Here’s how the Cadillac Catera failed with a little help from a cartoon bird named Ziggy
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ส.ค. 2024
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In this episode I provide the history of the Cadillac Catera, a German-built compact sedan based on the Opel Omega that sold from 1997 to 2001. It was Cadillac's second attempt at a compact car following the disaster that was the Cimarron in the 1980s. Its bland looks and unexciting driving experience, several recalls, and a strange ad campaign touting the Catera as "the Caddy that zigs", featuring a cartoon bird named Ziggy, led to sales dropping quickly after the first couple years, and being discontinued after only a 5-year run. It's replacement, the CTS, took a much different styling approach and soon became the hit Cadillac needed.
I find it hilarious when ever GM says they "wanna bring in younger buyers" they always go about it completely the wrong way
Yeah... Pontiac aztek, Chevy sonic, Chevy spark, Chevy trailblazer, Chevy trax, Pretty sure the HHR, Cobalt, encore, and Verano can fit somewhere on that list.
When did GM something logical the past 30 years?
They left the second biggest car market (Europe) in the world because they missed the boat completly on the changing European market!
GM Europe (Opel Vauxhall Saab) made till mid 90's affordable reliable sturdy blue collar family cars and also a big profit due to a 32% marketshare.
Quality declined rapidly due to cost cutting on quality and going "premium" (less for higher price) for GM's shareholders
Sales plumeted and they sold of SAAB first and later had to sell the remaining GM Europe division to PSA to stop the huge financial bleeding.
The irony is that the year after the sale to PSA the former GM Europe division made a profit again!
It looks like a few high placed GM managers in the US did illegal things for personal reasons and had cooked the books.
It’s almost though as if the people responsible for advertising work for congress! Out of touch and no understanding of pop culture.
Back in the mid 2000's when Chrysler and Ford were making boatloads of cash selling retro looking Chargers and Mustangs like hotcakes, GM refused to follow the trend claiming "Retro doesn't sell."
Maybe they shouldn't make the car equivalent of white and blocky boomer sneakers.
Fun fact: CTS originally stood for Catera Touring Sedan
Sad they killed the CTS off. 😔
It's how caddy renamed all their cars DTS is the DeVille STS is the Seville.
@@deeacosta2734 they didn’t. It’s called the ct5 now. Why do people let names fool them?
Catera CTS...
cateracts 🤣
What did DTS stand for? Deville Touring Sedan
I am one of the few who leased a 1999 Catera in the same color as the one at the 5:23 mark in the video and I am certainly not ashamed to say so. It had chrome wheels and was a really beautiful car in that color. It was a loaded model with the Bose sound system which included a cassette deck, single CD in the dash unit and a 12 disc changer in the trunk. That stereo kicked ass, man! Turned it full on with absolutely no distortion. Loved that about it. It was one of my favorite cars. The only problem I recall is the air conditioning system, I believe the compressor, was bad within the first two weeks of driving and was covered under warranty, of course. I got loads of compliments on that car. Very comfortable and loved to be driven fast on the interstate as most Germans cars are. I shall remember it fondly.
👍
Yo tengo el 99y siempre me lo chuliaron y a la fecha me lo siguen chuliando saludos
I worked at a Cadillac dealer at the time. The first few Cateras we sold ended up being repurchased although I recall that the issues were not serious in nature...just hard to solve. I actually liked the Cateras, personally. They're were not flashy or exciting or fast but they felt solid and were pleasant to drive. As a Cadillac offering it missed the mark. It probably would've done better elsewhere in the GM lineup.
GM had abandoned serious development of new models for the long run at the time to fit a particular market segment. They could have developed an entire new platform for Catera to help it compete against Mercedes & the like, but it seems as if they just stayed with the old shared platform plan that created the 1988 Grand Prix, Buick Regal, Chevy Lumina and Olds Cutlass and then went out for a 3 martini lunch.
the oil cooler leaking into the coolant caused catastrophic engine failure on at 5 that I have seen.
well, that was the whole problem: it was a perfectly adequate car ... but it was marketed and priced as an exciting upscale luxury sport sedan. And it just wasn't. It wasn't really a lemon or anything -- it just wasn't a "Cadillac" in any way other than the badge.
@@thh420 earning the name Craptera.
That's why it was made into a coupe, & rebranded as the Pontiac GTO for '04. Dropping the brand new LS1 engine in it, mated up to a Tremec T-56 manual gearbox. Thus paving the way for the return of the Camaro in '09.
The European Omega was actually a really nice car.
It truly was. It just needed to be taken care of otherwise problems would hunt you. I had one what was previously abused. 2000 facelift with 2.5 V6 automatic.
@@Mike81111 I had a Cavalier with that engine. Smooth motor.
@@Steve-gc5nt Oh yes it was smoot and had very nice performance.
@@Mike81111 It did snap a Cambelt one time but happily didn't damage the engine further!
