I thought the build quality of the car was really good. Handling and features were typical european. Great stereo. Comfortable. Nothing compared at the price. (and now I know why!)

Cadillac. They were/are unprepared for the coststraining involved in supporting a car like this here. Remember the Merkur Scorpio? Those who repeat history are doomed to fail.

I found this site while looking for information on a persistent check engine light. I thought I had done my research before I bought our catera by reading old issues of the consumer magazines. Just let me say that I read most of the posts on a saturday night and then couldn't sleep from the nightmares I read! My car was leaking coolant the day I bought it with 24k. It was fixed under warranty but I still always smelled coolant under the hood. I thought it was unusual but because the 4 cateras I looked at before buying this one all smelled the same, I blew it off. Then I started losing coolant and found the plastic heater valve behind the engine was leaking. The good part was I bought an extended warranty. The bad part was they filed bankruptcy, so myself and millions of others are screwed. Talk about insult to injury! I changed it myself. Then the check engine light started. That brought me here. After a good read and a stiff drink, I faced the reality that while I had minor problems now at 35k it was going to get bad and me with no warranty. I traded it today for a newer japanese car. The dealer was really almost fair on the trade and cut a good deal on the diamante. The catera cost me alot (I coulda leased a bmw 540) but I'm out and I'm not looking back. I told the wife to pretend we never had this car but actually bought our slightly used 2003 last year for just under sticker; that wipes the slate clean.

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hopefully never again

Rear wheel drive; smoooth; nice interior

I'll have to think about that. Maybe the way it treats tires, although I ahve had no prob lems -- that's just what I hear.

I love it! Had 20K mi when I got it. Have put <20K mi on it in about 7 mo. Paid $14.9K as a "certified used cadillac" which includes 100K mile/6 year bumper-bumper warranty. Great driving car. Handles well.

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Mercedes 300D, Volvo 940, Volvo S80

Pick up speed, trunk space and room.

Because of so many problems the value of this car has dropped tremendously. I got a great deal on this car in the beginning and now am about 5000 in negative equity.

If negative equity is what you want in a car then this is the car for you. My wife wanted this car and loved the looks so I gave in and brought one. We were pretty happy until around 36000 miles(near the end of our warranty) and all hell broke loose. We brought it because we thought since it was a Cadillac it would keep its value.(Wrong)I am so disappointed and have had to much work done to mention. On my last call to the dealership I was told that the car had been real good to me because i actually got to 96000 miles on it. As if that was more than the average. I guess I was just expecting a little to much from the Cadillac name.

comfortable ride, love the airconditioner very strong hearter also. as car age airconditioner never changed in performance. engine design was nice suspension great. At the begining it ride just like a infinty Q45 after 30,000 i started to clear alot of clitter clotter mostly came from the bearings that held the timing belt in place. There was lot of heat coming from under neath the car. This car is rear drive make sure if you buy a used one that the rear gear shaft that the bearing is lubricated not dry--if it is dry you might as well hand someone the money that you are going to pay for this car. Dont get me wrong ...I loved my catera I really did I put so much time cleaning it every day there was a day I didnt wash it. It's the maintence that taught me a lesson it was my first american car. I loved how the body of the car was solid honda's cannot compare to it. it was solid---like a rock--with all the problems i had i was afraid it would leave me stranded and sitting like a rock.

alot of recalls. problems with the water pump and valves. I had it serviced 4 times first time it was under warranty after the warranty expired after 36,000 miles i had to get a new water pump. 7 months later the my coolant fluid keeps leaking the valve seals were bad. had electrical problems everytime i break during daytime all of my lights would flash dealer charged me over 700$ they said it was because i replaced my break light bulb with a universal bulb turn out it wasnt that it was a bad switching unit cost me 60$ for the part 200 in labor. There was also a recall on the timing belt and all of the bearings I didnt know until after i changed my timing belt gm rembursed me for my parts but soon after i changed it my bearing wheels went bad after 15,000 miles gm did not manufactor those parts well so cheaply made. The reason I changed my timing belt is that I started to see alot of rubber shavings like dust specs of black dust all over my engine i could see that it came from the belts rubbing the bearings. if your going to change the belts change the bearings save yourself alot of money in labor. also during the winter months and begining of spring if you see water enter the passenger front seat it is because the vent is clogged. there is a airfilter next to it is a hole where water drains. dealer charged me 90$ to run a hose to clear it. The next time i took the cover off the filter discovered the hole took my car to the car wash used the power wash to clear it worked. Also had a lot of problems with the traction controll it was great when it was working but when it didn't i found my self with empty pockets very mostly. every sensor in this carif you need to replace it good luck!! these are not universal parts you are at the mercy of gm.

Loved the way my catera looked and the way it ride but the maintence on this car and problems never died. after you spend as much money as i did in maintaining this car you too will be emotional in the end..

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Infinity Q45, Lexxus Ls400, Bmw 525, Mountaineer

Bought it off the show room floor. Had to be towed the first day. Back 14 times in the first year. Remote does not work. Warning Lights come on all the time. Can't afford to buy another car. Has 35,00 miles on it.

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DeVille - 10 years - loved it.

