What will $30K buy you?

The average new car sold in America goes for over $30K these days.  What will US$30K buy you in a used Cadillac?

A 2004 Cadillac XLR with 16K miles, or a 2006 Cadillac XLR with 56K miles would both go for just under $30K.  The Cadillac XLR was made from 2004-2009 and features the RWD Northstar V8 engine making 320 hp, a retractable hardtop, and every option Cadillac could fit on a convertible.  They are fun cars to drive, and unique on the road.

The 2009 CTS Sedan choices are pretty wide at $30K.   In the order book for 2009 the CTS was split into 1SA for the standard model, or 1SB for the more highly equipped 3.6L DI model.  The fully loaded model was the CTS Premium Collection, but used cars are seldom advertised as a “CTS with Premium Collection”.  The key components are: CTS Premium Collection, includes (Y40) Luxury Level One Package, (Y41) Luxury Level Two Package, (Y42) 18″ (45.7 cm) All-Season Tire Performance Package, (Y44) Seating Package, (UAV) Audio system with navigation, (C3U) UltraView sunroof, (B19) Wood Trim Package and (B20) Wood Trim Package.  I would ask first for the Nav, then Ultra View, since those are likely to be mentioned in the ad, then investigate further to determine if a particular example is a Premium Collection, or instead if it offers the features you are shopping for.

One can also find a 2010 Cadillac CTS 3L Luxury Collection for under $30K.  And of course there are a lot of choices in 2008 Cadillac CTS’ under 30K.

A 2008 Cadillac STS V6 is an interesting choice for under $30K.   The STS has more rear leg room than the CTS.  The V6 is the 3.6L DI V6, and was judged by contemporary magazine writers to be the better choice than the V8 Northstar based on the relative prices of the sedans.  One can find the 2008 STS V8 for under $30K as well.

A 2008 Cadillac DTS can also be found for under $30K with 11K miles.  Offering plenty of room and front-wheel drive for all-weather convenience, the DTS has V8 luxury with lots of trunk room and luxury appointments.  The DTS likewise was split into different luxury levels, so one will have to examine each offering for the desired features.

For even more space, a 2008 SRX tall wagon is not hard to find for under $30K.

I did find one Escalade, a 2008 with 74K miles, or an EXT, a 2008 with 109K miles, for under $30K.  So one would have to look earlier than 2008 to fit under the 30K budget.

Searching hints:  For my survey, I went to cars.com and used this search:

You Searched For

Make

Cadillac

Year

2011

2010

2009

2008

Price

$26,001-$27,000

$27,001-$28,000

$28,001-$29,000

$29,001-$30,000

And even with these limits the search had 50 pages of results with 22K automobiles.  Adding a lower limit seems counter-productive, but it does filter out selections that are not as desirable.

There are some terrific Cadillac selections out there for under $30K.  Good hunting.

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