 200hp. If you floored it, the front wheels would almost boil. Very comfortable. When I drove downstate Illinois, I would be fighting to stay awake on the highway
I’m so excited to watch this! I have a 1990 Fleetwood which is basically the same thing with fender skirts.I had always wanted one since my friends mom, a fancy real estate agent, had one back in 1989 and she took all of the corners in my small town at twice the speed limit. Finally bought a little old lady survivor about five years ago and have probably put 50,000 miles on it. It’s amazing that these have a wonderful ride and humongous comfortable interior and are pretty reliable. It makes me angry about all of the new Cadillacs! Sometimes I do wish it had the Buick 3800for better mileage. Love the super long rear doors with massive chrome trim.
These would have been good with a 3800. It wouldn't be good enough for the average Cadillac buyer though. And God forbid it not be an actual Cadillac motor.
@@kirksway1 From 1985 to '92 the Fleetwood was a higher-trim version of the front-drive DeVille (My maternal grandmother bought a white-over-white '85 Fleetwood sedan from her brother when he bought a new '96 Thunderbird.); the big rear-drive Cadillac was thus renamed Fleetwood Brougham for 1985 and '86, then just Brougham (in an effort to reduce confusion) from 1987 to '92. When the redesigned rear-drive D-body arrived for '93, it took the Fleetwood and Fleetwood Brougham monikers while the uplevel C-body was renamed Sixty Special for what would be its final model year.
@@joshuagibson2520 The 3800 didn't technically exist when these Cadillacs were in development. The FWD Caddys were developed in the early 80's. At the time all GM had in V6 offerings was the 3.8l transverse mount LK9 which was anemic at 110hp and 140 lb-ft. That just couldn't propel one of these piggies, that weighed in north of 3500lbs. Contrary to what many think, the 3.8 and 3800 are not equals. The 3800 was the refreshed (updated) version of the early 3.8's. Those wouldn't become available until the late 80's. By then, the Cadillac FWD program was in full swing. Plus being realistic, the 3800 wouldn't have offered up much in fuel savings. The 4.9 made 200hp and 275 lb-ft, and had an aluminum block that shaved over 100lbs of weight. The 3800 was all iron, heavier, and had lower power ratings (160hp & 220 lb-ft). More weight, less power, in an already heavy vehicle is not a good combination for consumers.
My Grandfather "George Revak" rip , drove one as well . Never knew him to drive anything other than a Cadillac unless it was an RV. Thanks for featuring a history on "De Ville" .
Im in Los Angeles, I currently own a 93 Sixty Special. For those Cadillac enthusiasts you know what that is. For those that don't, its a Deville with all the bells and whistles Cadillac can offer. I love that car and tale care of it like a new born baby.
After many Cadillacs from the '50s to 1970, this was my last Cadillac, actually a '92 the same paint and trim as the '93 shown. It was a truly wonderful car, and trouble-free for years. The on-board diagnostic system was wonderful, as was the AC system. Seating for 6 was comfortable for all, in the SDV tradition. There were oil pressure troubles with the 4T80E as mileage reached 100K also common on the 4T60E in lesser cars. The first symptom is that the cruise control will not work once the ATF warms up. I did pull the transaxle, and there were signs of cooked seals during tear-down. A reseal and pump hard parts job fixed that. The water pump is an absolute nightmare, but not impossible. Never had the #1 cyl rod knock, ran 10W-30 synthetic, but I'm fussy about oil changes. Although fit and finish wasn't up to par with my '50s and early '60s Cads, it was better than most in the '90s. The 4.9L was miserly on fuel on the road, but still yielded 250 HP, same as my '55 331. Truly the last of the old school Cadillacs. Now all Cadillac represents is rebadged Chevy Suburbans.
The throttle body 4.5 was a home run - Roller cam, larger oil pump, they'd run almost forever with proper maintenance ... 4.9 was good too but had tip-in issues occasionally
I remember hearing that but thought it was the 4.5 supposedly to get rid of it cleaning the throttle body and in some cases that the linkage was in good shape works well. I do remember my friend's parents had an 88 Deville and you really had to be light on the pedal to not chirp the tires. I didn't drive it much but don't recall the touchy throttle till towards they end of when they had it. It was low miles and they had it for many years great car.
The 4.5's had head gasket issues. When the water pump failed, if you didn't catch it in time, and it overheated, the probability was high for head gasket failure. Higher mileage examples the head gaskets would give out. Just the manufacturing practices of the time. The 4.9l GM made some updates to the block that improved longevity and reliability. Head gaskets on 4.9 was an anomaly. Had to be a catastrophic failure due to negligence more than anything. The throttle body injection is a great system. Can't argue there, but upgrading the injectors on 4.9's to the updated part solved all issues. The problem was, most owners only changed the ones that were bad, and used aftermarket parts. So you were just setting yourself up for repeat failures.
@@LynxStarAutoI’ve owned all of the HT engines. 4.5 was best in my opinion. No injector issues. I also had a 4.9 blow a head gasket after overheating once.
Had one just like the pictue, same color (Antelope Mist!) and all. Great car. I drove 700 miles one day, made it home and felt like I could have driven 200 miles more. What a joy to drive.
The extended wheelbase of the 1989-'93 models were thanks, in part to the 1987-88 Fleetwood 60 Special, an outsourced trim to Hess & Eisenhardt where the car's wheelbase was stretched 5 inches, rear seat foot rests as well overhead illuminated vanity mirrors made passengers feeling that much more pampered. The custom rear door & roof treatment meant the removal of the rear coach lights on the 'c' pillar, the Cadillac crest was displayed on the final end of the rear door vinyl material for a less cluttered appearance. I worked for a funeral home with plenty of the C series of many years and body styles. One element that still resonates in my memory is the distinct sound of the engine & exhaust notes, close your eyes, you would know that car is a Cadillac!! Final note, when not in funeral mode, everyone wanted to drive the Caddy with the 4.9, a beast of power at the traffic light, thankfully there were no company markings on the car. Indeed we were restless, but after years of slug powered models it was a blaze of glory to hear & feel a Cadillac akin to a Firebird!
Those were surprisingly nice cars. A friend from work picked one up at an estate sale in '96 or '97 with very few miles on it, for 5 or 6 grand and as far as I know, he's still driving it.
Adam. I watch a lot of car and truck videos and belong to a number of Facebook groups dedicated to classic cars and trucks. I find your videos are the best of the lot. Your presentation style is professional and very informative. I can only imagine the amount of time you dedicate to producing them. Thanks for posting and keep them coming.
I had '90 FWD Fleetwood version. The 4.5-4.9L were really great engines. I believe the Fleetwood had a little better quality leather in the interior. Mine was running great at 289K when it got T-boned. Personally believe this was probably the best car I ever owned.
My dad owned one of these, though I think it was a 90 or 91. Really nice car and elegant looks that still look good. Thanks for the deep dive on this model!
I always enjoyed driving these FWD Caddys. Spent the late 80's/early 90's working for Avis Rent-A-Car and whenever one of these came up to drive, I took it! Whenever special trips came up or car swaps, I'd always grab a Cadillac....and they mostly had these.
These were not the last of the “old school” Cadillacs, if these are even considered in that category. That honor would go to the 224 inch-long, 4,400+ pound, rear-wheel drive, body-on-frame 1993-96 Fleetwood. These early 90s Devilles have the styling spirit of classic Cadillac inside and out, but so did their larger 1994-96 and 1997-99 successors for the most part. I still debate the status of post-1984 Devilles as “old school Cadillacs” because after that year they are unibody, front-wheel drive, and not relatively all that long, wide, or heavy. The mid-90s Fleetwoods are the last Cadillacs to really embody what Cadillac was from at least post-WWII through the mid-70s, and then what true full-sized American luxury was from the mid-70s through its run until discontinued in 1996. Once the Fleetwood was gone, only the Lincoln Town Car soldiered on in this category until it’s 2011 demise.
