34k Original Miles: 1977 Cadillac Seville
Sometimes, a seller’s mileage claims for a classic don’t stand scrutiny. At others, the car is so beautifully preserved that it leaves little doubt. Such is the case with this 1977 Cadillac Seville. From its stunning exterior to its spotless interior, it carries the hallmarks of a car that has been protected and preserved. It has a genuine 34,000 miles on the clock, and I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Mitchell G. for spotting this stunning classic.
Cadillac introduced the Seville for the 1976 model year as a down-sized model to compete with European imports. The waterfall grille has a touch of the Rolls-Royce, but the overall styling is fairly typical of the cars Cadillac had in its crosshairs. The first owner ordered this Seville in Naples Yellow with a matching vinyl top. The presentation is first-rate, suggesting this classic has enjoyed a sheltered existence. The paint shines beautifully, with no evidence of significant flaws in it or the steel it cloaks. The vinyl is in as-new condition, and the underside shots confirm there are no traces of surface corrosion or penetrating rust. The tinted glass is flawless, and the trim gleams as impressively as the paint. The Caddy retains its classy wire hubcaps, while the whitewalls add the perfect finishing touch to this prestige classic.
Cadillac brought almost every weapon at its disposal into battle when building this Seville, and the new owner reaps the benefits. They receive climate-control air conditioning, power windows, power seats, cruise control, a tilt wheel, leather trim, lashings of woodgrain, and an AM/FM radio/8-track player. The interior presentation is on par with the exterior, meaning there is little to criticize. The Antique Light Yellow-Gold trim is free from issues, with the leather exhibiting the typical wrinkles that develop with age. The carpet and dash are spotless, and even the trunk is immaculate. The listing images suggest the back seat may never have seen occupants, and there is no visible wheel wear.
Lifting this Seville’s hood reveals an Oldsmobile-sourced 350ci V8, coupled to a three-speed automatic transmission. Given this car’s luxury leanings, power assistance for the steering and brakes was standard fare. The big news for buyers was the Bendix/Bosch electronic fuel injection. Most domestic models suffered at the hands of the latest emission laws, but this V8 delivered 180hp and 275 ft/lbs of torque off the showroom floor. Those figures sound modest today, but they were impressive when this Caddy was new. The seller claims this Seville has a genuine 34,000 miles on the clock, although they don’t mention verifying evidence. They claim its owners maintained it well, and if there are Service Records, they might confirm that figure. There is no insight into how it runs or drives, but it is realistic to expect a car of this caliber and in this price range to be perfect.
The seller listed this 1977 Cadillac Seville here on Craigslist in West Babylon, New York. Their price of $34,500 is well above the market average, which may explain why they haven’t received any bites after twenty-eight days on the market. Whether the situation changes is unclear, but I suspect they may need to compromise if it is to find a new home. Do you agree?
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Comments
I worked at a tire and wheel store in San Luis Obispo around 1977. These were nice cars at that time . I hated the fake wire wheel hub caps. Biggest pain in the butt to install and heavy. Some of our customers would purchase true chrome wire wheels . Granted this is a low mile Cadillac , very clean , but a little too high , price wise.
Safety and technology make newer cars much safer while driving along side
large and heavy SUV. Tesla trucks , GMC Hummer EV’s to name a few.
Dont make me laugh. There is a big 359 under that hood, not a puny 6 banger. If I was in a collision with a new Jap car, I’d much rather be in that Caddy.
I had a bumper sticker made for my old Caddys many years ago. It said ”my old Caddies have an energy absorbing crush zone too, it’s your car”!
The worse thing about new vehicles is sitting in the back seat with very little rear overhang behind you. No airbags to protect your back if the seville hits the new vehicle in the back.
I meant 350
Nice car, but grossly overpriced. And that pimpish chrome grill header has got to go.
I had one a little newer than this one, but the exact same color, I think the interior was even a brighter yellow. it was a 1 owner and pristine ,I payed $700
dollars for it and that was about 7 years ago. The same deal it was cheap because no one wanted it. I would guess the sellers of this car are finding that out
Yellow on a high end car like this looks stupid,in white it looks cool!
Thats a Florida 🌞 🍊 color right there for sure Camino.
One of the best looking designs ever in my opinion. Perfect stance and proportions 👌
It looks like a giant stick of butter… lol.
@JC, Al Camino, Stan & Joe…..
A lot of these were done in this yellow WITH a yellow interior! Talk about ugly.
The yellow is not bad, but not with a matching interior. That’s when you’re driving a stick of butter
If it gets a new owner, I hope he has the knowledge to replace all the rubber fuel lines with ones that are ethanol resistant. I’ve seen more than one of these burn due to deteriorated fuel lines.
I always liked these, drove a few and was mildly impressed over my grandfather’s 75 Brougham. Much better performance. While I like certain cars dressed in yellow, there are few places where this car would be at home: Palm Beach, Greenwich, Palm Springs & Beverly Hills. Nice unit here, but one could obtain a nice classic driver quality Cadillac for that optimistic asking price!
