Determining whether the Cadillac Allante was a success or a failure requires considering several variables, and the sales numbers suggest it was the latter, as only 21,430 found homes during the car’s seven-year production run. On the other hand, for luxury buyers who wanted something fresh from the brand and could live with a two-seater, the Allante ably delivered fun and elegance in one package. If you’re looking for a cheap project, or better yet, a pair of cheap projects, these two 1987 Cadillac Allantes here on Facebook Marketplace can both be had for just $1,000. They’re located in St. Paul, Oregon, and we’d like to thank reader Rick in Oregon for the tip here!
First and foremost, it’s probably important to understand the seller’s mindset, as potential buyers are told that he isn’t a patient fellow, in ALL CAPS. The only welcome inquiry is when you can pick them up, and the seller also points out that he’s already losing money on the deal, so the price is non-negotiable. It’s reported that the photos were taken last spring, and that each car has been sitting since then, so they’ve gotten dirty. At that time, the white one was running and driving, but it’s mentioned that both will now need to be towed.
Aside from a missing section of the steering wheel center, the white Allante still looks pretty good inside, with a small visible tear in the driver’s seat. These roadsters featured electronic controls and instruments, so hopefully they’ll still function adequately for the new owner, with few or no surprises. The seller states that he operated this car over the last several summers, and that it drove well during those times. It also has a fresh set of tires, so perhaps with some TLC, the buyer can get this white car back on the road without an extensive amount of effort.
It’s mentioned that four to five years have passed since the red car was last driven, as a fuel line failed and was never repaired. Although the seller says he originally bought this one as a parts car with no title, it appears fairly complete and shows no obvious rust or body issues, so there’s a possibility it may also still be solid enough to consider for a restoration. I understand that the Cadillac Allante is sort of a niche-market offering, but I also feel one grand to score a pair of two-seaters with removable tops sounds like a fair deal for someone with the skills to get at least one of them going again. What do you think?
I think it would be orders of magnitude easier to just buy an already nice example, given that these are not expensive at all.
if you love electrical problems then these cars are for you.
Rick W where for art thou?
Wayne? Stan? Pry4snw?
If I was still out west these would be a serious consideration but I’m not about to lug them across the country. As much as I’d prefer a turn key, I like to tinker also. These would be fun.
I’m here Angel! These would be a,days drive in each direction for me. I’m a convertible fan. So these have always interested me. But being so heavy, I’m not sure I would enjoy them. (As I love to blast around corners) But the price is right. The one without the title might be used as a track day car IF, you could get enough weight out of it. And I’m pretty sure that the transmission wouldn’t stand up to that kind of abuse. So the DDDD job comes to mind. The “DREADED DEMO DERBY DUTY would be the only thing to do with it unless you could pawn it off to someone else for parts. There is a guy about 20 miles away from me that has 2 of these parked by his house for years. So I’m thinking that SirRaoulDuke is correct that these go cheap.
Hey Angel,
I love these cars and sat in one when we were shopping for a convertible for my wife. She was in no way interested in the Caddy, but it was great to get up and personal with one.
I can’t believe that there isn’t at least 1K in decent parts here. Just the 2 hardtops have to be worth the asking price.
am I the only one who thinks these are great looking cars?
No, david r, you’re not. I like their styling also. I think GM/Cadillac could have done a better job with the engines and half manual/half power top but they look great!
They are on my bucket list.
Lovely looking Allante. I remember first seeing one. I remember thinking “It’s about time someone offered something different from the DeVille and Fleetwood. I consider it damned unforgivable that it wasn’t on the market for long before being discontinued.
The only thing worse than an Allante is two Allante’s. Seriously, they were plagued with electrical gremlins from the start. But several replacement parts for these are almost unobtainable, parting these out on the right venue could be profitable.
The Pininfarina produced Azzurra was discontinued when Cadillac made a deal with Pininfarina to produce the bodies for these in Italy. The Allante’s bodies were flown back to the states to be completed with the chassis. It was called the world’s longest assembly line.
I own a 1985 1/2 Pininfarina Azzurra, one of about 135 built. These last 135 had several improvements, bigger front brakes, leather interior, rack & pinion steering. Much like several GM products though, they finally got it right then killed it. (Fiero, Reatta) The biggest fault with the Allante was that it was FWD. Couldn’t compete with Mercedes or Jaguar, it’s competition. Most of the Allante’s have fallen into a state of disrepair, due to lack of parts and those electrical gremlins. Hence the low price on these and even the ones that are still running. Sad.
Allantes are such beautiful and exotic cars. Too bad Cadillac couldn’t correct all the inherent problems. So sad to see them suffer this ignominious fate.