The Fleetwood by that time were mostly rebadged heavily-optioned Crapieces...even with the small block Chevy engine. Cadillac lost all credibility once they started rebadging Suburbans as "Excalades."
I’d argue the last true “old-school” Cadillac was 1996 Fleetwood Brougham. The 2011 DTS/Lucerne was really the last gasp of the old-school FWD platforms. The XTS carried the torch in-spirit as well.
They were the last body on frame Caddies to be sure. A much more progressive design than the Devilles though. Stylistically I would argue they were much more based on the Cadillac Voyage concept Adam referenced @ 6:39 then the FWD Devilles which retained more recognizable "old school" design cues. The 94-96 LT1 powered units were even less "Cadillac traditional", though those seem to be the more desirable ones to get a hold of. This video makes me miss the hell out of my '90 tissue box airbagged 4.5 rocket, they were great road trip cruisers -drove mine 1200 miles from Wisconsin to Texas in one sitting, Was 20+ years ago -I could never do something that stupid now🙂
My father had a '95 Deville with the 4.9 V8 in the 3-stage Diamond White, he really liked that car. It was vault quiet, roomy and road nicely without too much tech.
Thanks for this, Adam 🙏The '93 Deville sedan (without the vinyl roof) is one of my guilty pleasures ❤ Sadly, the majority on the roads are moth-eaten, sad specimens well past their date at the junkyard.
I still have Cadillac Voyage literature I attained from the Chicago Auto Show in the early 199's 'along with a signed Walter Payton Buick Reatta photo from the 1988 Chicago Auto Show.
This was my first Cadillac. White with red leather. Just perfect plenty of headroom the A-pillars are still more straight up than what they make now days. With all the engine improvements. I wish this is the Cadillac that they would bring back. People I believe still want a full size Caddy.
This video brought back a lot of memories. My mom drove a ‘90 Sedan DeVille gray over gray mid-trim. I loved that car. I was lucky enough to take it on a lot of road trips. One was from South Central Pennsylvania to upstate NY and the last part was in the middle of a snowstorm. The car was rock solid in the snow and real trooper. Another time myself and two buddies drove from PA to Memphis to New Orleans then to Tamp and back with a stop in Fredericksburg Virginia in a bit over a week. It was an awesomely comfortable highway cruiser. Mom had it for nearly five years before trading it in for an Aurora. Dad drove an ‘90 Eldorado Biarritz and he could never understand why I liked mom’s car a lot more. I will say it had a few faults. For one it had an exceedingly comfortable interior but the lack and hinges of the center armrest and glove box always felt like they were about to break. The rear seat back handle was made from some very cheap plastic. In road comfort and space it was a wonderful ride. Very quiet and smooth.
I had a 1989 Fleetwood Sixty Special with HT4500 It was a wonderful car, a dream to drive. I drove it here in Germany and only needed 7.5 liters per 100 km over a long distance.
-Cadillac engines are not really supposed to be powerful. The idea behind the engine in a Cadillac is that you never know it is there, it is supposed to be as much like an electric motor as possible. Instant torque without any noise or vibration. These are supposed to be luxury automated carriages that transport their occupants in smooth silent luxury. The HT4100 was probably designed to put a V8 in an area that normally holds a 3800 V6, and since power wasn't important, it didn't make much and it is obvious that GM tried to pull as much cost out of this Cadillac-only engine as they could. To it's detriment, but what do they care what some guy in Florida is posting on a RUclips video 30 years later? Great video as always!
Adam, I would consider it a great Christmas present if you would get your 1977 Impala out and do a detailed review of the engine and interior and take it for a nice cruise. My first car was a worn out 1977 Impala with a 305 2 barrel. It wasn't much to look at, or drive. But it brought me a lot of good times and I remember it fondly. Every time I see your Impala I think about being 18 again. I would love to see a longer video on it. Thanks, Adam
My Grandmother has this Generation. She has a 1992 , which she bought hers Pre Owned in '93. She just turned 100 in Oct and still has her '92 . And that thing still works. And she didn't have the Northstar Engine. These were some of that last reliable Cadillac's
My mom still has her red 1993 Cadillac Sedan de Ville. She babies that car. It only has a little over 8,000 on that thing and it’s in mint condition. It’s special to her because it was the last major purchase my folks made before my dad passed. The 4.9L has a sexy growl to it for a family floater.
I was waiting for you to do a video on these. I had a 91 Coupe Deville and it was great, smooth, fast and rare being a Coupe without a mock top. I traded it in for an 02 Continental and that car also made 275 lb/ft of torque. But I miss that car and wish to have another someday. I would like to see some more about this platform, like the Fleetwood fwd and the Touring Sedan.
Adam, you left out two awesome features from the Fleetwood: 1) the available ElectriClear windshield, and 2) the electroluminescent Cadillac crests on the C pillar. Not sure if they were available on the DeVille, but the two cars weren't that different from one another. The Sixty Special package, or Ultra package for the '93 "Sixty Special", is also worth a mention.
Thanks for making a video about these Deville's from these model years Adam. My parents had an 85 FWD Fleetwood with the HT4100 in it. And the engine issues it had. Don't even have to list them. But then they bought a brand 90 Deville with the 4.5 with port fuel injection. And man I used to think it was a rocket to me at that time. I had to be 12 or 13 yrs old. And I ended up taking that 90 on my high school senior prom. And at that point it was 6yrs old and still looked new at that point. It was Royal Maroon with maroon leather, Bose CD player, heated windshield, the gold package, gold Rolls Royce style grille, and half custom top. That 4.5 was true runner. Didn't have many problems as far as the powertrain go. But it had other issues with it like paint, the leather seatings, door arm rests splitting, etc. But fast forward many years later I have a 94 Deville with the 4.9 in it and totally love my old girl.
The one on my Dodge Monaco was just a curiosity, but such a thing might be useful if driving back and forth between Canada and the USA or between the UK and France.
Half a tank of gas is half a tank of gas, 100 kph equals 62 mph. i used to live in Buffalo, drove to Canada all the time. Most speedos are marked in both anyway. @@pcno2832
As a teen working in a gas station, I drove several early 70s Cadillacs... the last of the gigantic era. 20 years later, I had an early 90s DeVille sedan rental car. I remember thinking that Caddy engineers had done an amazing job making a much smaller lighter FWD unibody car with strut suspension and rack & pinion steering feel very much like the traditional Cadillacs from the pre-oil embargo era. Quiet, smooth, roomy, and effortless power. They also did a great job of duplicating the massive understeer and sloppy handling!
I had an uncle who had a 1993 DeVille. When he and my aunt came to a family funeral in 1996, their eldest son was driving. I asked my cousin Ken if the car were his. "Oh, no," he said, "It's too 'old' for me. But I must admit, I DO like it!"
