Interior, seating, sound system, fun to drive, anount of car and features for the money

Interior storage space and factory tires.

Bought my 2001 Catera Sport after leasing it for two years. Had the recall completed. There was a two week delay for parts and I had the use of a 4 wheel drive van during this time. Had the drivers side seat replaced by local dealer, due to seat heater short. Other than these items the car has been great and fun to drive. Started looking at new vehicles as my lease was running out. Was not able to find anything that could compare for twice the money. We were able to buy a known car with low miles for a great price. The car is also Cadillac certified for 6 years/100,000 miles. We have a great local Cadillac service department, that has taken care of our GMC vehicles for several years. Have read several posts regarding problems with the later model Cateras. I feel most of the problem areas were worked out in the 97-99 models. One item that I will be replacing this year are the Goodyear Eagle tires. They are O.K. in the summer, but when you get 300+ inches of snow, they no longer get the job done.

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Looks great. Perfect size. When the car does run, it has a nice tight German-feel about it. Stereo controlls on the wheel are a must!!

Heated seats don't heat up fast enough, coffee cup holder is junky and breaks all the time

I have a 1997 Catera that I have had nothing but problems with. I waited and waited for this car to be released after I saw it at the 1996 Chicago Auto Show. After the car reached 35,000 miles, it started having problems with the steering. I got a vibration on the wheel and the gear shifter. The problem never really got fixed. Since I have owned the car, it has been at the dealer 43 times. I recently got a check from GM to help compensate for the recalled items. I keep saying that after I get it running, I will sell it. I can't ever get it to run long enough to sell. However, since having the new parts( timing belt, etc) put on, the car has run like a dream. It has 105,000 miles and hasn't been in the shop for 8 weeks!! This is a miracle.

I haven't had to the car long enough to see!!!!!!

Had car for less than 30days already in shop.The whole engine as I understand

I am in the same boat with all the other Catera owners.I just recently had a baby and my husband wanted to make sure he purchased a good reliable safe car for me and the baby.The car was purchased on Dec.2nd 2002 with 70000 miles on it on Dec. 24th me and the baby was out Christmas shopping and the car started knocking and evently died we was stranded in a snow blizzard for awhile waiting for a tow.I haven't even paid my first note and I am already out over $2000.00 in expenses.The windows work when they want to the sunroof has a mind of its own the fog lights work when you tap on them and if you hit a bump while driving they go back out.It is still at the shop waiting for parts on back order in the meantime I have been without a car because cadillac will not offer a loner until repaires are made because they say that this is not a recall but customer satisfaction champaign which is another term for bull covering their butts.I had always put cadillac in the highest regard in quality and dependable cars.My parents have been cadillac owners for years,but after having the experience with the Catera in less than the month I had it I will never purchase another GM product and my parents are changing also.I hope Cadillac will own up to this piece of junk they manufactured. If not someone needs to make them.We are a middleclass family and I never dreamed I would own a Cadillac but my dream has turned into a nightmare.Now I see nothing lies ahead for me and my family but costly unnessary expenses that GM have hard working families footing the bill for there failed product.

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plush seats, climate control,nice stereo, isnt quite as bad as the Cimmerron

rates among car classics... like the Ford Pinto, AMC Gremlin and Cadillac Cimerron

Wow, atleast some other people have experienced the same problems. When it runs, it runs like a dream. But considering the fact that it has 50,000 miles on it and i have to write "when it runs" should explain everything. Of all the problems with this bucket, my hands down favorite is when i'm unable to shift it into park or open my doors... meaning i have have to climb out the damn window. Thats not exactly the prestige that should accompany a Cadillac... unless you're one of the Dukes of Hazzard. Tires last about as long as an old man without viagra and my glove compartment leaks more water than the titanic. Theres no better smell combination than my rancid carpet and the burning oil pouring off my lovely 3 liter v-6 firing on 4 cylinders.

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a car on blocks in your driveway, because this one doesnt run either

Smooth ride, great at taking curves, at any speed.

see above, it is a bucket of junk.

I purchased my catera from a Cadillac dealer ships program cars with 13,000 miles on it, I purchased it in Dec. of 98 and it has lived in the garage at Nimnicht Cadillac in Jacksonville, Fl. I am a sales rep, so the car is driven a lot, it is serviced ever 3000 miles, the engine timing belt bled at 78,000 miles to the tune of 5800.00 dollars, last Dec.2001, then the coolant system went this past September, now the heating and air condition is gone, I have put on 4 sets of Michlin tires at 198.00 per tire, they are rotated every 6000 miles, the front strut on the right tire dropped down on the tire and in 6000 miles wore a new tire out, it cost me another tire and 518.00 to fix the front right strut, the car has not been wrecked. I still owe 14,000.00 on this car and GM offered me 3500.00 trade in on a chevrolet van. If all of you wuld like to become a part of a class action lawsuit against GM for this piece of junk, please contact me at 904-237-0115, I have a conference call lined up with a GM rep at 3:30 tomorrow 12-19-2002, I am wanting them to pay off my car or replace it with a car of equal value. I will file the suit on behalf of all of us, it is time that the manufactuers take responsiblity for what they produce and sell the public. Please call me or write to me at CrawRedhead@aol.com Shelby J. Craw 1506 Pokeberry Way Orange Park, Fl. 32003

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the leather seats are cool

nearly everything on the 97

this car is a joke. I have had nothing but problems. it always acts like it won't start,u cant fix the brake lights,and there is always an oil leak. this car has been to the shop at least 10 times. Gm needs to be put in the hall of shame for this one. oh yeah, the lock remotes fell apart years ago. (they said $400 to replace them) yeah right

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2000 catera is just fine

It rides very smooth when I get to drive it. The sound system is great.

