One With The Lot: 1990 Cadillac Brougham d’Elegance
When the original owner purchased this Cadillac, it appears that they picked up the options list and went pretty close to ordering one with the lot. Of the available options, the only one that they failed to choose was the factory CD player. Otherwise, it all appears to be there with this Cadillac. I would like to thank Barn Finder Pat L for referring this one to us. The Cadillac is located in Sarasota, Florida, and listed for sale here on Craigslist.
When some cars are finished in black, they can look positively menacing. However, the Sable Black paint on this car just oozes class, while the hand-painted red pinstripe provides a nice contrast. The danger with large cars such as the Cadillac if they are painted black is that they can take on an appearance that gives the impression that they would look at home as part of an undertaker’s fleet. The silver trim on this car seems to largely save it from that fate, and the overall exterior presentation of the car is quite impressive.
When a car tips the scales at more than 4,300lbs, it is going to require some ponies under the hood to get it up and moving. This Cadillac has the 350ci V8 engine under the hood, and while it only provides 175hp to propel the car, that power is what Rolls-Royce would term as “adequate.” This is backed by a 4-speed automatic transmission, and as befits a luxury car, you get power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning. The car is also fitted with the FE2 suspension package, which should provide the car with a more sure-footed grip on the road. Speaking of grip, the car recently had its original tires removed and a new set fitted, as the originals were suffering from major deterioration issues.
When you’re dealing with a car such as this Cadillac, the byword for the car has to be opulence. The Dark Carmine leather upholstery looks supple and inviting, and the overall condition of the interior is spotless. For 1990 the Cadillac received a digital dash cluster, and the one in this car, which indicates that the car has covered 43,000 miles, appears to work perfectly. The factory Astroroof allows plenty of daylight to enter the interior, as needed, and as I said previously, apart from the CD player, everything that you could possibly want in the way of luxury features, is present.
The owner of this Cadillac refers to it as “The Holy Grail,” mainly due to its condition, equipment levels, and low mileage. You certainly can’t argue that it misses out in those areas, and it is certainly a refined and elegant vehicle. So now we come to the potential sticking point: The price. The owner has set the price of the Cadillac at $26,000. That is a long way above the NADA guide price, and it is about $5,000 more expensive than its closest comparable car that is currently on the market. Having said that, this car is better equipped than the other vehicle, and the mileage on this one is half that of its competitor. Does that justify the price?
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Comments
Beautiful Fleetwood, yes. Worth $26K? Uh, no. If I had the $$, I’d offer $18K CASH. Not a dime more.
You took the words right out of my mouth. Nice car for sure, but it’s a good buy @ $18,750, crediting him some for the mileage and overall condition. Anymore than that and it’s a good bye. And good luck.
Hey,Johnny,where is the one in your picture located? The background looks like a place here in Mich.Thanks and Happy 2019 to you!🎉🥂
I have had seven devilles since my twenties. I curently own a 2003DTS. My comment is that these were WAY underpowered. They could be dangerous when attempting to pass.
With the 350, they have plenty of power. The dangerous model’s are the full size Caddys with the 4100
You are mistaken on this I’m afraid. You’re thinking of the 1980s models with a 307 olds engine. These Cadillacs with a Chevy 350 TBI are lightning fast and get excellent mileage as well. They will run circles around any front wheel drive DeVille believe me.
Looking thru a long unopened file cabinet to check my paperwork and I humbly admit you are right. The car I had that I considered dangerous was a 307.
4300 pounds and 185 horsepower does not make for ‘lightning fast’ – not even close. With a factory-rated 0-60 time of 10.6 seconds, you’re losing drag races to clapped-out minivans.
It’s lovely, but slooooooow.
Having owned an ’85 Fleetwood Brougham d’Elegance in the early-2000s, I can say the HT4100 puts this chassis on par with an ’81 Mercedes W123 240D in regard to acceleration.
0-60 was a tick over 20 seconds, and there wasn’t anything wrong with my car, that’s just what you get when a 135 hp/190 torques V8 is the motorvation for over two tons of fun.
There were freeway entrance ramps which required extensive knowledge of momentum maximization techniques in their approach.
This said, it would return an honest 19-20 MPG combined in-town, and the accelerator was on the floor a lot!
BTW, on the acceleration run, 50-60 MPH took a disproportionate amount of the recorded time. It was 6-8 seconds.
I love these cars, but there is no shortage of these cars in good condition.
I don’t see a special enough car to warrant this price.
I don’t care what Rolls Royce would call it …it ain’t adequate …. I would call it a boat anchor
I’m not old enough to own this car
I am old enough to own it, but, my wallet says otherwise. Beautiful car but could still use a larger more powerful engine. $26K is way to high, too. Aside from all that, yeah, sure, why not?
You are not going to racing people from stoplight to stoplight in this car. If that is what you want you should look elsewhere. This car should move out just fine with the 350 in it. If you want some easy horsepower just install a true dual exhaust system. I have owned Fleetwoods with the 4.1 litre, 368 cubic inch and 472 cubic inch. My Dad had a 500 cubic inch Eldorado. The only boat anchor in the bunch was the 4.1 litre. I would also stay away from any 5.0 litre models.
I would LOVE to own this car, but not for that price!
$7500 tops.
I started road driving in a very similar car when I was 14. My dad had a ’91 outfitted very similarly but with no sunroof. It was midnight blue with dark blue interior. I’ve often thought if I come across one like it in good condition I’d buy it.
I say road driving meaning that was the car I started driving on interstates when learning, but I’d been driving a WW2 surplus Willys in pastures and dirt roads since I was 10. No working clutch mind you, just grind it til you find it.
Having owned an ’85 Fleetwood Brougham d’Elegance in the early-2000s, I can say the HT4100 puts this chassis on par with an ’81 Mercedes W123 240D in regard to acceleration.
0-60 was a tick over 20 seconds, and there wasn’t anything wrong with my car, that’s just what you get when a 135 hp/190 torques V8 is the motorvation for over two tons of fun.
There were freeway entrance ramps which required extensive knowledge of momentum maximization techniques in their approach.
This said, it would return an honest 19-20 MPG combined in-town, and the accelerator was on the floor a lot!
BTW, on the acceleration run, 50-60 MPH took a disproportionate amount of the recorded time. It was 6-8 seconds.
Every thing is big in texas
Not even a Caddy Nut would pay this kind of money for a 1990. When you can find them in good shape for $8K to $15K.
Pricing guides are not reflective of the market and demand for these 90-92 Broughams, esp ones in well-preserved condition combined with desirable colors and options (D’Elegance trim, astroroof and 5.7L are the holy trinity). That being said, this isn’t a $7500 or $15k car- at least +$20k based on all that’s going for it. And yes – these cars do change hands for those sums….
And what exactly is wrong with “looking at home as part of an undertaker’s fleet”? 🤣
Pricing in the market proves these cars are not worth $26 K to me and plenty of others. People over pay for cars all the time, this is not one that you should over pay to acquire.
Daved – Here is a 1991 for just $13 K and if purchased I would have plenty of money left over for any repairs. The one for sale at $26 K does not ride $13 K better than this one, having owned 6 different Cadillacs from a 1967 to a 1995, I am sure of that.
https://classics.autotrader.com/classic-cars/1991/cadillac/brougham/101041846