Tag Archives: STS-V

Researching versus Shopping

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I have been researching my next Cadillac purchase.  I was split between a 2007 Cadillac CTS-V or a 2008/2009 Cadillac STS-V.  Either car would be really interesting to me for the next 5 years, but I am starting to lean toward the STS-V.  So now it becomes an issue of finding the right car, at the right price.  Also I really need to go drive a 07 CTS-V and the 08 STS-V just to make sure there are no details that have escaped me.  I like the manual transmission in the CTS-V (my Wife would not), but the luxury features of the STS-V fit my concept of an ultimate Cadillac better.

I have a wide span of time that I can shop.  My 2005 Cadillac CTS is doing very well, and is under extended warranty for more than another year.  So my current car situation is stable.

The STS-V was made in limited quantities.  The engines were actually made by hand, by a single technician on each engine.  In 2008 around 458 STS-V’s were sold.  That makes them a bit more difficult to find & buy than some other models made in higher numbers.  On the bright side, with such a recent car lots of them are still on the road, and some are coming off lease, or their owners are trading in for newer cars now or will this summer.

In fact, prime V-shopping time may be this summer as the CTS Coupe and V-Coupe are released.  I suspect a lot of V-owners will want to update to the V-Coupe when it is available.  That will make a bit of a Buyer’s market for their current 1st Generation CTS-V or STS-Vs.

I would like to find a low mile STS-V at a very low price of course, but I am in the fortunate position to be able to wait for the prices to fall a bit until they reach my target range.   My plan is to purchase the STS-V, then put my CTS up for private sale locally, with all the drama & irritation that includes.

It is a good time to shop with the internet available.  I did learn a bit more about some oddities on eBay with bidding against a Reserve, and the ebay near-real time interface options.  Getting some of those details down may be important in grabbing the right car at the right price.

It might be fun to purchase the STS-V remotely and drive it home for the first trip out of the box — just depends on where the ‘right’ Cadillac is that fits in my price range.

If you have a 2008 Cadillac STS-V that you want to sell (very inexpensively) please let me know!  It will end up getting featured here on CaddyInfo quite a bit over the next 5 years.

Shopping for a Cadillac STS-V

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Cadillac created the V-Series Concept in 2004, with the release of the 2004 Cadillac CTS-V.  V stands for Velocity.  V-Series Cadillacs are luxury vehicles, as are all Cadillacs.  But they are also Gentleman Racers.  The V-Series features more than adequate  power plants, high performance track-tuned suspensions, high performance braking systems, additional engine and transmission cooling, and generally heavy-duty, series gear for enthusiasts who want to have serious fun with their Cadillac.

The Cadillac STS-V was produced from 2006 through 2009.  It featured the Sigma platform, Sachs tuned suspension, 4-piston Brembo Brakes front and rear, a 469 hp Supercharged (MP122) 4.4L DOHC VVT V8, and all the luxury features and accommodations available on the Cadillac STS.

Performance: the performance of the STS-V should be similar across the various production years, because the weight and power did not vary.  0-60 mph time was measured in around 4.8-5.1 sec depending on the magazine and the day.  Quartermile time is 13.1-13.3 sec at around 106 mph.   Skidpad performance was measured as high as 0.90g and as low as 0.83g.  Knowing the hardware I feel that 0.87g – 0.90g is probably representative.  Top speed is electronically limited to 155 mph.

The STS-V uses a Magnusson MP122 supercharger, putting out 12 psi.   So for argument sake, knowing that atmospheric pressure at sea level is 14.7 psi, and knowing that a supercharger adds approximately 4% power per psi, we can calculate that the supercharger adds 48% power.  Max efficiency is 7%/psi, but 4%/psi with real-world efficiencies and pumping losses. So the base 4.4L DOHC VVT V8 unblown might make 316 hp.  And we can recognize that the tuning that this hand-built gem of an engine received at the Tech Center allows the lower-displacement 4.4L Northstar without the supercharger would make similar power to the normally aspirated 4.6L DOHC VVT Northstar, which makes 320 hp.

