Some classic car lovers may think that this 1991 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham d’Elegance isn’t old enough to be shown here. Comments such as, “It’s just a used car.” may come up, but it’s 29 years old now, older than a decent percentage of Barn Finds readers are. You can find this incredibly-preserved “old” Fleetwood Brougham here on eBay in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the current bid price is $10,700!
For those who automatically say, “It didn’t cost $10,700 when it was new!”, it was actually $34,245 when it was new in 1991, or an equivalent of $64,670 today. I jumped on Cadillac.com and tried to find a car that would be at least sort of in the same ballpark as a 1991 Fleetwood Brougham (i.e., rear-wheel-drive) would have been, and I have no clue what it would be. Is their $50,000 XTS similar to a Fleetwood? Probably not. What about the $60,000-$75,000 CT6? I didn’t even know that there was such a thing until I just looked at their website. I’m guessing that Fleetwood customers of yore would now be in a $75,000-$85,000 Escalade? Sad but true. What do you think a Fleetwood buyer would be driving now, Cadillac-wise?
This car is in unbelievable condition, a truly preserved car that a lot of us dream about finding. It has 25,500 miles on it and doesn’t even have a single door ding or a flaw anywhere it sounds like. The Fleetwood Brougham was the last vestige of old-school Cadillac sedans and they were quite different from the new, smaller front-wheel-drive Cadillac Fleetwood. The Fleetwood Brougham would be made until 1992 and it’s the last Cadillac that I think of when I think of Cadillac.
Wow, this is one nice interior. It’s in a different league from modern luxury vehicles, of course, but after having recently owned a 1984 Seville, I can almost feel what it would be like to sit on those beautiful seats and touch that switchgear and those power window and lock switches. The back seat is equally perfect as the front is and the trunk is plush, too. Actually, I’m surprised that my ’84 Seville had a nicer, more-finished trunk than a Fleetwood Brougham does.
The engine could have used a quick detailing to bring it up to the visual condition that the rest of this gorgeous car is in. That engine is Chevy’s 5.0L 305 cubic-inch V8 which had 170 hp and 255 lb-ft of torque. This car is probably as close to finding a new 1991 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham as possible. Have any of you owned one?
Not a Cadillac engine but I lot more realiable I guess.🤔🍸🍷🇺🇸
I’d rather have the Chevy V8 over the 80-90’s Cadillac motors ANY day!
“What would that person be driving today?” If still alive, prolly a power chair at the assisted living center.
A casket…..
Engines available were the standard 307(5.0) Oldsmobile
with a 4bbl Carb or the Chevrolet 350 (5.7) with TBI Fuel Injection. No 305 Chevy was ever available.
Dean D, you’re correct. I knew that it was a 350 but typed 305 for some reason, sorry about that. I’m glad that I don’t do my own taxes with fingers like these.
Wait, I may stand corrected. The VIN decodes to being a 305 V8! I guess I was right after all, go figure, there’s a first.
I have never seen a 5.0 Chevrolet in these Cadillacs. I worked for GM from 1983 till 2009 So I had to go in my attic and look at the original dealer brochure. The 5.0 Chevy was available in 1991-1992. My uncle collected these until he passed and never seen one either in his collection. Guess this is one rare car.
From 1987 to 90 they had the Oldsmobile 307 with a modest 140 horsepower. I say the Chevy engine is an improvement.
1986 was the first year for the Oldsmobile 307.
I took my drivers test in one just like this…it was even blue.
You also took your driver’s test in the Hudson. I hope that you passed at some point.
If you can’t see cars like these bringing in the future of collecting, then you need to take another look.
That, or you’re biased by nostalgia. One of the two. What I do know is that you can still buy everyday luxury sedans like these cheap from any decade over the last 70 years. They weren’t very good nor special and haven’t appreciated enough to justify the costs involved in collecting. They are not sports cars,have special designs, or have limited production with any technological breakthroughs.
