“Car for sale ” ads without owner history are incredibly common, yet inquiring about ownership is the first set of questions I ask upon finding an interesting prospect. I like to know how long the seller has had the vehicle, what were the circumstances of acquisition, and why he is selling. When an owner doesn’t know much about the car he’s selling and hasn’t had it long, I try to reach back to the prior owner. I’m interested in what kind of care the vehicle has received, and ownership history can illuminate that. Nonexistent details are not reserved for cheap cars, either. Here on craigslist is a 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Seville with an asking price of $49,000 located in Perris, California. The seller mentions that the car “appears to have had quite a bit of work done prior to being stored.” The mystery deepens when the seller states “will be listing a few more cars shortly”, and the photos show that the Eldorado has some garage buddies. Perhaps this is an estate sale, or a storage situation gone sideways. We have T.J. to thank for this tip!
While the seller says it looks like the motor has received work – along with the paint, chrome, and transmission – that sounds like a guess to me. Meanwhile, no mention of whether the 365 cu. in. V8 runs but if it will, you can count on 310 bhp, enough to launch the Caddy from zero to sixty in somewhere around 11 seconds. Tri-power supplied by the factory helped anchor this car to the “luxury” segment. The Seville has a four-speed Hydra-Matic automatic. See that odd engine mounted to the right behind the radiator? That’s the air ride suspension, notorious for its inconsistent performance. That system has been bypassed on this car, replaced with springs.
These cars were available in various colors of cloth/leather fabrics or white or black leather. The front seats need attention, and while the rears look fine, once you address the fronts, the rears will look faded. The headliner is excellent. This car came from the factory with a power front seat and power windows, along with factory air conditioning.
Despite the mysteries surrounding this car – which could likely be at least partially dispelled by contacting the seller – most of the car presents well. Whether it’s worth $49,000 is another question – one that we can’t answer until we know more. Asking prices for comparable cars – but known to be running – seem to hover in the $50,000 to $90,000 area. What’s the first thing you would want to know about this one?
Located in Perris,California.
Yes as noted in the sentence describing the price.
It says Perris California right in her and. I think those are Percoset tablets your taking.
First thing I’d want to know….hmmm….Oh yeah…”Would you take $10,000″?
You could order anything you wanted from Cadillac. Our customer ’58 Barritz convertible had the 2 four barrel carbs but you could get one carb, the two 4s or the shown triples on this car. Massive machines and one of the better looking ’58s of any car maker that year.
Certainly the best looking GM car for ’58.
Standard on the `58 Eldorados was the 3-duece set-up on the 365 V8. The dual quads were standard on `57 models. But yes–if you simply wanted a single 4bbl., you could order that too.
I do know chroming the cast aluminum and the pot metal pieces aren’t cheap and they appear to be done. It’s a beautiful color and probably had a ” vinyl” top originally.
Lots more info is needed for it’s worth.
You are right about the vinyl top. They called the covering Vicodec – “weather resistant material.”
I thought these cars came with a standard stainless steel top?
Dale, the stainless tops were only on the 4-door Eldorado Brougham versions.
I see what look to be a couple of much rarer 53 Eldorados in the background.
Same seller in Perris? This ‘61 Eldo is also for sale and I’d guess it is someone selling these as part of a collector’s estate: https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/cto/7560566364.html
It has always amazed me the size of the steering wheels in 1950s cars. Massive! Today’s wheels are about as big as this Caddys horn ring.
The “odd engine on the left” is more commonly known as a “compressor”.
Air ride – compressor.
I don’t know the difference between this Eldo and a Biarritz. When I was in college, I painted cars with my brother, and we did a Biarritz convertible in this color. we did body repairs and painted it with Rinshed Mason lacquer, which I think, was the OEM pain applied to the Cadillacs.
This was a great looking Caddy.
@Matt
Seville is a hardtop
Biarritz is a convertible
That distinction must have changed a few years later. My uncle had a couple of late ’60s Biarritz hardtops, and I have known several others who owned later renditions of them.
Will,
Angel is correct. When it comes to Eldorado cars, the Seville referred to the 2-door hardtop, and the Biarritz was the convertible. I’ve had a couple of each over the years, and have restored several more for customers.
Love These!
Thanks Angel…
I never liked the fins on this one, thought Cadillac made a big mistake on a fine car… but opinions are like belly buttons… everyone has one!!! :-)
(Adam and Eve were the exceptions.)
Could be a nice car but to put it back to show car would be expensive. I noticed that the trunk lock was missing, punched out? or removed correctly. The interior needs to be replaced it is beyond repair, I will bet when you pull those covers, you will need to replace the seat buns, I also noticed that the dome lights one missing one was stress cracked. door panels needed to be overhauled or replaced. Since it is all real leather it will be pricey.
Yes, the inboard tail fins were a strange aesthetic. Nice enough on this coupe. A little too much personality. Much prettier than other GM offerings. Lovely color match for chrome. A stainless top would have been attractive. The dashboard and steering wheel is subtle compared to Imperial, but not as handsome as the Lincoln. Svelte, cool, & iconic car. Overpriced, in my humble opinion.
As big american cars got again bigger…..
@Will Irby
In the 50s it was named the Eldorado Seville for the hardtop and Eldorado Barritz for the convertible. Same car, just different roofs.
Yeah, in the 60s & 70s and even the 80s they switched all the names around. Seville was it’s own model, Barritz’s became a hardtop. Convertibles were no longer being made .