I enjoy it, but I miss my Saab

I sold a 1993 Saab 9000 Aero when I bought my Catera in 1998, and I have rarely taken my Cadillac out on the open road without regretting that decision. Do you want to know why?

Let me start with some basics about the Catera: I think it’s a good value; I got a lot of features for the money: a safe and solid car with nice touches, including a super Bose sound system, a great “Gee Whiz” feature with the On Star gps system, and lots of luxury bells and whistles like power/leather/sunroof. The ride is smooth and -- under most conditions --relatively quiet.

But there is too little excitement in this car. I find it underpowered for open road touring, and the little engine makes a lot of noise when called on to accelerate to freeway speeds. The styling turns no heads. While the interior provides decent room for four and adequate space for five, it does so by sacrificing storage room everywhere: the trunk is very small, the glovebox is tiny and even the pouches on the doors and seatbacks are cramped. The front seats could be much more comfortable.

Perhaps most troubling is the amount of niggling, routine repair it has needed. I love my Cadillac dealership and they have been super professional about fixing things -- but I don’t *want* to know the service manager this well. None of the problems have been major: a broken serpentine belt was the worst of the lot, which has also included misalignment (they replaced all four tires); a variety of dashboard indicator light problems; electric sunroof problems; and a troubling tendency for the engine to race.

I hope the newer Cateras can address some of these problems, especially the lack of spirit. I applaud Cadillac for introducing a car of this size and price, but I’d need for it to develop considerably before buying another.