Got a GLS estate 2.5 manual with 30,000 on it. Fuel economy through floor with E10 fuel and it hasn't come back with a move to super unleaded. Going to have to service it I think.
Big cars in UK, considered tiny in America. Love it 😁
I was a young GM Technician when these steaming piles came out.... Almost every single one we sold suffered catastrophic engine failure. We could NOT source out complete engines and engines had to be ordered piece by piece for warranty repair. As a result GM was cutting cheques to owners of Catera's with blown engines and the cars were scrapped and crushed at the dealership level. We always called them SAAB engines as Saab also used the 3.0L and we weren't involved with an Opel branded vehicles.
So after the cheque was written and the destruction order was given, we techs gutted them before crushing and made a small fortune selling the parts! LoL... Not to mention there were a lot of woods trucks and tractors sporting some pretty nice Catera leather seats!
this is absolutely hilarious
Why you write “checks” like “cheques”?
@@brentenjs550 they’re in Canada.
I can vouch for almost everything, including the looks. The first time I saw Catera irl it my thought was "what has someone done to that poor Opel". Then I remembered: Cadillac.
I LOVED the Catera. My dad had one. So much fun to drive!
The VT Holden Commodore was very much changed from the Opel Omega. It was wider and had a longer wheelbase. Very few parts were shared, especially with the VZ and VY facelifts.
That is very true. That being said I find I funny that the VT was so much better than the Catera and Omega. My Supercharged V6 VT S was/is still one of my favourite cars that I’ve owned. I’ve also owned a VY Series 2 SS though the transmission and motor I found didn’t work very well together and it was more sluggish than it should of been, same with my 05 Lumina wagon and the VY and VZ just didn’t haven’t the same aura as the VT did I feel. Overall the VT/VX/VY/VZ we’re very good cars that put Holden on the world map. It’s a shame that the GFC in 08 and the big wigs in America canned Holden from properly selling the VE and VF into America and making a whole bunch of cars on the Zeta platform. If that had happened Holden may still have been here in Australia today. I also think it’s shame that we never got to see Cadillac here in Australia. Maybe just maybe there’s a hope they bring the CT4 and CT5 to Australia under GMSV.
@Stuart Roberts
I wonder why they didn't use the Holden VT Commodore instead?
@@watershed44 The stupid big wigs in America.
@@watershed44 It's a shame, really. The Commodore would have made more sense to suit US tastes as if was bigger and arguably better. The later VE and VF cars which went stateside were such good cars, criminally underappreciated.
@@watershed44 during development the Holden was to have an American version for Buick (XP2000). When cancelled late in the program the LHD conversion would be used later for the Pontiac GTO revival
I have a friend who worked for Opel/Saturn in the mid 90's. We toured Germany and Switzerland in the wagon version. it handled the autobahn (and our luggage) like a champ.
So funny to hear you call it a 'small sedan'. In Europe this was big! It was also not a sporty car but a comfy cruiser.
In America, we find European ideas of what constitutes a big car as “humorous”.
@@reidboggs4344 I'm German and I agree with you guys.
@@reidboggs4344 Same here in europe with your "compact" and "small" cars.
@@Random-nf7qb Good one.
Remember the Vauxhall Cavalier of the 1980s? In USA it was a Chevrolet Cavalier and was considered a compact sedan.
i made the mistake and bought one of these used with 85k miles ,i remembered it when released and i thought it was a cool looking quirky car as a teen but boy was it a total headache,it ran fine mechanically when i had it for almost 2 years,but electronics were horrible my drivers window would roll down randomly for no reason at all with the key in my house or when i drove it ,didnt matter when it just would decide to roll down. The final straw was when my drivers seat airbag exploded when i shut my door a LITTLE harder than i wanted! i didnt even slam it and that thing blew up sooo LOUD AND FILLED MY CAR WITH SMOKE i was in a daze and took me about 30 sec to realize what had even happened lol 😂 i looked over and saw a deflated airbag hanging out my seat! my catera was fully specd out and looked just like the one cindy crawford drove in the commercial ,what a piece of sh*t
I had a 99' catera in dark green with grey leather int, fully loaded , mine was fairly dependable with regular maintenance. Great video ! 👍
Holy shyt same here same color same experience same year 😂
It's amazing how Cadillac produced a car with a V16 engine in the Great Depression and made it out okay, but the oil crises were what brought it to its knees.
The ducks in the Caddy logo are gone now too.
This was badged as a Vauxhall Omega in England. I was so shocked to see it was badged as a Cadillac when I moved to Canada as it was rubbish. Refresh was literally the refreshed Omega
This is just my opinion but Just about every GM from around 1977ish until their BK was garbage from my mechanic opinion.
That being said they had a few wins during that 30 year span like the TPI small block, the 700r4 trans, the LS V8, and the first rendition of the Saturn SL1 and SL2 ...
