Cadillac Coupe DeVille

     Picking up the story from earlier this week.. (Summertime: 1990) I had a 1989 Mazda MX-6 Sport Coupe that was really a neat little car....BUT..it had a leak in the sunroof that poured (POURED) on me when I made right-hand turns on rainy days. Numerous trips to the vendor and dealership did not alleviate the problem so I threw a temper tantrum in the sales manager's office. They offered me a 1990 Cadillac Coupe DeVille someone had traded in on a Mazda for better fuel economy.

   The Cadillac had less than a thousand miles on the odometer so I agreed to the exchange and rode home in my Caddy. I called the dealership about a week later with a question about the registration of the Cadillac and they informed me the Mazda had been sold the same day we made the switch.
   The Coupe DeVille had all the options I had with the 1985 Toronado I owned before the Mazda and I realized how much I  missed it. The interior of the Cadillac had crushed velor bucket seats and still had the 'new car' smell since the previous owner was a non-smoker. I was still working in radio as well as television and you can see the antenna of the two-way radio I had installed in the car for news reports. I could also claim it as a business expense on my income tax.

    As you can see, I also applied my usual SMU sticker to the rear window. This was really a neat car and drove like a dream in comparison with the manual-shifting Mazda. I loved the burgundy color of the Caddy when I bought it, but it turned out to be a nightmare when washing the car. I am one of those freaks that can spend hours cleaning and detailing a car... but no matter what I did wiping down the car it had streaks in it. I can't tell you how many times I would finish cleaning the car, only to come back out when I would view it from my apartment window and see how streaky it was. 

    This was a good driving car and I had it for a couple years, but on a trip to the local Cadillac dealer to have it serviced I got some bad news. The engine in this model car had an aluminum block, and they were cracking and warping under the cylinder heads. In an effort to avoid a financial downfall, Cadillac was offering to take the cars back and make deals on new cars giving me the same price I gave for the car. My DeVille had not given me any trouble during the time I had it, but the dealer told me it was just a matter of time. I made a call to the dealership where I bought the car and they told me they would abide by the General Motors directive, so I did it. I drove this car for almost two years and never had a single problem with it, but if I could avoid a major breakdown and get my money back in full, it was a no brainer.