Great episode! My grandpa had a 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood of this generation, two-tone grey with a navy blue leather interior. Normally he’d trade in cars every 3 years but kept that Fleetwood till the turn of the millennium. Why? “Best car I’ve ever had” he’d say in his Wisconsin accent, “Every year I check out the newer ones & my car has all their bells & whistles.” We would visit them over Christmas break every year and the whole family could go to dinner and to church in the Fleetwood. We would go looking for Christmas lights in that car, and if we ran by the local mini-golf course he always had at least a putter in the trunk. “Don’t slam the doors,” he would gently but firmly remind my brother & I if we absentmindedly used the same force as we did on my mom’s Volvo 240DL wagon. To a middle class suburban Midwestern kid things like the soft close trunk, sunroof & premium stereo were so cool. I remember the year I turned 16 he let me drive when we were going around the village, and that Fleetwood felt like the definition of luxury. He gave me the extra Cadillac Full Line glossy brochure that GM would send him every year to try to entice him into a trade-in. I was more excited about the Seville and Alante of the time, but for years that Fleetwood was the only thing good enough for Grandpa. I never imagined I’d miss that car but now, 30 years later, your video made me think of grandpa and that grey Fleetwood. Thanks for that! :-)
Adam. Thank you for doing a video on this particular generation (namely the 89-93s). I had for 5 years a 1993 Cotillion white Sedan DeVille with a burgundy leather interior, with the wheels pictured on the thumbnail as well with some whitewalls. The 4.9 Port Injected V8 was no slouch either. I really do miss that car. Should have never sold it. It treated me well. And yes, I remember quite well the water pump being a pain in the ass to replace what with the 16 bolts of various sizes. Only thing I had done to mine was limo tints, and had a shop put on a single in dual out Borla that made the 4.9 sound quite beefy. I'd kill to find a rare 93 Sixty Special with low miles however.
Hey Adam. Soft, smooth, quiet, mmm good. Years ago I lived at a place with large shed room for storage rental. I did not like yellow Caddy’s when I was young, looked like classic old duffer car with a guy in plaid pants and white shoes driving to golf course. BUT !! A fella stored a sunshine yellow one sim to this, a little older with nice looking smaller taillights, and he left the key and said move it if I needed to get something else in/out. It was a two week span of dreary thick grey clouds of November, and misty fog, my butt was just dragging, no energy. I needed to move old yeller out which also had a sunshine yellow leather interior, and I just sat in it quite awhile listening to radio, soaking up all the bright cheery sunny color pushing all that dull grey back. I never forgot that and realize a sim yellow on yellow car I would truly appreciate now. Cheery, uplifting. A good mood lifter on grey, ugly days. In fact, my mancave has two walls of very light yellow combatting only north glass. I cannot buy a medium/dark grey vehicle. If it’s grey all around me, my mood is not going to lift to walk up to a grey car, plus, that is the color of asphalt and sometimes they blend in too much for safely seeing them at intersections. I’d rather have shiny black, then, with loads of chrome. Like a black 1965/66 Imperial by Chrysler !! That was the pinnacle zenith best of Imperial brand. They lock down almost a sinister leader of old USSR or mob boss look when in black. Memory says real teak wood trim inside for those years?? And Imperial offered a rare “executive model”, fuzzy memory, an extra large rear seat area with a fold down rear facing seat added behind driver seat?? With a table that could be set up on a center pole, and still a back seat. Like for a secretary taking notes as boss in back dictated, is a weak memory if that sounds like blowing smoke. Thanks for doing this Caddy video.
Really appreciate the honest approach to the material you provide. The good, the bad and some opinions. Maybe the reason I like your videos is the frequent discussion of the technical aspects. Nice work.
These were very nice cars that drove well, but I always preferred the Oldsmobile FWD C bodies of the era because they felt more modern, and the 3800 was more than enough to propel this platform. The Caddies were heavy, and didn't handle as well as the Olds, but there is no doubt that the 4.9 was growly and torquey and wonderful. Truly a good era for GM.
In the year 2000 I bought my mother a ‘90 D’Ville with 100,000 miles on it. She was widowed and living on a fixed income and depended on my dysfunctional brother for transportation. The car proved to be a gem and drove like a new car. No problems at all except a minor brake fluid leak that was quickly repaired. She passed away a few years later and I sold the car but to this day I receive notices from the California DMV that the registration is out of date. I got tired of phone calls to the DMV so I just laugh at the notice I get every year. 😅
Great cars. My dad’s coworker owned a dark blue ‘90 DeVille with the 4.5 PFI V8. The seats were incredibly comfortable. Thanks to meticulous maintenance, the car proved mostly reliable for several years.
I had a 85 Fleetwood fwd and never really got to drive it but my uncle's had a 88 navy blue DeVille which I love that car with a 4.5 and also had a 90 DeVille with a 4.9 and bout was great and a lot of great memories
I had the privilege of riding in several different Cadillacs over the years and when I was growing up. One of my step brothers had a 1993 with the 4.9 engine It ran flawless for him the entire time he owned it. And my sister's husband had a beautiful 1985 model with the 4100 engine. He has purchased it from a friend who had overheated and damaged the engine, the engine was replaced with a remanufactured crate engi ne from Sun engines of Dallas Texas , and it too ran flawless after that for many years, And intern I believe he sold the car back to the friend he had originally bought it from.
A lot of people forget that this first generation of front-drive full-sized Cads got a first, more subtle facelift before the big 1989 stretch job: The '87s added composite headlights and slightly lengthened rear bumper and tailfin assemblies, the latter helping mitigate the "plucked turkey" proportions of the '85-'86 models somewhat, though nothing like the more substantial '89 update.
My grandmother had a 1991 Coupe De Ville she bought brand new. She had that car until she had to stop driving in 2010. As far as I recall it never had any major problems. Of course she had it maintained well and never drive it harshly and probably never exceeded 70 MPH in it.
I actually owned this very car. I bought a deep red ‘93 Deville from my mother in 1997 instead of her trading it. Sadly in 2001 I did an ill advised U-turn in Washington DC not seeing a DC city bus in my blind spot. I wasn’t injured but the car was sadly totaled. And yes, I remember the weird plastic front fenders.
I had an 85, other than the engine I loved it. I loved the 89 refresh and would have loved to have had one. My only failure was the oil pump, the dealer sourced replacement was the improved 4.5 pump. One of the worst 4.1 features was the gasket joint between the head and the intake manifold, unlike most other cars it was under the valve cover where a leak could do some real damage. My dad had an 85 Olds 88, it had a leak at that joint but it wasn't under the valve cover so it was just a nuisance.
Totally agree, this final iteration of the FWD DeVille is IMHO the most perfectly resolved design of this FWD era. The carved out rear wheel wells, the large greenhouse and the extended rear deck all combine to create a very handsome car that still looks like a Cadillac.
Two features I always loved in a car were column shifters and Mercedes-style door pulls that were so common on 1970s Ford products. Having something solid to grab with one hand, with the other on the wheel, made it so much easier to keep the car going straight on the highway, even if the road, tires or alignment were less than perfect.
I owned an '88, '89, and '93 and found them to be pretty bulletproof. I almost got 400k out of the '89 with the single point fuel injector with just maintenance. The oil pan gaskets on all 3 needed replacement at some point, and was a PITA to replace. The '93s original fuel injectors did not like any ethanol content - the injectors would leak at the o-rings and would stick open causing the engine to run rich. The replacements were updated and handled ethanol fine. The shocks (again maintenance) needed replacement around 120k. Switched to passive shocks on the '93 and had no issues after that. The key was to keep up with the coolant flush/tablets, and the transmission filter/fluid changes (don't flush!).
My parents bought a 93 Deville, white with red leather interior. That car was a dream to drive. It had very good gas mileage considering its size. My dad usually averaged over 25 mpg on the road. They drove that car all over the country. After my mother passed and my father entered assisted living, he asked me to get rid of the Deville. It needed some minor body work and some engine repairs and I thought about fixing up the car and keeping it myself. But we chose to part with it, and I have always regretted that decision. I would give anything to turn back the clock and have kept that Deville; partly because it was a great automobile, but also for the wonderful family memories it holds for us all.
