hornetball

iTrader: (4)

My wife loves hers. It matches her hat!

I haven't owned a CTS-V, but based upon my experience with the G8, I would not be concerned about the engine or drivetrain. The components there are shared across GM's other performance cars, and the LS engine is simply fantastic. There was a guy that would come rag a CTS-V at an HPDE organization that I instruct for. Only issue he ever had was an overheated diff at the height of the TX Summer.

The main thing on a car that old would be material condition of the paint and interior, and then functionality of all the doo-dads. GM electronics/wiring are going to be more reliable than German, but there is still a lot of stuff on a Caddy. The low-mileage premium is probably worth it for these items. One thing I like about the Pontiac is that it's a lot simpler in this department.

Erat

iTrader: (5)

Clunk-bang on the CTS-V was a pretty big issue.

Pretty sure there was a fix for it. It was either a flex plate bushing or drive shaft bushing. Over a dozen of my friends who have or had a gen 1 has had to fix this issue.
Both the LS6 and LS2 were solid, but i'd rather have the LS2.

PAdutch

My wife and I recently went through the same dilemma. Having a car seat made our 2 door cars a pain. We also wanted a manual. We eventually caved and bought a Kia Stinger GTS. The flappy paddles are okay, it is no porsche or anything, but it's fine for when you want to be in control. Other than that and a few other little things we enjoy the car tremendously. It delivers in practicality, handling, power and has enough nannies to keep the wife happy.

Padlock

Speaking to the Cadillac CTS-V side of things... I'll share what I know, because I feel like I know too much to just let my pile of knowledge go to waste

1st Gen (04-07) - V1

• Interior quality is mediocre at best. I consistently see the commonly used buttons chip and it has all the features you'd expect (or lack there of) on a car that's now 13+ years old.
• The outer tail light lenses will literally fall off in time. I'll just attest this issue as "GM problems of mid-2000's"
• Wheel hop is a big issue when launched, which will cause diffs to blow. You can swap to the second gen ctsv rear cradle assembly, but its a lot of effort, hard to find the correct rear end ratio, and generally not worth it.
• Engine and trans pretty solid with as plethora of parts available if something does happen. Engine definitely sounds nice.
• Engine mounts fail frequently
• If road coursing the car ever, be careful with oil pressure on sustained corners as its a LS that has typical wet sump LS issues.
• Overall, not an awful bang for the buck car, but I wouldn't be waiting in line for one as everything about the interior really dates the car.

2nd Gen (08-14) - V2

• Manual trim exists, but is harder to find. I've owned two manual V2's. Found my last one with a grossly large list of mods for $30k with 60k miles on it, but that was already 2 years ago. I'd imagine you could find one in mid-$20k range now if you are lucky and patient. Its a no-brainer in my opinion to be looking at a V2 over a V1 if this is the type of car you are in the market for
• Fit and finish of the interior is much improved over the V1, but you still deal with a handful of annoyances inside. The Nav system is archaic and the touchscreen will have random bugs in it that sometimes only get "fixed" when restarting the car. Watch out for sunroof drain clogs. Its frequent and when they clog your interior floor and all the electronics under it get soaked. The recaros are a nice option and hold you better than the standard seat, so I'd try and get them if you could
• Mag ride suspension on the V2 is nice, but the shocks frequently fail. In my experiences, I was doing at least one shock a year at $200/each.
• Wheel hop issues from previous V1 were solved with updated axle and cradle geometry.
• Supercharger isolators rattle (if not already covered under warranty).
• Supercharger water-air heat exchangers like to have the end tanks collapse, which shoots your IAT's through the roof. Reinforced tanks are available in aftermarket
• Check for rear main seal leaks as they are more common than most want to admit
• Engine mounts are still fluid filled and suck.. upgraded mounts increase your NVH a fair amount
• Suspension bushings like to also tear, but then the only options available are poly (which bind and squeak just like miata ones do when upgraded). I was going to dig into a bronze sleeved design to fix this on my last V, but I never got to it.
• Front end's suspension never seem to like to stay in alignment. I had toe-out issues on both of my V2's which leads to inner tire wear. You'll notice it pretty quickly on a car this heavy.
• To focus on more of the positives, for the money spent, I don't think there is a much faster manual sports sedan out there which is why I've owned two of them. My first one (~500whp) ran 11.9 @ 120 with just a catback on it. My second one (780whp on 93) ran 10.8 @ 138 with a full kitchen sink of mods thrown at it while still on 300tw 20" street tires. I was hoping to get it into the 9's with better tires and e85, but that never came to light. They sound incredible, the supercharger whine is addicting, the 6 piston front Brembo brakes are fantastic, the aren't very common so they turn heads on the street, and the drivetrain (LSA / TR6060) is very well supported in the aftermarket. As long as you are purchasing the car with the mindset that you aren't looking to competitively run it in any specific class, its a really fun street car. The Achilles heel with the car is that if you want to be competitive anywhere, its truly just too heavy for both drag racing and road course racing alike. Consumable costs will destroy your bank account as well in the event you try to compete in either. Me wanting to get into a more cost effective car that I can be more competitive in while at events is one of the large reasons I don't own one anymore (and an building a K24 swapped NB instead)

