I didn’t plan on buying another Cadillac after acquiring our 1994 Fleetwood Brougham, but that car has spent more time in the shop that out of it in the year that we’ve had it, and Igor (88 Brougham) was still getting the kinks worked out of the EFI upgrade. So I hatched a plan – sell the Suburban since I have a company Toyota Highlander, sell the ’94 FWB once it gets fixed, and find something that my wife can take to car shows so we can go with his and hers classic vehicles that doesn’t remind us of a money pit whenever we look at it.
Turns out, nobody wants to buy a 2003 Chevrolet Suburban when gas is $4/gallon. So I ended up selling it for less than I had hoped to one of those “we’ll buy any car” places – but it was out of my hair, off our insurance, and I don’t have to deal with the hellhole that is FB Marketplace.
Cadillac Postcard – “Wish You Were Here!”
With that taken care of, I scoured the usual places for a classic car – and found today’s subject on Craigslist locally here in Pittsburgh with 92k on the odometer. I called the number and spoke with a lovely elderly lady named April who along with her husband Auggie was selling the vehicle as they didn’t want to pay for the storage anymore. I made arrangements to drive to their house in the South Hills, and took a ride in the car now known as “Rosie”. Auggie looked right out of Central Casting for an elderly Italian gentlemen, complete with leather penny loafers, pinky ring, and an affinity for big band and jazz music.
Available colors for 1992 – now using clear coat/base coat instead of lacquer
The story behind the car is an interesting one – it was purchased at Rohrich Cadillac on Nov 18th, 1991 for a wife by her attorney husband. When she passed away, the car went to April & Auggie, as April was the secretary for the attorney. Auggies brother, who lost his similar looking 80’s Sedan deVille in an accident, bought the car from him sometime in the early 2000’s. His brother died from a stroke after driving the car from Western PA to Florida and not stopping to rest (or run the AC). The car came back to Auggie and April, and they maintained it until deciding to sell it over the past year.
Still has a service sticker from the original dealer in Piitsburgh
As soon as I saw the car, I knew I didn’t want to let this one slip thru my fingers as other have the past couple of years. While not in perfect shape as the pics can attest, the interior was neat as a pin and with zero cracks in the dashpad and no rips in the leather seats. The back seat doesn’t even look like it’s been used at all over the last 30 years!
Drivers armrest is in perfect shape, as is the leather
I didn’t even try to haggle with them on price, as I didn’t want to insult them. But buying the car turned into an adventure itself. I wanted to surprise my wife with the car, so I enlisted my mother in law to drop me off at April & Auggies house, we would go to the local AAA to do the paperwork, and then I could drive the car back home.
Backseat fit for Herman Munster
Well, turns out Auggie didn’t actually have the title to the car – he had all the paperwork from when he did the transfer, and PennDOT sent him registration and renewal slips, but not the title. So he filed for a replacement title, and they gave me a ride home to the North Hills in their 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Auggie was very proud of the Infinity sound system in the Jeep, showing it off with a CD of Duke Ellington while profusely apologizing for the missing title.
While no CD player, it does do C-QUAM AM Stereo (1230 WBLQ from Rhode Island)
With speed unusual for PennDOT, the next week I got a call that the replacement title arrived. The next day I had my mother in law give me a ride once again to the South Hills, returned home with Rosie, and proceeded to place the included cover on the car to surprise my wife – I captured it on video, and with the help of Bruce Springsteen, did so when she got home. Here’s the video (with her 2017 XTS daily driver in the background).
Rosie is a 1992 Brougham in “Antelope Firemist” – an $240 extra cost option color – with matching leather interior and padded vinyl roof. The car has been repainted partially, with the bumper fillers not being original. A clue that an elderly person drove the car is the aftermarket bumper guards – we’re keeping them on the car since they seem to have done their job over the years. Rust is a big problem out here in Western PA, as PennDOT loves to throw down salt on the roads, much like the residents on perogies. Luckily there is a minimal amount of rust on this example, owing to being a snowbird car and kept in storage during the winter.