I rented a boatload of these on business trips in the early 90's. I would at times rent one of these for long driving trips in the South rather than driving my company Camry. Of course I didn't have to deal with mech problems, and enjoyed the big trunk. Great review!
The last of this series of Cadillac were amongst the best driving luxury Cadillacs. They refined the heck out of them, and they ended up being truly beautiful driving cars. Perfect highway cars.
I had a 1989 with throttle body 4.5L. I also had a 1989 Chevrolet K15OO pickup with a throttle body 5.7L. When it was 0F or colder both got about the same gas mileage putting around my little cow town. Of course, on the interstate the Caddy would clean up on the pickup MPG wise. I wanted a touring sedan version SOOOOOO bad!
I like the wraparound dash, which brings to mind the driver-centric designs of early 70s cars. The mismatched tire on the front passenger side was kind of bothering me, though.
My dad had a “bustle-back” Seville. It was white with red and white interior. It was distinctive. That’s all I can say for the styling. Dad wasn’t wealthy, and had to rely on a local independent mechanic to keep his car running. The car really never ran correctly, and I remember my dad and his mechanic arguing over the repair bill. My dad told the mechanic he wasn’t paying him to work on the car, he was paying him to fix it. They agreed to disagree, and dad traded the Seville for a Buick Century that he owned the rest of his life.
I had a '91 inherited from my mom with 60,000 miles. I put about 100,000 miles on it before selling it. It was a terrific car. Smooth and quiet ride, huge comfortable interior, lots of power and decent fuel economy. It's one car I'm sorry I sold.
My dad owned a 1989 Fleetwood. [Think DeVille with fender skirts and multi-buttoned leather seats] It was a very reliable car. And a joy to drive. I would love to have one today.
Авто/Мото
My aunt who always drove Cadillacs (1967 Eldorado, 1978 Coupe de Ville) had a 1990 Coupe de Ville as her last Cadillac for 24 years until she passed away in 2014. She loved that car! It had every option, including the Bose CD player that sounded fabulous. It also had all the bling a Cadillac owner could desire including a fancy grill and the wire wheel cover tire mounted on the trunk. And of course it had Vogue tires. To this day, I've never ridden in or driven a more comfortable car. She looked so stylish driving down the road, always dolled up like Dolly Parton with fancy jewelry and coiffed hair!
She sounds like an amazing woman, and bless you for keeping her memory alive and for sharing.
Cool :)
@@mdogg1604
Pimpin....
I was in high school when the ‘89 face lifted Cadillacs came out. For some reason I was totally enamored by the rear fender skirts on the Fleetwoods. 30 years later I finally bought one.
The skirted models are indeed very sleek.
Awesome those are nice
They finally fixed the awful styling in 89, and made them look like Cadillacs again. The Fleetwood being the nicest! Congrats.
Indeed! Adding a foot to the wheelbase and revising the styling enabled the Cadillac to look like a Cadillac again, instead of all the late '80's GM box cars@@ErikDB6
My 1st Cadillac was a 1993 Sedan Deville, and it looked exactly like the one in your thumbnail. This was my favorite Cadillac of all time. I asked a couple of friends at the time to drive it around just so I could sit in the back. The ride quality was 2nd to none. It had a lot of power, and I felt like a king driving it. Thank you for this video!
The shape of this car was a winning hand. There was nothing like this one. I was a teenager and, on the way to school, saw rows and rows of these Caddy's. Wish I had one.
Adam, A lot of classic car fans might be tempted to scoff at the 'Old School (FWD) Cadillacs' but your video provides so many valuable lessons. Back in the 1980s and 1990s, luxury buyers would be contented with a 3,500 lbs Deville. Today the same type of buyer would require a 3 ton Escalade to tell the world they had made it. 🤨
Well said.
Counter opinion. The Escalade is the only Cadillac out there that is still truly a Cadillac. Big, smooth, rear wheel drive V8 boat. The rest of Cadillac lineup is all euro-tuned small/medium sedan with limited interior space and "sporty" handling. Maybe people just want to be comfortable and not feel every bump in the road, this would explain the popularity of the Escalade while the others languish.
They can scoff all they want, but the first of these cars are now almost 39 years old and just because someone does not wish to accept their own age, does not mean it is inappropriate to refer to a 39 year old car as Old School. They are 1 year from the 40 year cut off of the definition of a clsssic car.
@@littlesquirtthefireengine5478 nope it's still a slightly worse Tahoe.
@@namemcnamerton4249 The first ones that came out that GM didn't give Cadillac a lot of breathing room with are horrible tacky badge engineered trash but they got subsequently better than that one.
I think Lincoln's first impression with the Navigator was a good one and something Cadillac was never able to recover.
So, my Grandpa (rest in Peace) had been a Buick man since the 50s, right up until this year, 1993. He traded his '91 Roadmaster for almost exactly this model DeVille Fleetwood, with the RPO 57 Light Beige paint. Fond memories of summer vacations to both Coasts in the Nineties!
Also, fun fact, the dealer installed an anti-theft feature on the hood ornament, making the horn honk! (Grandpa would use it, to great effect, to sound the horn when trying to get Granny to "hurry it up.") Great to see such a clean example of the car I spent most of my summers in as a kid!
OMG, I used to rent these on business. Love the off the line feel, the grumble of the engine was always a lot of fun.
I was a mechanic at a Cadillac dealership in the 90's. I agree Adam, they were great cars. We saw them mostly for oil leaks and water pumps. The intakes and oil pans leaked oil. The 4.9 was a great runner though, lots of bottom end torque and the cars were super comfortable.
Don't forget injectors. The 4.9 were notorious for them leaking, even hydrolocking the engine. I acquired a cheap, low mileage late 90 Coupe Deville with the 4.9 because it had a leaky injector that tweaked a rod. It would run rough, and nobody could figure it out. When I pulled the rear head, cylinder 4 the piston would travel short of TDC by about 8mm. It was enough to affect combustion and throw off the balance. Yet its compression reading was right on spec. 😂
Went to the u-pick junkyard, pulled a piston/rod assembly, and swapped it in. Didn't even bother to put new rings. I just put a new rod bearing. Thing ran like a champ. Took me all through senior year HS, and college. Put up with my constant tweaking and updating of big BOOM stereo systems. Then I sold it to a classmate in college. He put it to good use as well.
I was a mechanic at a Cadillac dealership also in the 90's. We had a lot of broken gas tank baffles, and the bulletin for the ground strap and bracket. They were fun to work on and got paid 3.7 hrs for a major tuneup. Good times.
The 78 Cadillac with the 425 V8 engine was a very durable vehicle.
They certainly were !
Mom had a '78 Coupe DeVille. Body had rust holes all over and after neglecting the engine by not changing the oil it started to knock.
Well, My auto shop teacher had an older hearse with a blown engine and we pulled the 425 out and put it in the hearse. Changed the oil, knock went away. Saw the hearse at a car show 10 years later and that 425 was still quiet and smooth. Lol
Beware the THM200 transmission.that started in '78. The '77 still.had the 400.
In 1990 I was in my mid-20's and living a "big city" life in Los Angeles (grew up in Santa Barbara). I wanted to give my mom and dad a fancy experience one Christmas, so I put them up at the downtown Hilton on my airline miles, got them tickets to Phantom of the Opera at the LA Shubert Theater, and I rented one of these Caddies to chauffeur them around town in style. I felt quite the "good son" for it, and the Caddy was a big part of it!
