Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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  2001 Catera Sport - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By Leo01 - February 8 - 10:22 pm

  It took 4 countries to build this car.. German Opel omega body and wiring British L28 V-6 engine French Peugot trans Cadillac interior and soft suspenion.. If you own one of these cars go to a euro shop for repairs. Not GM. They know better. How to make your Catera better. Get stiffer shocks and springs and other small parts. You will be happier knowing the road Change out your interior. Amazingly you can force a 1998 camry seat set inside witout the power options an lose 200# of weight. Change your timing belt and tensioners. VERY IMPORTANT ON THIS CAR. SAME AS YOU WOULD A HONDA ACCORD!! Know your fuse boxes. Most electrical issues start there. Premium fuel only. Shell or Chevron. Just trust me on this!!! If you are into extensive mods Early CTS v6 manual trans will fit with some modification and some electrical work. Opels had manual trans in Germany. Enough of my blather for now.

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  Cadillac catera 98 - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By rastamunchys - June 10 - 2:45 pm

  I got a catera 98 ive put alot of miles on it. When i got it it had 180000 miles approximately. I have over 214000 miles on it now, it runs a bit rough but still runs good. The speedometer was out when i got it, i just reset the module by detaching the batterys positive and detaching the main module and performance plus everything else electronical corrected it self. I have a strut issue now and som engin knocking and transmission problems due to thethe "service free" tranny, but im working on figuring that out on my own because the Cadillac dealershit wants to ober charge for the service. But over all for 900$ worth it. Great for a starting mechanic due to difficult engine.

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  Its my own fault - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By David H Myers - February 18 - 2:12 pm

  After my wife totalled my Chrysler 300, she bought a 2001 Catera from our mechanic. The sold it to us for $600 + $2,400 in repairs. It seemed OK at first. I suppose I shoudnt have let her buy such an old car. The water pump went, then the fuel pump, then the key lock. As stated by others, the sunroof has a mind of its own. I am spending, on average, about $600 / month to keep this thing on the road. It still needs from front end work. They dont make the part for the electronic anti-theft key anymore mechanic had to order the part from MO. I have put my wife to task to do something about this thing. We have to get rid of it.

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  Dont get this even if its free!!! - 1998 Cadillac Catera
  By tallbragg - October 27 - 9:52 am

  I currently own this car. It was given to us after my parents bought it for $3000 from someone in 1 1/2 ago with 52000 miles on it. They replaced the $500 water pump within a month. Everything seemed fine, so they dumped it on us. Two months later $1600 to replace engine seals. Lights were staying on and wore down the battery, new tires because they wear on inside (belts were completely showing even though outside of tire had plenty of tread), sunroof stopped working, heated seats stopped, transmission issues, trunk lock, door locks stick... It now has 60,000 with very moderate driving. The money, time, and stress of this car is not worth it.

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  Excellent car! - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By car5car - June 18 - 3:53 am

  It is a good car. People never change timing belts, check oil and antifreeze and then complain about engine failure. Some other problems, which were solved are very common for other cars: ignition coils die all the time on Fords and Nissans, valve cover gaskets need to be replaced on Toyotas. All reliability problems were solved by GM by 2000. 2000 and 2001 are reliable cars.

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  Even in 2013 this car is fun! - 1999 Cadillac Catera
  By tannermn - July 30 - 11:45 am

  This car is a beauty. For the price range, it was hands down a better deal than any other car researched. This car does not accelerate as fast as the newer models today but once you get above 50mph, it can hold its own with any car. Rides steady at the 70 mph mark and at 80 on the freeways with no problem. Great car for cross-country trips. Gas Mileage is good-decent. Nothing spectacular but better than most SUVs. If you get a good deal on this car, its definitely worth it!

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  Worst Car I Ever Owned - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By nestornajwa - January 17 - 1:54 am

  I bought a new 97 Catera in late 1997, thinking I was getting a good deal with discounts/rebates. Catera was not without its virtues. It handled very well, had a fun sport suspension setting and was pretty comfortable. I overlooked the bland styling. None of these things mattered when the car began falling apart within weeks. First, the gas tank was removed to fix a broken sensor. Soon after, a gasket blew. Then the fuel pump died. The most persistent problem was with the door locks, which malfunctioned often and prevented the doors from closing. Lindsay Cadillac service (VA) was terrible, with many return visits for door locks. All of this happened within about 16 months of purchase.

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  Cadillac Catera 97 - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By _catera97_ - April 18 - 11:10 am

  This is an amazing car. Yes it has a few problems we are going to have to work on. But my dads psycho ex girlfriend parked it in the grass and took the chip out of the key. Thats the reason for most of the problems. It is a 15 year old car, so yes its going to have other problems to. But before it was taken off the road because of the crazy psycho it was running fine. The ride is smooth just like a Cadillac should ride, the Bose stereo system is beyond amazing and the speed and look of the car fits my personallity to a key. This car is one of the most amazing cars I have ever seen.

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  Reliable, but can have costly repairs - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By map64 - October 21 - 5:54 pm

  Bought in 02 with 36K miles for $7K ($32K new in 97. 136K miles/9+ years later, cant complain. Spent $800 on leaking oil cooler, timing belt/tensioner warranty replacement, $300 on timing belt replacement at 106K miles, $70 twice to replace heater control valve and $100 on oxygen sensor. Got climate control module for $25 to replace defect. Serviced spark plugs, trans fluid and brake pads. The timing belt is due to be changed in the next 10K or so. The only annoying thing to me is the electrical gremlins like the TC/ABS lights and the radio shutting off if the volume is too loud. If you do the work yourself, this can be a fun car to own because it has never left me on the side of the road

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  Must have got the one diamond amongst the broken glass. - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By jlblack - June 18 - 3:14 am

  While everybody else hates this car, I love it! I bought last year for $2000. I immediately had to buy a new radiator for it for $200 that I installed. I was quoted up to $750 for one, so call around when buying parts. I abuse this car! The sport button is on half the time, I take corners at above twice the recommended speed. This car is glued to the road. It sails at 90 mph with no problem. If you can work on cars yourself and want cheap luxury then this is the car for you. For what I paid for it if a major repair comes up then its off to the junk yard, but until then, get out of my way! You can buy a Haynes repair manual for an Opel Omega from the UK. Same car. I did.