Beautiful Survivor: 1979 Cadillac Sedan DeVille

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Coming 75 years after the founding of the Cadillac Automobile Company, the fifth-generation DeVille series, beginning in 1977, was downsized along with most other full-sized GM cars. They were still generous in room and luxury and this 1979 Cadillac Sedan DeVille can be found listed here on eBay in Lake Worth, Florida. There is no reserve and the current bid price is $11,399 with three days left on the auction as I write this.

What a car, this is what I think of when I think of a Cadillac. Maybe not this exact generation of DeVille, but a formal four-door luxury sedan in black. Having a beautiful red leather interior doesn’t hurt either. Cadillac made the fifth-gen DeVille from 1977 through 1984 in both two-door Coupe DeVille and four-door sedan DeVille body styles.

This car appears to be in amazing condition and the seller says that it was purchased by its second owner in 1987. I’m not sure if that means that the seller was that second owner or if they’re the third owner. Maybe I should have paid attention more better in skool… The odometer shows 18,747 and they list the mileage as being 19,000, so I’m assuming it hasn’t rolled over yet. It sure looks like it has ultra-low miles.

There’s a bit more wrinkling on the driver’s seat bolsters than I would have expected on a 19,000-mile car, but maybe it’s just from sliding in and out of that seat a few thousand times over the last 44 years. But, red leather! It doesn’t get any better than this, at least for me. Red brocade fabric would be runner-up. The back seat, what we can see of it, looks as nice or nicer and the seller has provided a few underside photos – this car looks almost perfect.

The engine is Cadillac’s 425-cu.in. OHV V8, which in this case would have put out 180 horsepower when new. It looks like new under the hood, as expected. This car is located on the east coast of Florida and hopefully, both seller and car will be okay by this time next week. Hagerty is at $10,300 for a #3 good-condition car and $16,200 for a #2 excellent car – this has to be approaching excellent status. I think this one is a winner, how about you?

Auctions Ending Soon

Comments

  1. George Mattar

    Beautiful. Today, Cadillac is a total joke. $150,000 and up for an Escalade, just a fancy Suburban made on the same assembly line in Arlington.

    Like 1
  2. BA

    A perfect mafia staff car just tint those windows & look like Tony Soprano !

    Like 13
    • John EderMember

      “This is a nice ride you got here. It would be a shame if a big scratch showed up on it…”

      Like 7
      • PaulG

        Keepau hanz offa

        Like 10
    • Aaron

      Hahahahaha man you right on time with that statement

      Like 1
    • Aaron

      Hahaha man you right on time with that statement

      Like 1
    • ACZ

      Depends on how many bodies the trunk will hold.

      Like 2
  3. Chris Cornetto

    The last good one before that horrendous 4100 and the fall of Detroit. Then the dark ages, hose monsters, V6s. The detune battle of 1066, diesel Oldsmobile lumps, A small Renaissance as the kingdom of 307 rose but it was nothing as the Ninjas attacked from the east and the insurgents at the Ford empire turned out Lincolns that were battle ready. All was not lost as this body style neared its end as the great LT1 would drive it from the beltway with grace and performance that was once thought lost. This is a beauty and for me the last decent one. I personally liked the 425. I had a few that were very nice. I even put one in a Cutlass wagon one time.

    Like 19
    • Bill Hall

      this car is one of the last decent cadillacs made. a few after that looked good but were awful mechanically and now you have both ugly and mechanically? questionable.

      Like 1
      • Neil R Norris

        My dear Sainted father would have loved that baby!!!

        Like 0
  4. Wade Pierce

    Nice Caddy, but it must have sold QUICK as the ebay listing is GONE! Based on the pics, I bet it was purchased fast by a Dealer to resell at a higher price! Gotta act fast on some of these that show up here on BF bc most times the cars have already sold or are bid out of being reasonably priced by those with deeper pockets?? Unfortunately, that’s the American way nowadays…

    Like 12
    • Driveinstile DriveinstileMember

      425 V8s had really nice bottom end torque. These had pretty tall rear ends, but even still, would move away from a standstill with very little effort. These went down the highway very nicely too. Even though these were “downsized ” compared to the previous generation, they were very roomy, and rode nice too. Our family had a 78. Thisss is an amazingly presserved example.

      Like 9
      • Mr. Dolan

        My dad had a 1979, blue, 2 door Coupe DeVille d’elegance. Absolutely beautiful car, rode like floating in air with crushed velour seats, great pick up. I liked it so much I later bought a 1993 4 door Sedan DeVille(last year of the style) and a 1995 El Dorado within a year of each other. Each had the North Star 4.9 engine with the DeVille at 225 hp and the El Dorado at 275(24.3mpg). El Dorado got t-boned on my birthday in 2005 with 140,000+ miles. Both cars served me well especially on my many road trips.
        The saying on Caddy’s: If they make it to 50,000 miles they will get 150,000.