My first Cadillac was a brand new 1991 Deville Sedan in Garnet Red with gray lower cladding. Purchased in November of 1990 after several lively test drivesI absolutely loved that car, and as you say Adam it was a pleasure to drive. Plenty of power, very smooth ride and a fabulously classy design. I fell in love with the finned taillights and the new for ‘91 grille. The matching interior was so elegant, it too was a joy to ride in. I sadly sold it to buy the newly released 2003 CTS, another great car. In 2009 I purchased the 2010 CTS Premium Sedan that I still drive today. All great cars for their time. As always Adam, I love your very informative videos. Your cars are fantastic!!
Just bought a 1991 Deville for my other half. One owner, 89,000 original miles, and only $1600. The other half simply loves the comfort and room it offers, and as the family mechanic I love the way GM laid out the engineering. The water pump sounds like a bear, but I'm willing to bet it'll be a world of improvement over the 2004 Trailblazer he was in. From an upkeep standpoint parts for these are very reasonably priced and easily available (including the BCU). I love being able to know the history of this era and its designers; thanks for all you do!
I've owned my "old school" '90 deVille since '93. 17.5 mpg suburban mpg the last 500 miles as the temps plummet. Easily 25 mpg on the road. Lots of low end and mid-range torque in the 4.5. A great engine. Leather, comfort, and technology that doesn't overwhelm me. What a car!
I have a 90 Cadillac coupe DeVille it has 129 thousand miles on it I'm the second owner it has a 4.5 in it two tone color
Love the Coupe DeVille style! Your car is just nicely broken in; keep enjoying!@@josephwatson2711
Yes! I had a 1989 Sedan de Ville with the 4.5. That car was awesome. Rode super well on the highway, power felt good, got good mileage, super comfortable seats, huge back seat, great stereo, toasty heat and cold AC. Loved it.
Hurt my back doing the water pump, but the brakes, and the rear air shocks were easy.
As a retired Service Director, I became somewhat found of the 4.9L. Had several demos during 1991 and 1992 Deville and Seville/Eldorados, loved them all .
Demo's as in brand new not the poor slob fixing the thing when 5-6 years old constantly. Lol, you were the bandit link in the chain taking the money on something that was garbage from the start...
@robertdiehl9003 Well, sorry your so cynical about my remarks. Just saying I enjoyed driving that generation of Cadillacs. Sure they had some weak links, and I was blessed to have a first class technical team that could repair them in or out of warranty. Those guys were the best. Oh, and I am not a bandit . Won five trips to Europe from GM for having the highest customer satisfaction scores for my dealership in the Midwest from 1990 to 1997.
Had a 92. Loved that car. It did really seem faster than 200hp. If you floored it, the front wheels would almost boil. Very comfortable. When I drove downstate Illinois, I would be fighting to stay awake on the highway
I’m so excited to watch this! I have a 1990 Fleetwood which is basically the same thing with fender skirts.I had always wanted one since my friends mom, a fancy real estate agent, had one back in 1989 and she took all of the corners in my small town at twice the speed limit. Finally bought a little old lady survivor about five years ago and have probably put 50,000 miles on it. It’s amazing that these have a wonderful ride and humongous comfortable interior and are pretty reliable. It makes me angry about all of the new Cadillacs! Sometimes I do wish it had the Buick 3800for better mileage. Love the super long rear doors with massive chrome trim.
These would have been good with a 3800. It wouldn't be good enough for the average Cadillac buyer though. And God forbid it not be an actual Cadillac motor.
I thought the Fleetwood was a rear-wheel drive car?
@@kirksway1 From 1985 to '92 the Fleetwood was a higher-trim version of the front-drive DeVille (My maternal grandmother bought a white-over-white '85 Fleetwood sedan from her brother when he bought a new '96 Thunderbird.); the big rear-drive Cadillac was thus renamed Fleetwood Brougham for 1985 and '86, then just Brougham (in an effort to reduce confusion) from 1987 to '92. When the redesigned rear-drive D-body arrived for '93, it took the Fleetwood and Fleetwood Brougham monikers while the uplevel C-body was renamed Sixty Special for what would be its final model year.
@@tomanderson6335 Thus, the Fleetwood became the first American car to be switched from front-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive.
@@joshuagibson2520 The 3800 didn't technically exist when these Cadillacs were in development. The FWD Caddys were developed in the early 80's. At the time all GM had in V6 offerings was the 3.8l transverse mount LK9 which was anemic at 110hp and 140 lb-ft. That just couldn't propel one of these piggies, that weighed in north of 3500lbs.
Contrary to what many think, the 3.8 and 3800 are not equals. The 3800 was the refreshed (updated) version of the early 3.8's. Those wouldn't become available until the late 80's. By then, the Cadillac FWD program was in full swing. Plus being realistic, the 3800 wouldn't have offered up much in fuel savings. The 4.9 made 200hp and 275 lb-ft, and had an aluminum block that shaved over 100lbs of weight. The 3800 was all iron, heavier, and had lower power ratings (160hp & 220 lb-ft). More weight, less power, in an already heavy vehicle is not a good combination for consumers.
My Grandfather "George Revak" rip ,
drove one as well . Never knew him to drive anything other than a Cadillac unless it was an RV.
Thanks for featuring a history on "De Ville" .
My mom had a maroon 1992 Deville and she absolutely loved it!. Everything about this car says Cadillac to me!
Im in Los Angeles,
I currently own a 93 Sixty Special. For those Cadillac enthusiasts you know what that is. For those that don't, its a Deville with all the bells and whistles Cadillac can offer.
I love that car and tale care of it like a new born baby.
After many Cadillacs from the '50s to 1970, this was my last Cadillac, actually a '92 the same paint and trim as the '93 shown. It was a truly wonderful car, and trouble-free for years. The on-board diagnostic system was wonderful, as was the AC system. Seating for 6 was comfortable for all, in the SDV tradition. There were oil pressure troubles with the 4T80E as mileage reached 100K also common on the 4T60E in lesser cars. The first symptom is that the cruise control will not work once the ATF warms up. I did pull the transaxle, and there were signs of cooked seals during tear-down. A reseal and pump hard parts job fixed that. The water pump is an absolute nightmare, but not impossible. Never had the #1 cyl rod knock, ran 10W-30 synthetic, but I'm fussy about oil changes. Although fit and finish wasn't up to par with my '50s and early '60s Cads, it was better than most in the '90s. The 4.9L was miserly on fuel on the road, but still yielded 250 HP, same as my '55 331. Truly the last of the old school Cadillacs. Now all Cadillac represents is rebadged Chevy Suburbans.
The throttle body 4.5 was a home run - Roller cam, larger oil pump, they'd run almost forever with proper maintenance ... 4.9 was good too but had tip-in issues occasionally
I had an '88 SDV with the 4.5. Ran like a champion, until it was stolen and wrecked. Broke my heart
I remember hearing that but thought it was the 4.5 supposedly to get rid of it cleaning the throttle body and in some cases that the linkage was in good shape works well. I do remember my friend's parents had an 88 Deville and you really had to be light on the pedal to not chirp the tires. I didn't drive it much but don't recall the touchy throttle till towards they end of when they had it. It was low miles and they had it for many years great car.
The 4.5's had head gasket issues. When the water pump failed, if you didn't catch it in time, and it overheated, the probability was high for head gasket failure. Higher mileage examples the head gaskets would give out. Just the manufacturing practices of the time.