The engine, the tires are costly, maintenance is too costly.

I am in the same boat as the majority of Catera owners. I am as of right now $1200 in the hole and waiting for the 6th week for my Catera parts from Germany to arrive to complete/begin my repairs. The repairs are something to do with oil and coolant mixing. I drove this piece of junk (it didn't appear to be having any problems at that time) into the dealership for the recall (timing belt, pulley tensioner, water pump) and the dealership said that my car was not driveable and was ready to charge me a hefty $3500 for the repair. I have been a loyal customer of GM since I got my driver's license (my parents only drove Cadillacs), but never again! This car has had so many problems. I've bought 2 sets of tires, and had the headlamps replaced twice. I've lost faith in GM. This should not happen to a car that's just 8000 miles over the factory warranty. What waste of my hard earned money and just think, I don't have another car nor can I afford to rent one. I'm making monthly payments on a car that I can't drive.

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Leather seats??? uh????? I guess a good ride when it is running correctly, which has been probably one day over the whole 7 months I've owned it.

Entire Engine, Transmission, Electrical System, Head lamps, jeesh, I guess everything.

Let's see here, what shall I review. There is just so much. Everything you can possibly imagine has been replaced on this vehicle. I had another dealership look this up the vehicles maintenance history. Everything from the water pump, timing belt, heated seats, power locks, and engine "monmount?" or what ever that is was replaced. Of course when I had asked if there were or had been any problems with this vehicle, none were noted. My flagship of the lemons has been in the dealership for repairs at least 7 times, the longest being a month in the shop. The very first day from driving it off the lot the transmission light and the infamous check engine light likes to pop on. Even though it has been in the shop for this several times, they still claim there is nothing wrong with it. They say it is "mysterious." I had problems with the coolant system. It would come out the engine when I added it. By the time I drove the "hoopty" into the dealership, it was smoking and there was coolant all over the parking lot. It was amusing observing the expressions of prospective buyers on the lot. Oh, and when the transmission light comes on, the car shifts into 3rd, wonderful gear. So, when you are at a stop sign or light, you have to floor it to get it to go. Another option is to quick throw it into nuetral, shut off the engine and turn it back on. This will re-set the wonderful "space age" computer and the transmission light will go off causing the car to run normal until it decides to go back on again. This car has been an absolute nightmare since the first day I've bought it. I've had to hire a lawyer, contact the Attorney General and a local Consumer Reporting News station in order to get things done about this problem. It has been sitting in my parking lot for the last month because I am tired of dealing with the problems. On my word, I will never, never, EVER buy another GM product again.

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The excellent ride heated seats bose system Excellent service at the cadilac dealer

the storage compartments are limited

I had researched for months trying to decide what my next vehicle would be. I test drove the mercedes, lexus and bmw and have to admit I was unhappy with them all. I had looked at the catera, read the reviews, the resale value is what scared me at first. I tried to dismiss the catera but something prodded me into the test drive and I am glad that I did. I am very pleased with my 1999 Catera. When I purchased this vehicle it had less than 26,000 miles. I had not purchased a used vehicle in many years and was afraid that repairs and maintanance would throw me into shock. So far this car has been wonderful. I am truly in love with this car. I highly recommend it.

With tinted windows on a black car and the factory chrome wheels the car is very sporty. I also like the way it handles the curves.

The recall for the timing belt pully is getting on my nerves. Also the tracking control system is a joke.

I been driving my catera for a year now. I bought it used from a dealer at I thought a good price. But, this car does not hold it's value very well. My first problem was the radio. The bose system was to weak. So I upgraded to a alpine deck and replaced all the speakers with kickers. Then added a new amp for those but, still was not impressed. So I added three more six inch kickers speakers mounted in a box(which did not take up to much room)in the truck. Then I put an amp on those. Now the sound system sounds great. The car was perfect to keep the noise on the inside and not out. The car is not made for the snow. I find the tcs a joke. The power is good but needs a lot of help, maybe a turbo would help. If the car held it's vaule a little better. My biggest complant is the timing belt pullie. I had this replaced already and now i got another recall about it. I'm sick of taking to the dealer to get it checked or replaced. My next step is to check into the leman laws about this car. Don't get me wrong I like my car But, this recall is only coverd till my car hits 100,000 miles and I'm over 80,000.