When a car slides down the slippery slope of going from expensive luxury car to cheap project, it raises all sorts of questions: was it a garbage car to begin with? Was it unfairly maligned from new? Or is it just the natural course of things, for a car to lose value and become a liability that makes its value questionable? It can be any of those things, but what’s interesting about this Cadillac Allante listed here on eBay is that it’s still attracting some interest despite almost certainly being a project.
Bidding is just over $2,000 and there’s no reserve. The Allante is offered by a seller with a business centered around using donated vehicles to support a local nonprofit. Therefore, you roll the dice on what you’re going to end up with, but the seller does provide a fairly exhaustive list evaluating the cars various needs. The Allante looks sharp in this ice blue paint job, and I can’t recall seeing too many with this color scheme. It works well with the polished wheels and chrome trim.
The Allante didn’t set the world on fire owing to a few critical missteps, with one of the most significant being its production costs and the underwhelming performance shortly after its introduction. The luxury aspect of it was also questionable with the accommodations not exactly world-beating, which was certainly promoted as part of its identity. The Allante was reliable enough but the main obstacle to success was simply lack of exceptionalism, which was certainly an expectation at this price point.
The seller provides a detailed overview of the Allante’s faults, the most expensive of which to fix will likely be the intermittent operation of this sweet digital cluster. The seller notes that it also has the following faults: a leaking brake caliper, a torn driver’s CV boot, weak front sway bar links, and a broken driver’s side headlight. Overall, those are pretty simple fixes with the exception of the cluster, as GM products with the digital dash are known to be prone to failure. However, the no reserve listing makes those repairs seem far less concerning.
I remember Kelly Bundy displaying a red one on
“Married with Children” many moons ago when these were new.
Dittos!
JR Ewing drove one in Dallas, I remember.
I paid 4551.00 I’ll let you know how it works out!
Kinda pretty on this blue, usually seen in red, white & black, but this needs a white top and white interior.
Somebody wanna loan me $5000 so I can buy this car and pick it up? Wherever it is.
Caddies and Mercedes are a couple cars that when they go down the “small problem” slope, it is just indicators of very expensive repairs to come. I bought one of these virtually perfect small problem caddies and what a nightmare it became. So you just lower the price until some other sucker takes it off your hands and it becomes their small problem. At least the owner disclosed the issues.You couldn’t give me this car.
I always had a soft spot for these. I know it was in my head, but these cars could have been a real hit if Cadillac had addressed the problems early on. My boss at one place I worked had one of these and one day took a client out in it with the top down. Both men were huge and it just looked hilarious to see them fill all available space cheek to cheek. If I could get this under ten k. I would do the easy fixes and look into the feasibility of replacing the digital dash with analog gauges.
I own one, a ’93, it had worse problems than this, $3000 six years ago. On board diagnostics, but you need a shop manual to interpret them. Then, all can be well. Replaced ECM with a rebuilt from Rock Auto and it now runs and shifts like a champ. Brake warning light went on yesterday, need to diagnose today, low fluid? Break in a line or cylinder? Parking brake a little on? Wiper fluid tank has a crack. Gasket for remote oil level sensor leaks a little. Wind noise with soft or hard top on. Parts, some OEM, some used, available from three sources, one in San Diego, one in NJ, one in FL if local NAPA type does not have them, since most mechanical parts are just GM. A bargain in the collector car, eventually classic car, market – you just need to live longer than I will.
Usually to be found on a sketchy used lot with a trailer for an office. I doubt these blandmobiles will ever be collectible.
I had a 93 and was a blast when new. It became a money pit and like a boat I owned years ago, the 2nd best day of ownership was when I sold it for pennies on the dollar.
There is almost nothing more expensive, in the automotive world, than a cheap luxury car.
I owned two 89’s and enjoyed them both for what they were. Bought them both used with low miles. Handsome exterior with mediocre performance, but generally pleasant to drive with the top down. I had hardtops for mine so winters were acceptable. Original buyers got significant incentives to trade them in as they quickly devalued compared to the Mercedes SL’s they were intended to complete with. Digital cluster was always an issue, and both of mine had them. Rare to see an analogue dash on them. The blue is pretty on this one. As others suggest, best two days, like a boat, buying and selling.
Mechanics aside, I always thought these were great looking cars and still do.
I always liked the Allante, but I never even thought about spending what they went for new, and I know better than to get involved with one now. But if I did, it sounds like the ’93s were the best of the breed, by a lot. How cheap are XLRs now?
Andy, you don’t want an XLR either. Taillights alone are three thousand each! They have tiny computers in them and impossible to find. Cadillac didn’t make a lot of after sale parts for these. Parts are horrendously expensive and just as hard to find.
My hero, J.R. Ewing, drove one of these.