My own expression about both quality and durability is "The luxury of a Cadillac and the durability of an Otis Elevator". Neither one measures up to these superlatives lately.
Yes I must admit Cadillac is not what it once was but among American cars it is still the standard to achieve. My parents first car after they married was a 1960 Series 62 convertible. They loved that car... I guess I finally "made it" when I got my 2005 CTS-V. Sadly the Northstar engine in recent Cadillac offerings was not everything it was hoped to be. Since 2011 Cadillac chose to use only LS V8's. Hopefully the new Blackwing will be what the Northstar was supposed to be...
This video quietly skips over Cadillac's mis-steps of the early 80s... the not-ready-for-primetime V8-6-4, the gutless 4100 (cc) V8, and Oldsmobile diesel V8s, arguably the worst diesel engine in history. The Northstar engine was a belated attempt to catch up with MB, BMW, later Lexus with a state of the art engine. The right recipe but poorly executed. They leaked oil as did the 4T80 transmission, and blew head gaskets regularly. Worse still, they disappointed loyal customers, costing Cadillac market share instead of rebuilding it.
I have had 3 northstars. One was taken by an ex-wife when it had about 40,000 miles on it. One overheated with 140,000 miles on it. I thought that limp home mode would get me to my house. By the time I was home, I needed a head gasket and a half case gasket. If you don't know what a half case gasket is, don't ask. The fix was $4000 to $5500. A new engine including installation was less than $7000. And that came with a 100,000 mile warrenty. I had to debate getting a new car vs fixing the old, but fixing that engine was not an option after I priced the new engine. So that is my third Northstar. It is still running great, about 8 years on.
@@gregorykrajeski6255 They hope you buy another one because they consider people that buy them as rich. Lexus is the only dependable Luxury car according to Scotty Kilmer, a mechanic for 51 years, and RUclipsr.
The guy who talks about selling 19 1959 Cadillacs to be cut up... I know how he feels. I had a low mileage all original 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe. It was not a show car, but it was an excellent daily driver. I sold it and the guy who bought it had a 1979 coupe that had been converted by a limo builder into a convertible. He took the motor, the wheels, the dash, the seats, and a few other things out of my 1976 and put them in his 1979. So sad. ... I want a Fleetwood 75 one day. I have come close to buying one a number of times, but each time the car was a bit too far gone.
I love the new Cadillac Blackwing and into mercedes-benz s-class my favorite cars in the world . My name is latrell and also I love Cadillac Eldorado biarritz and Cadillac Fleetwood. Old school cars
From luxurious longboats with wheels and hearty Northstars to midsize luxury/performance cars with the tiniest motors GM had ever given them. -Cadillac in a nutshell
@@NFSMAN50 Cadillac most likely would have died in the GM bankruptcy if the Escalade hadn't become a 2000's pop culture icon. It completely saved the company.
I LOVE THAT CAR CADILLAC LONG WAYS I SILL LOVE THAT CAR AUTOMATIC THAT LOVE THAT CAR SOMETHING 190019201930194019501960197019801990 NOW 2000 2020 SILL LOVE THAT CAR COME LONG WAYS THAT MY KIND CAR HISTORY IT ✌✌✌🤟🤟🤟🎗🐆
Gregory, maybe many years ago, but today many relatively poor people have Cadillacs , the very rich don’t worry about the price of fuel but they drive Mercedes or Bentley etc
Old Charlie Sonneborns gas price facts are way off. In 1970 a dollar would buy you 4 gallons of gas after the oil embargo of 1974 the price had doubled. From the nineteen seventy prices it took about thirty years for gas to hit two dollars a gallon not almost overnight as Charlie had stated.
I agree with you Anthony, Charlie Sonneborns did not know what he was talking about. It's the case of a guy trying to act like he knows it all when in reality he does not!
It was $4 to $10 in today's dollars depending on how you count inflation. But for someone who could afford a Cadillac, the driver generally took care of mundane things like getting gas.