Rosie on the beach in Kennebunkport ME
The paint isn’t perfect – I can tell that portions of the car have been repainted by the placement of badges and a slight color mismatch, and there are a few dings, but given that creampuff low mile examples of these cars go for over $20k, the $9k spent on this looked like a great deal.
Opera Lamps for the Brougham touch
Blemishes aside, I think I know why this car didn’t sell as quickly as 90-92 Broughams have been lately – the lack of the 5.7 350 Chevy under the hood. Even with only 15 HP and 45 lb/ft of torque less than the 350, people shy away from the 5.0 cars unless they are a d’Elegance model. Rosie is lucky to have the TBI 305 under the hood, making 170 HP and 255 lb/ft of torque – much better than the carbed 86-90 307 Olds with only 140. The 305 is adequate for daily driving – I only really wish she had the 5.7 pulling a steep grade, but aside from that I’ve never really felt the need for the big motor under the hood.
Even with the 5.0, climbing around Acadia Nat’l Park was easy
Compared to our 88 Igor, Rosie is much better on road trips – the TBI 305 means we’re not praying before merging or trying to pass someone, standard ABS gives me a bit more assurance when I slam on the brakes, and the reclining seats mean that my wife can find a comfortable driving position.
Classy Caddy in front of The Colonial Inn, Concord Mass
Everyone kvells over this generation of Cadillac, with nearly the same look inside and out from 1980 to 1992 (and some of the lines from 1977) – looking back it is easy to see why. The “Sheer Look” formal roofline combined with all the detail and chromed jewelry just oozes “Classic Cadillac”. But competition from the restyled Lincoln Town Car, Lexus LS400, and other more modern styled/aerodynamic luxury cars were causing sales to slump – by 1992 production was down to only 13.7k versus 65k for 1987.
The updated digital dash doesn’t say much, but it looks good!
Cadillac completely redesigned the D body for 1993, renaming it Fleetwood with the Brougham option package available – for 1993, the FWD extended C Body was simply called “Sixty Special”. Even with the larger interior, flush glass reducing wind noise, upgraded tech like dual airbags and traction control, something was lost in the interior and exterior translation. The touches that made the 1977-92 cars special went away and the interior feels much more Buick or Chevrolet than Cadillac – and that crisp Bill Mitchell “Sheer Look” was traded for a mixed bag of modern aero/1940’s ponton styling that people either hated or tolerated. From certain angles and in dark colors, I like the 93-96 cars, but they don’t get the same response the 77-92 Caddys do.
94 vs 92 – Choose Your Boat!
So far it’s been just regular maintenance, with one exception – Auggie didn’t do much highway driving I guess, because anytime we took the car out for the first week the “Service Engine Soon” light would come on when merging onto the highway, and the car felt like a four banger. I changed the plugs, wires, cap and rotor to be on the safe side – no change. Turns out the knock sensor went bad – changed that out and it’s been great. I also had to change out all of the speakers since only one was working when I bought the car – I guess Auggie blew them out with some Glenn Miller.
In front of WLNG Sag Harbor NY – not seen, the stations Escalade remote vehicle
We took Rosie on our New England road trip – from Pittsburgh to Kennebunk Maine, up to Acadia National Park, out to Provincetown on Cape Cod, over to The Hamptons, and thru NYC to my family in Central NJ. Mileage? Somewhere around 20, but I have a heavy right foot and nobody keeps to the speed limit unless there’s a cop in sight.
A “Four Body” Trunk as we say in NJ
This is my second round with a 90-92 Brougham – my first was 12 years ago in college when I bought a 1991 Brougham d’Elegance with a 5.7 off of an elderly gent in Massachusetts. The car died on the drive back to NJ in The Bronx due to a dead fuel pump (at 11PM), and eventually I had to donate it to Kars 4 Kids when the bushings in the steering column went completely out chewing the wiring harness up. I was still in college at the time, and didn’t have the time or money to fix it up properly.