The Escalade is the last “traditional” Cadillac being made. I believe it’s the only one a person who likes this ’91 would really want in the current lineup.
The new Escalade has IRS and a full-width curved screen for a dash, so even that one is getting less traditional. The XT5 is Cadillac’s best-seller these days.
My mom had a ’77 Sedan deVille – first year of the “down-sized” Caddys. And I believe it was the last year the REAL Cad 425 engine was standard across the board – Seville exempt. This Fleetwood Brougham is essentially the same car with the exact same dash!
I think 1979 was the last year for the 425 as the standard engine in the large RWD Cadillacs. The 368 combined with intergalactic final drive ratios wasn’t a great substitute in 1980, but everything that followed was even worse.
I always loved this year of Fleetwoods!!
I had a 1984 Seville with the HT4100 motor. A total disaster!!! Today I have a ’92 Gold package Coupe de’ville this same color, a ’91 Allante’ and a 2000 Eldorado. Can’t go for the new Cadillacs at ALL!!!
I had the 368 in my ’80 CdV, 1st year – no 8-6-4 silliness. What a fantastic engine. I bought the car in 2007, and I had to daily it in and out of Boston. The rest of the car was pretty beat, but dang if that engine didn’t start every time and ran like a Swiss watch, winter and summer. Best carbureted engine I ever had.
I had a older bro ham..I think with a 472 or something like that with plenty of power and torque..we called it the hit man car lol. I slept ( passed out) in it many nights
It’s odd to think that this car had a 350 when every recent Cadillac sedan would be massively improved by the availability of an LS or LT V8. GM still makes cars because China is their base.
Ever heard of the CTS-V? I’ve driven one at speed at COTA, courtesy of Cadillac, and it was as much fun as you can imagine. Depressing how little is known about Caddy among a bunch of car people. Haven’t heard of a CT6? It’s one of the best cars they have ever made and gets no love. I has a huge sad now.
Bruce, I’ve certainly heard of the CTS but I haven’t kept up with new cars from any manufacturer, not even Cadillac. The CTS-V is a legend but the CT6 has only been offered since 2016 and I just don’t study new cars. I’m sorry if that’s so ungodly offensive to people. Please don’t take it personally just because I, or a few other people here, don’t know the latest Cadillac models and you do. It doesn’t mean that we aren’t all just as passionate about cars, especially old cars, as you are. We just don’t know the latest from Cadillac. Why this is even an issue on an old car site is beyond me.
A friend of mine has a first generation CTS-V with the LS6 and a six-speed. It’s a nice engine in a POS car. The third-brake-light is in a hole in the trunk lid with a gasket that failed and allowed his trunk to fill with water. The trunk liner was floating like a raft. I’m not talking about the rare hot-rods, but that Cadillac could have set the ATS, CTS, and CT6 apart from their competitors with V8s in the same tune they are used in Suburbans. They chose not to, just as they’re not doing so to doom their new CT4 and CT5 to obscurity. The problem isn’t that people don’t know about Cadillacs. The problem is that people do know about them.
My employer wanted to replace my 2012 A6 company car with a CTS-V in 2015. Lucky for me, the CTS-V wasn’t available yet and we looked at a CTS-V-sport with junky seat controls and a dashboard center-stack that moved when touched. Got an A7 instead.
These cars were favored by rich grandparents and preachers. Make of that what you will.
I was just looking at the window sticker, it says this car has the 5.0 liter v8. That would be the Oldsmobile 307 not the Chevy 350 aka 5.7 liter. In fact the ad says it is a Chevy 305 v8 in this car
You’re right on it being a 5.0L, Clay. I was mistaken thinking that I had mistyped 305 instead of 350, it is in fact a Chevy 305 V8 after all. Normally, the first thing I do is to decode the VIN and I just did that now, it says 305 V8.
If you ordered the “trailering package” you got the 350 TBI small block.
