2008 Cadillac CTS: Perfect Old Man Car

Photo by Caroline Pardilla

When I was a kid, I remember my grandfather taking great pride in his Cadillac DeVille. That car just seemed to go on forever lengthwise but it was deluxe. Ever since then, every time I think "Cadillac four-door," I can't help but think "old man." I'm sorry, but that's just what I associate it with. So when I was given the keys to our new 2008 Cadillac CTS, I naturally thought, "OK, I'll be an old man for the weekend."

And when I jumped behind the wheel of this huge red sedan for the first time? I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel like an old man at all. I did, like an old man enjoying the fruits of his retirement.

I can imagine my grandfather enjoying this car. All the deluxe amenities that would have made him soo happy, like the 10-way adjustable plush leather heated/cooled front seats, keyless access where you just pull the door handle and it opens without hesitation, and that nifty nav screen that tucks away into the dash if you don't want to use the navigation function. Plus even with all the buttons on the dash, I was still able to figure out which button worked what just by looking at them. No need to read the manual. Imagine that!

And another thing I liked about our Caddy that I'm sure Grandpa would have appreciated, too: The quiet V6. I could accelerate and would only hear the quiet thrum of the engine.

Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 3,724 miles

 

Posted by Caroline Mar 31, 2008 10:26 am

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Categories: 2008 Cadillac CTS V6 DI


Comments

estreka - Apr 3, 2008 3:37 pm (#66 Total: 66)  

 
subarctic north - Great Falls, MT  
lol @ Sabastian

hondacura4 - Apr 3, 2008 3:02 pm (#65 Total: 66)  

 
 
"Actually, hondacura4, I think all 3 cars fit his age demographic. The GS450h and Avalon are probably his daily commuter and the MRS Spyder as his mid-life-crisis car.
  
They fit perfectly and your father has good taste!"
 
Well he buys Toyota products because he's a product planner for Toyota/Lexus, and the fact that he gets major discounts. He just loves the fact that Im a Honda enthusiast. =)
 
The GS and Spyder rarely get driven, the Avalon is my stepmothers daily driver. He drives a last generation Prius daily as his commute is 170 miles a day and its provided by Toyota.
 
Yes, Id say the Spyder is his midlife crisis car and Ive actually talked him into buying and installing a few aftermarket goodies.

sabastian - Apr 3, 2008 1:16 pm (#64 Total: 66)  

 
 
1487, your comment made me think of a comic I once saw. A man is typing at his computer in a dark room. From the doorway of the room his wife is begging him to come to bed. His response: "I can't! Someone on the internet is wrong!"

1487 - Apr 3, 2008 12:28 pm (#63 Total: 66)  

 
Philadelphia PA United States of America  
suby,
 
feel free to encourage and support but you and others have to accept that some feedback may not be to your liking in a forum like this. What's the point of inviting the public to comment if you don't really want varying opinions? All car fans do not think alike but that seems to come as a shock to you and some of your cohorts.

SubyTrojan - Apr 3, 2008 9:47 am (#62 Total: 66)  

 
Santa Monica, CA, USA  
How was my diagnosis incorrect? Please share.
 
Regarding your comment about the NT, I won't even bother going there with you.
 
I didn't say your spelling and grammar were worse than others'. I just said I don't think you're a lawyer based on what I've seen. I apologize if you are.
 
I also know that this is "t3h 1nt3rn3t." People aren't required to have proper spelling and "grammer."
 
Thanks for making things personal and calling me a "cheerleader." :rolleyes: I don't think there's anything wrong with trying to encourage and support the friends I have here. Is there?

1487 - Apr 3, 2008 8:56 am (#61 Total: 66)  

 
Philadelphia PA United States of America  
So instead of coutering my argments we have settled on attacking my spelling abilities? Got it. I have seen plenty of misspelled words in these forums but I attribute most of that to rushing as opposed to ignorance. I don't believe my spelling is any worse than others here.

firstwagon - Apr 3, 2008 7:40 am (#60 Total: 66)  

 
 
Everyone can make a typo but if you can't spell without a spell checker then perhaps you should work on that.
 
Nothing personal to anyone but how will you teach your kids to spell if you can't do it yourself?
 
It doesn't say much about the school system if we need computers to do the basics for us.

1487 - Apr 3, 2008 6:41 am (#59 Total: 66)  

 
Philadelphia PA United States of America  
"By the way, I may be wrong, but I think "grammar and spelling" are a compound subject. Therefore, "indicate" should've been used instead of "indicates." And you spelled "author" "auther" in your previous comment. Have a nice day/night."
 
There is no spell check here. If you are basing intelligence on spelling then many of us are pretty stupid. I am from the word processing generation and rarely do spell checking the old fashioned way and I am hardly unique in that regard. Your diagnosis of my previous statemnt isn't even accurate. "indicate" would have been wrong in that case.
 
Nowhere in the New Testament will you find a verse that states it's impossible to be perfect. I may not be the smartest guy around, but I know that much.
 
Perhaps you should just stick to IL cheerleading which seems to be your forte.

SubyTrojan - Apr 2, 2008 11:16 pm (#58 Total: 66)  

 
Santa Monica, CA, USA  
"Suby:
  
What about my grammar and spelling indicates that I am not an attorney? You seem to be suggesting I write as if I am lacking education and command of the English language. I have been accused of many things, but you have to be the first to accuse me (here at least) of using poor English. I assure you, I can use larger words if my language is too simplistic for your tastes but I don't see the point nor do I have the time."
 
Relax, man. Nobody is perfect (Romans 3:23).
 