Provincetown Mass – where I don’t recommend driving anything larger than a Civic
But my most memorable experience with this flavor of Brougham was via Dad’s limo business – Brigadier Limousine (“We Take Pride In Every Ride”). He had a 1990 Brougham equipped with the 5.7, and everyone loved driving that car. It was white with dark blue leather interior, and I had a ball as a toddler playing in and around it. Here I am with Pappy Lawler at the original Brigadier Limo HQ in Houston TX.
My Pap (Tom Lawler Jr) and me in 1990
Nothing lasts forever, and after 12 years the sheer age of the “Sheer Look” was out of step with the times – despite the sprucing up in 1990 with Euro style cladding, composite lamps, digital dash, and much better sound systems. Those of us who love these cars look back and wish they still made them, but looking at the sales numbers I can’t say I blame the product planners when they started making changes.
Otis travelling in Cadillac Style
This particular Brougham will have a nice long pampered life – this summer was a washout for car shows unfortunately, but we’re already planning for next year. So if you see us around the Burgh, ask for a ride! The backseat is the best around for being chauffeured to a nice night Dahntahn….
Birds eye view of the Brougham
For the first time since the 1959-60 models, all of the big GM RWD sedans had to share the same front door. That’s why the 1977-92 models look distinctly like Cadillacs – they have completely unique sheet metal (except maybe the roof) whereas the 93-96 models are constrained by having the front fenders and rear doors have to meet up with the same Caprice front doors (the Caddy at least got a longer wheelbase than the other GM brands). There was more sharing of parts inside too, not surprising given the huge change in market positioning from 1977 to 1991 (when the new big wagons made their debut); in 1977 they were still “standard-sized” or “full-sized” cars with a substantial percentage sold to private buyers as family cars; by the ’90s they were “big cars” mostly sold to fleets and a few traditionalists or boat/trailer towers. It wasn’t worth the cost of making each brand distinct anymore with much lower volumes.
Awesome. Love that video of the reveal with the wife 🙂
Liked it too. My wife LOVES Cadillacs, the bigger-the-better! But, the last thing she wants to see is what’s under the hood.
If this car is PINK I must be COLOR-BLIND!
How’d you wind up doing that? I went and looked at your ’88 Brougham COAL, where you mentioned looking into the idea of EFI for that car; did you write about it elsewhere?
Good question! I have a “Curbside Tech” article typed up and ready to go as soon as it’s finished. Went with the Holley Sniper2 EFI system, and a replacement distributor from before the electronic feedback QuadraJet was used.
I always saw these as a little bit of a tradeoff – the details were more cluttered and the ride height was raised up but in exchange you got more power. I used to see one of these late Broughams parked in a driveway near some friends’ house, and it was this same color and in really nice shape. It looks like you found a nice one.
They also raised the structurally-similar 2006 DTS an inch higher than the 2005 Deville.
I loved your story, Tom … the challlenge of selling the ‘Burb, Auggie and April, your good luck with the title and DOT, your wife’s reaction, the road trip photo’s. Thanks for writing this up!
Excellent story. Details such as Auggie’s brother’s stroke and “PennDOT loves to throw down salt on the roads, much like the residents on perogies.” are priceless. 🙂
Not my proverbial cup of tea, vehicular wise, but the video and the smile on your wife’s face is great.
And whatever your preference, when you find what you’re looking for, and grab it? Great!
I loved your article, and that’s a beautiful Cadillac! It’s great to read about folks who enjoy owning and driving the Great American Classic Cars. Here’s a picture of my ’93 Mercury Grand Marquis LS that I’ve owned for twenty years.
Like my ’93 F-150, it’s undergoing a “restoration,” one project at a time. I can relate to you changing out three of the four speakers in your wife’s Caddie … I blew the amp in my Mercury when I turned ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man” up a little too loud!
My wife’s ’86 Grand Marquis is barely visible in front of my car; we use it to tow our ’63 Airstream Bambi, which shows up in the background of this picture that was made this summer.
