To V or not to V?

[FasGP]

So I have come across a real winner 2005 CTS-V...with sick low mileage owned by an older gentleman...

Any feedback? This would become the daily driver summer car. Appreciate the opinions on this car. Can I expect decent highway mileage out of it or is that a wash?

TIA.

[00Beast]

Dooo ittt. The T56 has a pretty decent OD, I'd expect 20-ish highway (US).

[younggunls1]

Dooo ittt. The T56 has a pretty decent OD, I'd expect 20-ish highway (US).

20ish? I'd say more like mid twenties at least. If I do an all highway trip in my gto I can get mid to upper 20s and to hat's a head/cam car. I'd expect a 6 speed Ls6/ Ls2 (can't remember what year they changed to ls2) todo about the

Those cars do have their share of gremlins and problems tho too but if it's well taken care of and a great price and that's what you want then go for it.

[swampthing]

Where's lane? he will have an opinion for sure lol

[nos4blood70]

I'd hit it. Especially with a T56.

[swampthing]

What's the details? Mileage, year, condition, asking price?

[2003 SSEi]

the rear differentials are a know issue....they explode

[SSEiMan01]

Other than the diff issues, go for it. They're sex on wheels.

[ga93sle]

DO IT!!!! I want one so bad, but they don't exist around me... and if they do they have 20K miles and I can't afford them lol

[repinS]

the rear differentials are a know issue....they explode

I was just gonna say. One instance of wheel hop on a hard launch is all it takes!

[crash93ssei]

the rear differentials are a know issue....they explode

I was just gonna say. One instance of wheel hop on a hard launch is all it takes!

My friend Chris has a '05 CTS 3.6 and he was looking into a first gen V, that rear differential is the main reason he won't get one. There are fixes for it, including a bolt in 9" differential housing for it, but of course it isn't cheap.

[FasGP]

Black with black and graphite interior, nice tint all around, 6spd manual, new 20" rims/tires, stock original rims with rubber, rear axle replaced 8000k ago with the improved quality GM replacement. Lingenfelter cold air intake, corsa catback, 88000 kms on the clock. $18k CAD is like theft for this quality vehicle up here. Never seen snow or even rain since it left showroom.

Drove it yesterday, and as it chirped into 3rd gear when he told me to stomp it, I put a deposit on it.

Keep opinions coming, and thanks for the thoughts. I have a strong feeling I may buy this thing...

[crash93ssei]

Have money saved up for a other diff if you plan to abuse it at all. Even that "upgraded" GM diff really isn't that much better and still known to fail. Other then that it will be a completely badass car

[FasGP]

I was wondering about the new rear end quality and durability. Is there a vette or Ford 9 swap or something that can resolve this issue permanently? I don't plan to abuse it, but long term would be a T70 stattama sleeper mod, and I will need a strong rear end for that...

[younggunls1]

Thats a pretty good price especially for a mint car with all the right things done to it already. Gotta love fish tailing second and chirping third.. I'm gonna miss that! All of you upgrading make me feel bad for going the wrong way and downgrading ha.

[nos4blood70]

That sounds like a great deal.

[00Beast]

I'd do it. The rear end can be upgraded, it's just how much you can afford, lol.

[Jfridge92]

I agree, there are a lot of rear end options, just be careful until the new one is in. I'd jump on it in a heart beat if I had the cash.

[CMNTMXR57]

As mentioned repeatedly, up until 2006, the rear end was an issue. GM addressed it. Contrary to some posts, there AREN'T a lot of aftermarket support for the rear end, so short of sending it off to a driveline builder, or shop like G-Force, you're cheapest and best bet is the GM updated unit.

LSx will have enormous aftermarket, but unless you beef up the clutch and the rear end (see previous), you're gonna be broken down a lot. I would also recommend an aftermarket shifter. The stocker is standard GM vague and clumsy (like the GTO's). This I came across in several drives.

The interior though is a little on the cheap side. Buttons wear off their symbols easily, and I tend to always see broken off knobs on them. Many people don't like the navi system in it as it's not touch screen, reliant on the little buttons surrounding the unit. The rear seat area is on par size wise with your GP. This is one of the reasons I took it off my list as I need the rear seat space for critter seats. That may not be important to you.

Be ready for "Cadillac prices" though on anything and everything. It's kinda like "Corvette pricing". One thing I like about the CTS-V's is a few extra color options (vs. the STS-V).

But I'll be honest, I drove a lot of them, both CTS-V and STS-V's back to back when I was trying to decide what I "really" wanted. Between them all, I actually found the CTS-V's to be clumsier, and less engaging, even with a T56. They all seemed to slow to take to a curve, soft in handling (lots of body roll), and again that vague shifter feeling had me lacking. Taking an STS-V on the same course/drive moments later, it was like a completely different animal.

So, after a few months I had drawn up T-charts, and determined what was most important to me, being that the car was to be a DD.

Advantages for the CTS-V: Price (much less for comprable mileage), obvious aftermarket advantage vs. the STS-V
Disadvantages for the CTS-V: Much less power from the get go (yes, more potential after spending money), clumsy shifter, standard GM LSx/T56 clutch woes, known differential issues, rear seat size, and overall lower rent feel.

My most important criteria for me were power, rear seat size, and not having to spend money to replace necessary parts from the get-go. I'd rather spend my money on things I wanted to do, not to replace clutches, diffs, and other things.

Don't just jump on it to jump on it because it's available.

[swampthing]

Just a small point from my test driving regular cts's is that while the reat seat may not look big on paper I found it to be more comfortable and roomy then our 00 bonnie. I don't know if the v gets different seats or not