The 4.9l GM made some updates to the block that improved longevity and reliability. Head gaskets on 4.9 was an anomaly. Had to be a catastrophic failure due to negligence more than anything.
The throttle body injection is a great system. Can't argue there, but upgrading the injectors on 4.9's to the updated part solved all issues. The problem was, most owners only changed the ones that were bad, and used aftermarket parts. So you were just setting yourself up for repeat failures.
@@LynxStarAutoI’ve owned all of the HT engines. 4.5 was best in my opinion. No injector issues. I also had a 4.9 blow a head gasket after overheating once.
Had one just like the pictue, same color (Antelope Mist!) and all. Great car. I drove 700 miles one day, made it home and felt like I could have driven 200 miles more. What a joy to drive.
Hook n tow. Perfect description
The extended wheelbase of the 1989-'93 models were thanks, in part to the 1987-88 Fleetwood 60 Special, an outsourced trim to Hess & Eisenhardt where the car's wheelbase was stretched 5 inches, rear seat foot rests as well overhead illuminated vanity mirrors made passengers feeling that much more pampered. The custom rear door & roof treatment meant the removal of the rear coach lights on the 'c' pillar, the Cadillac crest was displayed on the final end of the rear door vinyl material for a less cluttered appearance. I worked for a funeral home with plenty of the C series of many years and body styles. One element that still resonates in my memory is the distinct sound of the engine & exhaust notes, close your eyes, you would know that car is a Cadillac!! Final note, when not in funeral mode, everyone wanted to drive the Caddy with the 4.9, a beast of power at the traffic light, thankfully there were no company markings on the car. Indeed we were restless, but after years of slug powered models it was a blaze of glory to hear & feel a Cadillac akin to a Firebird!
Those were surprisingly nice cars. A friend from work picked one up at an estate sale in '96 or '97 with very few miles on it, for 5 or 6 grand and as far as I know, he's still driving it.
Adam. I watch a lot of car and truck videos and belong to a number of Facebook groups dedicated to classic cars and trucks. I find your videos are the best of the lot. Your presentation style is professional and very informative. I can only imagine the amount of time you dedicate to producing them. Thanks for posting and keep them coming.
I had a 1991 Fleetwood. Such a beautiful car with loads of interior room. The design was an improvement over the mid to late 80's downsizing effort.
I had '90 FWD Fleetwood version. The 4.5-4.9L were really great engines. I believe the Fleetwood had a little better quality leather in the interior. Mine was running great at 289K when it got T-boned. Personally believe this was probably the best car I ever owned.
My dad owned one of these, though I think it was a 90 or 91. Really nice car and elegant looks that still look good. Thanks for the deep dive on this model!
I always enjoyed driving these FWD Caddys. Spent the late 80's/early 90's working for Avis Rent-A-Car and whenever one of these came up to drive, I took it! Whenever special trips came up or car swaps, I'd always grab a Cadillac....and they mostly had these.
These were not the last of the “old school” Cadillacs, if these are even considered in that category. That honor would go to the 224 inch-long, 4,400+ pound, rear-wheel drive, body-on-frame 1993-96 Fleetwood. These early 90s Devilles have the styling spirit of classic Cadillac inside and out, but so did their larger 1994-96 and 1997-99 successors for the most part. I still debate the status of post-1984 Devilles as “old school Cadillacs” because after that year they are unibody, front-wheel drive, and not relatively all that long, wide, or heavy. The mid-90s Fleetwoods are the last Cadillacs to really embody what Cadillac was from at least post-WWII through the mid-70s, and then what true full-sized American luxury was from the mid-70s through its run until discontinued in 1996. Once the Fleetwood was gone, only the Lincoln Town Car soldiered on in this category until it’s 2011 demise.
The Fleetwood by that time were mostly rebadged heavily-optioned Crapieces...even with the small block Chevy engine. Cadillac lost all credibility once they started rebadging Suburbans as "Excalades."
My Grandfather had a 93 DeVille. It was very comfortable and had plenty of power. I always enjoyed driving it.
FINALLY! some love for the early 90s cadillacs!
I had one with the 4.9L
It was beautiful until the oil leak.
It was a dream to drive in all weather.
I’d argue the last true “old-school” Cadillac was 1996 Fleetwood Brougham. The 2011 DTS/Lucerne was really the last gasp of the old-school FWD platforms. The XTS carried the torch in-spirit as well.
They were the last body on frame Caddies to be sure. A much more progressive design than the Devilles though.
Stylistically I would argue they were much more based on the Cadillac Voyage concept Adam referenced @ 6:39 then the FWD Devilles which retained more recognizable "old school" design cues.
The 94-96 LT1 powered units were even less "Cadillac traditional", though those seem to be the more desirable ones to get a hold of.
This video makes me miss the hell out of my '90 tissue box airbagged 4.5 rocket, they were great road trip cruisers -drove mine 1200 miles from Wisconsin to Texas in one sitting, Was 20+ years ago -I could never do something that stupid now🙂
It's hard for me to pick a favorite Cadillac year but 1993 is right up there.
Thanks Adam, great video again. The 93's were absolutely beautiful sleepers, smooth, fast and tons of interior room. Loved these..... :)
This body (and the HT 4900) should have been introduced in '85. I've grown to love the '89-93s...
My father had a '95 Deville with the 4.9 V8 in the 3-stage Diamond White, he really liked that car. It was vault quiet, roomy and road nicely without too much tech.
My 1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham had the fiber optic lamp monitoring system. I absolutely LOVED it.
Thanks for this, Adam 🙏The '93 Deville sedan (without the vinyl roof) is one of my guilty pleasures ❤ Sadly, the majority on the roads are moth-eaten, sad specimens well past their date at the junkyard.
I still have Cadillac Voyage literature I attained from the Chicago Auto Show in the early 199's 'along with a signed Walter Payton Buick Reatta photo from the 1988 Chicago Auto Show.
This was my first Cadillac. White with red leather. Just perfect plenty of headroom the A-pillars are still more straight up than what they make now days. With all the engine improvements. I wish this is the Cadillac that they would bring back. People I believe still want a full size Caddy.
This video brought back a lot of memories. My mom drove a ‘90 Sedan DeVille gray over gray mid-trim. I loved that car. I was lucky enough to take it on a lot of road trips. One was from South Central Pennsylvania to upstate NY and the last part was in the middle of a snowstorm. The car was rock solid in the snow and real trooper. Another time myself and two buddies drove from PA to Memphis to New Orleans then to Tamp and back with a stop in Fredericksburg Virginia in a bit over a week. It was an awesomely comfortable highway cruiser. Mom had it for nearly five years before trading it in for an Aurora. Dad drove an ‘90 Eldorado Biarritz and he could never understand why I liked mom’s car a lot more.
I will say it had a few faults. For one it had an exceedingly comfortable interior but the lack and hinges of the center armrest and glove box always felt like they were about to break. The rear seat back handle was made from some very cheap plastic. In road comfort and space it was a wonderful ride. Very quiet and smooth.
I had a 1989 Fleetwood Sixty Special with HT4500 It was a wonderful car, a dream to drive. I drove it here in Germany and only needed 7.5 liters per 100 km over a long distance.
-Cadillac engines are not really supposed to be powerful. The idea behind the engine in a Cadillac is that you never know it is there, it is supposed to be as much like an electric motor as possible. Instant torque without any noise or vibration. These are supposed to be luxury automated carriages that transport their occupants in smooth silent luxury. The HT4100 was probably designed to put a V8 in an area that normally holds a 3800 V6, and since power wasn't important, it didn't make much and it is obvious that GM tried to pull as much cost out of this Cadillac-only engine as they could. To it's detriment, but what do they care what some guy in Florida is posting on a RUclips video 30 years later?
