At $21,500, Could This 2005 Cadillac CTS-V Give You An Edge?

When first introduced by Cadillac, the CTS’s ‘Art and Science’ styling carried the marque in a new direction. When the hot edition arrived in the form of today’s Nice Price or No Dice CTS-V, all other paths rapidly disappeared in the rearview. Let’s see what a nice example of such a wild concoction should rightfully go for today.

In 1944, Walt Disney and RKO Pictures celebrated Donald Duck’s 10th anniversary (ominously falling on Friday, the 13th) with an anthology film entitled “The Three Caballeros.” The film featured a mix of live-action and animated segments, centering on Donald being given a tour of Latin America by his parrot and chicken friends. That trio lent the film its title.

We looked at one caballero yesterday —a 1978 GMC Caballero, to be exact. A clone of Chevy’s El Camino for the GMC crowd, the car featured a rare combo of a 350 V8 and a four-speed manual gearbox. That, along with a decent presentation and no major bugaboos, made for a lot to like at the car’s $5,600 asking price. A stellar 85% ‘Nice Price’ win was the result.

Over the decades, the Cadillac nameplate has meant many things to many people. Once touted as the “standard of the world,” the marque fell on hard times in the 1980s as consumer tastes changed and new competitors entered the market.

The company seemed to get its mojo back at the turn of the new millennium, sloughing off dud models like the Catera, which was just a rebadged Opel for a new line of cars and mid-sized crossovers based on a fresh RWD platform internally dubbed Sigma.

The first of these cars was the CTS, which some people suggest was originally the abbreviation of Catera Touring Sedan, but that’s never been confirmed, and GM muckety-mucks are mum on the rumor. The CTS didn’t just represent a new platform for Caddy; the styling also provided a new direction for the marque. Dubbed Art and Science (because, why not?), the design emphasizes clean lines, sharp angles, and, in a nod to Cadillac’s past, vertical tail lamps that resemble early 1960s tailfins.

This 2005 Cadillac CTS-V shows off those lines under its Light Tarnished Silver (yes, that’s what they called it) metallic paint. That’s paired with a set of chromed factory six-spoke alloys and the V edition’s iconic mesh grille capping the model’s deep front valance.

It’s what’s behind that grille that counts, however. The engine bay is chock-full of an LS6 pushrod V8 borrowed with no intention of returning from the Chevy Corvette. As fitted in the Cadillac, that mill makes 400 horsepower and 395 pound-feet of torque at a loping 4,800 rpm. Behind that is a dual-mass flywheel feeding a Tremec T56 six-speed manual and eventually a limited-slip diff in the middle of the independently sprung rear end. Other updates for the V include six-lug hubs, uprated springs and dampers at all four corners, and hella-big Brembo brakes to rein everything in. All that conspired to make one of the coolest sports sedans of the modern era.

This one remains cool because it’s touted as being all-stock. That means it hasn’t been monkeyed with aside from regular maintenance. This is a two-owner car with just 75,000 miles on the clock and an appealing presentation in the ad. On the exterior, everything looks solid, save for apparent clouding on the driver’s side headlamp cover. Was the curbside one replaced at some point? There’s also some minor paint scraping on the front lip, unsurprising given how low it is. The wheels appear uncurbed, and the engine bay presents as clean and tidy. 

It’s more of the same in the cabin, with the only complaints to be had being GM’s choice at the time of cheesy materials and dashboard styling that gives off Saab vibes. Everything in here since leaving the factory appears up to snuff, showing no wear to speak of. According to the ad, all major services have been completed, including the replacement of the water pump, alternator, and an A/C service. In addition, the battery, brakes, and tires are new as well. The seller will smog the car at the time of sale, and the Caddy comes with a clean title.

According to the seller, they use the car as a daily driver and are therefore not in any rush to make the sale. They claim that they are “not going to consider lowballs or comparisons to other cars, it’s a no BS clean condition car that will only go up in value as a collectors item.” To start that collection, the next owner will need to come up with $21,500, as that’s the seller’s asking price.

What do we think about this Caddy at that asking? Does that seem fair for a completely stock and seemingly well-cared-for example of a CTS-V? Or does that price have you itching to see how low a ball you could throw?

You decide!

Nice Price or No Dice:

San Francisco Bay Area, California, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

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