The owner of this 1984 Cadillac Coupe de Ville purchased it 3-years ago from the estate of the original owner. It is a car that appears to have been meticulously maintained, and its overall condition really does have to be seen to be believed. As an added bonus, this is a luxury car that has a genuine 42,000 miles showing on its odometer. If life in the lap of luxury at an affordable price holds a great attraction to you, then you will find the Cadillac located in McHenry, Illinois, and listed for sale here on Craigslist. The owner has set the sale price for the Coupe de Ville at $6,900. I have to say thank you to Barn Finder Ikey H for spotting the Caddy for us.
Looking through the good collection of photos of the Sand Gray Cadillac that the owner supplies, it is easy to be impressed with its overall condition. The paint exhibits a nice shine and consistency, while the panels are as straight as an arrow. The trim and chrome are in flawless condition, as are the wire wheel covers and the glass. The addition of a dark vinyl top provides a nice contrast, but there is one thing that I find intriguing on a vehicle of this quality. The gaps on either side of the trunk lid vertical surfaces are horribly inconsistent. At first glance, this could suggest that the vehicle has suffered some form of accident damage. However, this is not the first ’84 Coupe de Ville that I have seen with this issue. In fact, those gaps are one characteristic that is quite inconsistent from car to car, which is a bit disappointing in a prestige brand. Otherwise, there really isn’t much to fault with this car’s outward appearance and condition.
The engine bay of the Caddy presents just as nicely as the rest of the car, and what we find is the HT-4100 V8, backed by TH-200-4R automatic transmission. Now, the HT-4100 is a much-maligned engine, and there were certainly some significant issues experienced with early examples. Having said that, the majority of those issues were ironed out over the years, and my theory tends to be that if the engine has lasted for 36-years without causing any grief, then there’s a pretty good chance that this one is a decent one that should potentially have plenty of life left in it. At 135hp, this was not the most powerful engine on the block, with performance that was adequate, but not earth-shattering. What it did offer though was fairly respectable fuel economy. You can be sure that there were plenty of owners of older Cadillacs that must have been almost in awe of a Coupe de Ville that could potentially top 20mpg. This car is in great mechanical health, and with only 42,000 miles on the clock, this is no great surprise. The owner states that it runs and drives extremely well.
Climbing aboard a Cadillac has always meant entering a world of luxury, and even though the competition has tended to gain ground in the luxury stakes over the years, saying that you drive a Cadillac still has a certain amount of cachet to it. The interior of this particular Coupe de Ville is in nice condition, and about the only thing that I can find to be critical of is some wear to the outer edge of the carpet on the driver’s side. It makes me wonder whether the previous owner may have been experiencing some mobility issues and that his feet have dragged across the carpet in this area when entering and exiting the vehicle. Otherwise, the rest of the interior trim, and the leather upholstery, all looks very nice. In keeping with the luxury theme, the vehicle comes equipped with air conditioning, power windows, power locks, power seats, cruise control, a tilt wheel, and an AM/FM radio and cassette player.
This 1984 Cadillac Coupe de Ville would seem to have a lot to commend it. It really doesn’t matter where you look, what you find is a vehicle that is in well above average condition for its age. The low mileage is a real bonus and should mean that this is a classic that has plenty of life left in it. Values on the Coupe de Ville of this era took a real pounding in the market, but they have become somewhat trendy over the past two years or so. This has seen values rise sharply by more than 30% during that period. That means that if this particular car is as good as it appears to be, then it could potentially be quite a good buy at the asking price.
My dad had an ’83 with the same engine. A nice ride but not much power to push all that weight. One possible explanation for those gaps might be that someone put a too tall object in the trunk or too near the hinges. Those power trunk lids had a lot of pull (ask me how I know).
You sure got the panel gap story correct Adam. I wonder if they all left the factory like that as the rest of the gaps looks fair?
Not sure if it applies to this Cadillac, but many GM cars of the era had aluminum trunk lids that tended to warp.
A very colorful gentleman I knew had one of these back in the day. He hated it. He said, “It had to downshift to go over a speed bump.”
That color! It just blends right into the driveway like it’s wearing concrete camouflage!
1) fix the damn trunk.
2) Add some horsepower.
3) Enjoy.
I think the gap may be from the bumper filler/extensions. Aren’t they made from a plastic material? On the passenger side it doesn’t quite line up with the trunk lid side of the fender.
That’s what I thought of. Those fill panels used shrink, warp, delaminate, shatter, and generally reveal GM’s concern about long-term owners.
Sad to say, but by 1984 Cadillac’s days of being a “Prestige” brand were already a distant memory…
Cadillacs were still well regarded by the sort of people who buy BMWs today when the V8-6-4 arrived for 1981. It was really when people traded in their 1979 models that the wheels came off the wagon, even if they’d been lowering their internal aspirations for a decade.
I loved my 64 cdv ,white w baby blue int. With the 429’s carb tuned just right, I got 20 mpg all day long. I wish I cd find the sweet spot on my Tbird. 10 mpg @ $2+ per gal kills me
I bought a new 1984 Fleetwood Brougham when I was 29. It was an amazing car for a kid to have. We clubbed in style! I did wind up with the proverbial engine trouble and also a bad transmission. My trunk also had the gap which I figured out was the electric closer. For some reason it never actually closed all the way down. I believe the unit was mounted too high on the edge of the truck box and needed to be adjusted down.
I’m with Steve on the trunklid. Had an 85 Fleetwood Brougham with the same issue. Fiddled with the electric closer for the trunk and finally got it to seal properly.
Beautiful cars. Junk engine. My friend was a Cadillac mechanic in those days. He said he had job security. One of the biggest piles of junk GM ever built. Camshaft breakage, oiling issues, crankshaft failure. Just a boat anchor. Cadillac was doomed after turning out this disaster. I give you North Star as exhibit A.
Wow, never heard of those failures. Those all sound like Buick engines. The 4100 would blow head gaskets, especially if the sealing pellets aren’t added to the coolant.
I am a huge Cadillac fan. Actually most of my collectibles are Cadillacs. This may be a low mileage car, but it has two huge drawbacks. The engine..everyone knows their history and the color. Inside and out. Brown cars don’t sell well.
Had an 84 Coupe deVille It went 200k Bought it at 100K, replaced the camshaft. Secret to the 4100 change coolant every two years and add the radiator pellets. Keeps the headgaskets from leaking and antifreeze will attack the camshaft. They are no speed demon but Cadillacs are not dragsters. Mine got great mileage(it liked premium gas). If you want more power just about any GM v-8 will work. Including a Cadillac 500(use the Turbo 400)No emission stuff needed it is an antique.
Too bad this car is the wrong year.
I believe Cadillac knew these were not strong engines and they did not put them in the commercial chassis for these years.
I’m telling you, this helicopter has been following me around all day. I’m not flying without my hat.
It’s those hideous plastic filler panels that jolt the eye on the rear of this puppy.
This same set-up ruined the optics on the late 70s Eldorado. Was it really worth saving the 5bux in sheet metal costs ?!
The odometer digits don’t look right to me. Get other documentation for miles.