Great video as always!
I always like the body style of these 1991-93 Cadillacs, especially the Fleetwood models with the fender skirts.
Adam, I would consider it a great Christmas present if you would get your 1977 Impala out and do a detailed review of the engine and interior and take it for a nice cruise. My first car was a worn out 1977 Impala with a 305 2 barrel. It wasn't much to look at, or drive. But it brought me a lot of good times and I remember it fondly. Every time I see your Impala I think about being 18 again. I would love to see a longer video on it.
Thanks, Adam
I absolutely second this request for the 77 City of Chicago transit Impala
My Grandmother has this Generation. She has a 1992 , which she bought hers Pre Owned in '93. She just turned 100 in Oct and still has her '92 . And that thing still works. And she didn't have the Northstar Engine. These were some of that last reliable Cadillac's
My mom still has her red 1993 Cadillac Sedan de Ville. She babies that car. It only has a little over 8,000 on that thing and it’s in mint condition. It’s special to her because it was the last major purchase my folks made before my dad passed. The 4.9L has a sexy growl to it for a family floater.
I was waiting for you to do a video on these. I had a 91 Coupe Deville and it was great, smooth, fast and rare being a Coupe without a mock top. I traded it in for an 02 Continental and that car also made 275 lb/ft of torque. But I miss that car and wish to have another someday. I would like to see some more about this platform, like the Fleetwood fwd and the Touring Sedan.
I've had two and loved them both 🥰
Adam, you left out two awesome features from the Fleetwood: 1) the available ElectriClear windshield, and 2) the electroluminescent Cadillac crests on the C pillar. Not sure if they were available on the DeVille, but the two cars weren't that different from one another. The Sixty Special package, or Ultra package for the '93 "Sixty Special", is also worth a mention.
Thanks for making a video about these Deville's from these model years Adam. My parents had an 85 FWD Fleetwood with the HT4100 in it. And the engine issues it had. Don't even have to list them. But then they bought a brand 90 Deville with the 4.5 with port fuel injection. And man I used to think it was a rocket to me at that time. I had to be 12 or 13 yrs old. And I ended up taking that 90 on my high school senior prom. And at that point it was 6yrs old and still looked new at that point. It was Royal Maroon with maroon leather, Bose CD player, heated windshield, the gold package, gold Rolls Royce style grille, and half custom top. That 4.5 was true runner. Didn't have many problems as far as the powertrain go. But it had other issues with it like paint, the leather seatings, door arm rests splitting, etc. But fast forward many years later I have a 94 Deville with the 4.9 in it and totally love my old girl.
The E/M button mounted in a prominent position on the dash is certainly something many Cadillac owners found useful. Once.
The one on my Dodge Monaco was just a curiosity, but such a thing might be useful if driving back and forth between Canada and the USA or between the UK and France.
Half a tank of gas is half a tank of gas,
100 kph equals 62 mph. i used to live in Buffalo, drove to Canada all the time. Most speedos are marked in both anyway. @@pcno2832
As a teen working in a gas station, I drove several early 70s Cadillacs... the last of the gigantic era. 20 years later, I had an early 90s DeVille sedan rental car. I remember thinking that Caddy engineers had done an amazing job making a much smaller lighter FWD unibody car with strut suspension and rack & pinion steering feel very much like the traditional Cadillacs from the pre-oil embargo era. Quiet, smooth, roomy, and effortless power. They also did a great job of duplicating the massive understeer and sloppy handling!
I had an uncle who had a 1993 DeVille. When he and my aunt came to a family funeral in 1996, their eldest son was driving. I asked my cousin Ken if the car were his. "Oh, no," he said, "It's too 'old' for me. But I must admit, I DO like it!"
Great episode! My grandpa had a 1993 Cadillac Fleetwood of this generation, two-tone grey with a navy blue leather interior. Normally he’d trade in cars every 3 years but kept that Fleetwood till the turn of the millennium. Why? “Best car I’ve ever had” he’d say in his Wisconsin accent, “Every year I check out the newer ones & my car has all their bells & whistles.” We would visit them over Christmas break every year and the whole family could go to dinner and to church in the Fleetwood. We would go looking for Christmas lights in that car, and if we ran by the local mini-golf course he always had at least a putter in the trunk. “Don’t slam the doors,” he would gently but firmly remind my brother & I if we absentmindedly used the same force as we did on my mom’s Volvo 240DL wagon. To a middle class suburban Midwestern kid things like the soft close trunk, sunroof & premium stereo were so cool. I remember the year I turned 16 he let me drive when we were going around the village, and that Fleetwood felt like the definition of luxury. He gave me the extra Cadillac Full Line glossy brochure that GM would send him every year to try to entice him into a trade-in. I was more excited about the Seville and Alante of the time, but for years that Fleetwood was the only thing good enough for Grandpa. I never imagined I’d miss that car but now, 30 years later, your video made me think of grandpa and that grey Fleetwood. Thanks for that! :-)
Adam. Thank you for doing a video on this particular generation (namely the 89-93s). I had for 5 years a 1993 Cotillion white Sedan DeVille with a burgundy leather interior, with the wheels pictured on the thumbnail as well with some whitewalls. The 4.9 Port Injected V8 was no slouch either. I really do miss that car. Should have never sold it. It treated me well. And yes, I remember quite well the water pump being a pain in the ass to replace what with the 16 bolts of various sizes. Only thing I had done to mine was limo tints, and had a shop put on a single in dual out Borla that made the 4.9 sound quite beefy. I'd kill to find a rare 93 Sixty Special with low miles however.
These are beautiful machines
Hey Adam. Soft, smooth, quiet, mmm good. Years ago I lived at a place with large shed room for storage rental. I did not like yellow Caddy’s when I was young, looked like classic old duffer car with a guy in plaid pants and white shoes driving to golf course. BUT !! A fella stored a sunshine yellow one sim to this, a little older with nice looking smaller taillights, and he left the key and said move it if I needed to get something else in/out. It was a two week span of dreary thick grey clouds of November, and misty fog, my butt was just dragging, no energy. I needed to move old yeller out which also had a sunshine yellow leather interior, and I just sat in it quite awhile listening to radio, soaking up all the bright cheery sunny color pushing all that dull grey back. I never forgot that and realize a sim yellow on yellow car I would truly appreciate now. Cheery, uplifting. A good mood lifter on grey, ugly days. In fact, my mancave has two walls of very light yellow combatting only north glass. I cannot buy a medium/dark grey vehicle. If it’s grey all around me, my mood is not going to lift to walk up to a grey car, plus, that is the color of asphalt and sometimes they blend in too much for safely seeing them at intersections. I’d rather have shiny black, then, with loads of chrome. Like a black 1965/66 Imperial by Chrysler !! That was the pinnacle zenith best of Imperial brand. They lock down almost a sinister leader of old USSR or mob boss look when in black. Memory says real teak wood trim inside for those years?? And Imperial offered a rare “executive model”, fuzzy memory, an extra large rear seat area with a fold down rear facing seat added behind driver seat?? With a table that could be set up on a center pole, and still a back seat. Like for a secretary taking notes as boss in back dictated, is a weak memory if that sounds like blowing smoke. Thanks for doing this Caddy video.
Really appreciate the honest approach to the material you provide. The good, the bad and some opinions. Maybe the reason I like your videos is the frequent discussion of the technical aspects. Nice work.