3rd Gen (16+) - V3

• No manual option exists and they are grossly out of budget I'm sure, so I wont even get into them.

ATS-V (13-19)

• Manual option exists, but is rather hard to find. Pricing is still relatively high at around $35k for an manual on if you are lucky. I had the opportunity to test drive one at a local dealership this last fall.
• Steering feedback, suspension, and brakes are absolutely phenomenal. Loved how nimble GM made this car feel given its relatively high weight in the sports car category.
• Interior felt pretty tight which is saying something from a guy used to driving an miata. The gauge cluster is super dated looking.
• The LF4 engine is no slouch on paper, but I left my test drive pretty bored with it. Maybe a tune really wakes this motor up, but I was hoping for more out of the box. You start running out of fueling capability pretty quickly on the DI motor if your intention is to go wild with it. Your opinion on the motor may very well vary if you drive one.
• From a maintenance standpoint, they are pretty bulletproof as far as I can tell with the exception of the few . Rattling wastegates are a known thing, but relatively minor. Being on a lot of the Cadillac performance pages yet, I don't see much for concern here overall. Tony Roma was the lead engineer on the ATS-V platform (he previously was lead on the 2012 Camaro ZL1 program). His experience shows through on the car from a handling perspective. The lack of issues may also be from the fact that the car is still relatively new and few are really pushing the car hard to find limits.

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

This sucks... how did it come to this? I thought "save the manuals" was funny and sort of a joke amongst gearheads making fun of millenials... it's no joke, the pick is slim and I'm gonna pay a premium for something older than I want with low miles and not beat to death just to make this happen.

Erat

iTrader: (5)

Really? I thought we added pretty much all the options you had. Some good, some not so good.

​​​​​​Nobody wants manuals, honestly. Auto cars have gotten GOOD too, so that doesn't help.

hornetball

iTrader: (4)

It's like throttle-by-wire. It's more expensive to build manual linkages. Electronics are cheap and can be stuck anywhere. Sigh.

Fireindc

iTrader: (13)

It's almost like we're a bunch of automotive luddites driving 30 y/o cars..

paNX2K&SE-R

iTrader: (8)

Does it have to be a sedan? It might be worth driving a Golf R. I have the 'wagon version' (albeit mine is just a 1.8L) as a daily and the mk7 truly is an awesome platform (and perennial C&D 10 best winner). It's comfortable, quick, awd, and available in a manual. 2019 still has a 6/72k bumper to bumper warranty too. https://www.vwking.com/new-Gaithersb...WA7AU8KW175226

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

A "hatchback" is too close to "station wagon" for her. SRSLY, she wants a modern version of a Mazdaspeed 6. They were purposeful, not "dipshit ricer" style like a Subie or EVO... had a great interior, solid ergo's, and good options list, and AWD. I've driven lots of cars and yes, the engine (fuel system) was **** and they all blow up without intervention, but apparently I'm looking for a unicorn.

