1968 Cadillac Eldorado black on black no vinyl top.

[John_S_in_Penna]

7 hours ago, GregLaR said:

[Cadillac SRX]  ...it has been one check engine light nightmare/recall after another. 

...I will not buy another Cadillac (unless it's a very old one).

Greg, your writing should be in some national magazine.

Instead of their writing about G forces and slalom results,

they should describe the ownership experience.  And

every Cadillac designer and engineer should read what

you wrote, also.

 

You might be interested to know that Cadillac once

must really have been the "Standard of the World."

In the mid-1950's, Consumer Reports gave them 

glowing reviews:  They were among the most reliable

cars, and for their size, they were actually economical!

Deservedly, their resale value, as a percentage of original

cost, was the highest of all cars on the market.

 

Greg, you might want to avoid modern German cars too.

From what others have said, they can be very expensive

to repair as they get older.  Maybe it's time to look at

Toyota and Lexus, if you like those particular models.

 

For the expensive repairs to a modern car, you could

be putting that money instead into a beautiful antique car

or two!

Edited December 22, 2021 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Oh John Nooo....  German stuff may cost a little more but outside of MB I found repairs pretty close to avarage for what it's worth.  Even so, I figure 95% of my drive time is in daily drivers (wish more time in the oldies but it is just not the case now).  I still like a vehicle that makes me smile - it's got to be interesting to some degree.  

For that reason I have yet to even have a conversation about a Toyota with my neighbor, who is closing in on 30 years selling them.  They sell well, and serve a purpose, but in all that time with the exception of a big pick up truck model that looks like a Silverado knock off, I have yet to see him bring home anything I could be excited about driving.  If I wake up and someone hands me keys to a Camry, I will know I passed and ended up at the other place... 😁

[Guest]

John S,

                        Thank you for the nice compliment.

And I totally agree with your point of Cadillac once being the "Standard of the World".   I remember an uncle telling me, when he was a kid in the late 1940's and seeing a new Cadillac parked at the curb, he and a couple of his pals walked over and just stared at it, mesmerized!   It made a statement in those days that even a 10 year old kid understood.   Everyone has heard (and used) the expression "That (item) is The Cadillac of (those items)".

Back in 1988 my neighbor bought a new Lincoln Town car, Cartier Edition.  Several of us neighborhood dads popped over to see his new car and enjoy a cold beer in his driveway.  The car was very nice and he was deservedly proud.  He explained that it was the finest, most expensive car in the Lincoln lineup that year.   I agreed whole-heartedly and then got a big laugh from the guys when I said "Yes, Doug, it's the Cadillac of Lincolns!"

Well, they all laughed .....except for Doug.  

[TexRiv_63]

On 12/22/2021 at 7:04 AM, John_S_in_Penna said:

You might be interested to know that Cadillac once

must really have been the "Standard of the World."

In the mid-1950's, Consumer Reports gave them 

glowing reviews:  They were among the most reliable

cars, and for their size, they were actually economical!

Deservedly, their resale value, as a percentage of original

cost, was the highest of all cars on the market.

 

 

Here is my Cadillac story leading back to the original post. My black 68 Eldo was the first Caddy I ever owned, it was an Illinois car that I restored from a pretty good original that I found in a local want ad. I went over to look at it and the lady owner let me take it on a test drive by myself. I was waiting to enter a busy section of highway at an on-ramp with a stop sign. I was about to roll through it when I saw a police car directly behind me so I made a quick stop. At the exact same moment the cop saw a speeder zoom by and hit the gas, running pretty hard into the back of the Eldo. We both got out, the cop admitted fault and called another cop to the scene where insurance info was exchanged. The funny part was that the mid 70's Chevy cop car was really messed up with the whole grill shattered and the back of the Eldo only had a small dent in the bumper! Naturally I bought the car along with three other Eldo parts cars. Even in rust belt Illinois the quality of the Cadillac chrome parts allowed me to find almost perfect used parts and have no rechroming expense.

[Guest]

That is a beauty Don!

[Matt Harwood]

I have a kidney that I would have traded for that car, Don.

[58L-Y8]

One our late Packard Club region members was also a Cadillac enthusiast as well.   Among his collection of a dozen cars was a solid dark blue 1967 Eldorado, no vinyl top, but equipped with the bucket seats and console option.  It looked like the car in the initial 1967 advertisement.  He bought the car brand new, kept it in pristine condition.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

@TexRiv_63Don, just wow. 👍

[Jim Skelly]

On 12/19/2021 at 1:02 PM, alsancle said:

I guess this one checks every box but maybe condition which is not great, although probably more than fine for local cruise nights.

 

1.  68 - big engine, hidden headlights

2.  Black on black.

3.  No vinyl top.

 

Am I missing something?

 

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1968-cadillac-eldorado-10/

 

This 1968 Cadillac Eldorado is finished in black over black leather upholstery and powered by a 472ci V8 paired with a three-speed automatic transaxle. Equipment includes 15″ steel wheels with covers, concealed headlights, chrome bumpers, a dual-exit exhaust, power windows, power door locks, and a push-button AM/FM stereo. The car was acquired by the seller in 2018, and work completed during their ownership has consisted of repainting the body, repairing vacuum leaks, and replacing the starter, battery, fuel pump, and radiator. This Eldorado is offered with a clean New Jersey title in the seller’s name.

 

It's missing the wheel opening moldings and ELDORADO block letters on the front fenders.  The interior is supposed to have Rosewood veneer paneling on the dashboard and interior door panels.  I own one of these. 

[alsancle]

The power of the color black and Bring a Trailer result in a 21K sales price.  

[Matt Harwood]

I stayed in the bidding until the point where I thought I couldn't dump it if it was worse than I thought. I'm reassuring myself by believing that it needed more than was apparent.

[alsancle]

16 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said:

I stayed in the bidding until the point where I thought I couldn't dump it if it was worse than I thought. I'm reassuring myself by believing that it needed more than was apparent.

 

You didn't find the color change a deal killer?  

[Guest]

Sold for $21,000.

I'd say they squeezed every drop out of that one.

[Matt Harwood]

13 hours ago, alsancle said:

 

You didn't find the color change a deal killer?  

 

Meh. As you know, I like cars for what they are as much as for what they should be. Pedigrees don't matter as much to me and on a mass-produced car where it was refinished in a factory color that's arguably better than what it had originally, I'm OK with it. I realize it hurts ultimate value for a lot of people, but I've wanted a black '68 Eldo for a long while and it isn't for investment or show purposes. I just like the look and the drive and a color change doesn't affect those things, but I'm also the guy who would happily own and drive a "floor sweepings" Duesenberg J. Looks the same, feels the same, smells the same.

 

The thing that ultimately turned me off on this particular Eldorado was the interior, which looked tired despite new carpets and upholstery. All the soft parts were cracking and flaking, the steering wheel was coming apart, the dash was delaminating, the gauges were faded, etc. There was a lot of work yet to do and I wasn't sure I would be happy looking at all those issues. As I said, I stayed in the bidding until I thought there wasn't enough headroom to eject if I didn't want the car (it was also $2000 worth of shipping away). I bought a very nice red one for myself about a year ago but it was a '67 and I didn't much care for the bright red (even though it was correct San Mateo Red for that car). It was local so propinquity dictated that I buy it, but I sold it just as quickly. A black '68 is really what I have my heart set on, but I'm shopping quality more than pedigree.

 

[Cadillac Fan]

I am sure you have seen this:

https://www.hemmings.com/classifieds/cars-for-sale/cadillac/eldorado/2543226.html