But then they blunder after blunder, their fit and finish took Cadillac from quite possibly the best mass produced luxury car to mundane junk, the Northstar ate head gaskets like clock work, the "spider" injection on all the LT1 small blocks and 4.3 Vsux would crack, the 4l60e trans that replaced the 700r4 was underbuilt, the escalade clearly looked like a rebadged Tahoe,
Their Pontiac fiero caught fire, their firebird became a camero with pop up headlights, their Impala went from a full zize beast of a car to a mundane front driver rental car/metermaid car, their Corvette got some weird 4+3 automatic thing... I could go on and on all I know is for 30+ years they lost market share and went from the largest company in the automotive world to a bankrupt company that messed up almost everything they got ahold of, from Saab to hummer, to Vauxhall to even the very innovative for the time EV1 (they designed and engineered a car that was great with rave reviews and they killed it and destroyed almost every one they leased.. dumb).
But yet every executive got bonus on top of bonus on top of bonus when they all should have been fired then they had the nerve to beg for a bailout. That is how I see GM. To this day I won't buy any of thier cars that are newer then around 1972 because the quality just isn't there that being said I don't have a lot of experience with the post 2010 era but they lest such a bad taste in my mouth I don't think I would ever buy one and I am a American car nut.
That’s OPEL OMEGA in Europe. Both Opel Omega and Cadillac Catera are shipped to Russia. The Catera also have an adapter for European sized Russian licence plates on rear bumper.
@@AtomicReverend I agree completely. And the post 2010 era is still junk. Go watch on the Car Wizard channel. GM 3.6 V6 are garbage and their transmissions are still rubbish. The trucks are ok at times I guess, as long as you don't get one with the Cylinder deactivation time bomb
Opel Omega in continental Europe.
It's amazing what the Australian GM division did with this platform, they had some truly killer muscle cars.
*Pony cars. Australia has never had muscle cars, they've had pony cars and sports cars. Muscle cars are uniquely American phenomema. The only muscle car in production right now is the V8 Challenger; Charger, Camaro and Mustang are all pony cars.
I loved my Catera except when I hated it.... nice car to drive, comfortable and stylish in its own way. Unfortunately it had a flaw in the engine that led to repeated stays in the dealers shop.. I spent 5k in repairs one year...
@@charlietuna350 They were very unreliable
FYI, the 1961 Imperial has the distinction as having the tallest fins of the winged era. We measured it and the '59 Eldo to verify a few years ago.
You're avid Scientific Research will be lauded in all of Fin-dom!! Lol.. Very interesting, friend!
Watching your video’s give me such a good warm peaceful feeling that I just love to feel. Your video’s bring me so much nostalgia that just make me feel so good and warm inside, I get the same great feeling when I watch retro motorweek video’s or any old 90’s/early 2000’s car commercials or any 90s commercial for that matter…..I guess they just bring a lot of Great memories of when I was little kid…..
Useless trivia: the 2001-2002 optional Trans Am Firehawk IROC style spoiler used the long 3rd brake light from the Catera.
Useless trivia 2: the oscar mayer wienermobile used taillights from the 1993-1997 Pontiac Trans Am.
Thats cool. Its not usless.. typical gm.. using parts from other cars..why cant caddy just be on its own.. all new everything just for caddy. Noone else..
Alot of those ups vans use headlights from an oldsmobile alero
@@ScrotieJohnson yup. The wienermobile I mentioned earlier used Pontiac Grand Am headlights as well.
Okay, the Catera didn't look as bad as the Cimarron. Even if it did still look like something that should wear a Chevrolet badge, it was at least a bit more of an effort in the design Department than that terrible Chevrolet Cavalier with a Cadillac grille put on the front in the 80s. It took them all the way to the debut of the CTS to finally have a formidable 3-Series competitor for young people.
I honestly like Ziggy tbh, though I’m kind of a sucker for cartoony stuff like this anyway.
Honestly, it probably wouldn’t be too out of place now compared to the mid-late 90’s.
You're making me want one of these forgotten smaller cars of the 90s.. My boss at my old workplace drove a Calibra. It was a very cool car to see.
Why does everybody want sporty and fast? The RWD Cadillac land yachts were beautiful cars and they never should have stopped making them. I don't want rock hard seats and suspensions.
This. A Cadillac should waft you to your destination.
I have no idea why GM decided to constantly try and out-German the Germans since the CTS. They'll always be second rate 3/5 Series or E/C Class.
When caddy dropped the big RWD cars, the Cadillac buyer went right over to decked out Suburbans. Cadillac caught on quick and made the Escalade. Mainly the only thing now keeping them alive
Everybody does? We live in an age of different preferences.
Today you can have both a relaxing ride and a sporty ride in the same car with adaptive suspensions. Land yachts are nice to look at, but were unsafe resource hogs.
@@kkal1183 I've yet to see a modern car that's had that soft of ride and I've owned Lexus vehicles and still not that soft of ride. I bought a used 96 town car and the ride was very smooth
Here’s some cars that would be interesting to see - Ford Taurus/ Mercury sable that moved to Ford 500 before going back to Taurus. Another would be the Chrysler conquest/ Mitsubishi starion, early Subaru justy and BRAT etc.
