On Tuesday, I spied this early Seville online. I zeroed right in, as my Cadillac radar began going awooga, awooga! This one looked amazing, in Claret Metallic with an Antique Light Buckskin interior. I always liked these, they give off an American Judge Smails-era Silver Shadow vibe, to me at least. The K-body Seville was the first Cadillac in years that wasn’t parade-float sized, and it looked good.
Anyway, this one is on offer on Marketplace for five dollars shy of eleven grand. As the seller related, “I am RELUCTANTLY offering my 1976 Cadillac Seville for sale. I am a long-time member of the Cadillac-LaSalle Club and an avid Cadillac collector. I have owned this car since 2011. Prior to my ownership, my former employer owned the car since 1985.”
“It is an OUTSTANDING example of a well maintained, pride of ownership survivor. You will look long and hard to find one in this condition. By all means, it is NOT perfect. Cosmetically, it wears its 45 year old lacquer paint, which shows some signs of expected aging. On a scale of 1 -10, I would rate the exterior a 7.5.”
“The interior is near perfect, as well as the mechanics. Yes, EVERYTHING works PROPERLY, including the Fuel Injection and AC. The only item not operational is the power antenna. My price is FIRM and, what I consider, VERY reasonable based on the market. I am not an anxious seller, so if you are SERIOUSLY interested, please contact me.”
My friend Jayson Coombes, who loves these cars even more than I and who has been semi-seriously looking for a 1976-79 Seville (his first car was a blue ’79) said it could be worth the money. From his several month long perusal of various and sundry online ads, even the Sevilles that look nice usually are not 100% ready to rock and roll.
Typical ad red flags: “A/C needs a recharge, too busy to fix, easy fix.” Yeah, right. Or the door locks don’t work, or the power windows, cruise, etc. don’t work. “Easy fix, window tracks just need an adjustment, probably.” Uh huh. But hey, these are 45 year old luxury cars.
Jayson’s take: “That absolutely is stunning!! The color combo is fantastic as well. Don’t see too many in Claret, I love it! Antenna isn’t that big a deal. I prefer the AC and heat to work!! 7.5 on paint makes me question the 11K but who knows, it looks good in photos.”
At any rate, a sharp survivor. Good thing for me it’s far away, ha ha!