Last truly well built Cadillac was 1962...last Barr-Cole engine, next to last year of Dual Coupling Hydra-Matic. Everything past that point was downhill in engineering and quality. In its day, the Barr-Cole Cadillac V8 (331-365-390) was the the most efficient V8 auto powerplant in the world, according to testing done by Motor in 1960. The Northstar was an attempt to regain powerplant supremacy, and, due to cost chisling by GM, it was a dismal failure due to head bolts pulling out if the block. I had a '92 4.9....yawwwn. the Northstar the next year had the performance....until the heads started blowing gaskets and warping. Other later Cadillac disasters were the switch to the THM-200 (the Chevette transmission, also used in USPS LLVs behind the "Iron Duke") in 1978, the lousy Catera and the horrific J-car Cimmeron. Now, they can't sell 'em to anyone...except "Ex-calades" to gang bangers...and the Chinese.
Cadillac is dead,their website is completely bland and uninteresting,the models for 2020 are even crappier than the 2019,it's all tiny 4 banger economy cars for big money,i used to love Cadillacs but they turned the company into complete crap,i wonder what kind of idiot is calling the shots
GM executives and designers should get a boot in the A$$ for allowing the demise of the greatest American luxury car ever built! In my opinion, it was THE most iconic and most admired car in the world; even more so than the Rolls Royce. What is more disappointing is that GM turned the Cadillac luxury line into an SUVs and a Truck,...FOR GOD'S SAKE,...A TRUCK!!!!!!
The Northstar v8 ruined the Cadillac. Worst v8 engine ever made by GM. I had a 2002 with only 110k miles that drank 2 quarts of oil every 900 miles. Didn’t leak, didn’t smoke, but 2 quarts went somewhere every 900 miles. Finally one day it blew a head gasket and overheated around 120k miles. It was going to cost more to fix than the whole car was worth. I ended up selling the car for 900 dollars just to get it out of my yard. It was a real shame because the car itself was great. It rode great and drove like a big car should. But that damn engine 🤦♂️. GM shoulda used the LS Chevy v8 in them If you want a big modern v8 car buy a Lincoln town car. The v8 in those is bulletproof
The old man who was talking in the beginning of the video must not have ever left the farm where the only things he was having sex with were either his cousins or the farm animals because if he had been in the world and gotten a taste of some strange he would never believe that a car is better than sex!!!
Lots of successful Italian American in nyc, newyersey, east coast, ect. And in chicago had a cadillac from the early 50's- late 70's It was a staple of power. If you were a wop in organized crime la cosa nostra ect. Ect. You either had a cadillac or a lincoln continental. Those were the only two cars those Ginny's would drive. Doo wop to disco. Best cars ever: 55' caddy Fleetwood shiny waxed polished like shoes---57' chevy belair( preferred black waxed polished , 59' Cadillac coupe deville (preferably pink) any 61 caddy'---- 75'-79 ' late 70s cadillac mafia mobiles any color
The 1959 Caddy is an American icon forever.
My own expression about both quality and durability is "The luxury of a Cadillac and the durability of an Otis Elevator". Neither one measures up to these superlatives lately.
You have engine, transmission, and electrical problems. Lexus does not, and I think more comfortable is a Lexus.
Yes I must admit Cadillac is not what it once was but among American cars it is still the standard to achieve. My parents first car after they married was a 1960 Series 62 convertible. They loved that car... I guess I finally "made it" when I got my 2005 CTS-V. Sadly the Northstar engine in recent Cadillac offerings was not everything it was hoped to be. Since 2011 Cadillac chose to use only LS V8's. Hopefully the new Blackwing will be what the Northstar was supposed to be...
1960 was a great car...except for the MG-type seating. The new body in '61 fixed that. I also had a '60 Series 62 convert....black with red leather.
This video quietly skips over Cadillac's mis-steps of the early 80s... the not-ready-for-primetime V8-6-4, the gutless 4100 (cc) V8, and Oldsmobile diesel V8s, arguably the worst diesel engine in history. The Northstar engine was a belated attempt to catch up with MB, BMW, later Lexus with a state of the art engine. The right recipe but poorly executed. They leaked oil as did the 4T80 transmission, and blew head gaskets regularly. Worse still, they disappointed loyal customers, costing Cadillac market share instead of rebuilding it.