I’m right at 60 years old (how did that happen???) and to me this is a real Cadillac. The powertrain comes up short but that can be corrected. As for the stuff they sell today, well, you can keep it. If Cadillac had continued making boats like this they’d still be selling a lot of cars instead of struggling to find their identity. JMHO I’m not interested in a Cadillac that is trying to compete with a BMW; I’ll buy a BMW. And as for their midsize SUVs, well, yuck. I’ve driven them and worked on them. No thanks. An Escalade? Now that is a pretty nice ride if you’re in the market for an executive level, top shelf, luxo-SUV. But if you want an old school Cadillac they offer nothing.
Pete, I couldn’t agree more! The Brougham is still one of the most recognizable cars out there. When you see one, you say ‘that is a Cadillac’. When you see an Escalade, you check to make sure it isn’t a Tahoe or Yukon. I have owned 2 1991 Broughams, 1 with the 305 and 1 with the 350, both de’Elegance models. I still love these cars for what they are; 80s/90s American luxury.
I’d rather have a 1991 Lexus LS400 with 125k miles than this malaise dinosaur. That acre of fake plastic wood and the cheesy buttons on the dash…ugh. A car from the 30’s has a better interior build quality.
My cousin got one exactly like this about a year ago. It’s magnificent! Bring back sedans and ditch those giant boxes they’re trying to foist upon us as luxury SUVs.
Nice Old Car… but my Garage would be barely long enough to even get it in.. and its bringing a ton of moola….
Somebody jump on this before the price gets to another Planet. They are great rides. The power is questionable and if you intend to keep it you may need more horsepower which for this engine would not be hard, removing the smog equipment and registering it anyplace but neurotic California.
Apparent you haven’t checked the prices on new Escalades. They have gone into six figures for the fully loaded ones.
Not a “Fleetwood Brougham”….the D-bodies were called “Brougham” from 1987-91.
My Dad had one like this (earlier year) with a 255 V8.
It wouldn’t get out of it’s own way with four people aboard,but
would get 21 mpg on the highway.
When my Dad quit driving,he offered to give it to me. I
passed,as I didn’t need any more cars,& being a Cadillac,it was laden with tons of electronic systems.
These were rwd,& just a step down from the
limo.
“What about the $60,000-$75,000 CT6? I didn’t even know that there was such a thing until I just looked at their website”
That’s what I love about this site, you can really tell its run by real knowledgeable car people…….
The CT6 has existed for 5 years and this is the first time the author has ever heard of it ….awesome.
Ralph, please feel free to send in your application, we could use a few folks like you who know absolutely everything there is to know about every vehicle ever made, old and new. I don’t claim to know anything about new vehicles, especially Cadillacs. Why would I, this isn’t a site about new cars or new Cadillacs and I will never own one, why would I possibly know about them? That could not make any less sense. It’s like complaining about how your dentist can’t seem to give you a good haircut and then publicly shaming them on their website saying that they give horrible haircuts. I couldn’t tell you what the latest Lincoln is or the latest Nissan and I’m not ashamed of that fact in the least. This isn’t Motor Trend, it’s Barn Finds.
None of us do this for a living, we do it on the side because we love old cars. If you can spend 4-8 hours a day doing this plus your other job – and we all have other jobs – then you’re a better person than the rest of us are.
Excellent,,,but may I remind the author, comments like this person comprise a very small percentage of how most of us feel. It’s a shame you have to go on the defensive for these few. I’m not alone in appreciating what all the writers do for us, and at 65, I still learn a lot from their research. Special thanks to all BF writers.
I never understood the alphabet soup versions of the current Cadillac lineup. Besides, they all look the same to me anyways. I can’t see a 305 moving this Fleetwood but I would take this car in a heartbeat over what Cadillac offers today. On another note, my 84 Seville has the HT-4100 and I have had no problems with it.
The “alphabet soup” has been there for a long time. It really seemed to start around the time of the Eldorado Touring Coupe or ETC, and the Seville Touring Sedan or STS from the 80’s. It really proliferated under the helm of Johan de Nysschen, who came from BMW and Audi. One of the things he did at Cadillac, and little else. Thank goodness he’s gone.
