[Kahuna]

I have an opportunity to buy what I believe is the infamous 2004 XLR that locked the lady in – TWICE –and was lemoned back to GM (charging and/or electrical drain problem). Can anyone tell me what (if anything) GM/Cadillac does in terms of repair on this type of buy-back? Is there a way to confirm what repairs were done? Is this now a safe car to buy and should I try to negotiate a better than normal price due to its history if I do decide to make an offer?

The car looks perfect cosmetically and only has 19,000 miles – 13 months left on the original factory warranty - if it is still valid. Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[Guest]

Did you hear the commercial for ON Star where the lady was freaked out because she couldn't get out of the car because she left her keys outside the car?
Turns out when O S sent a signal to unlock they heard ding ding ding which means the keys are in the car. Boy was that lady embarrassed.

There are many answers to your question.
1. Don't buy it
2. If you do, was it repaired and if it does the same thing will they take it back
3. Get them down to a good price. A car that was lemoned, By law can't be sold and must be crushed, but they do it anyway.
4. Consider if you want to deal with a drain on a very small battery that will not last while putting up the top 4 times with the engine not running.

Remember sitting with your girl and watching whale fights with the radio on and the engine off? One half hour and your battery is dead in this car.
I would have to get an awfully good deal to buy this car.
Bob

 

[XLRAT]

You could ask them to do what they did with ours. Certified warranty which extends the original 04 warranty to 100k. Then you don't have to worry about it. I'd keep looking if I thought it was lemoned out.

Paul

 

[1_XLR]

Only consider it if it has a full warranty....and a CLEAN title

 

[Kahuna]

Thanks for all the input! It is interesting that so far I have heard everything from Standby’s ‘by law, it must go to the crusher’ to ‘it can’t be warranted’ . . . from a Cadillac salesman to the CARFAX report saying ‘there are 13 months left on the warranty.’ CARFAX does further state that ‘it DOES NOT qualify for their buyback guarantee.’

I will be talking with the owner of the dealership (Buick dealer that supposedly bought this car at a GM sale for his wife) later this week to see what he will offer in terms of price and warrantee and if it would indeed qualify for another buyback if the same or other type of problem occurs in the future.

Standby, I agree with you on the battery as I have also found (having owned 2 Cadillacs, an Eldorodo and a DTS) that Cadillac batteries are short lived! I also know that my current Jag XK8 has a battery that looks like it belongs in a golf cart or perhaps a hybrid, but with this you CAN put the top up and down with the engine off and not worry about the battery dieing!

One final curiosity is that the CARFAX report appears to be saying that this car was reported on 3 separate occasions ‘MANUFACTURE BUYBACK OR LEMON REPORTED.’ I need to confirm whether these are 3 separate instances or if the second and third are simply an acknowledgement (perhaps required by state law) that a new owner is aware of the original problem.

 

[xlrjim]

lemon purchase

I don't know what state you are in but in california it is possible to purchase a car that has been lemoned by the manufacturer. If the car is out of original factory warrenty a state required 1 year warrenty must be put on the car.

I have a close friend that purchased a 2005 lemoned and has had great luck with it. He paid at least 15K under the going price. However he says the registration and title both are inprinted with (lemon law buyback). I am sure the car will always have a reduced resale value because of this. He buys and sells cars like most people buy shoes so he really doesnt care.

Good luck if you buy the car. Personally I would look for one that has a clean title.

 

[1_XLR]

. However he says the registration and title both are inprinted with (lemon law buyback). .

I believe this is a real problem for insurance

 

[Guest]

I agree, the more I think about it there are to many varibles to contend with.........Deal or No Deal.....
NO DEAL...........or poll the 100
Just my opinion

I believe this is a real problem for insurance

 

[XLR I FL]

I agree with the guys here.

If cadillac will CERTIFY IT then it may be a good purchase for a reasonable price.

RESALE AND INSURANCE are considerations as is CARFAX retaining the LEMON HISTORY.