I miss the Justy.
I loved the Starion. I was a kid when it was new, and thought it had a cool spacey sounding name. It wasn't until decades later I found out that it was simply a poor Japanese attempt at pronouncing Stallion.
I've had this, although as an Opel Omega, a 2003 late production one, a wagon, with a sunroof, sport seats, and a BMW M57D25 common rail, line 6 diesel engine, remapped to around 200 hp. I loved every moment of it. It also had the best sound system I've ever heared. God, I wish cars still had souls.
Oh man! You found the Cindy Crawford ad! I totally forgot about that.
In the UK this was one of the most popular fleet cars in the 1990s / 2000s. You still see these in fully working condition on the road even today.
They were very well built and we'll received by the public... Strange that these didn't do well in the United States...
Wrong badge for the US.
I remember these ads well as a child of the 90's, but I wasn't sophisticated enough about cars at the time to understand just what a huge step *down* in quality the Catera was for Cadillac as a brand. It looks just like any other crappy Chevy from the period, and I can't believe they had the gall to charge the equivalent of 50k for it!
I had the 1995 SAAB 9000 CDE and it was a far superior car to this. I believe it listed for $40K and I got a whopping $10K off sticker! 12 speaker Clarion sound system, heated seats, the GM Opel V6, headlight washer/wipers, sunroof, yellow fog lamps, rear fog lamps, ... A really nice car , all black.
What other crappy Chevy from the period..? The Cavalier from late 90's was a home run for the brand, so was the Malibu, and the Impala SS from 1996, and the F-Body Camaro... I'm assuming you never drove any of those cars and you're just talking out of your ass
Adam, the Catera was not a low-quality car; it wasn't a step down in terms of quality. It was a step down in terms of style and perceived prestige.
You folks can defend 90's GM (and Cadillac, and the Catera) all you like, but your Fanboy is showing. As I said, the Catera looks generic to me and very "un-Cadillac". It doesn't have the styling cues that scream "luxury" to me like every other Cadillac has had. No way in hell was this car worth the equivalent of 50k today when you could get a Mercedes, BMW, etc., for the same price or not much more; an opinion borne out by how few folks bought one.
On top of all of this, It was not a high-quality vehicle that could stand against similarly priced offerings from other makers. That's a fact. Don't call me ignorant for pointing out the flaws in a car you happen to like.
P.S. - just because a car sells well, does not make it a success. No matter how many Malibu's Chevy managed to sell, they're still a big old box of suck, IMHO.
@@LNSLateNightSaturday Hmmm, well I do know that Mercedes and BMW also are Mysteriously rumoured to have a service department as well. Listen, ALL vehicles have faults, and all need service. And when service time comes around, you better have a good chunk of spare change in the checkbook to cover the costs on the imports. I had a few and thank God they were always new and under warranty. That's how the rich fucks do it. Lease it so it's always under warranty. A Suburban or Tahoe is a hell of a lot less to service than a Range Rover.
Vauxhall Omega all but gone from UK roads now, they were used by the local Police as high pursuit vehicles up to the mid 2000’s.
I remember when I first started working at a Volvo dealer in 2011 we traded for a Catera and we couldn’t give that thing away. Eventually got rid of it at auction.
actually owned one of these it was a entry level caddy or gateway drug we ended up trading it in for a leased CTS which we loved then bought another CTS it literally dropped its drive train traded it in for a Mercedes have been Mercedes ever since shoddy GM workmanship cost them a long term customer.
Great video! I’d love to see a video on the Chevy celebrity Oldsmobile cutlass ciera Pontiac 6000 and Buick century. Those where awesome cars from the 1980’s. I still own 4 celebrity’s to this day. Keep up the good work!
Next vid, Jeep Cherokee. Designed by amc and renault it went on to live until my 2001! It was huge in the 80s and 90s and you could argue Its the Cherokee not the Wrangler thats been the foundation and success driver of the jeep brand since the 80s. It was loved by all and definately deserves a vid.
My Dad used to work at a Cadillac/Pontiac dealership when I was young. I was in the showroom with him once while he was working and a Catera was in there.
Me: *way too loudly* So Dad, why are these cars doing so bad??
My Dad: SHHHHH *ushers me off to the lobby*
I’ll never forget that, lol.
I consider myself a car guy and pretty knowledgeable about all the different brands and models, but when the Catera first hit the market even I had a difficult time distinguishing a Malibu from a Catera. To make matters worse, nearly every single point of the specifications were nearly identical. Basically, the only thing that distinguished the 2 cars was the driven wheels.
The ads for this car were ridiculous, too. Why the connection to European police cars was not mentioned in ads, or a more sensible portrayal of European traits was not used....?
Can't wait for the Eldorado video. And I am still hoping for a video on the 77-91 GM B-Body and/or 92-96 B-Body. These are great cars.
