I worked at a Cadillac dealer in Sarasota in the early ’00’s and these came in for maintenance service aplenty. Mostly though, their owners just came in to complain about nothing and take advantage of the complimentary donuts and coffee. They were the perfect car for cruising slow in the left lane with the blinker on for miles on end.
which is odd because you had to be completely oblivious to not know your turn signal was still on as the Deville makes an annoying chiming and the message center says turn signal on when you leave the thing on over a mile.
Actually had one guy come in–literally in tears–because apparently the blinker clicking in his Deville was “too loud” and people kept telling him they couldn’t hear a difference.
He actually brought his Mercedes in for comparison. Still couldn’t tell the difference.
In the end, the tech wrapped the mechanism in plastic and electrical tape. He was finally pacified.
I have 2 neighbors on either side of me who’ve got DeVilles of this generation. One I know is a ’95, the other can’t be more than a year newer/older. There are days when they bookend my 300M in the parking lot, making it look like a compact by comparison. Both of them have these simcon roof treatments, and both drivers are exactly the type described by volvoguy above. I can sit in my living room and discern which neighbor is coming or going by the whine of the steering rack on one of the Caddys vs. the clicking and clunking of a CV joint on the other. I’ve never been able to find the love for this generation of Cadillacs….and most days it’s not easy for me to find it for my neighbors either, but I digress.
In the time period this was in production the Seville was better looking I think. Unfortunately this was when the Northstars were new and proved to be troublesome engines. 1994 was an upgraded body design for the Deville, but the engine should still have been the 4.9, except on the Concour version.
Correct. Both of my neighbors have the 4.9, which each claims to have purposely sought out when shopping for used Cadillacs due to the Northstar debacle. From what I’ve seen they’re reliable.
Not a fan of these when new, Ironically they were styled to look like the 1993 Fleetwood, For an update of a 1985 design to go for the look of a twice updated 1977 design, I guess there’s a story there, but hell, this picture is still sad…. 🙁
the Seville’s are recognizable, but the car on the other side of the Deville may be another Deville, but I can’t tell for sure. The Seville is a Fleetwood class, and takes over the top of line after 1996 (if not in 1992).
Wow. Downsized to a puny 114″ WB. The visual proportions dont look bad because the huge front overhang prevents it from all hanging out in back. A ’74 Chevelle sedan had 116″ WB.
I had a friend with a yellow ’74 Coupe de Ville and it did cast a bigger shadow on the ground than my C10 pickup, which tipped the scales under 4000lb.
It was quite a bit better than the 110.8″ WB of the downsized ’85 cars.
Remember that the pre-’78 A-bodies (along with all other Big 3 “midsize” cars) were horrid when it came to space efficiency. All that wheelbase and about as much rear legroom as a modern FWD compact.
Friends had a blue ’94, without a vinyl roof. Very roomy inside, with lovely blue leather upholstery. Great for touring on the interstates, except just a bit vague about centering itself on the road. No Northstar badging, so I assume it had the 4.9. BUT: I was surprised at how much road noise intruded, and how the upholstery squeaked as it rubbed against other upholstery or plastics, and how incredibly loud the the A/C blower was when it started up. And it was big enough to be a bit of a lumbering barge in town. I had and have no desire for one of these!
In my eyes these were a step back in styling from the previous generation. In fact I thought these were homily back then and I still do. I feel bad for the one featured in the boneyard, as I do for all the cars I see when I am there. GM made a slight improvement when they opened up the rear wheel well, getting rid of the skirted look. Having driven my Dad’a 1990 deVille for several years and then driving one of these that an Uncle owned for about 5 years, I can attest to the fact that some of the driving enjoyment was taken away, especially in the steering department. On-center feel was all but non-existent, and it seemed like they engineered a lot more “float” into the ride and handling. I remember a Cadillac spokesperson at one of the car shows saying if you wanted a good handling car then you should step up to a Seville. And those were his exact words!
