1978-79 Cdv - what should I check before buying ?

[gkhashem]

Well one of them is a guy from Texas with initials MG. Are we sure it had 18,000 miles.??   

A 800 mile car is in a league by itself. That is hard to find.

The others are years ago. It seems lately the prices in these cars has gone sideways or down.

As for the one I just posted I did because it seemed to go much higher than I have seen recently and that was my point. Are prices going up?

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

https://www.mecum.com/lots/PA0818-330476/1979-cadillac-coupe-deville/

$18,700. Repaint, cracked dash, steering wheel woodgrain shot.

[Scot Minesinger]

Those brushed chrome (maybe plastic) that run on each side from front of hood all the way to back of rear quarter are amazing.  I have seen them in person and they really dress up that car.  If I bought a 77-79 RWD Cadillac I would be finding a nice set and adding it to mine if it did not come as original equipment.  In my travels have only seen two of them both coupes - was it available on a sedan?

[STS05lg]

Scot,

Those brushed chrome metal spears (they were not plastic) on both sides of the power dome on the hood and running along the top of the door were from American Sunroof Corp. They were slightly modified versions of the spears that were on the 1977-1978 Eldorado Biarritz package that ASC installed on Eldorados. However, the ones in the car for sale most likely were dealer installed. They were a popular dealer add on item, kind of like 24" wheels and Vogue tires are today. I remember seeing a number of tri-seven Coupes on the showroom floor with the add on at Swell Cadillac in Dallas. You know Texans we like our Cadillacs to stand out in crowd. I never seen them added to a tri-sevens Sedan deVille. Most likely because of seams between the doors and they were derived from the spears on the Eldorado Biarritz. Not to say there is not one out there somewhere.

Lynn

[jagbuxx #12944]

Those brushed chrome (maybe plastic) that run on each side from front of hood all the way to back of rear quarter are amazing.  I have seen them in person and they really dress up that car.  If I bought a 77-79 RWD Cadillac I would be finding a nice set and adding it to mine if it did not come as original equipment.  In my travels have only seen two of them both coupes - was it available on a sedan?

They were available on Sedans as well. They were a brushed metal. Option code AR for 1979..

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Accent trim option. Available in 1978 & 1979 on DeVille & Brougham.

When ordered from the factory there would be two changes:

1. Pinstripe would be deleted from rear filler panels.

2. Body side molding has vinyl insert which color coordinated to the vinyl roof (on DeVilles). The same style body side molding was standard on DeVille d'Elegance, Brougham and Limousine, eventually becoming standard on base DeVilles in 1980. (On Broughams, Limousines and 1980 DeVilles, the vinyl insert was matched to the lower body color rather than the vinyl roof)

I have never encountered any car in the wild equipped with Accent trim did not have these two features. If the trim were dealer installed, the pinstripe would need to be removed (if equipped) and in the case of base DeVilles, the body side moldings would also have to be changed from regular all-stainless type to color keyed type in order to be correct.   

[Scot Minesinger]

Back in the day in 1979 if buying new, I would start with the accent trips, vinyl top delete, and the performance rear axle.  Then of course leather, tilt, twilight, trunk release, cruise, and etc. (no wire wheels, no sun roof). 

Then 5 years later order 10 dealer sets of rear body fillers to join fender to bumper - any left over could be sold today.  The replacements were perfect fit and way better quality than original - I saw a car with 30 year old replacements from dealer - perfect still today.