For those of a certain age, 75 +/- as I am, a late fifties or early sixties Cadillac was THE aspirational car, and I still feel that way. A 1962 Sedan deVille is the ne plus ultra of luxury cars.
The Omega still has a small but enthusiastic number of fans in many parts of Europe. Many see it as the last real Opel since it was Opels last rear wheel drive model (the company had been known for producing rear wheel drive cars with American-ish styling) and also their last attempt for a long time after that was aimed at the luxury segment (it was supposed to rival similar sized BMW and Mercedes models at the time and actually did quite well, even if it couldn't beat them in the end). But for the states it was probably too small as a Cadillac, maybe it would have done better as a Buick. Also this definitely wasn't a sports car, more like a power cruiser. Had an Omega myself for a while, a nice comfortable car, although the 2.0l base engine with its 115hp it was underpowered and the sluggish autobox didn't help. Sad to see how miserably it failed in the states though.
I drove a 3.0 liter 24v for a couple of years, was a really nice car. Comfy, more then fast enough, even on the autobahn.
Did like it's petrol though lol.
In Brazil they were sold as Chevrolets from 1992 (1993 model year) till 2011.
Man, those were THE cars. They still hold many fans. There were (or still is, Idk since I left Brazil) a Omega Club were owners reunions throughout the year in different states.
I was one crazy about this car, unfortunately I was financially to young to afford one at that time.
For those whose aim comfort and a reasonable powerhouse without fuel economy concern, it is still a nice car to have.
@@baronvonlimbourgh1716 yeah, the Omega engines were all quite thirsty. Even the base 2.0 I had averaged about 10-11l/100km
@@martinlutz5446 When you put small engine into heavy car you get worse mileage than with bigger engine because it struggles to move it and has to rev higher.
@@martinlutz5446 it was a heavy car, that made it thirsty no matter what engine i think, and automatics always where less fuel efficient.. Still was very happy with it though, and not the thirstiest car i've owned by a long shot lol.
When I was in high school (2005ish) someone got one of these and I remember him getting made fun of so hard for telling people he drove a cadillac and then pulling up in a Catera. That was the only one I ever saw in person. I was starting to think it was a fever dream.
I remember the very first time I saw a Catera in person. it was around the time when they first came out. The occupants were four elderly passengers...not the demographic GM was hoping for!
Great channel and great video!
Mike Walker... The Catera was totally the Wrong demographic towards competing with the likes of Mercedes-Benz BMW and Audi or Lexus Acura and Infiniti.
It was a "Comfort " car that the older consumer base were attracted to , it was smaller for those consumer who wanted a smaller car with land yacht comfort in a smaller package.; NOT younger driven sports Euro - Asian sedans with sports handling and performance Dynamics.
My Dad's old friends bought a Catera so they could dive to do stuff around town, it broke down every day.
My first car was a 98 Catera. I miss that little car, it had more options than I knew what to do with! Speedy little thing too. But as a Cadillac does best, especially being an imported one, it was hard to find parts nor was it affordable. Someday I'll try to get my hands on another, that is if any are left when that time comes, lol.
To me this is more proof that Cadillac was just in a no win situation. They literally gave people a German sports sedan, but the reality is that people really just wanted the MB or BMW brands, and were never gonna buy American.
No, they gave a mass market executive cruiser and pretended it was sporty, which it wasn't. At its price point, the Opel Omega (as it was known in Europe) was very good, but was no rival to MB or BMW.
@@davidjames2910 yes this. it wasnt marketed as sporty in europe. maybe compared to american cars it had slightly sporty handling, but just no.
@@_M_O_E_ eh no, the omega of that generation was NOT marketed as sporty, that was its predecessor. The Omega on which the Catera was based was intended to succeed both the original omega and the subsequent Senator models, thus pushing it more into the upscale executive market against cars as the BMW 5 series and MB E series (which also made more sense length wise). Fun fact though, it is strange that they actually had Corvette V8's for a short time...so it's kind of strange they never gave it a V8 in the US...
@@TheChill001 thats what i said, it wasnt sporty or marketed that way. and i know it replaced 2 previous models, but neither of those was in the same league as the bmw or mercedes. the opel/vauxhall brands have nowhere near as much prestige. the only thing it was really competing with was the ford scorpio. the ford was much worse
@@_M_O_E_ Useless trivia: The first gen Ford Scorpio was also sold in the US as the Merkur Scorpio and of course it failed. The second gen looked like it came straight from the USA, like the love child of a Taurus and a Crown Vic but there was nothing American about it. God knows why they built a European car designed for Americans.
Some other useless trivia: There were plans to sell the Opel Calibra badged as a Saab in the US. They eventually decided against it because it would've rivaled their new 900NG Coupe.
Oh! And thanks for aknowledging your viewers from outside the USA, we do appreciate that!