I appreciate that!
I had an 87 Sedan De Ville... Wish I still had it... Super Plush!!
A Gr8 Car and very unique...The photo with today's cars in the background, shows how unique these cars were, Adam😊🤲
I always loved these.
I LOVE this iteration of Sedan deVille.
These were very nice cars that drove well, but I always preferred the Oldsmobile FWD C bodies of the era because they felt more modern, and the 3800 was more than enough to propel this platform. The Caddies were heavy, and didn't handle as well as the Olds, but there is no doubt that the 4.9 was growly and torquey and wonderful. Truly a good era for GM.
In the year 2000 I bought my mother a ‘90 D’Ville with 100,000 miles on it. She was widowed and living on a fixed income and depended on my dysfunctional brother for transportation. The car proved to be a gem and drove like a new car. No problems at all except a minor brake fluid leak that was quickly repaired. She passed away a few years later and I sold the car but to this day I receive notices from the California DMV that the registration is out of date. I got tired of phone calls to the DMV so I just laugh at the notice I get every year. 😅
Great cars. My dad’s coworker owned a dark blue ‘90 DeVille with the 4.5 PFI V8. The seats were incredibly comfortable. Thanks to meticulous maintenance, the car proved mostly reliable for several years.
I had a 85 Fleetwood fwd and never really got to drive it but my uncle's had a 88 navy blue DeVille which I love that car with a 4.5 and also had a 90 DeVille with a 4.9 and bout was great and a lot of great memories
I remember when the 1989 Cadillacs were released - before the public got to see them, the teaser was “Cadillac brings back FINS!”
I had the privilege of riding in several different Cadillacs over the years and when I was growing up.
One of my step brothers had a 1993 with the 4.9 engine
It ran flawless for him the entire time he owned it.
And my sister's husband had a beautiful 1985 model with the 4100 engine. He has purchased it from a friend who had overheated and damaged the engine, the engine was replaced with a remanufactured crate engi
ne from Sun engines of Dallas Texas , and it too ran flawless after that for many years,
And intern I believe he sold the car back to the friend he had originally bought it from.
I had a 93 was a well built and lovely car!
My 93 Grand Prix had the same unlock feature holding the key.
A lot of people forget that this first generation of front-drive full-sized Cads got a first, more subtle facelift before the big 1989 stretch job: The '87s added composite headlights and slightly lengthened rear bumper and tailfin assemblies, the latter helping mitigate the "plucked turkey" proportions of the '85-'86 models somewhat, though nothing like the more substantial '89 update.
My grandmother had a 1991 Coupe De Ville she bought brand new. She had that car until she had to stop driving in 2010. As far as I recall it never had any major problems. Of course she had it maintained well and never drive it harshly and probably never exceeded 70 MPH in it.
This was our 1st Cadillac model my parents owned growing up.
It's still my favorite .
Thank you again for a wonderfull presentation. I have the '93 4d in taupe, all original 82K . Love your stuff. Thanks.
Had a 92 Deville. Amazing ride and great power. Plus the most comfortable seats ever .
I actually owned this very car. I bought a deep red ‘93 Deville from my mother in 1997 instead of her trading it. Sadly in 2001 I did an ill advised U-turn in Washington DC not seeing a DC city bus in my blind spot. I wasn’t injured but the car was sadly totaled. And yes, I remember the weird plastic front fenders.
I had an 85, other than the engine I loved it. I loved the 89 refresh and would have loved to have had one. My only failure was the oil pump, the dealer sourced replacement was the improved 4.5 pump. One of the worst 4.1 features was the gasket joint between the head and the intake manifold, unlike most other cars it was under the valve cover where a leak could do some real damage. My dad had an 85 Olds 88, it had a leak at that joint but it wasn't under the valve cover so it was just a nuisance.
Totally agree, this final iteration of the FWD DeVille is IMHO the most perfectly resolved design of this FWD era. The carved out rear wheel wells, the large greenhouse and the extended rear deck all combine to create a very handsome car that still looks like a Cadillac.
Two features I always loved in a car were column shifters and Mercedes-style door pulls that were so common on 1970s Ford products. Having something solid to grab with one hand, with the other on the wheel, made it so much easier to keep the car going straight on the highway, even if the road, tires or alignment were less than perfect.
I owned an '88, '89, and '93 and found them to be pretty bulletproof. I almost got 400k out of the '89 with the single point fuel injector with just maintenance. The oil pan gaskets on all 3 needed replacement at some point, and was a PITA to replace. The '93s original fuel injectors did not like any ethanol content - the injectors would leak at the o-rings and would stick open causing the engine to run rich. The replacements were updated and handled ethanol fine. The shocks (again maintenance) needed replacement around 120k. Switched to passive shocks on the '93 and had no issues after that. The key was to keep up with the coolant flush/tablets, and the transmission filter/fluid changes (don't flush!).
My parents bought a 93 Deville, white with red leather interior. That car was a dream to drive. It had very good gas mileage considering its size. My dad usually averaged over 25 mpg on the road. They drove that car all over the country. After my mother passed and my father entered assisted living, he asked me to get rid of the Deville. It needed some minor body work and some engine repairs and I thought about fixing up the car and keeping it myself. But we chose to part with it, and I have always regretted that decision. I would give anything to turn back the clock and have kept that Deville; partly because it was a great automobile, but also for the wonderful family memories it holds for us all.
I rented a boatload of these on business trips in the early 90's. I would at times rent one of these for long driving trips in the South rather than driving my company Camry. Of course I didn't have to deal with mech problems, and enjoyed the big trunk. Great review!
Your channel & knowledge is awesome! THANKS for mentioning where the hood latch is!
Another good buy from Cadillac during that time was the the 1994 to 1996 Fleetwood Brougham with the corvette LT1 350. They are fast and smooth.
Miss my 93 caddy so bad.
Nice to see the Renaissance from the malaise era.
I knew a couple a three guys who drove these. They were some goodfellas.
The last of this series of Cadillac were amongst the best driving luxury Cadillacs. They refined the heck out of them, and they ended up being truly beautiful driving cars. Perfect highway cars.
I had a 1989 with throttle body 4.5L. I also had a 1989 Chevrolet K15OO pickup with a throttle body 5.7L. When it was 0F or colder both got about the same gas mileage putting around my little cow town. Of course, on the interstate the Caddy would clean up on the pickup MPG wise. I wanted a touring sedan version SOOOOOO bad!
I like the wraparound dash, which brings to mind the driver-centric designs of early 70s cars. The mismatched tire on the front passenger side was kind of bothering me, though.
My dad had a “bustle-back” Seville. It was white with red and white interior. It was distinctive. That’s all I can say for the styling. Dad wasn’t wealthy, and had to rely on a local independent mechanic to keep his car running. The car really never ran correctly, and I remember my dad and his mechanic arguing over the repair bill. My dad told the mechanic he wasn’t paying him to work on the car, he was paying him to fix it. They agreed to disagree, and dad traded the Seville for a Buick Century that he owned the rest of his life.
I had a '91 inherited from my mom with 60,000 miles. I put about 100,000 miles on it before selling it. It was a terrific car. Smooth and quiet ride, huge comfortable interior, lots of power and decent fuel economy. It's one car I'm sorry I sold.
The chrome strip from the wheel well to the bumper is beautiful jewelry.
Top of the line & classy..
I love the fwd "C" body's!
My dad owned a 1989 Fleetwood. [Think DeVille with fender skirts and multi-buttoned leather seats] It was a very reliable car. And a joy to drive. I would love to have one today.