Our daily drivers are my wife’s ’04 Taurus and my ’93 F-150 XLT. We don’t mind owning and driving the classic rides at our house.
Very nice find! The 90-92 Cadillacs were nice cars overall. I don’t know if I completely warmed up to the body cladding and taller ride height, but the composite lights worked well. The styling changes did modernize these quite a bit over the old 1980 styling, albeit through modern eyes they might not be as timeless. The biggest improvement with the powertrain. As you are aware, the L03 5.0L Chevrolet engine is quite a bit more powerful than the Oldsmobile LV2 5.0L engine used in the older models. I recall working at the Chev-Olds-Cadillac dealer working on an ’89 and a ’91 Brougham back to back. The power difference between the two was night and day difference. The ’91 wasn’t a fast car, but it felt like a rocket compared to the sluggish 307 powered ’89.
Here’s hoping your car serves you for many trouble free and enjoyable miles.
I remember seeing a light blue mist 91 or 92 drive into In ‘n Out of Highway 5 years ago at 9 PM. Such a beautiful car that I had to go over and talk with the owner when he walked in. One thing that I recall is that the bumpers were all chrome and there was no color cladding on them. That chrome is what caught my attention shining in the darkness.
Thanks for this great article. It’s a pleasure to see a younger couple that loves these Cadillacs. They are real Classics! The look of delight on your Wife’s face was just priceless. My Wife mostly just tolerates my old car habits, but has been cool with a lot of different cars over the years. I bought myself a three year old ’77 Coupe de Ville when I graduated from college in 1980. That was the car that we had when we got married.This was my dream car, and with the 425 it was a runner.
I’d gotten away from these Cadillacs years ago. but I just bought something that put a little smile on my Wife’s face. A candy apple red 2005 Lincoln Navigator.It’s got a tan interior, and it’s in great shape with just a bit over 100K. Yeah, at first I didn’t accept these as real Lincolns, but my outlook has changed over the years. I’m gonna pamper this car just like you are doing with your Cadillac. Best of luck with your beauty.
I grew up in the 1960’s and ’70’s, but got into Big Band music through Rockabilly. The Stray Cats led to Brian Setzer’s Orchestra, then to original Big Band. I’ve got an extensive collection of 1950’s and 60’s re-releases on the LP format. Plus plenty of CDs to rock out with in the car.
“Sit back, relax, in a Rorich Cadillac”!! That tune will be running through my mind for some time now!! Can’t remember the last time I rode down “West Liberty Ave”.
Thinking I was about “25-6” at the time.
I’ll be “62” next month..lol
Always wanted a “dark blue, Caddy Coupe Deville”. Understand that metal trim on the lower body really fostered corrosion.
A white one ((about the same year as yours)) roams the streets here in my NW DC neighborhood periodically. It’s sorely in need of work.
Congrats on the new ride! I had initially skipped this article, mistaking it for a rerun by that other Tom of bygone days, Tom Klockau. Love the Antelope Firemist color (reminds me of GM’s Evening Orchid of 1965) and the beautiful leather interior.
I’m originally from Pittsburgh myself, now residing in Charlotteville, VA. I remember the ads for Rohrich Cadillac.
Thanks for the great read. Having worked at a Cadillac store from 1988 to 1995 and same store again from 2007 to 2011, I have some history with these cars. I also owned a stunning example of a 1992 in light blue/silver bottom D’Elegance with the dark blue leather and the 5.0L FI V8. Silly me for selling that one! My parents owned a 1979 DeVille back in the day after having a 1975 DeVille. Personally, my favorite years of this run were the 1977 to 1979.
Don’t blame you a bit for wanting to go FI on the 1988. Those things with the carb 5.0 L were complete dogs. But in 1989, when Cadillac made the front drive DeVille’s bigger and with the 4.5L v8, that made it all the easier for us to transition owners to those all new front drive models once they felt the ride and power compared to the Brougham’s. Either way, I still love my Cadillac’s! Glad others do as well.