They skipped right over one of the most beautiful Cadillacs ever in my opinion a 1967 Eldorado
Any Eldorado is an instant future collectible sir!
Give big up and respects to Henry Leyland. The father of Cadillac!
1976 tan Eldorado is my fave
I love my Northstar
I love mine, too...
...until the head bolts pull out of the block.
I have had 3 northstars.
One was taken by an ex-wife when it had about 40,000 miles on it.
One overheated with 140,000 miles on it. I thought that limp home mode would get me to my house. By the time I was home, I needed a head gasket and a half case gasket.
If you don't know what a half case gasket is, don't ask.
The fix was $4000 to $5500.
A new engine including installation was less than $7000. And that came with a 100,000 mile warrenty.
I had to debate getting a new car vs fixing the old, but fixing that engine was not an option after I priced the new engine.
So that is my third Northstar.
It is still running great, about 8 years on.
@@gregorykrajeski6255 They hope you buy another one because they consider people that buy them as rich. Lexus is the only dependable Luxury car according to Scotty Kilmer, a mechanic for 51 years, and RUclipsr.
I would love to drop on in a 88 Fiero
The guy who talks about selling 19 1959 Cadillacs to be cut up... I know how he feels.
I had a low mileage all original 1976 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe. It was not a show car, but it was an excellent daily driver.
I sold it and the guy who bought it had a 1979 coupe that had been converted by a limo builder into a convertible.
He took the motor, the wheels, the dash, the seats, and a few other things out of my 1976 and put them in his 1979.
So sad.
...
I want a Fleetwood 75 one day. I have come close to buying one a number of times, but each time the car was a bit too far gone.
I'm getting a lac asap claiming it
I love the new Cadillac Blackwing and into mercedes-benz s-class my favorite cars in the world . My name is latrell and also I love Cadillac Eldorado biarritz and Cadillac Fleetwood. Old school cars
For Discovery Channel
Executive Producer
Steven Manuel
Awesome documentary
i loved it :)
Never will forget my father's colonial yellow Eldorado.
From luxurious longboats with wheels and hearty Northstars to midsize luxury/performance cars with the tiniest motors GM had ever given them.
-Cadillac in a nutshell
The Ultimate American Luxury Brand
...at one time. Cadillac started s very long slide into irrelevance starting in 1963.
Both Cadillac and Lincoln are true american luxury cars that are still thriving, Chrysler fell off in the 90s
@@NFSMAN50 Cadillac most likely would have died in the GM bankruptcy if the Escalade hadn't become a 2000's pop culture icon. It completely saved the company.
I LOVE THAT CAR CADILLAC LONG WAYS I SILL LOVE THAT CAR AUTOMATIC THAT LOVE THAT CAR SOMETHING 190019201930194019501960197019801990 NOW 2000 2020 SILL LOVE THAT CAR COME LONG WAYS THAT MY KIND CAR HISTORY IT ✌✌✌🤟🤟🤟🎗🐆
Gregory, maybe many years ago, but today many relatively poor people have Cadillacs , the very rich don’t worry about the price of fuel but they drive Mercedes or Bentley etc
Im a poor white guy and love my caddi
Warren buffet says other wise he is a rich man with a caddilac
@@Doors067 I co-sign and I’m black
Old Charlie Sonneborns gas price facts are way off. In 1970 a dollar would buy you 4 gallons of gas after the oil embargo of 1974 the price had doubled. From the nineteen seventy prices it took about thirty years for gas to hit two dollars a gallon not almost overnight as Charlie had stated.
It was under a dollar pre 9-11 in Louisiana
I agree with you Anthony, Charlie Sonneborns did not know what he was talking about. It's the case of a guy trying to act like he knows it all when in reality he does not!
The whole "documentary" is pretty subjective. I'd call this an expose rather than a documentary.
Even back then THAT was such a wonderful car to drive or be driven in. That was luxury. Course then came the Cimarron!! Now that was...NOT luxury.