By the way, I may be wrong, but I think "grammar and spelling" are a compound subject. Therefore, "indicate" should've been used instead of "indicates." And you spelled "author" "auther" in your previous comment. Have a nice day/night.

firstwagon - Apr 2, 2008 7:13 pm (#57 Total: 66)  

 
 
"one of these cars doesnt really fit his age demographic "
 
I agree, he's too young for the Avalon, did he inherit it or something? :)

1487 - Apr 2, 2008 4:57 pm (#56 Total: 66)  

 
Philadelphia PA United States of America  
"I never said Mercedes were better cars than Cadillacs, I just said the company has a better understanding of who purchases its cars. "
 
I'm glad you have the ability to make that call. As far as I can tell Cadillac has vehicles that cover a wide range of buyers and I'm not quite sure who they are alienating with their product lineup. I see plenty of seniors behind the wheels of DTS and STS models so it seems to me they still have suitable choices at the Cadillac dealer.
 
Suby:
 
What about my grammar and spelling indicates that I am not an attorney? You seem to be suggesting I write as if I am lacking education and command of the English language. I have been accused of many things, but you have to be the first to accuse me (here at least) of using poor English. I assure you, I can use larger words if my language is too simplistic for your tastes but I don't see the point nor do I have the time.

briancam - Apr 2, 2008 1:50 pm (#55 Total: 66)  

 
UsA  
Guess what? Old people have nice stuff.

dougtheeng - Apr 2, 2008 4:40 am (#54 Total: 66)  

 
Niagara, Ontario, Canada  
"I was trying to be nice, dougtheeng. Did you get your new MINI Cooper?"
 
I did indeed. Unlike Joe, I don't have Flickr, but I think you know what they look like.
 
Amazing little car, and I'm getting 34+ mpg which is exactly what I was hoping for.

louiswei - Apr 1, 2008 6:59 pm (#53 Total: 66)  

 
Los Angeles, CA  
"one of these cars doesnt really fit his age demographic"
 
Actually, hondacura4, I think all 3 cars fit his age demographic. The GS450h and Avalon are probably his daily commuter and the MRS Spyder as his mid-life-crisis car.
 
They fit perfectly and your father has good taste!

mercedesfan - Apr 1, 2008 6:55 pm (#52 Total: 66)  

 
San Jose, CA, USA  
I am glad to see this post return to a civil tone. At the end of the day the CTS is a really excellent car regardless of who may purchase it.
 
On another note has anyone taken notice of the mileage. It seems IL is putting miles on the CTS even slower then they were with the C300. I would have thought these two would be the most desirable cars in the fleet.

SubyTrojan - Apr 1, 2008 6:06 pm (#51 Total: 66)  

 
Santa Monica, CA, USA  
I was trying to be nice, dougtheeng. Did you get your new MINI Cooper?

hondacura4 - Apr 1, 2008 5:57 pm (#50 Total: 66)  

 
 
Ill just use some logic here. As another poster stated, not many 20-30 year olds can afford a $35K+ autotmobiles. On that note most luxury marks sell to an older demogoraphic because they usually have or make more money. Its that simple
folks.
 
Yes, Cadillac makes cars today that may appeal to younger buyers but that doesnt mean that they are buying them. Same could be said for any other luxury mark.
 
The same could be said regarding a 5 Series. Yes, its a great car but I couldnt see myself driving one being 30 as its just not me (M5 exempt). Ill gladly take a 135i/335i. Not that Im image conscious about driving a CTS or a 5 Series but as of right now I dont need or want that much car.
 
Ill use my father for example. He's 51, owns a 2007 Lexus G450h, a slightly modified 2005 Toyota MRS Spyder, and a 2006 Toyota Avalon Limited. Id say one of these cars doesnt really fit his age demographic and there is nothing wrong with that.

lvranger - Apr 1, 2008 4:59 pm (#49 Total: 66)  

 
 
"Actually, the purpose of the post was to say the CTS is for old men and that was OK with the auther since old men cars have some redeemable qualities."
  
What I got out of this post = she had a connection from her childhood that linked her grandfather with cadillacs. She even apologizes about the way she feels!
  
louiswei: Good to know, thanks for the info!

SubyTrojan - Apr 1, 2008 3:34 pm (#48 Total: 66)  

 
Santa Monica, CA, USA  
1487's grammar and spelling lead me to believe he isn't a lawyer. That is all.

mercedesfan - Apr 1, 2008 3:06 pm (#47 Total: 66)  

 
San Jose, CA, USA  
1487 you managed to take everything I said out of context and argue points that I never even made. Are you by chance a lawyer? (Sorry couldn't resist, my father is a lawyer by the way :) ). I never said anything about Cadillac's history in the '50's or '60's because at the end of the day they sold far fewer cars during that period then they did during the 1990's when they were appealing to an older market. I was arguing that Cadillac is abandoning a very stable clientele for a market that is notoriously finicky. Part of the reason Mercedes-Benz has remained so profitable over the years is because it knows the market for luxury cars. I never said Mercedes were better cars than Cadillacs, I just said the company has a better understanding of who purchases its cars.
 
As for attacking Mercedes styling when all I said was that some of the seniors I know do not like Cadillac's new styling is absurd. I never said anything about my own preference for Cadillac's styling or anything about Mercedes' styling period.
 
Lastly, there are plenty of cars that I love that come from other companies other than Mercedes. I do love Benzes, true, but I appreciate all cars and the engineering ingenuity behind them.
 
-Sorry for the length of this post, I got a little worked up.







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