When I was a little kid and these were new I assumed there was just one “big Cadillac”… I had no idea there was a Deville and Fleetwood that were completely unrelated and very different mechanically. The styling details are uncannily similar at every angle and it takes a trained eye to spot the slightly different length and proportions. It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I realized some of them looked more squashed and “stretched out” than the others (the Fleetwood), and then when the Internet came to be I finally learned about the different platforms, engines, RWD, etc.
They sold butt loads of these, but as an adult the 1992-2002 period of Cadillacs have almost no appeal to me, nostalgic or otherwise. I want to like them, but the designers simply tossed old school themes like fender skirts and billowy suspensions onto a platform exhibiting every bad 1990s GM stereotype (horrible cheap plastic monochrome interiors, electric glitches galore, problematic FWD V8 powertrains). They’re like a sad North Korean knock-off of an American luxury sedan produced with the cheapest possible parts.
Wow, I look at this car and feel . . . absolutely nothing. Not love, not hate, not warm or cold. It is just . . . there. But kind of not, at least any more. I am not sure there is another car that I feel this way about. I can’t make a case for it, but also can’t condemn it either. For a guy who has decided opinions about cars, this is a strange feeling.
I have a client who infrequently drives a Coupe De Ville of similar vintage and i feel the same way about it. The color inside and out make me like it slightly more. It is purple all over, including paint, vinyl top and leather upholstery.
All sails set, Cap’n!
Afraid she’s beached, Captain. Let’s hope high tide floats the boat.
I worked at a Cadillac dealer in Sarasota in the early ’00’s and these came in for maintenance service aplenty. Mostly though, their owners just came in to complain about nothing and take advantage of the complimentary donuts and coffee. They were the perfect car for cruising slow in the left lane with the blinker on for miles on end.
which is odd because you had to be completely oblivious to not know your turn signal was still on as the Deville makes an annoying chiming and the message center says turn signal on when you leave the thing on over a mile.
Actually had one guy come in–literally in tears–because apparently the blinker clicking in his Deville was “too loud” and people kept telling him they couldn’t hear a difference.
He actually brought his Mercedes in for comparison. Still couldn’t tell the difference.
In the end, the tech wrapped the mechanism in plastic and electrical tape. He was finally pacified.
“Well, it’s riding kinda rough and just doesn’t have the pickup it used to; mind taking a quick look at it to see what’s up?”
I have 2 neighbors on either side of me who’ve got DeVilles of this generation. One I know is a ’95, the other can’t be more than a year newer/older. There are days when they bookend my 300M in the parking lot, making it look like a compact by comparison. Both of them have these simcon roof treatments, and both drivers are exactly the type described by volvoguy above. I can sit in my living room and discern which neighbor is coming or going by the whine of the steering rack on one of the Caddys vs. the clicking and clunking of a CV joint on the other. I’ve never been able to find the love for this generation of Cadillacs….and most days it’s not easy for me to find it for my neighbors either, but I digress.
In the time period this was in production the Seville was better looking I think. Unfortunately this was when the Northstars were new and proved to be troublesome engines. 1994 was an upgraded body design for the Deville, but the engine should still have been the 4.9, except on the Concour version.
Correct. Both of my neighbors have the 4.9, which each claims to have purposely sought out when shopping for used Cadillacs due to the Northstar debacle. From what I’ve seen they’re reliable.
Not a fan of these when new, Ironically they were styled to look like the 1993 Fleetwood, For an update of a 1985 design to go for the look of a twice updated 1977 design, I guess there’s a story there, but hell, this picture is still sad…. 🙁
There are a couple of Sevilles in the picture too, and I think one or more Cadillacs behind.
Spoken as though Sevilles are not worthy to be called Cadillacs! 🙂
the Seville’s are recognizable, but the car on the other side of the Deville may be another Deville, but I can’t tell for sure. The Seville is a Fleetwood class, and takes over the top of line after 1996 (if not in 1992).
Actually, these were downright svelte in comparison to their 1974 forefathers:
1974 de Ville: WB 130″, length 231″, width 80″; weight 5,100 lb.
1994 de Ville: WB 114″, length 210″, width 76″, weight 4,300 lb.
The 1974 may have set the record in size for an American passenger vehicle. Of course it had a 472 cubic inch (later 500 c.i.) V-8 to push it around.