        Like 7
      • Tony Primo

        Between my late father and myself, we have owned most of the late model Cadillac V-8 engines. The largest 500 c.i, 472 c.i., 425 c.i., 4.1 litre and the 350 Oldsmobile in the Seville. We even had the V-8-6-4. The 425 is a decent engine. All Cadillac engines can benefit from a true dual exhaust system.

        Like 10
      • Robert Proulx

        Tall rear end was an understatement at 2.29 to 1 but that was before overdrive arrived a few years later so that was the only way to keep the rev’s low and get decent millage so the motors were torque down low but it did work and kept things quiet. Dad’s 81 Parisienne with the chevy 305, lock up torque hydramatic 350 and 2.41 rear end had an average of 18 in town and consistently knocked down 26 to 28 highway millage

        Like 6
    • Gary Bregel

      It looks like Vanguard motor sales purchased it off of eBay.

      Like 2
  5. Greenhorn

    Wow, I don’t even LIKE these and this one is hot! If only everyone could care for their cars like this.
    I would go +1 on the wheels and tires with some Torque Thrusts and a good quality blackwall tire. This one would make a great cruiser.

    Like 3
    • Tbone

      No sir

      Like 12
  6. Stan StanMember

    They always looked best in the tuxedo 🤵‍♂️ colors. Black or White.

    Like 7
  7. Cooter CooterMember

    Notice the stark difference of the settings around the 2 of these 77 Caddy’s. If I were in the market, I’d want the black one. That thing is very slick, love the black and red!

    Like 4
  8. Jeff

    They look even better if that side rub strip is taken off because it breaks up the vertical lines of the car. It just makes such a bolder statement, cleaner and crisper without that door ding strip on the doors.

    Like 4
  9. Pete
    • Anthony D

      Two different cars? One’s black…one’s blue. Car on BF has 19k…ebay car has 12k miles.

      Like 2
      • Jon

        I noticed that myself, but a blue car wouldn’t have red leather. Has to be the lighting, but then again, two different mileage numbers .
        In any event, Vanguard is out of their mind to ask $80,000 for this.
        Last year a dealer out east had a ’79 Fleetwood Brougham with 10,000 miles on it for $23,000 carmel exterior and tan leather interior. That price is more like it. But then again, all of Vanguard’s cars are way overpriced in my opinion.

        Like 0
  10. ClassicP

    If that’s the same car that was on eBay they wanted $79,999. Out of their minds regardless. Barret Jackson would probably bring $12,000-18,000. Trivia-You can tell a 79’ Cadillac from the wood grain it’s swirled.

    Like 0
  11. Big Al

    Mr. Dolan—1993 was NOT the last year of the Sedan DeVille—1992 was.

    Like 0
  12. Al

    1992 was last year of Sedan DeVille style

    Like 0
  13. William Maceri

    Black makes any car look better, the red leather interior might work for some but I would rather have the black leather. I will tell you I wouldn’t look twice at a 77 Cadillac in any other color. It’s not clear to me what GM was thinking with the 70s Cadillacs, they were just big and boring both inside and out. Now Lincoln on the other hand far out designed the 70s Cadillacs. Both the Town Cars and the Marks were at the top of the American luxury car game. We had a few of them, my parents had a 76 Town Car in Dark Red Moondust Metallic with matching thick padded half vinyl top and dark red crushed velour interior. My uncle had a 77 Mark V in the Givenchy Dark green metallic paint and matching green leather interior. They truly were the last of the great American luxury cars we all loved for decades. Ford road those big beauties all the way to the 90s. I had a black Mark Vll LSC with black leather and a 95 Town Car also black with black leather. That 95 Town Car was a beautiful well equipped example of what a Lincoln was supposed to be. As a true Gearhead, I would be remiss if I didn’t at the last sentence every Gearhead says. I sure wish I had every one of them. I sure do miss them.

    Like 0
  14. William Maceri

    Oh wow! As I was leaving my comment, I noticed the French Connection just came on TV. A must watch for me as it features a beautiful 1970 Lincoln Mark lll in dark metallic brown paint with matching vinyl top and leather interior. The real star of that great movie.

    Like 0
  15. Cooter CooterMember

    Stop kiddin yourselves, yeah yeah your family had Lincoln’s. And theyre fond to you. But always remember Caddy’s have always been superior to all other American luxury cars. Ever heard anyone say “it drives like a Lincoln?”

    Like 1
  16. Jcjc

    Fleetwood hood ornament on a DeVille is objectionable to me.

    Like 0

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