accel_is_my_drug Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 What can you guys tell me about 1st gen CTS-Vs? Beyond the rear diff / wheel hop issues, have these had any problems with anything else? I hope to be picking one up if I can find one in decent shape... 4drs, LS6, and a manual. Seems like Heaven! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cordell Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 You may PM POS Vette on here, he has one and loves it. Overall really nice cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dover Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 I had an 04 CTS-V a couple years back. Car is very heavy, but rides smooth. I had the GM 100,000 mile warranty so any issue I had I took it back to cadillac and them fix shit. I never launched the car hard enough to mess anything up but allot guys that race them on LS1tech had issues with the 04-05 rearends. I would suggest an 06-07 as it came with the revised rearend and the 6L LS2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowgli1647545497 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 Living with mine since buying it new in 05. Its my Daily Driver and only car (wife has a Saab and I have two bikes for playtime). I love mine - this is the longest I've owned a new car ever. I am nearing the end of my ownership, but right now its more about getting my contracts and income recovered more than replacing my car. With that said here's my list of caveats/observations: -------- I know there have been reported problems with the rear diff, but its hit and miss: mine has been launched VERY hard many times in its life and still lived to tell the tale. I did have to replace a seal on it under warranty though. At about 80k miles it developed a vibration in the engine. Harmonic balancer I suspect, its not bad enough for me to take it in but I will soon. Tremec T56 is still bullet proof. Still a piece of shit to shift. I've had two cars with this tranny in it (previous car was a 03 Cobra) and I still hate it/love it. It exibits some driveline vibration at 85+mph. Nothing you can feel in the car but you see it in the mirror. Just like about every other high hp american car with IRS it seems like... Wheel hop is a real issue. I wouldn't recommend doing alot of hard launches, because aside from the diff, the halfshafts aren't what they should be (example being the 31 spline halfshafts in the 03-04 Cobras). The navigation sucks. Use your iphone/android. The sound system ROCKS. Even if the equalizer options are crappy "treble-mid-bass" MPG I average about 17-18 with very spirited driving. I can get 26-28mpg on highway if I let the cruise control drive it at about 70-80mph. Seats are comfy but not enough lateral support. Also the under-leg support isn't long enough, I'd like it a little longer (I am 6' with a 32" inseam). Cars DIDNT come stock with a spare tire. They shipped with Goodyear Eagle runflats. MAke sure you look into that when you buy used. There is a well for a spare under the trunk floor. Trunk lift arms wear out about 5years. Just like the rest of GM lift arms. Crappy parts bin GM engineering showing thru. Some things about the car are Cadillac Halo approach benefit, some are GM parts bin crap. The LS6 is a great engine. But forget upgrading it without spending big $$$ The Chrome L on my chrome "LS6" badging under teh hood on the crossbar support mysteriously disappeared on mine. The side and rear V badges can fade over time - espexially the red portions, but they're easy to replace: hair dryer, fishing line, etc... With the right tires the car turns and handles FANTASTIC. You WILL surprise and embarrass most other cars out there, including imports (Ms, AMGs, etc) easily thru model 2011. It took them 7 years to catch up and even now I can spank brand new Ms with drivers that don't know what they're doing. Torque wins every time. Nobody expects this car to handle. Lots of crow to serve people. Easy to show them first hand why this car set the world record lap times for production sedans around the Nurburgring. German drivers HATE that... The tire pressure indicator on the dash will NEVER show 34psi. Its a software glitch. It will skip from 33psi to 35psi. You CAN watch DVD movies on the dash screen with the DVD player, read up on the Caddy forums for how. I did but forgot how because I just dont bother with it. The VERY first mod you should do is to plug in the little skip shift bypass (its just a big fat honking resistor you plug into the tranny harness). The second mod should be a CAI. The stock intake is not good. Thats it - if you have any specific questions hit me up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted July 13, 2012 Report Share Posted July 13, 2012 8===D~~~ That's how I feel about the CTS-V. Too bad my Passat is still a solid performer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
accel_is_my_drug Posted July 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 Thanks for the info, I have been looking for a clean one for 2 weeks now. I may have found one near dayton.... Why is the LS6 so expensive to hop up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirks5oh Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 My buddy has owned his ls6 V since 2007. He loves it, and hasn't had a single problem--no rear end issues, nothing. He doesn't race it though and probably is way too easy on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sturg1647545502 Posted July 14, 2012 Report Share Posted July 14, 2012 best of luck finding a used one in good condition....i looked for a few weeks and wasnt able to find much in the mid west/east coast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbot Posted July 15, 2012 Report Share Posted July 15, 2012 I've seen a '05 that caught my eye. I may snag it up and swap the cam from my Camaro into it. What are the main things to look for when checking one out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowgli1647545497 Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 oh - two other things I forgot: Look for weakening/leaking front struts - one of mine went bad at 60k Also check for the Traction Control/stability control to act up. Usually a dieing sensor. Had this happen to me to around 50k. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbot Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 Cars DIDNT come stock with a spare tire. They shipped with Goodyear Eagle runflats. MAke sure you look into that when you buy used. There is a well for a spare under the trunk floor. From what i've seen, and correct me if i'm wrong, but I don't think you can get a spare either. Aren't the CTS's 5 lug wheels and the CTS-V's are 6 lug? That would likely mean there is no spare wheel available right? Unless you go full size and that isn't likely to fit in the well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbot Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 From what i've seen, and correct me if i'm wrong, but I don't think you can get a spare either. Aren't the CTS's 5 lug wheels and the CTS-V's are 6 lug? That would likely mean there is no spare wheel available right? Unless you go full size and that isn't likely to fit in the well. I take that back, it looks like the full size will fit. http://www.cadillacfaq.com/faq/answers/spare/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowgli1647545497 Posted July 16, 2012 Report Share Posted July 16, 2012 full size fits, and yep i've never found a donut that fits the v so full size is your only choice. you do have to take out a spacer thingie in the well to fit the full spare in there, but if you're buying used the previous owner probably already did it. FWIW the aftermarket wheel choices for Vs are VERY VERY limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbot Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 full size fits, and yep i've never found a donut that fits the v so full size is your only choice. you do have to take out a spacer thingie in the well to fit the full spare in there, but if you're buying used the previous owner probably already did it. FWIW the aftermarket wheel choices for Vs are VERY VERY limited. I'm ok with the stockers. I'd probably shoot for a 2nd set and get them powdered black so I could murder it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbot Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 Thats it - if you have any specific questions hit me up. PM'ed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuicedH22 Posted July 17, 2012 Report Share Posted July 17, 2012 Just saw this thread... I know where you can get a very clean one, for a good price. http://www.cincystreetscene.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65940 2005 CTSV with 92k miles. Silver with black leather. Has nav and hids. new tires new rotors new Hawk ceramic pads new LS7 lifters new Thunder Racing TruTorq L3 cam new Patriot Gold dual valvespring kit Tuned by Tracey Scott (top lsx tuner in Cincy area) made 350whp Asking $15k I will vouch for the owner any day of the week. He has had a very good collection of nice cars, and takes great care of them all. On this CTS-V, put an intake and a better flowing exhaust on it, and you will get close to that 400whp mark and still have a reliable daily driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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