Overview & Reviews

User Reviews:

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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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  I hate this car - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By Cory Bouton - July 31 - 11:35 am

  I bought this car from a private seller, and it worked fine for a few years then when one thing broke and it was just down hill from there. Currently the AC and heat dont work because of electrical problem I cant even afford to have diagnosed professionally, I have a major radiator leak that wont be worth the repair cause when I do fix it, something worse will just come up. So now I just carry extra fluid with me. The tranny failed, twice, thank goodness for warranty, and now that the tranny is fixed I got smoke coming out the exhaust. So I dont drive it unless I have to. The Sunroof was working until I brought it back from tranny shop, now it dont work, again. I hate this car.

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  Caddie Junk - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By JimB - February 8 - 11:46 am

  My Catera was in the shop numerous times. I quickly learned to hate the car. GM did nothing to help.

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  NoCTS4ME - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By NoCTS4ME - August 27 - 2:00 am

  Spent more time in the dealership garage than mine. Constant problems - 2 engine oil coolers(within 3 weeks of each other)tail lights & headlight repacements(lost count),squealing brakes, brake light switch, key stuck in ignition, NUMEROUS electrical problems. Fun to drive but most of time spent on road was behind a tow truck! Cant give away the worst car I ever owned. NO RESALE VALUE.Just traded UP to an ALTIMA. No CTS for me.

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  Run, dont walk away from this one - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By Vinman - December 24 - 2:00 am

  This was by far the worst vehicle I have ever owned. I constantly had the car in the shop for nuisance repairs to the brakes, electrical system, and finally a completely dead engine. Anyone considering buying one of these cars MUST have an extended warranty because you WILL use it. Unfortunately the first engine gasket blowout that I had leaked oil onto the spark plugs and wires. Those parts are not covered under warranty because they are maintenance items, yet cost $800.00 to replace. Whatever happened to $5 plugs and $50 wires? In addition, I thought that Cadillac (Opel) engines should at least last more than 60,000 miles before deemed DOA.

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  Junk Car - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By allendr - November 26 - 2:00 am

  Terrible workmanship. How many parts are there that could break.

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  Catera ,german for "No One Can Fix it" - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By Captain Canuk - October 18 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car off of lease with only 45k on it. At first we thought we had a great car. The ride was great and the handling was beautiful. After the first couple of months things started to go, front left signal light just fell off(poor plastic???bracket)then the tires started leaking (rusting rims after 50K same problem they had in the 70S),water pump,air conditioner pump,leaky oil cooler,driver side mirror discoloration, front breaks and finally the timing belt (recall). Our warranty is coming to an end in May and we are going to ditch the car for an import maybe we will upgrade to a Corolla!!

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  Dont get caught - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By Mad as Hell - August 31 - 2:00 am

  My father has purchased nothing but Cadillacs for as long as I can remember. You can imagine how excited I was to purchase my first. Low mileage and every feature I wanted. Well, it would be nice to drive the car instead of repairing all the time. Leaks in power steering, ABS, Traction control and to top it off $400 for brake pads. This car has been a nightmare. I want out and cant get enough for it to pay off the loan!

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  Ready for the trash heap - 1997 Cadillac Catera
  By no more caddies - March 8 - 11:57 pm

  Dont waste your time and money purchasing a 1997 Catera. I bought one new and have had nothing but trouble--engine trouble and even trouble with the doors. You dont have time to read the list of problems this car has had. What a colossal waste of $33,000!!!