I remember the Cadillac Catera. Although I never drove one, I thought it was an awesome looking car for anyone who loved Cadillac cars, but wanted something smaller than the DeVille and Fleetwood, and also with a European flavour. It's a damned shame it flopped.
it's not a bad car, just wasnt what people wanted. would have been a great buick though
had they included more luxury features standard like heated leather seats, CD changer with cassette player, headlight washers, rear whipper, addressed the timing belt issues in a more timely open manner with the public, upped the horse power a bit over the life of the car keeping the price at $30K or less, along with not having the goofy ads, then I think it would have done much better. it really is a shame when you think about how simple it would have been for GM to have made this a moderate success.
@@CommodoreFan64 It's possible.
@@_M_O_E_ What did buyers want from a Cadillac?
@@jasoncarpp7742 a cadillac
I interpreted the phrase "the Cadillac of" as "expensive and built poorly".
But very shiny and glitzy.
Coming from Michael "Chevy" Cavalier? lol j/k .. In my time, I always understood it as the way Mr. My Old Car said it.
Always knew “the Toyota of” anything would be as much fun as a toaster.
@@michaeljordan6008 Slam Dunk Right there!!! lmao!!!
@@michaeljordan6008
The 2nd generation Supra '82-'86 was fun! But that was back when Toyota was considered weird. Not Subaru weird....but yah, weird.
I didn't know that the Omega B was a thing in the USA. We had it also as an Omega A and that one was available as a Lotus Omega. It was a crazy fast car for the time.
So crazy even MP's woke from their sleep to debate why it needed to be so fast. Then they went back to sleep.
There's a line from a stand-up comedian that lives rent-free in my head: "I recently got myself a Cadillac. For those that don't know, it's the Mercedes of cars."
Even though not a full luxury vehicle, the Mercury Sable completely blew this out of the water. It was cheaper, had most of the Catera's features, had a comparable engine, and was based on the beloved Taurus. Remember both it and the Taurus had gone through a major refresh for their 96 model years.
The Catera was RWD tho
@@indiekiddrugpatrol3117 I guess so. I was just comparing the 2 as they were both on similar segments of the market. Heck being FWD would be an plus for the Sable as isn't that what people want in cars these days? RWD seemed kinda old hat in 1995-1996.
The sable and taurus had a terrible ride and the transmissions were prone to fail! We had a 96 3.0 gs
Damn
Catera was at least rwd and way better looking :D
I owned one of these in my twenties and actually really liked it. I lived in Michigan and this thing was a beast in the snow. Changed to an STS later (the rear-wheel drive version) and that thing was a nightmare in the snow. Thanks for taking me back a bit.
My dad had one around 2001-2003 and even as a 15-yo I really enjoyed it. It had some features that even now would seem quite luxurious, like heated seats in the back and a power curtain for the back window and sun shades on the back door windows. It even had a 12-CD changer.
I always assumed the Cadillac Catera was a rebadged Chevrolet Malibu since they look so similar to one another and wondered why Cadillac would make the same mistake twice. Now I know better.
Fantastic! Thank you for getting rid of the annoying popping sounds at the beginning!
Also, I always liked the Catera duck.
I think it's probably a miniature pelican, considering how wide its bill is.
Strange while the original Opel Omega/Senator was just a very good car, in terms of build quality and driving characteristics only ahead of the other German toppers but costing less but so much more modern and better than a Ford Scorpio and everything from southern Europe.
Same as the VT Commodore that was a longer version of this and also like the Omega, The VT is one of Australia’s greatest cars ever and in V8 performance models was nearly as good as an M3 or M5 (obviously not the same or as good but I think you know what I mean), but the VT was basically the poor or working class man’s BMW.
any european car from that era was not better or worst than the catera, they were all very bad, we had the gto and the g8 from aussies which those were very bad cars too, the catera was my first car, entirely european, extremely unreliable
@@retrocompaq5212 You’re a clown. The GTO or known in Australia as the Monaro and the G8 are some very fine cars and some of Australia’s best ever.
I had a Vauxhall Omega estate: the most comfortable car I have ever owned! Seats were like armchairs... and the boot was massive!
While a significant departure from traditional Cadillacs, they were great to drive. Truly the Cadillac that zigged. We did have the timing gear problem out of warranty, unfortunately we were unaware of the recall for it.
LOL, the only Brand that Zigged when they should have Zagged. It was pretty poor effort. I sold one a long time ago, and I wasn't impressed with then, and way less so today. Get a Cadillac today and be happy, the Catera is best forgotten.
Thank you for the video. You did a great job. I did want to say I remembered the Catera. I know Holden modified the platform for their use. The Holdens were longer and wider. That car was sold a Chevrolet Lumina too. I know the American GM brands competed for this car. They all wanted it for their brands. Pontiac got the Holden Monaro coupe.
BMW’s also have a bird as a mascot, the one that’s always being flipped at the driver.
This car was amazing and i drove the Opel version in Europe. Smaller version was sold as Opel Vectra and this version was sold as Opel Omega. Was living in Europe back then.