One example of the detail work on the STS-V is that the exhaust ports and head of the engine are extrude honed.  This is a process that forces an abrasive material through the heads.  Typically used in racing applications, this increases horsepower by increasing the airflow through the engine.

The STS-V’s 469 horses arrive at 6400 rpm, but at least 395 of the 439 peak pound-feet of torque are available between 2200 and 6000 rpm.  The idle quality of the STS-V is even more stable than the already exemplary STS, due to the increased rolling inertia of the Supercharger.

All Superchargers generate heat; it is a by-product of compression.  The STS-V uses an air to liquid intercooler to help reduce the heat of the incoming air charge, with a separate cooling system for the intercooler.

Pricing:

Kbb.com is a great resource for used vehicle pricing.  Currently they suggest the following STS-V pricing for a used example with 30K miles:

2006: $24-26K Private Sale; $29K Retail

2007: $28k-30K Private Sale; $33K Retail

2008: $30-32K Private Sale; $36k Retail

2009: $43-46K Private Sale; $50k Retail

Newer models will continue to be under Warranty.  Also, in 2008 the STS-V gained a Heads-Up-Display (HUD), which is a desirable feature.  I hope to continue to monitor STS-V pricing, and pick up a 2008 Model once they are available around $25K for a very good example with under 30K miles.

Planning for a new (used) Cadillac

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Thunder Gray Chromaflair (TGC)  is the color I am thinking of for my next vehicle.  I spent some time around a TGC car at the Cars & Coffee Dallas recently.  I am still an advocate of selecting a Cadillac in a color that contrasts nicely with the chrome  accents.  The TGC is dark enough to contrast with the chrome, but not so dark as to be too hot in the Texas summer or as hard to keep clean as a black car.

This is the photo image from the order book, but in person it is a more striking color.

Now that I have THAT settled, I just need to determine which Cadillac (09 CTS-V or 08 STS-V) and how to pay for it.

One of my favorite features of the Edmund’s site is the true cost to own.  In this feature Edmund’s attempts to show the total cost of ownership of a vehicle, including fuel, insurance, and depreciation.  Here is a sample table for a 2010 Cadillac CTS-V:

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 5-yr Total
Depreciation $11,453 $7,846 $6,905 $6,119 $5,492 $37,815
Taxes & Fees $4,983 $62 $64 $64 $54 $5,227
Fuel $2,364 $2,435 $2,508 $2,583 $2,660 $12,550
Maintenance $178 $517 $824 $2,211 $1,312 $5,042
Repairs $0 $0 $0 $707 $1,081 $1,788
Tax Credit $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Financing $3,951 $3,180 $2,357 $1,476 $534 $11,498

Insurance $1,974 $2,043 $2,115 $2,189 $2,265 $10,586
Yearly Totals $24,903 $16,083 $14,773 $15,349 $13,398 $84,506

Depreciation is the reduction in value of a vehicle due to its current marketable price versus its purchase price.
For example, once you buy a car and drive it home, you frequently could not sell it for the same price you bought it for the next week. Occasionally with rare models you can — but usually you can’t, and the difference between what you could sell it for and the Dealer purchase price can be striking.

Now, depreciation is our friend when buying lightly used Cadillacs. What I am looking for is a 2 year old model with under 20K miles as an affordable super car.

So instead of paying $60K say, after year 1 you could hope to pay $48.5K;  after year 2, $40.7K;  after year 3, $33.8K etc.  This is where the pricing for the CTS-V gets really interesting to me, because one would be able to purchase absolute super car performance at a much discounted price, still in warranty and still a truly terrific car good for many miles of exciting service.  You can already see this working on 09 models now — the least expensive ones I have seen are $47K-50K.  So another year or 18 months of ‘curing’ and this batch could be aged well enough to enjoy!