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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  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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  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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  Utter Disappointment - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By soren919 - January 15 - 11:59 pm

  My very first car turned out to be a lemon and a stressor on my mother. Seemed like a nice, clean car that wouldnt cost me a lot because it was a Cadillac and Cadillacs usually are pretty dependable. But this car, just was an EPIC FAIL. Now Im trading it in and getting this burden off of me and my mother! Engine repair costed $2000, then the brakes, then tires, then transmission (which has to be injected into engine which is even more money) sunroof works when it wants to, back wheel drive stinks (especially in snow and ice), power locks on driver side went out, and on top of all of that, CRAPPY gas mileage...please dont ever buy this car...all of these cars should be set on fire!!

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  What A Lemon - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By Eileen - October 25 - 2:00 am

  This is by far the worst vehicle I have ever owned and Ive owned many. The engine blew at 77,000 miles and needed a total rebuild. Then the rear went, as did the radiator, and the battery. The radio goes on and off at will, the oil light does the same. The rear windows, if you make the mistake of lowering them, will come back up when they feel like it - sometimes it takes days. As of today, I have been riding around with a garbage bag covering my window and its been down for 3 days! The rear lights, including the blinkers, also work when they want to. The electronics in this vehicle are a joke. What a piece of junk.

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  Money Pit - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By DJ - May 4 - 10:57 pm

  I have had nothing but problems with this car. I had to replace a computer chip, transmission, water pump, axel, springs, sway bars. The tires are expensive and break easy because they are so thin. Parts for the car are expensive. The time belt needs to be replaced and its going to cost me $500! It has been in the shop more than on the road and Im afraid to drive it because I cant afford keep putting money into it. Its terrible in the snow but great in the rain. I love my car when it works but thats not too often. :(

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  Disappointed! - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By Tina - October 18 - 1:32 am

  I bought this car because it was a beauty and had the sporty look I wanted. Thought "Wow! A Cadillac! This should be a great car. Well, its has been nothing but a money eating nightmare. Was so excited to get it paid off and its still killing my pocketbook! Dont want to go back in debt for a car, but I dont know how much more of this lemon I can take. Looks great but unfortunately the mechanic sees it more than I do! Had the transmission replaced 2 years after I bought it, thand God was still under warranty. Now no heat and its getting cold outside.

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  oil fire! - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By oil fire! - September 8 - 4:38 am

  My car caught on fire from a leak in the valve cover, and the fire messed up the wiring. Since then all kinds of funny things happened. The radio worked when it wanted, the gas cap and the trunk switch locked and would not open. I liked my car because it was small and supple to operate, but when the expense of fixing it became too much, I traded it off for a Buick. The final straw was the failure of the engine module which left me without a running car, and a wait for the new part. I have pumped a lot of money into maintenance but this was too much. The reliability was not good so I sold the car... Hated to see ol flame go, but it has gone to the great beyond now

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  Worst Cadillac - EVER! - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By Albert - August 7 - 2:49 pm

  This car is a reliability disaster - a breakdown waiting to happen - it can be downright dangerous. A Cadillac-ized Opel isnt worth a dime. In less than two years 12K worth of warranty work. When the warranty is up this car is toast.

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  2001 Catera disaster - 2001 Cadillac Catera
  By Albert Bright - July 22 - 12:24 pm

  2001 Catera, 2nd owner, 8K from local GM dealer bought with only 31K original miles on it. Mechanical nightmare. Two weeks after purchase: all seals went, entire cooling system replaced and engine stripped and rebuilt under warranty. All due to GMs Dex-Cool. It eats the seals. March 09: replaced radiator and water pump, again under warranty, and again due to Dex-Cool. At 45K rear third brake light strip burnt out, not warranteed. Replaced by dealer, part cost 400.00 alone. July 09: back to dealer for coolant leaks, transmission hesitation, and all- around groaning whenever car turns a corner. The Catera is a nightmare. No more GMs in my driveway.