You should make a video about total fail Cadillac, the Cadillac BLS which was never sold in USA....
Really loving this channel. My two favorite foreign vehicles that I've owned were the 92 Mazda B2600i 4x4 and the 97 Toyota Previa. I'd love to see something about the history and crossovers of either of these. Keep up the good work.
I just randomly came across your page and I'm following for sure. One of my aunt's had a Catera and for the longest time, I had no idea it was a Cadillac because of the style of cars Cadillac made back then.
i remember always wanting a CTS when i was younger, it was THE car of the early 2000's along with the Chrysler 300
Can you do one on the Toyota MR2? There are plenty of interesting stories about the development including people like Dan Gurney and Roger Becker (the Lotus Engineer) at places like Willow Springs International Motorsports Park. Parts bin midengine cars are always interesting subjects and comparisons with it’s only contemporary American rival, the Fiero, are inevitable subject matter, as well. The internet loves the tall tale that the early MKII Turbo models, like my own, are particularly dangerous due to the dreaded snap-oversteer most strictly analog midengine cars of the era are prone to (Experienced owners, like myself, consider it a feature) and how Toyota neutered it in the first revision.
I believe you would make one of TH-cam’s better videos on Toyota’s most dedicated sportscar.
Looks quite good though. Just a bit weird for someone from Europe like me.
The car was made in Europe it was a rebadged Opel Omega.
@@Embargoman No shit Sherlock.
I owned both a Cimarron and a Catera. Both were fine and, properly equipped, provided a better than satisfactory driving experience. When I bought my used Catera (a lease turn-in), I got an extended factory warranty, so I was fortunate to have a couple trouble-free years, even though GM was paying for several costly fixes to the car. I sold it the MINUTE the warranty ran out. But it drove well, was comfortable, and had a mountain of luxurious features.
I worked at a Cadillac dealer from 97 til November of 98, I vividly remember stepping out with a group of coworkers to watch the first full load of these come off the transport. Before that We had been shipped a couple demo units but none that could be sold. A few months later my grandparents called me to say they traded their 94 LHS for a new Cadillac. My stomach sank before she even said "it's the caddy that zigs!!" They went on to put just under 30k miles on it over the next 8 or 9 years until they were no longer able to drive. It held up well under the light use of a couple of 80 something's. My aunt ended up trading it for a used Park Avenue Ultra
Well now that you did the History on the Catera, there was also the Lincoln LS that was built on the same body as the Jaguar S-Type.
And Speaking of Ducks Selling Cars I remember this Daffy Duck short where he tries to sell Deloreans but ended up failing due to Delorean going out of Business.
Actually the Opel Omega wasn't marked in Australia as a Commodore. holden used the omega's platform and built a different car on it. There only true similarities are the body shell and door designs however both still differ. The door handles and interior roof grab handles however are shared between the two. Oddly enough I find the Catera attractive, but i may be biased given it shares similarities with our home gown Commodore so of course I appreciate the overall design.
My grandpa had one and my grandma hated and I loved it I miss it alot
Lisa Catera...Lease a Catera. That's friggin brilliant. Devious, but brilliant.
Cool, I liked this car 😀
I actually really liked the Catera, and maybe it’s just me but it actually looks less dated than the CTS that replaced it. Personally I didn’t care for the facelift on the Catera at the end of its life span though, as to me it cheapened up the look even more. And yeah the Catera wasn’t as high quality as Caddy wanted people to think it was, it was pretty well done especially on the inside. Fit and finish along with materials used on the interior were actually quite surprisingly good (the CTS’s were actually worse on the inside that the Catera but didn’t have near as many driveline issues that the Catera had thankfully lol)
I think the one thing I absolutely loved about the Catera the most...MW’s John Davis fans know exactly what I’m about to say lol...are the...
Actually you know what, let’s make this interactive and see who gets it first, as I’m sure a ton of you will know
Who will be the first to guess it correctly?
Incluso más cómodo el catera saludos
As a young teenager I liked this ad. Says all you need.
P. S. Do the Coupe Deville including the Snoop Deville.
Oh man! I remember this one! Good pick. This car was a mistake. Cadillac, what were you guys thinking!? I love this channel. Very clever topics.
I wonder why Caddy never sold a V8 version of the Catera. Some Commodore models had 300kW (about 400hp) by 2001
Opel built a one off with the LS1 engine in the late 90s to test it out but it didn't do well under sustained high speeds on the autobahn so was canned
@@sutherlandA1 yeah they were quick in a straight line, but handled like crap at high speed.
Sounds like the perfect car for Americans then
@@liam6nugget yeah true, Americans want quick 0-60 times, but handling and stopping is irrelevant.