Had a 77′, in 85′, started having idling problems and every backyard motor head couldn’t get it right. [Due to having a computer] Finally brought it to Caddy dealership $$$. Second car in line and I get waved off… Get out of car and ask if they are full already and guy says, We don’t work on these cars anymore…. Long story short, He tells me rip off the fuel injection system, plus the computer, replace it with a regular carburetor, and manifold, and you’ll never have another problem with this car… PS As someone mentioned, the rubber gaskets on the injectors will deteriorate leaving a pond of gas on the manifold… Not a good thing…
This color combo is ok with me – if it was a bright green inside & out, that would be a lot worse, IMO.
After changing to a carburetor, even by the dealer, would you not have had had problems passing emissions inspection back in the day? & CARB might have failed you in their state just looking under the hood, knowing a carb should not be there! I would guess ALL states checked exhaust emissions with a simple ez to come by probe in the tailpipe back in the ’70s. It was hit or miss passing my ’74 firebird 400 with no cat & no air pump, with the stricter ’74 standards.
I wonder if Caddy also offered a TWO door Seville with a slanted rear roofline , would sales of Seville have been a lot higher? – tho i don’t remember seeing many luxury LN Novas – 2 or 4 door.
BIG 2 doors were STILL selling like crazy in the ’70s, espec Cutlass Supremes & Thunderbirds!
And, GM based it on the Chevy Nova, but upgraded just about everything. Sort of like the transformation of a Falcon into the Mustang, but more so. These were, and this one probably still is, a great road car, and short enough to park at the supermarket with ease. And the pale yellow was THE color in the places the previous commentator related, where the elderly well off spent their winters and summers. Bar Harbor, Nantucket, Upper Peninsula, Pocanos, Wyoming, for examples of the summer places.
Since we are giving this greedy stealership free advertisement, here a little background on this overpriced specimen, which they got for $26,400 out the door at Kissimmee back in January:
https://www.mecum.com/lots/1103260/1977-cadillac-seville/
I wonder what else $34,500 would buy?
That “waterfall grill, a hint of Rolls Royce” is aftermarket. The original Seville grill was horizontal eggcrate.
I never cared for a down sized Cadillac, unless it was one of their attempts at a 2 seater sports car. Competing with eurotrash was a waste of their time and resources and one of the reasons, among many, that Cadillac fell from grace and being “the Standard of the World”.
The Seville was definitely on my back burner in 1976. My eyes were on the barges, the de Villes, Fleetwoods & Eldorados.
But as time goes by, they intrigued me. Still don’t care for a small Cadillac, but I do like the first and second generation Sevilles now.
Rick, Frog, HoA, TCK, what’s your opinions on the Seville?
Well over priced but l believe she will bring a good price given it’s condition and low mileage. The seller has to realize there are Seville just as nice out there for much less ask. Very nice Seville though. I hope it finds a good home. She’s a beauty.
A classic example of GM’s mid-seventies “badge engineering”, let’s throw some extra chrome, a high-buck interior and EFI on a Nova, and see who bites! GM was attempting to compete with BMW on a budget, but most of these were bought by affluent suburban women, who wanted a Cadillac in a smaller package, with better gas mileage and was easier to park. Memories of the first “oil crisis” were still fresh, and the second oil embargo by Iran when Jimmy Carter let the deposed Shah of Iran into the US for cancer treatment in 1980 would soon follow, with corresponding increases in gas prices each time, so the Seville, while not at all competitive with BMW’s of the era, was the right car at the right time for GM.
Seville was no budget Caddy. They were $12,000 in 1975, or about 4k more than a Sedan DeVille.
The EFI was shared with the Cosworth Vega. It used an analog computer that very few GM technicians were ever trained to work on when these were new and almost no one by the mid 1980s. The Cosworth actually came with a package that included a specialized van service (there were 48 of these in the US in the mid-seventies) for the FI, since GM did not train most dealerships on working on these.
Might have been better with 1957 chevy mechanical fuel injection?
Imagine hooking this car up to today’s diagnostic equipment – smoke might come out.
lol
I respectfully disagree with the statement: “EFI was shared with the Cosworth Vega.” Uh, no. The Cosworth used a Bendix EFI system, while the Seville used a combination Bendix/Bosch injection system. Source: Wikipedia. The fact that the Seville used an Olds 350 V8, while the Cosworth Vega was a heavily modified Vega four-cylinder, means that very few components were shared between the two injection systems. The V8 would require a larger throttle body, and if a variant of the Bosch K-Jetronic was used, a larger fuel distributor, to feed the four extra cylinders of the V8.
GM invested a lot of capital in developing the Seville and it was no gas miser and yes the women did like the car men did also.l just don’t see this car as a budget attempt to complete with BMW. The car did have it’s issues but the Seville was a hit in many sectors of America. But you are correct in some of your opinions about the Seville. I respect that . The Seville was no budget especially for those who wanted one.