The Cadillac Brougham’s model year 1990 the 5.0 was a 4 bbl. Model year 1991 through 1992 the 5.0 was throttle body fuel injection. 1990 through 1992 the optional 5.7 was throttle body fuel injection.
The only thing I didn’t like about these later model Caddis is that stupid plastic piece they have in front of the tail lights and it is always a shade different to the rest of the car in colour, apart from that I really do like this car.
I can’t pass up the opportunity to address the Cadillac CT6 comments. I have one. And I love Barn Finds! You guys do a great job.
Now for the CT6. Other than the fustrating 8-speed transmission it is an amazing car. Extremely smooth and comfortable ride, 0-60 in 5 sec. with the 3.0TT and around 28 MPG on the road. Plus it only weighs around 3,000lb because it’s made of mixed materials. Now if I could just lease a 2019. No more lease deals on the 2019s.
They don’t offer the 3.0TT in the 2020 and the Blackwing (0-6 in 3.8 sec.) is beyond my budget. It’s too bad everyone seems to be buying SUVs and CUVs these days. The ride just doesn’t compare to the comfort you get from a full-size car like this 1991 Cadillac Brougham.
The CT6 3.0TT AWD weighed 4,350 lbs when Motor Trend tested it in 2016. The lightest CT6 was the four cylinder RWD base model that I believe has been mercy killed, which still weighed almost 3,700 lbs.
To me this is an awesome car. True luxury in ride, comfort, and quiet cruising. Now that I’m old enough to afford a luxury car, there really isn’t anything made that interests me in the least.
I’ve looked at the new Cadillacs and other than the suvs, the cars are all small with cramped interiors more fitting in a corvette than a luxury car. Same is true of Mercedes and the other luxury brands.
That’s why I’m going to be in the market for a late 80s early 90s cad or Lincoln. No offense meant for CT6, but it’s more of a performance car, not much in terms of luxury.
Those Cadillac Brougham’s were beautiful they were only called Broughams
The Olds 307 (5.0) 4 barrell was first used in 1986 and was the only available engine from 1986-89. The 307 was last used in 1990 but that year the Chevy 350 (5.7) with EFI was optional with the trailering package. For 1991-92, the 307 Olds was replaced with the 5.0 (305) Chevy with EFI. From 1991-92 the 5.7 was available optionally without the trailer package so a much higher % of cars were built with the 5.7 in 91-92. Therefore the Chevy 5.0 did not see high production in the Brougham. By all accounts it would be livelier and offer better drivabily than the carbed Olds engine. Even so, the Olds 307 was far superior to the Cadillac 4.1 v8 used from 1982-85 which was grossly underpowered and suffered from aluminum engine maladies.
I had one of these with the 305. Not powerful by any means, slightly better than the Olds 307.
I sold the one I had to a guy that dropped in a Chevy 350. I never should have sold it though. Along with the engine upgrades he made it into a donk.
Mine was purchased new by my now deceased former boss. When I worked for him, he had a hearse & limo dealership. Prior to that, he owned a limo service. This was his town sedan type car.
The day after he purchased it off the showroom floor, he picked up his first client for that car.
The client was a famous cigar smoking comedian who lit up his cigar as he sat in the back of the brand new livery vehicle.
That guy later got his though. His name is Cosby.
Walter, my old boss/friend who sold me the car, parked the car in his garage at home when he closed the limo service. It was about 4 years old and had less than 50,000 miles, a beautiful charcoal color with red leather interior & red pinstripes. She was a beauty!
Looks like one my Mom had, same color….only difference her’s had the crushed velvet interior. Was a gorgeous car ! Because of it, only car I’ll drive, on my 5th Cadillac.
I had a 1990 just like it, and I loved it. It’s from a time when luxury cars were stylish and comfortable, not trying to be japanese or german sports cars with hard rides and hard seats.