A few days ago, I wrote about the lack of love for a dilapidated front-wheel drive Cadillac DeVille, clearly down on its luck after a final trip home from a winter in Florida (or, so I surmised). The $500 asking price was indicative of a car that failed to capture hearts and minds when it was new, and little has changed since. However, as this low-mileage coupe listed here on eBay goes to show, even the most unloved cars in spectacular condition will command a following, as the price creeps towards $10,000.
The Cadillac has approximately 14,000 miles on the clock, and the seller notes it has been owned by a – shocker! – older adult in the southern states, at least before being listed for sale in Skokie, Illinois. Like most any classic car, the two-door body-style is instantly more appealing to collectors, so right away this DeVille has a clear advantage over last month’s battered sedan. The paintwork is excellent, as are the chrome bumpers, and the factory gold package still looks quite handsome.
When people refer to a car not being made this way anymore, they might be speaking about the lack of installing a scaled-down version of your grandmother’s sofa in a vehicle cabin compartment. These seats just scream deep-cushioned comfort, and while the style has certainly changed, there’s no denying that this Cadillac would leave even the most chiropractor-serviced spine in better shape as a result of this plushness. The thick carpets don’t hurt, either, as long as you don’t hate oxblood as a color.
The 4.9L V8 sits snugly in the engine compartment, and while I don’t believe this motor will ever enter the Cadillac Hall of Fame, I also suspect it will be quite cheap to run given the strong parts availability and low miles. The seller notes that the next owner will also receive the full assortment of owner’s manuals, VHS tapes, and gold keys, so the time-warp condition extends to the whole presentation. I suspect this one will kiss $12,000 before bidding is over – what do you think it’s worth?
For the money you would be hard pressed to find another car that would soak up a long trip as well as these cars do. I find the lines to be pleasing and I can imagine sitting in those soft leather seats driving cross country with fuel mileage approaching 30mpg. Thankfully it’s not a Northstar or what I call the Deathstar engine. Even though these HT engines are not that powerful GM did a wonderful job with the gear ratios and torque delivery. A hard launch will break traction and make you laugh. I was impressed when I drove one I worked on a number of years ago. So if you like this car buy it! I bet you get thumbs up at a cars and coffee.
Wow.. beautiful Cadillac.. can’t believe they kept the mileage that low. I just wish the seller took a picture of the speedometer to see it. Would love to ride in it to Florida from New York would probably get thumbs up on the way down😂.. It has 2 days left and it over $11,000 . It will hit $12,000 or go over. It’s worth it. I doubt you will find another in this condition again. Good luck to the next owner. 🐻🇺🇸
🎤 🎶 baby we can talk all nite, but that ain’t getting us nowhere ” 🎵
But there ain’t no coupe deville at the bottom of a crackerjack box.
(For those too young to know)
The last year for the Coupe de Ville. Worth collecting!
Looks great, with the major exception of the stupid aftermarket radio sticking way out of the dash. Why would anyone ruin the looks of a mint condition classic Caddy like that?
Very nice, I had a 1990 Blue & grey nice cars wish I could afford this one.
I don’t recall the revised, ’89-’93 DeVilles being “unloved.”
My daddy had several of these and I had a 93 in this same color. I thought they had plenty of power! I made those front wheels spin out more than once. I’d love to own another one.
If any Coupe de Ville is unloved, it’s the ’86-’89 shrunk downs.
This is a beauty. I wonder if the original radio is still with the car. Otherwise, I’d look in yards or preferably on-line to find one to replace that thing that sticks out of the dash like a sore thumb.
If a radio is found, send it in for a refurb, and add the jack for your phone, etc.
Done with that, it’s Saturdays at cars and coffee, and Sunday shows.
Add the ’85 to the list of shrunk downs.
I don’t know about collecting, but you couldn’t buy this kind of class for 3 times the money today.
Yeah it’s nice, try and find parts, especially windsheild, went thru some of this with my 84,000 mile 94 buickroad master.
You have a very valid point. Unfortunately this applies to any car 5 years and older. Working on late model cars I find that with domestic product a lot of OEM parts are NLA a few years out of production. Asian and European cars make parts available for older models longer. Mercedes used to be one of the best car manufacturer to make parts available but even Mercedes is phasing that out. Porsche will supply any part needed for a classic if you want to pay the price and have the time to wait.
Beautiful Caddy. Always liked the look of these cars. That red interior sure looks plush.
I have owned 5 of this generation of Cadillac from 89-93. They were great transportation, were stylish cars for their era.They were also plentiful in junkyards, and even those cars were always primarily rust free. A beautiful 89 DeVille with 30k miles on it saved my daughter’s life when a cell phone talking teenager drove her dad’s truck onto the trunk of the Caddy while driving on Chicago’s Eisenhower Expressway. The steel roof got torn in several places, but she survived. For that reason I love these Cadillacs.
I had a detail customer in the 90s who had one of these. Wash, wax, clean interior every 6 months. It was the same color in and out. I got to drive it several times. That 4.9 is no slouch and as mentioned here, a far better choice than the Deathstar boat anchor. My customer was in his late 70s at the time and routinely got 28 mpg without even really trying. The car never left him sit and he had all service done at the local Cadillac dealer. Today, I work at a new car dealership and yes, you can’t buy this quality for anywhere near the price this will sell for. Our lot is full of $60,000 plus vehicles and management wonders why the salesmen can’t move them. With monthly payments routinely pushing $1,000, who can afford it?
I’ve had 4 of these 89-93 Coupe De Villes. All except one had carriage roofs ( convertible look). That 4.9 is a strong engine.
Torque!
At the time of discontinuation, the Coupe’
DeVille had been in production since 1953, making it one of the longest production runs for a Detroit automaker! (Pick up trucks were in a different category then F150owners) the Corvette debuted in 53 but skipped a year ( No 83 Vette) Quite a record for an UNLOVED car!!
The Coupe de Ville was introduced in 1949.