Bob aka standby is right it may be a "NO DEAL" item. There a lots of other used XLR's that are better considerations.

Good Luck with your decision.

 

[elfred]

Thanks for all the input! It is interesting that so far I have heard everything from Standby’s ‘by law, it must go to the crusher’ to ‘it can’t be warranted’ . . . from a Cadillac salesman to the CARFAX report saying ‘there are 13 months left on the warranty.’ CARFAX does further state that ‘it DOES NOT qualify for their buyback guarantee.’

I will be talking with the owner of the dealership (Buick dealer that supposedly bought this car at a GM sale for his wife) later this week to see what he will offer in terms of price and warrantee and if it would indeed qualify for another buyback if the same or other type of problem occurs in the future.

Standby, I agree with you on the battery as I have also found (having owned 2 Cadillacs, an Eldorodo and a DTS) that Cadillac batteries are short lived! I also know that my current Jag XK8 has a battery that looks like it belongs in a golf cart or perhaps a hybrid, but with this you CAN put the top up and down with the engine off and not worry about the battery dieing!

One final curiosity is that the CARFAX report appears to be saying that this car was reported on 3 separate occasions ‘MANUFACTURE BUYBACK OR LEMON REPORTED.’ I need to confirm whether these are 3 separate instances or if the second and third are simply an acknowledgement (perhaps required by state law) that a new owner is aware of the original problem.

In most all states that I am aware of the title must be "branded" as a lemon law repurchase. If GM is looking to sell this car it MUST be repaired when offered for resale. Traditionally values of these vehicles are low. (meaning you can STEAL this vehicle) I would tell you to push for 100K warranty and some assurances. Almost always these cars are fine when offered for resale. If they cannot be repaired they are usually donated to a tech school or sent to engineering for use in crash or reliability testing and then CRUSHED.
Hope this helps you. Should you have additional questions just PM me and I will be glad to assist you.
Fred

 

[Kahuna]

Thanks again to all of the forum members that have replied. Fred, I very much appreciate your input on the GM repairs.

I am in Pennsylvania and currently am enjoying the car for an extended test drive in our 'early spring' 70 degree weather and have asked the dealer for a print-out of the service history. I have also asked for the Certified Warranty and he is checking. This is a Buic k dealer in Central PA (Harrisburg), and as such says he is not authorized to give a Cadillac Certified Warranty, BUT his brother has a Cadillac dealership in another state and he is checking to see if he is able to process the extended warranty. I agree that this needs to be a better than normal deal based on everyone's input and am thinking of making an offer in the mid to high 30s (plus a good trade on my Jag), but ONLY with the extended warranty. The dealer has mentioned the GM Protection Plan, but I do not know how this compares with the Certified warranty.

So far the car has worked well (2 days and about 100 miles) with the top up and down numerous times. The only things I have noticed are a curb scratched rim and the original tires were replaced with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S. There does seem to be an unsettled or 'floaty/jiggly' feel over some road irregularties and I am wondering if this is part of the XLR suspension setup (PA roads are falling apart this time of year), the tires (35psi per onboard readout) or a possible problem. I have read about something like this in test reports on the XLR, but do not know if I am experiencing the same thing or a potential problem. I am currently driving a Jag XK8 with 18 inch tires and have had several Porsches in the past, so I know how I like car to feel, but have only limited experience with driving an XLR.

 

[Guest]

Fred,
Before I comment on the unsettling feeling about the floaty ride, I would like to let you know that I had twenties on my 04 and when I hit an uneven patch of road it would slide over a fraction, one way or the other. It also tended to track on rain grooves on cement roads. I have twenties on my 06-V but it doesn't act like the 04 over uneven roads, but the suspension is a lot more beefed up on the V.
What size rims are on the car and if they are still stock? I would suggest some chrome 20's and tires to match up with the original circumference. It will be a little bit harder ride.
BTW...........tire pressure should be about 32psi, not 35.
I can post a few pics of rims that would really look good on your 04 if you like.
Bob...................Sunny, top down and 78 degrees today