I'd wait 3 years to finally get a C8 order in than pay the same for that thing.

 

It’s going to be worth more in that time, even factoring the inflation. Very rare car. This, the V wagons ELR’s and the Blackwings. Get them when you still can

 

Nope

 

No, but it's one hell of a cult car!

 

It's a very nice car but no I wouldn't pay that kind of money, even with such a low odometer reading. They only want twice what it's probably worth.

 

The cheapest XLR V I see there is about $35k. But that one has about 70,000 miles. Several are between $45-70k.

Most V’s from 2005 until 3rd Gen CTS-V tend to have pretty high prices.

 

Those things are pulling decent money on Bring A Trailer and I have no idea why. Not particularly fast, and although improved in supercharged version it's still got the PITA Northstar under the hood. A C6 ZR1 is in the same price ballpark and you'd have to be insane to take a V over that car.

 

Historical context is necessary to make an evaluation of old cars.

For it’s time it was very competitive. The vehicle for sale here is the V which had 440+ hp and got to 60 in 4.7 seconds, which at that time was very good.

The regular XLR in 2004 got to 60 in 5.9 seconds according to Car and Driver.

2004 Cadillac XLR

Cadillac stakes a claim in the luxury-roadster arena.

www.caranddriver.com

In 2003, Car and Driver tested a Mercedes SL500 which got 0-60 in 5.8 seconds.

Tested: 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL500

From the Archive: Its slippery sheet metal guarantees status with the valet, and it's a shoo-in if the Nobel committee awarded a prize for droptop mechanisms.

www.caranddriver.com

In 2006, Car and Driver tested an XLR-V. It got to 60 in 4.7 seconds.

Tested: 2006 Cadillac XLR-V Leverages Sophisticated Performance

From the Archive: Cadillac's 443-hp XLR-V brings an impressive blend of refinement and performance.

www.caranddriver.com

In 2003, Car and Driver tested a Mercedes SL55 AMG. It got to 60 in 4.7 seconds.

First Drive: 2003 Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG

From the Archive: The SL55 AMG is fast, and 55 percent more powerful than the SL. How fast? There's no simple answer.

www.caranddriver.com

Further, the comparison to the ZR1 of that era is rather meaningless. Many people would choose luxury over added performance. Reviews at the time were extremely positive for the XLR and its luxury content. People only looking for raw speed and power wouldn’t have even looked at cars like the XLR or Mercedes SL.

Traditional luxury roadsters were not focused on performance. Yes, those cars needed strong performance, but smooth linear power delivery was more important than 0-60 or 1/4 mile trap times. Plush leathers, smooth soft rides were, and luxury features were more important for luxury roadsters shoppers than horsepower.

 

Cool car, I've always like them. But wow, that's a lot of $$$. Better be showroom new for that! It's really low miles, but I don't think low enough for that kind of cash.

 

No thank you. Cadillac XLR is the worst modern Corvette ever made. To FenwickHockey65's point: with enough patience, one can purchase the best modern Corvette ever made - the C8 - for about $70k.

 

The only way I'd buy a XLR is if there is a box of NOS parts that come with it. Some absolute nightmare stuff pricewise with parts.

 

Yep...

Why A Cadillac XLR Brake Light Can Cost More Than A Used Corolla

Some bad designs are noticeable right away, their poorly-considered executions slap you in the face like a slice of wet ham. Others are more insidious, with problems lurking stealthily under the surface. The Cadillac XLR’s taillights are an example of this latter group, and they’re causing the...

jalopnik.com

 

Beautiful car. Cheap and flimsy interior more suitable for the $35K price point.
The Bvlgari gauges are stunning.

 

Eh, the smoothness of the Northstar vs the LS is really overrated, I've had both. The LS fixed a lot of the issues learned by the Northstar, notably the head bolt design, utilizing a deep skirt block instead of the leak prone halfcase, and a single piece plastic intake manifold instead of the Northstar's with the coupler between the TB that would inevitably tear. The integrate 4-coil piece on the valvecover was also more of an expense to repair vs being able to replace individual coils on an LS. Coolant crossover that always leaked. starter buried under the intake.

 

I don’t care what anyone says. That era of Cadillacs:— 2002-2012 — CTS, STS, SRX, and XLR — was fantastic. I do wish, for consistency‘s sake, that they followed through on the original plan to build the XLR on the Sigma platform, but it was a great collection of cars.


Note: I do remember reading that not only was the XLR originally planned to also have aluminum bodywork, so I wish they had done that as well.

 

I don’t care what anyone says. That era of Cadillacs:— 2002-2012 — CTS, STS, SRX, and XLR — was fantastic. I do wish, for consistency‘s sake, that they followed through on the original plan to build the XLR on the Sigma platform, but it was a great collection of cars.

I agree. Cadillac amped up the performance and uniqueness. There was an ad campaign showcasing these 4 cars meeting on a desert road. Awesome

 

There may come a time for Caddy's of that era, but right now the designs look cheap and tired. But the coin always flips a few decades on, kind of like the current appreciation for 80's futurism. It is crazy for me to see things come full circle like that, makes you feel super old. It ultimately depends on if a design language is distinctive enough to have been "lost" by time, and rediscovered later. I don't think this Caddy will ever see that, but you never really know.

 

Given I cannot find an XLR below $20K in our area, I do not see where your view of these Cadillacs is coming from. It would seem the XLR is special enough to always command a premium

 

If I had tons of cash I would buy it for my collection. XLR-V is a beautiful and remarkable car. When XLR came out I was frankly speaking upset - it had traditional side mirrors not cameras (we had to wait for them 20 years to appear in cars), the design was softend compared to Evoq concept, nice but minimalistic interior, 1-gen CTS steering wheel etc. However after all those years it's the one that stands out from the competition as SL/SC from that era that both look dated and unattractive and maintaining them these days isn't a simple task either. I know 2 XLR owners in Europe, getting parts here for U.S-cars has always been problematic, but they don't complain. I wish there was a modern-day XLR, they could keep it based on C7, with a blackwing under the hood. Cadillac needs such products just as big coupe and RWD-based Suv below Escalade.

 

I wish there was a modern-day XLR, they could keep it based on C7, with a blackwing under the hood. Cadillac needs such products just as big coupe and RWD-based Suv below Escalade.

YEaaaaaah.
And did you happen to see the type of interior the new SL is gonna have??? Assuming XLR ever made a return??
Good lord, it's spectacular!

 

I love em, and they look awesome with some tasteful mods, but I wouldn't buy one. I recently red that the rear tail light assembly has a chip that is not replaceable, so if your rear tail/brake lights go out you are done! The only option is to find a used replacement. Not sure how true that is, but I wouldn't doubt it.

 

Direct link to the guys I posted earlier.
Cadillac XLR Tail Light Assembly (modulerepairpro.com)
Sounds like they not only repair it, but also eliminate the design flaws.
Why buy a new one for a lot more $$$ that still has the same problems as the old one?
That would be a rather foolish thing to do. Fix it for good!

IDK why people are paying so much unless the taillight is actually broken.
Then you got a problem!

I had two '90s Sevilles that had the big LED brake light.
They were quite the fancy thing back then.
So of course, someone made a business out of repairing them.
And then there is Cuescreens... they also eliminate the design flaws.