The most recent addition to our driveway was unexpected, but surprisingly welcome. I recently posted an entry entitled “The Cat in Racing Overalls” about the unusual transition of Cadillac from luxo-barge to performance sedan. The V-Series of Cadillacs are not inexpensive cars, nor are they miserly at the gas pump, but that is their price of admission.
After my wife recently lost her beloved Pontiac Aztek to total loss collision, the driveway positions have been in flux. Oddly, the very day I traded Luna, my 2018 Chevy Impala, is the very day the accident occurred. In fact, I was at the dealer picking up our new-to-us SUV at Carmax when I got the phone call. The 2020 Nissan Murano SL got a rapid shake-down run to the hospital.
Over the course of her healing and rehab, it was some time before she could even attempt driving, so we left the third driveway spot vacant until she was ready. Granted, making the transition from a 2004 model car to a 2020 was a leap on its own, what with all the new gadgets and options her Aztek lacked.
Slowly, her and the Murano, or Mo, as we’ve taken to calling her, are getting to know each other day by day. I was glad to see she was adapting so well, so I set about trying to find another vehicle for our vacant driveway spot.
I had told her multiple times that I was leaning toward getting a SUV for all its practical reasons. I must say, the time I spent driving Mo during her rehab was a pleasant experience, and I strongly considered picking up another Murano. I had also said on more than one occasion that the Impala I traded was actually a damn fine car, and had it been AWD, I would’ve considered keeping it.
As always, life has its budget constraints, and shopping for another almost $30k vehicle simply wasn’t budget smart. In the midst of my daily research and shopping, I discovered the Cadillac XTS shared a platform with the Impala I’d just traded. Hmmmm.
After a bit of digging, I found the XTS was available with AWD and could be had with a twin-turbo 3.6 making over 400hp! Booyah! However, this car fell in the aforementioned V-Sport category, and while I’m sure it was absolute hoot to drive, its feasibility as a daily driver falls short, both for premium-only fuel and mediocre mpg at best. But take one step down in trim level to Premium, and the same great 3.6 LFX that powered the Impala was standard equipment, and AWD was available. Premium trim also brought more of the V-Sport goodies like digital instrument cluster, Head-Up-Display, rear climate control and seat heaters. This looked like a winner to me.
Searching for such specifics in the used car market can prove problematic. As my wife said, “There are millions of cars out there.” Which is true, but when you start ticking the boxes for select items and colors, the numbers dwindle rapidly. Like from 644 down to 16…nationwide. Out of those 16, only three were black w/black interior, one came from Canada where it was a livery service vehicle, and the other had done 50k miles in the metro New York area, which might as well be 100k anywhere else. That left one car…in Great Falls, Idaho. Not exactly around the corner from our VA home. I checked online and it could be shipped for a little over $1k. I’ve never bought a car sight unseen like this, and thankfully, my wife protested the idea.
The next day, I resumed my search, not expecting to find anything new. But I was dead wrong. Just listed, and a mere 30 minute drive from home was a 2013 Cadillac XTS Premium, black on black, complete with all the requisite toys. A one-owner car, bought locally, driven and serviced like clockwork at the dealer where it was purchased, and now traded at the very same dealer, by the very same salesman, with 80k miles on the clock. A little higher miles than I would’ve preferred, but offset by a price more than $10k less than everything else I looked at. I was suspicious why? According to KBB, the price was dead-on for the year and mileage.
I left the house straight away to see what this was all about, expecting to find a car showing signs of age and wear. Much to my surprise, the car was pristine and I can only assume it was garaged when not in use. The paint was lovely, interior was spotless and free of rips or tears, and the car ran and drove like something many years newer. I was on board.
While its no SUV, it does have a true two-body mafia trunk, with fold down rear seats, and I’ve already had the trans and diff fluid changed. The seats are crazy comfortable, and while it doesn’t have options like Apple CarPlay, it does still play music from my phone. The call quality lacks a bit from newer vehicles, but I’m sure it was the bees knees back in 2013.
Ironic as it seems, I have wound up owning a Cadillac in my later years. Never owned one before, and never even shopped for one. For many years, they never built anything desirable, but I’m glad to say what they build changed more to my taste than the other way round. Not exactly something I planned, but life has a way of taking you places.
Being the Batman fan that I am, I thought of this car not as the Batmobile, but as the limo-type Bruce Wayne might drive in his daylight hours. In the animated series Batman Beyond, Bruce is the old mentor teaching young Terry McGinnis to be the new Batman. At my age, I can relate to older Bruce vs the younger Batman.
I initially planned to name the car Bruce or Master Bruce, but the more I drove it, the more it felt far too elegant to be male in nature. It occurred to me that Batman’s biggest soft spot was for Catwoman, aka Selina Kyle. Given the car’s ability to do many things well and look good doing it, Selina felt like a fitting term of endearment.
Just like my 2017 Buick LaCrosse, Sgaile, it will only be a matter of time before Selina’s exterior is devoid of any chrome trim, and her stance and performance will get similar upgrades. She is already a superior highway cruiser, and she will only get better.
We look forward to having the Cat-Caddy around for years to come. Finding her felt like a fated stroke of luck, in somewhat the same way I found my wife, and that is a very, very good thing. In fact, it’s the best thing ever!
T. August Green
Thoughts from the Highway of Life 