Get your facts, gas was 35 cents a gal going to 65 cents in 1973. The only year they had shortages ( man made ) with lines waiting for fuel.
Episode was made in 1997 23:42
A real man's vehicle!
When american lost our steel mills. we now miss that steel ready cheap and made in 🇺🇸 we must find the new thing for all timea
15 cents a gallon in 1931 was a lot of money. It bought nourishing meal
A blue plate special at any diner!
It was $4 to $10 in today's dollars depending on how you count inflation.
But for someone who could afford a Cadillac, the driver generally took care of mundane things like getting gas.
$0.15 in 1931 is $2.61 in 2021 dollars per usinflationcalculator
Thank God the company did away with the atrocious north star engine.
No mention of Nicholas Dreystadt? 😔😒 Lmao Murica I swear
doher in the back set.
Last truly well built Cadillac was 1962...last Barr-Cole engine, next to last year of Dual Coupling Hydra-Matic. Everything past that point was downhill in engineering and quality. In its day, the Barr-Cole Cadillac V8 (331-365-390) was the the most efficient V8 auto powerplant in the world, according to testing done by Motor in 1960. The Northstar was an attempt to regain powerplant supremacy, and, due to cost chisling by GM, it was a dismal failure due to head bolts pulling out if the block. I had a '92 4.9....yawwwn. the Northstar the next year had the performance....until the heads started blowing gaskets and warping. Other later Cadillac disasters were the switch to the THM-200 (the Chevette transmission, also used in USPS LLVs behind the "Iron Duke") in 1978, the lousy Catera and the horrific J-car Cimmeron. Now, they can't sell 'em to anyone...except "Ex-calades" to gang bangers...and the Chinese.
Cadillac is dead,their website is completely bland and uninteresting,the models for 2020 are even crappier than the 2019,it's all tiny 4 banger economy cars for big money,i used to love Cadillacs but they turned the company into complete crap,i wonder what kind of idiot is calling the shots
Isnt her name like melody lee or something or did she quit
GM executives and designers should get a boot in the A$$ for allowing the demise of the greatest American luxury car ever built! In my opinion, it was THE most iconic and most admired car in the world; even more so than the Rolls Royce. What is more disappointing is that GM turned the Cadillac luxury line into an SUVs and a Truck,...FOR GOD'S SAKE,...A TRUCK!!!!!!
The Northstar v8 ruined the Cadillac. Worst v8 engine ever made by GM. I had a 2002 with only 110k miles that drank 2 quarts of oil every 900 miles. Didn’t leak, didn’t smoke, but 2 quarts went somewhere every 900 miles. Finally one day it blew a head gasket and overheated around 120k miles. It was going to cost more to fix than the whole car was worth. I ended up selling the car for 900 dollars just to get it out of my yard. It was a real shame because the car itself was great. It rode great and drove like a big car should. But that damn engine 🤦♂️. GM shoulda used the LS Chevy v8 in them
If you want a big modern v8 car buy a Lincoln town car. The v8 in those is bulletproof
The old man who was talking in the beginning of the video must not have ever left the farm where the only things he was having sex with were either his cousins or the farm animals because if he had been in the world and gotten a taste of some strange he would never believe that a car is better than sex!!!
Lots of successful Italian American in nyc, newyersey, east coast, ect. And in chicago had a cadillac from the early 50's- late 70's It was a staple of power. If you were a wop in organized crime la cosa nostra ect. Ect. You either had a cadillac or a lincoln continental. Those were the only two cars those Ginny's would drive. Doo wop to disco. Best cars ever: 55' caddy Fleetwood shiny waxed polished like shoes---57' chevy belair( preferred black waxed polished , 59' Cadillac coupe deville (preferably pink) any 61 caddy'---- 75'-79 ' late 70s cadillac mafia mobiles any color
The Cimarron buried this company !
There is no logical reason to put 16 cylinders into a car. The Duesenberg 8 would run circles around the Cadillac V-16. So would a Packard V-12.
I feel like I've stepped back into another era after watching this movie. It's SAF. Sexist that is.
Makes no sense.