Working the numbers for a newer Cadillac

I have been watching the Cadillac auto-market and as I have mentioned, have ‘zoned in’ on a 2010 Cadillac CTS Premium  model to replace my 2005 CTS.

2010 Cadillac CTS

The Premium model is the fully-optioned 3.6L V6 CTS.  The major features I want for my next Cadillac as a daily driver are:

  • Sporty or Performance oriented
  • Sunroof or Convertible
  • Affordable – how much I spend matters
  • Lots of Luxury Features, the more the better — Navigation, Bluetooth, Adaptive lighting, etc
  • Under Warranty for several years / Maintainable
  • Under 24K miles

Now I still lust after anything V-Series, but the V choices would be the 2007 Gen 1 CTS-V, the 2008 STS-V, or the 2009+ Gen 2 CTS-V.    The 07’s are moving out of warranty, and the 08’s are just hanging on.  So that leaves the focus on the 09 CTS-V.

Currently the 2010 CTS Premium has an asking price of anywhere from $32K up to $51K (for leftover new models still on dealer lots) depending on price and condition.  The KBB retail value is ~$32K.

The 2009 CTS-V is just slipping below a long period of hanging at $49K down to $45K at the low end, up to $55K or so at the upper range of asking prices.  The KBB retail value is ~$54K.

The 2008 XLR, a 2 seater convertible, is just coming into the low $40s, and ranges to the high $50s.  The XLR gets a star for being a hard top convertible, but a strike for only having 2 seats lol.

My 2005 CTS has a KBB.com Private seller asking price of $10,865, and trade value of $8,950.  Note that Dealers will then start negotiations at around $4K for the trade, leaving addition room for profits, so I fully anticipate the need to sell the CTS myself privately.  My Cadillac is still under a GM extended warranty for 3 more months, which I feel is a feature for private sales.

Price Comparison:

2009 Cadillac CTS-V 2010 Cadillac CTS Premium 2008 Cadillac XLR
Price Target $46,000 $33,000 $43,000
Trade / Sell 05 -$10,865 -$10,865 -$10,865
Delta Value $35,135 $22,135 $32,135
Tax 6.25% $2,875 $2,063 $2,688
Title $250 $250 $250
Out of Pocket $38,260 $24,448 $35,073

I have taken sales tax on the full Cadillac value in case there is a space between purchasing the new Cadillac and selling the 05.

So the 09 CTS-V remains over 50% more expensive than a 2010 CTS Premium.  The 08 XLR is almost as expensive as a 09 CTS-V, so no sale there.  The numbers still suggest that the 2010 Cadillac CTS Sport Sedan Premium model is the smart buy in for the features I am shopping for.

2010 6.2L V8 SC LSA LoR

Oh, but the song of the supercharged LSA V8 in the CTS-V, and the Magnetic suspension, are strong draws to spend the more money.

CTS-V CTS Pre
Price $47,000.00 $33,000.00
Trade / Sell -$8,500.00 -$8,500.00
total $38,500.00 $24,500.00
Tax 6.25% $2,937.50 $2,062.50
Title $250.00 $250.00
Out of Pocket $41,687.50 $26,812.50

CTS Coupe Demand Drives Cadillac Sales up 16%

Cadillac sales in April 2011 were up 16% over last April on strong CTS and SRX sales.  CTS topped 4K again in April, up 28.7% year over year.  SRX sales also topped 4K per month, and were up 12%, further extending strong sales last year. DTS & STS sales soldiered along, although Escalade sales flagged in the face of rising gas prices.

The press summary (below) notes that CTS retail sales were up a nice 52%, which means that April 2010 sales had a large rental component that has been replaced in 2011 with higher margin retail CTS sales.  Also interesting is that the CTS Coupe is driving CTS sales.


April
(Calendar Year-to-Date)

January – April

2011 2010 % Chg Volume %Chg per S/D
2011 2010 %Chg Volume
Selling Days (S/D) 27 26






CTS 4,220 3,278 28.7 24.0
18,519 11,403 62.4
DTS 1,906 1,785 6.8 2.8
6,363 5,160 23.3
Escalade 970 1,250 -22.4 -25.3
4,964 5,174 -4.1
Escalade ESV 628 602 4.3 0.5
2,608 2,216 17.7
Escalade EXT 135 148 -8.8 -12.2
604 530 14.0
SRX 4,380 3,904 12.2 8.0
18,339 14,770 24.2
STS 887 330 168.8 158.8
2,240 1,295 73.0
XLR 1 20 -95.0 -95.2
2 121 -98.3
Cadillac Total 13,127 11,317 16.0 11.7
53,639 40,669 31.9

Press Release Summary:

Cadillac: Cadillac reported total sales of 13,127 for April – 16 percent higher than last April, with retail sales increasing 25 percent. April was the 15th consecutive month of year-over-year total and retail sales gains. CTS retail sales continued to set the pace, rising 52 percent, driven by strong demand for the CTS Coupe