I purchased a 2004 Cadillac DeVille in 2005, and drove it for fifteen years - it was absolutely my favorite car, there was nothing on the market I would rather have had - the ‘04 DeVille was the perfect for me!
The DeVille was large and powerful with the Northstar V8 under the hood, and the ride was smooth as silk. Sure it handled like a boat, but cornering isn’t the reason you drive the DeVille, it’s all about the soft comfortable ride and the quiet, luxurious cabin. The interior was spacious, attractive, with nice amenities (lovely wood trim, leather seats, power everything), and well thought out - gauges easy to read, layout of controls made sense, there was even a double visor set up, where if you put the visor (with a slide out extension) to the side window a smaller visor was available to flip down in the front. The split bench seats were incredibly comfortable, literally every passenger who ever rode in that car commented on how comfortable it was, and in my car the soft, perforated leather seats were heated and cooled.
The car did have some mechanical issues over the years, however. At about 60K the window regulators started breaking - every one broke at least once, two windows twice! Motor mounts broke around 100K, there was an axel issue, and at about 180K the car broke down with a serious cooling problem. There were a couple of other pricey (around $1,000. per repair) issues over the years, but can’t recall what they were. The engine and transmission remained solid, however, until the last year I owned the DeVille, when the service engine light kept coming on and one of the cylinders began misfiring.
Last year, at about 190k, we traded (almost no trade in value) my ‘04 in on a 2018 Cadillac XTS, which, sadly, was no comparison in ride quality and comfort to the DeVille. The XTS was so disappointing I sold it in less than a year and purchased a Lexus. There is nothing in today’s market as large and comfortable as the DeVille, and I wish we had kept mine and “refurbished “ it.
If you love the comfort of the American cars of yesteryear, don’t mind driving an out of style vehicle, and happen across one of these beauties in great condition, it might be something to consider, but do be prepared to spend thousands of dollars as the car continues aging and needs repairs!
Loved my ‘04 DeVille!