1979 Sedan deVille $6,995 in NJ

[colinlikens]

I have no connection to this car.  And while the 127k miles is higher than many we see here the car looks REALLY clean in the 23 photos that are posted.

https://newjersey.craigslist.org/ctd/d/saddle-brook-1979-cadillac-de-ville/7128626056.html

[D.Smith]

WOW!     Hard to believe the mileage and yet those seats look perfect!    Other than the steering wheel wear, you'd easily think it was only 27K miles

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Looks like a reupholstering to my untrained eyes.

Bruce.

[D.Smith]

more photos incase the ad disappears.

[D.Smith]

more photos incase the ad disappears.

[James Landi]

SOmeone in the Saddlebrook area (one of the most affluent zip codes in N. America) took great care of this car.  We already know the headliner was replaced, and, as mentioned, perhaps the entire upholstery... so, assuming that it has no frame rust-through and that everything works, it's a very nice example... thanks for posting, James

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Sorry to say this car isn't that nice.  Mickey Mouse dash pad cover glued over original because it cracked, carpet replaced, shot steering wheel, vinyl wrap over driver's door armrest and the blue carpet inserts in the lower door panels (which is still original) is very faded.  Basically a camouflage of a cooked interior.

Rust visible in upper driver's door post at the body seams and weatherstripping shot to death.

Netting $6,995 for a 1979 four door with 127K in pristine no-excuses original would be a challenge as it is; not a prayer with the demerits noted - and that's before shaking it upside down to see what other kinds of surprises fall out.

[gkhashem]

Sorry to say this car isn't that nice.  Mickey Mouse dash pad cover glued over original because it cracked, carpet replaced, shot steering wheel, vinyl wrap over driver's door armrest and the blue carpet inserts in the lower door panels (which is still original) is very faded.  Basically a camouflage of a cooked interior.

Rust visible in upper driver's door post at the body seams and weatherstripping shot to death.

Netting $6,995 for a 1979 four door with 127K in pristine no-excuses original would be a challenge as it is; not a prayer with the demerits noted - and that's before shaking it upside down to see what other kinds of surprises fall out.

Correct no way white seats look like that @ 127K, in fact hard to do @ 27K!

[chrisntam]

The driver's seat color is a tad darker than the passenger side seat.  That would bother me each time I opened the door.

[colinlikens]

OK.  This is a teachable moment for me:

How can you tell in these photos that there's a cover glued onto the dash pad?  Is it 1) the perforations for the front speakers instead of speaker grills and 2) the lack of a screw heads visible on the sides of the dashboard?

I confess I had a moment of doubt whether the front door armrests looked fishy.   Perhaps I should have mentioned it.  And the steering wheel's sorry state is a cautionary sign (but I've read folks here saying they failed when cars where still fairly new).

I continue to be impressed by the sharp attention to details in these forums.

Thanks.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Being quite familiar with "Tri7" RWD Cadillac DeVilles/Broughams so the extra overhang from the upper dash pad was immediately apparent.  Perforations over the speaker grills on closer inspection confirmed this beyond doubt. They make these overlays for 59/60 too - call it the poor man's dash restoration.

As to the steering wheel - the narrower woodgrain rim insert used starting in 1979 held up a lot better than the insert used in previous years. Besides that, the plastic shows considerable heat damage which coincides with the faded carpet inserts in the lower door panels. Even for a '79, this wheel is pretty sad shape.

Things would need to have gotten out of hand long before carpet replacement would be warranted in a 1979 Cadillac DeVille. That alone practically eliminates the need to delve any further. It is therefore practically inconceivable that some type of repairs not having been done to the seat upholstery given how destructible white leather is.

Whatever was done to doll them up, 99.9% odds it was done in the same slipshod manner as everything else.

[gkhashem]

A nice $2000-2500 driver assuming it runs properly. 

Of course I am being generous. 

[colinlikens]

This has been a cool lesson in other things to look for.  Thanks!

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Plus, the condition of the weather stripping on the drivers door top is really trashed.

Bruce.

[Cadman-iac]

I guess the harpooners are out in force once again.
That's why I didn't post my 77 for sale on here.

[gkhashem]

I guess the harpooners are out in force once again.
That's why I didn't post my 77 for sale on here.

As usual, the truth hurts. When I buy a car I ask the seller to "trash" it. I tell them nothing personal just business. Why? I tell them so  I can decide if the price is fair considering all the flaws. Then I am not wasting their time or mine. It's the buyer's call on the flaws not the seller! The buyer is paying!!!!

No point in hiding flaws so I can travel 200-500 miles just to turn back.

Every car has flaws, so why not disclose them so the buyer can decide if they can live with them? Then everyone is happy if a price can be settled on.

So while you think you are taking the high road trying to hide stuff you are not. A bit of a one sided viewpoint I would say.

That being said I will not buy a car unless I see it or someone who knows what I want sees it. I bought once not looking and that's the only collector car I have ever sold.

[Cadman-iac]

I honestly don't care one way or another.  It's not a car I am interested in, just like the 1980 Seville that was posted about a week ago.  But when I said something about its condition,  I was blasted with the exact same comment that I had just made here.

Odd.

[gkhashem]

I honestly don't care one way or another.  It's not a car I am interested in, just like the 1980 Seville that was posted about a week ago.  But when I said something about its condition,  I was blasted with the exact same comment that I had just made here.

Odd.

I have no problems if someone points out flaws in a respectful manner, it is what it is. So if you did I have no problem with it. I have no desire to play games. We are talking about a car not a person, but for some reason it gets personal for some.

But for reasons I can only guess why people go off when a car is critiqued.  The reasons would not be flattering on the person who objects to an honest pointing out of facts. Now an opinion is another issue where people just trash a car since they do not like the model.

[D.Smith]

I know several people who brag that they can get any asking price cut in half with six standard questions or comments.  Doesn't matter to them if the car was priced fair to begin with. 

[gkhashem]

I know several people who brag that they can get any asking price cut in half with six standard questions or comments.  Doesn't matter to them if the car was priced fair to begin with.

One situation is an estate sale, where cash only matters since the owners do not factor in much else sometimes other than a quick payday.

We are kind of bringing up outlier deals rather than a typical sale. Try those 6 questions on a dealer.

The 6 questions are meant to size up the seller. Desperate or not.

For me if the car is mint and i want it I will reasonably over pay within my means. I have never regretted that yet. Eventually if you keep the car for 5 or more years and it's still mint you will get the money back.