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9,200 Miles? 1985 Cadillac Seville

Dusty Cadillac isn’t a bad band name, and the seller of this dusty barn find 1985 Cadillac Seville says not to worry about the dirt, the paint is very good. This one can be found listed here on craigslist in the great city of St. Louis, Missouri. They’re asking $3,500 for this one.

Boy, I think I really got a deal on my ’84 Seville, I paid less for it than the seller is asking for this one and I’d jump in mine and drive it anywhere in the country without even thinking about it. Those filler panels may be hard to find and they won’t be cheap, so the next owner will be looking for those and then trying to paint them to match.

1985 was the last year of the second-generation Seville before GM totally changed the platform yet again. It went from a rear-wheel-drive three-box design to these bustle-back front-drive cars and then in 1986 they were also front-wheel-drive but they were 14-inches shorter and rounder and sleeker and generally not very Cadillac-looking, in my opinion.

The interior looks great in this car and after seeing the exterior I was worried, but it looks like it would clean up nicely. Too bad it’s an automatic.. ha, I’m kidding, of course, just seeing if you were still awake. The back seat looks like new and if it’s anything like my Seville, it’s a super comfortable place to sit.

The seller says that this is a 400 engine but I think they missed the #1 after the #4 – it’s actually the same as mine, an HT-4100 (high-technology 4100 cc) (ok, using “cc” for a Cadillac V8 is just weird). It’s a 249 cubic-inch V8 with 135 hp and they are not fast cars. They say that there are only 9,200 miles on this one but they have a 5-digit odometer so I’m throwing out a wild guess that it could possibly have 109,200 miles, but it’s hard to tell. Any thoughts on this Dusty Caddy?

Comments

  1. Avatar photo mpower

    I’d be a buyer at $1500. They could have cleaned it up a bit so we can see what it really looks like.

    Like 6
  2. Avatar photo Rube Goldberg Member

    Scotty’s parts car,,,for 3 figures, maybe.

    Like 4
  3. Avatar photo leiniedude Member

    Hey Scotty, if you paid less than $3,500 for yours you got a smoking deal!

    Like 5
    • Avatar photo Scotty Gilbertson Staff

      Thanks, Mike. After tax, title, and just spending $700 on getting every electrical thing fixed (passenger power door lock button, getting the power antenna connected, and tracking down a new horn among other things), I still have less than $4,000 in it. I think I got a great deal.

      Like 6
  4. Avatar photo Bob McK

    Love the car…hate the HT4100 engine. They had issues. Mine cost me $7,000 to replace.

    Like 1
  5. Avatar photo ACZ

    The HT(aka: hook&tow)4100 engine is a boat anchor but so-so power. A diesel version performs a little better and a 403 is a direct bolt-in. They are a superb road car if given a power boost, even the diesel isn’t bad.

    Like 2
  6. Avatar photo Gary

    I had the same car except it was a 2 door convertible, white over a red interior. Made by a coach builder in Cali and called a Paris coupe
    Wish i still had it.

    Like 2
  7. Avatar photo Matt

    Price up to 4k, lol. In one of the photos, the steering wheel looks blue, but most interior photos are gray. Car needs some love, he’d be lucky to get a grand.

    Like 1
  8. Avatar photo bachldrs Member

    Where did the funky pictures come from? The pictures on CL show it’s been pretty nicely detailed. Looks like maybe even worth the asking price. I’ve been in love with these cars ever since they came out. ‘ Love the Brit-inspired razor-edge styling. I’ve been scared off by the engines. The previous generation Sevilles were long-touted as the emerging collectibles – but they strike me as pretty ho-hum. But whatever you think of these early ’80s cars, they certainly are NOT boring!

    Like 2
    • Avatar photo Scotty Gilbertson Staff

      Bachldrs, in the time after doing this one they must have changed the craigslist ad and even the price!

      Like 2
    • Avatar photo leiniedude Member

      Looks like they gave it the $500 dollar wash job.

      Like 3
      • Avatar photo Nevadahalfrack Member

        $500 hose job?

        Like 3
  9. Avatar photo Angel Cadillac Diva Member

    I really hate the cars of the 80s and early 90s. Square, slab sided boring and very unimaginative, except for the Cadillac Seville. I have always loved the bustleback.
    The other thing I’ve always hated about 80s cars is they tried to disquise the blandness with two tone paint jobs and vinyl tops. I like this Caddy because it’s one color and no vinyl top.
    I’m not crazy about any Caddy after 1976, but I’d get a early 80s bustleback Seville fer shir.

    Like 2
  10. Avatar photo Allen Member

    Thanks for the reply Scotty! Unexpected – and refreshing. I just accidentally stumbled on your own black Seville. Wow – Beautiful car! How about you being our “canary in the coal mine” and report back occasionally on that HT 4100? Given the character of the car, I don’t mind underpowered. Unreliable would be another story.

    Angel: there is another ’80s-90s car that I really like – the Buick Reatta.

    Like 3
  11. Avatar photo karl

    Maybe its because of my age, but I just cant get excited about 80s-90s cars . The companies were trying to make cars more fuel efficient that most became ho-hum transportation and few saved them – Ill bet there are more Metropolitans still around than Citations .When I see an 80s car at a show at a car show I can appreciate that its a survivor and someone really loves their car , but they don’t have anything that gets my car interests going.

    Like 0

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