I don't think AWD is in the cards because there's just nothing unless it's Audi. I know nothing about Audis. I know nothing about VW other than "they're weird".

RWD will cut the mustard in the end. Honestly, despite advice to the contrary, I'm seriously thinking about a N55 535i that has had all the "issues" addressed... oil pan gasket is the only thing that really scares me though... can't find one local enough to VA though. It will scratch every itch and a bunch more.

CTS-V and G8 are still out of the pricerange, and V8 hp/tq isn't required. I never thought about an upper limit, but I thought $10k would be plenty when I started this search.

Erat

iTrader: (5)

A buick regal GS was fwd manual. Or awd auto. 2.0l turbo. They are CHEAP now and like the SS were never even marketed.

Roda

Subaru Legacy GT? Not exactly 'dipshit ricer' like a WRX... We had an '05 and liked it a lot... I was very interested in the MS6, but Mazda was slow getting it to market.



Problem is finding a nice, low mileage example as they're the same vintage as the MS6, but they made a lot more of them. Sweet spot (IMHO) is 2007-2008 Spec B. They had their issues, but with what you're willing to put up with from an MS6, it'd be small potatoes.

Here's one in NY: 2008 LGT Spec B $13k

Some more: Spec Bs

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

^Also on the list... key is finding one not total dog-****. I think a lot of guys (like me) fall for Legacy for obvious reasons, but have even less wrenching skills than the average Cavalier owner, and they turn into a project with tons of loose ends and end up destroying the car in the process. There's a decent aftermarket for Legacy's though... it can be done.

If it comes up... anybody want to talk me out of a Legacy... example:
https://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/...115764303.html

turbofan

iTrader: (1)

Damn that generation legacy is hideous.

Looks like a nice car though.

Roda

This. I was kind of hoping to upgrade ours to a Spec B at some point, but Subaru turned the LGT into a Camrycord in 2009. We bought a G8GT instead.

That's probably a better car than our '05 was, but god is it ugly...

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

^I'm almost sold. Looking through CL, the majority of Legacy's GT are either bone stock or Stage2'ish, but done right. They all seem to be in great condition and enthusiast owned. The 5th Gen w/6spd manual and EJ25 seems to be a winner. Yup, I'll agree they have an image problem, but that won't be an issue for the wife... and I've been looking through some owners forums and there are quite a few subtle visual upgrades that take the right amount of edge off the "plain'ness".

samnavy

iTrader: (7)

SO... TALK TO ME ABOUT AUDI!

Just trying to educate myself. Looks like the "6" series cannot get a manual... ie S6 or RS6.

But, S4 and RS4 plenty manuals available.
2005-2009 "B7" cars with 4.2 N/A V8.
2010-2016 "B8" cars with 3.0 blower V6.

What do I need to know about model years and what not... remember, it's for the wife.

Let's just say this one... yes, it's a wagon, but assume I found this exact car with same ownership history in a sedan.
https://norfolk.craigslist.org/cto/d...121941128.html

turbofan

iTrader: (1)

With a 130k mile Audi the purchase price is a small part of the equation. I know those engines have some common issues but that one sure seems meticulously cared for.

I'd do shameful things to get my hands on that car.

sixshooter

iTrader: (12)

The CEL is on or the bulb is burned out.

chiefmg

iTrader: (5)

One of my sons had an A4. I helped him bleed the clutch once, Audi used a nylon bleeder screw. You can imagine how well that works. That along with my experience with an older VW Cabrio told me all I needed to know about German engineering.