Wow. Downsized to a puny 114″ WB. The visual proportions dont look bad because the huge front overhang prevents it from all hanging out in back. A ’74 Chevelle sedan had 116″ WB.
I had a friend with a yellow ’74 Coupe de Ville and it did cast a bigger shadow on the ground than my C10 pickup, which tipped the scales under 4000lb.
It was quite a bit better than the 110.8″ WB of the downsized ’85 cars.
Remember that the pre-’78 A-bodies (along with all other Big 3 “midsize” cars) were horrid when it came to space efficiency. All that wheelbase and about as much rear legroom as a modern FWD compact.
Better looking than what came later with the generic front end and ill defined taillights.
Love the canvas top.
Friends had a blue ’94, without a vinyl roof. Very roomy inside, with lovely blue leather upholstery. Great for touring on the interstates, except just a bit vague about centering itself on the road. No Northstar badging, so I assume it had the 4.9. BUT: I was surprised at how much road noise intruded, and how the upholstery squeaked as it rubbed against other upholstery or plastics, and how incredibly loud the the A/C blower was when it started up. And it was big enough to be a bit of a lumbering barge in town. I had and have no desire for one of these!
In my eyes these were a step back in styling from the previous generation. In fact I thought these were homily back then and I still do. I feel bad for the one featured in the boneyard, as I do for all the cars I see when I am there. GM made a slight improvement when they opened up the rear wheel well, getting rid of the skirted look. Having driven my Dad’a 1990 deVille for several years and then driving one of these that an Uncle owned for about 5 years, I can attest to the fact that some of the driving enjoyment was taken away, especially in the steering department. On-center feel was all but non-existent, and it seemed like they engineered a lot more “float” into the ride and handling. I remember a Cadillac spokesperson at one of the car shows saying if you wanted a good handling car then you should step up to a Seville. And those were his exact words!
Oops – I think I meant HOMELY……LOL
These always looked too much like the rwd fleetwoods to me.
Anyone else feel sad to see a prestige beast in this condition?
Prestige beast? Is there a 60s Cadillac in the background?
Okay, so not well-regarded, then.
Damn!! I could use the driver’s mirror for my 95 Deville. I think half of the Deville’s made in 94-96 were that color.
As big as that era Deville is, the 200hp 4.9l V8 actually motivated that heavy ass car well enough as it had a lot of torque grunt.
Yacht, barge, whatever, but definitely aground and will sail no more
When I was a little kid and these were new I assumed there was just one “big Cadillac”… I had no idea there was a Deville and Fleetwood that were completely unrelated and very different mechanically. The styling details are uncannily similar at every angle and it takes a trained eye to spot the slightly different length and proportions. It wasn’t until I was a bit older that I realized some of them looked more squashed and “stretched out” than the others (the Fleetwood), and then when the Internet came to be I finally learned about the different platforms, engines, RWD, etc.
They sold butt loads of these, but as an adult the 1992-2002 period of Cadillacs have almost no appeal to me, nostalgic or otherwise. I want to like them, but the designers simply tossed old school themes like fender skirts and billowy suspensions onto a platform exhibiting every bad 1990s GM stereotype (horrible cheap plastic monochrome interiors, electric glitches galore, problematic FWD V8 powertrains). They’re like a sad North Korean knock-off of an American luxury sedan produced with the cheapest possible parts.
Wow, I look at this car and feel . . . absolutely nothing. Not love, not hate, not warm or cold. It is just . . . there. But kind of not, at least any more. I am not sure there is another car that I feel this way about. I can’t make a case for it, but also can’t condemn it either. For a guy who has decided opinions about cars, this is a strange feeling.
I have a client who infrequently drives a Coupe De Ville of similar vintage and i feel the same way about it. The color inside and out make me like it slightly more. It is purple all over, including paint, vinyl top and leather upholstery.
In a junk yard, the worse sight is a derelict luxury car.
Once saw a Rolls Royce stripped of parts (mostly souvenir hunting for the grill, wheel covers, wood dashboard).
Very sad???