It had potential to Zig, but I don't want to Zig too much with oil seeping from the engine that only has 55,000 miles on it.

The Tom Kelley dealership. When they looked at the oil leak, I wasn't given any options. They said numerous times it wasn't related to their work, but seemed to not want to bother with me or the car. Terrible customer service. I almost felt discrimated against because I had a Catera and not a Seville. No one offered much help, no one smiled at the facility, it was as if I was an inconvenience to them all.

This car is the biggest most expensive turd I have ever owned. My '72 Ford Pinto ran better than this car. The engine blew over the summer. They fixed it under warranty. Now I have oil leaks all over. I can tell its not related to the work they did, because the leaks are all underneath. The sunroof sometimes will stop and not move. I have to turn the car off/on again to shut it. The security system will sometimes go off when I unlock it with the key I have to unlock it with a key now because the remote units are shot(read cheap!) What a turd this car is... If they offered to put the engine that is on the CTS, I would do it. Less headaches and more power.

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Can't afford anything similar because resale value is 3,000 less than what I owe. Don't buy one!

Strong engine,great performance, handles great,stylish,very comfortable,lots of trunk space

needs a little more room in the back

I have nothing but positive things to say about this car. I bought it at 13600km and now it has 289000km. I've only performed regular oil changes to the car and replaced the lower control arm and front springs. So, total repair costs $850.00. The smoothness of the car is still there and the pickup has not lost it pull at all. Oh! no! I forgot to do a regular tune up! that's o.k, It still doesn't feel like it needs one.

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Toyota,honda,

Heated seats, and sterio are great!

To numerous to list.

I purchased this car about a year ago, and have had nothing but trouble. The current issue is the transmission. Car starts like it is in third gear. Of course my extended warranty thinks there is no problem, they however don't have to drive it in traffic. During the course of having this car I have driven rental cars more miles than my own and every enterprise employee within 100 mile radious knows me by name. This car is the Caddy equivalent of a YUGO!!!!

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Honda, Mercedes, Jeep

it runs good,it has a good stereo and sound system,very stylish body very comfee and lots of trunk space.

front end rattles when u hit bumps,parts to f-cking expensive and find them at no auto parts store like autozone,r&s strauss,pepboys,so ur best bet is to make sure u do ur regular checks on the car.

well i hate to add salt to a wound,but my catera is giving me problems as well,when i bought the car i would figure im get luxury but instead im gettin a car with lil minor problems,my heads in the engine are warn, i called the cadillac dealership in freeport li, paul cante to do the repair was out standing in cost it was 0ver $2500,if i knew then what i know now i would have bought a honda or lexus es300 witch was my 1st choice,well i learned my lesson,but hey thats life,i wouldnt get rid of my catera i would keep it as a hoopty, and look for something better,its tru what they say foregein is always better cadillac should be shame of there self for having a foregien car with there name on it.

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drivin a honda, benz ,lexus

Handling, fuel consumption, sound system, interior space, trunk space, Panel fit excellent, so far no noises except for door hinge that needed some grease.

I Never really liked the looks of the Omega B / Catera all that much. The car looks small although I was surprised to find out that it is only 2" shorter than my BMW 740i and 4" longer than a Mercedes E-class. I could live without the chrome plated wheels and would rather like the German standard alloys. The centre console with it's green LEDs looks outdated, very much like a 70s stereo. Here too they should have used the German specs console. Accesibility of components in the engine compartment not as good as the straight sixes were. Opel started using a timing belt rather than a timing chain with this car. Manual requires replacement every 100 000 miles, in German manual says every 70 000. I will do it every 50 000. Still cheaper than a new engine. Great car for the money

I am from Germany and have driven Opels all my life. The only Opel available on this side of the Atlantic is the Omega B or Cadillac Catera. So I bought one. Got the extended warranty but havn't needed it so far. The car is the successor of the Opel Senator and feels exactly like it. Unfortunately Opel went away from straight sixes. The V6 in the Omega/Catera has nothing left of the BMW like smoothnes of their straight sixes. As soon as the engine hits 4000 RPM and the intake flap of the Dual Ram injection opens the engine noise is outright nasty. Nonetheless, I constantly catch myself driving it hard and I am often surprised about it's handling. Not as crisp as my BMW 740i, but Opel is always more on the comfortable side in suspensio set up. The car likes to rev. Unfortunately they have apparently not changed the engine characteristics to accomodate for driving in a country with a speed limit. In Germany the car is a serious Autobahn performer (faster than E 300 and 528i) and the sluggishness off the line shows it as does the strong pull above 80 mph when it really comes into its own. Over here they should have put more emphasis on 0-60 rather than the 60-120 acceleration needed for Autobahn driving. The car lacks the refinement of BMW and Mercedes but it also only costs half the money used but is 90% as good. Prices that other owners complain about seem pretty normal to me. After all it is a German luxury Sedan in disguise. The car and the parts are built in Germany at German labour costs. So you have to expect prices to be on the level of Mercedes/BMW/Audi parts. Fuel consumption is surprisingly good. However hard I drive it I never get over 10 liter per 100 km (under 23.5 mpg).

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Opel Monza, Opel Senator, Bitter SC. These cars are two generations older than the Omega/Catera.