One of the more encouraging signs of past ownership when it comes to purchasing a hobby vehicle is seeing ongoing dealer service in the log books. This is not because I’m some defender of dealerships, which are known to over-sell services that unsuspecting owners don’t need. But it’s because of this tendency that buying a car that’s been brought to the dealer year after year for service that you can remain fairly confident they’ve bilked that owner for all they could. This 1993 Cadillac Allante listed here on craigslist is a desirable Northstar V8-equipped model with under 50,000 miles and an asking price of $8,600.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the find. The Allante certainly has had a tumultuous history with the American car buying public, largely due to the fact that expectations were set incredibly high for the luxury convertible. Between the production process and the costs associated with this high-end model intended to go head-to-head with the likes of the Mercedes SL-class, the Allante was given an incredible high bar to clear. Styled and built in Italy by none other than Pininfarina, the Allante certainly seemed to have the necessary pedigree to be a world-beater. The car shown here looks to be well-preserved, with a gorgeous oxblood interior.
The initial engine offerings were one source of disappointment for buyers at the time, as the first-run of Allantes came equipped with a 4100-series V8 that was notoriously low on power and performance. Quite simply, it was a huge let down for a car with this much emphasis on being a viable alternative to an R129-series Mercedes convertible to come standard with a wheezy 4.1L V8. The next version, a 4.5L mill with 200 horsepower, was a marked improvement, while the final offering, as seen here in our feature car, got the drivetrain to where it should have been from the start with almost 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque out of the box.
This engine was not without its drawbacks, as it was known for having oil leak issues linked to a bad case seal, and the engine must be removed to fix this flaw. The same goes for stripped head bolts, and the fix also requires an engine-out service. Once those repairs are done, the Northstar is said to be largely free of major issues. The fact that this example presents as well as it does and also features low mileage in a desirable production year makes it one worth checking out, and the asking price seems reasonable as well. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. fo the find.
Looks like a great car and a good buy! I just never liked them and it seems a lot of people feel the same way.
Picky comment, but would it be asking too much to include the location in the description? I know, click on the craigslist link, but we shouldn’t have to do that.
If this was in the NW I’d have to seriously consider it.
Look at the Craigslist ad. It’s in Raleigh, NC
I don’t think Northstar is desirable. At least this has analogue gages. I love these cars and every time I am tempted I go to the forums and that snaps me back to reality. If you get a northstar, consider doing the head bolt change that was shown by the car wizard. It is basically boring out a bigger hole and installing thicker/stronger head bolts.
And your point is? Have you ever owned a NorthStar equipped car? You might be surprised how good they are. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.
My point is these were very problematic engines with a serious design flaw in the weak head bolts, that there is a fix for it so if you buy one, look into that fix. Your point was what exactly? That your feelings trump the actual statistics?
So I checked out a forum that came up just shy of 2 million Northstars produced, with a head gasket failure of 30k or 1.5% failure rate. It’s not really that bad if you think about it.
There’s a kit with stepped-diameter head studs that are larger on the block end but stock on the head end, so you can bore out and rethread the weak/failed threads in the block without having to overbore and use Helicoil/Time-Sert inserts (that often fail as well) or weaken the head by boring out the holes there.
That said, early Northstars (’93-95) like this one apparently weren’t that troublesome, nor later ones (2003-on). It was the middle years ’96-02 (esp. ’97-00) that had the most trouble, apparently related to a change in block metallurgy and a shift to DexCool antifreeze (which must be changed on schedule and cannot be mixed with conventional antifreeze), and 2000s had issues with head bolt thread lengths.
https://www.cadillacforums.com/threads/northstar-years-good-and-bad.777386/
https://www.cadillacforums.com/threads/northstar-headgasket-cracked-block-bolt-failure-please-let-us-know.122898
(Note the informal-poll results in that last link indicate #/% of responders who reported having a problem with each model year, not the #/% of each year’s engines reported as affected.)
How GM and Cadillac ever thought this was a smart investment is crazy. These cars did nothing to improve Cadillac’s fortune or prestige. They were a desperation attempt. Instead, better Eldorado’s, DeVille’s and Fleetwoods were needed. You know, the bread and butter cars that people an actually bought. Allantes were plagued with problems and not a fitting tribute for a troubled Cadillac. Cadillac has wasted so much time and money trying to reinvent itself. Now, they offer a couple Euro wannabes and SUV’s. There is nothing very Cadillac about the current offerings. It’s sad.
Are you familiar with the concept of a “halo car”? Apparently not.
Yes , i am but they missed that too …
I had a 93, same color with tan (thin) leather. These seats have worn well. Northstar made these contenders to MB & Jag. But repairs and finding someone that can work on it is what holds these back in price.
I own a ’93 with about 140,000 miles. In my opinion these are greatly undervalued, and a great way into the hobby. Look at what this amount will buy you in a Mustang or mid-year Corvette. Yes, mine has a few oil leaks, the gasket on the automatic oil level sender is a problem, and it has wind noise, top down, soft top up, or hardtop on (takes two people to remove or put on). But it has plenty of power, the suspension system that adjusts to driving conditions still works, a few trim pieces have disappeared, power seats and windows are fine, seat surface is torn (ah GM, that is not real leather, as on Audi, but “bonded leather”, a thin sheet of leather glued to fablic, as in many GM and Chrysler products I have owned) and not very durable, But, buy this, reliable, fun, good support from three places, one in NJ, FL, and CA, all run by very solid people.
I also find it unusual that no location is given in the Bar finds write-up. I went to the Craigslist ad and all it gives is Cary, and a small map. If you enlarge the map it is near Raleigh, NC.
Or just look at the page header where it says “raleigh” at top-left, or the page URL starting with “raleigh.craigslist.org”.
Thank you. It’s nice to see a comment backed by actual fact.
I have always admired the lines of both this and the Eldorado of the 90’s. I was tempted to pull the trigger several times, but the mystery of whether that sweet engine would live made my skepticism the winner. Oddly enough I asked every owner if they had encountered the failure in their own car and never heard of one. I think it may be a situation like the air suspension of Mark and Continental Lincolns, which were not hard to fix but in my own case rarely failed.
Wow, great shape! How many cars can you buy today for 8 grand? This is solid, doesn’t come with all the electrical/computer crap, is a convertible, and well maintained. Compared to the new BS that is on our roads today, this is a great value. I thought they were was nice cars, good luck.
In ’93 there were only two options: an “analog” dash instead of the “carnival” multicolored dash, and chrome wheels instaed of the aluminum. The “analog” dash just plugged into the same socket as the “carnival”, all the connections and sensors were the same and electric/electronic. Mine, used, came with both dashes. No problems with the “carnival” dash, so kept it in place. On the other hand, the “entertainment center” had been replaced by a unit in the trunk before I got it, original speakers, and a remote.It works so have not tried to go back to the original system. There are plenty of low milage, original examples, for museums, so I can drive this without fear of damaging an important relic. A trailer queen it is not. The one for sale sits on the edge.