7:33 Dont forget, "Bad Boys 2" also was a REALLY good commercial for a Cadillac CTS (Will Smith: "I have GOT to get me one of these!!! :D Well, not this one, because I am about to mess this one up but one JUST LIKE IT!!!" Chase ensues)
I think he said Dan Marino should definitely buy this car, not this one... Fun fact, my first CTS ( I have a bit of a problem, have 3 right now) was EXACTLY like the one in Bad Boys, silver, black leather, luxury sport package with nav and the same 17 inch wheels. However, having owned several 03s and 04s, my 04 black on black base model with the 3.6 and factory dual exhaust, no sunroof, and so on, will gap my current 03 luxury sport with the 3.2. like no comparison. Glad they tried and failed with the Catera so they could make the first gen CTS. Once you understand the cars quirks they are pretty easy to work on, cheap now, and a 3.6 is plenty of power for the average guy. I of course, am ls swapping an 03 for fun.
I've seen a catera before and I actually thought it was a FWD based on GM's J-body. This was very interesting.
One of my co-workers had one. I really liked it. Not flashy and not typically Cadillac for the time.
Fun fact, the Catera was the only RWD Cadillac between 1997 and 2001
I had to fact check this because I was sure the STS was rear wheel drive....I mean c'mon, the car mags compared it to the E430 and Lexus GS at the time. Sadly, Wikipedia confirmed that you were right.
Lisa Catera 😂😂😂😂😭😂😭 👌🏾
I have a soft spot for these! My bro had one and we loved it. It got a bad rap but if you bought one used and had warranty it wasn't a bad car at all and honestly not much different in terms of reliability from the rest of the German vehicles. I do wish it had about 50 more horses and more distinctive styling but all in all not the worst by any means.
My grandfather had one when I was a kid eventually my older sister wound up with it which she then proceeded to let one of her friends wrap the car around a tree. That car a distinct smell that I can still remember.
Es correcto huele muy bonito aún el mío 99a la fecha 2023
Idk why I love your content, but I’m very glad to be here for a new upload!! Thanks you for the knowledge ☺️
Looks like a dodge intrepid. I don't know if I've ever seen one. Or if I did, I probably thought it was an intrepid
You are INCORRECT. The HOLDEN Commodore was a different car, designed and built here in Australia 🇦🇺. It was exported to America at first as pontiac G8. Later as the SS. It is a different car to the german made Opel. Your confusion would cost you prison time if you said that in Australia.
Sorry bub. The commodore was made from purchased schematics. Ive worked on both and own a catera with a V8-swap. Its a commodire in left hand drive.
It always makes me happy when I see a new video on this channel. Please keep it up. There very interesting to watch.
The ad worked in that it stuck in my head. You wrote "Catera" a while back, I thought "the Caddy that zigs" and remembered the little bird.
It was definitely another bad move for Cadillac. It looked nice, so I thought, but it was literally overpriced given you'd have the same styles in a late '90s Malibu or Cutlass.
Lisa Catera. Now at least that is clever.
Once I was behind an elderly couple who were driving one that was very nice and well taken care of. We were all stopped at a very busy intersection waiting to turn left. There the Ziggy mobile died at the light signal on an incline. It would crank but not start. I went over to help him raise the hood. Said he had just gotten it out of the shop. I felt bad for them.
I still absolutely love my Catera! Wouldn't trade it even for any new car.
Leave it to MyOldCar to make a boring bad car that nobody liked intetesting.
Anything they call "the blank of blank"
Isn't really "the anything of anything"
-Lisa Simpson
My first car was a 3rd gen accord which was a boring 98hp carb model with flip up lights. There was an efi option at a significant price hike with only 120sh hp, even though the same car was available in the jdm market with 160hp when mustangs were barely breaking 200hp. Shooting brake models and digital dash models were also not available here. Double wishbone suspension. A Prelude derivative, an interesting car for sure.
I dont care what anyone says, I've always liked these haha. Always stood out to me as a kid, alongside the Aurora.
The 1st gen Aurora was really pretty well executed, a clean sheet design from GM that had only one Oldsmobile badge if I remember correctly. The 2nd gen Aurora was bland and deserved to be killed off.
@@kirkericson2722 yeah, the first gen was actually special haha. The second gen was a cheap knock off.
Cadillac, the Cadillac of brand dilution.
I didn't understand the ad campaign for the Catera.
The Holden commodore was a redesigned Gerson of theOpel omega, making it wider & longer with the option of having a V8. Holden made the Chevrolet Lumina for Brazil & the a Middle East. This version of the Holden commodore became Australia’s best selling car for the next 13 years.
Great Video.
This Cateras were total garbage and most couldn't even go to 100,000 miles without major issues. They were very neat and actually comfortable cars for their size, but they literally fell apart before 20,000 miles with dash boards that wrapped, oil leaks, engine failures, transmissions that broke before 50,000 miles, tons of electrical failures, on and on. A Chevy Malibu was a better car for the money and reliable, but the Cadillac dealers did take care of the customers and most customers simply traded their Catera in on a different Cadillac or sold it back to the dealer. I have family that sold these new. Near the end the dealers tried to hide the Cateras from customers and put them in other Cadillacs to avoid problems down the road, because it never ended well.