1996 Cadillac Fleetwood

Sedan

5.7L 350Cu. In. V8 GAS OHV Naturally Aspirated

Automatic

1G6DW52PXTR701171

Clear

GAS

Experience "The Cadillac of Cadillacs"I was 35 and nearly dead. My wife held vigil at my bedside while I laid silent in the hospital for two days, comatose. Kept alive on a respirator. My 1-yr-old son barely knew me.The doctor's told Michelle (my wife) I would "probably live", but could not predict the condition of my brain function, now or in the future.Forty-eight hours of beeping monitors, frightening what ifs and "wait and see" updates from the doctors. Then, slowly… I came to, my fingers twitching lightly in her hand. She cried. Suddenly my eyes popped open wide. I fought to speak, but couldn't get anything but grunts past the breathing tube.It was clear I had something important to say. Michelle scrambled for pen and paper, placing them in my hands and waited for me to scratch out my crucial message. Were these my "dying words"? A makeshift will and testament? A simple profession of eternal love?She struggled to make out the childlike lettering on the paper…"CADILLAC?" was all it said?The day before dropping into a coma, I had (after weeks of searching) found the car of my dreams… a 1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, white with burgundy leather, low miles and clean paint. "The last great Cadillac GM ever made", my friend Lou called it. And he was right. This was 2005, the height of the "sporty" Cadillac era with Northstar motors that were fast, sure, but also fraught with techie glitches that frustrated owners and mechanics to no end. Gone were the days of having your Caddy serviced at the local garage or under your cousin Al's shade tree. It was all corporate from here. Cadillac retired the Fleetwood model for good after 1996, but held nothing back in the farewell edition. Rear wheel drive, robust LT1 5.7 liter V* engine (same as Corvettes), premium sound, CD and cassette. Booya! Add to that the Brougham package with the vinyl top, heated leather seats, sail panel badging and backseat storage armrest, and you're experiencing Cadillac at it's big, fat American best... "The Cadillac of Cadillacs." So, you can imagine why… even emerging from a two-day coma and suffering undetermined degrees of brain damage… I was hell-bent of securing this car - and little else.All I wanted to know, via my scribbled message to my now irritated wife, was "did you get the money to the dealer so we don't lose the car?"She had not. Apparently, in here estimation, rushing to my bedside as I lay unconscious was of much greater importance than some stupid car. I suppose this is why, statistically speaking, married men live longer… but far too often drive uncool rides.However, as fate would have it… not long after (while I was still recovering from open-heart surgery), my old friend Lou happened upon another '96 Fleetwood. This one from a private owner, with even lower miles and reportedly garage kept her entire life. He visited her for me, took one look and purchased on the spot. She's been my steady companion ever since. Eight years, my daily driver. Even though I work from home and don't wander far, I've kept her in fresh oil and steady maintenance all along. She's wearing only 128,000 original miles and still runs like a thoroughbred. But, as you can imagine, my wife doesn't drive her and she's never been allowed in the garage. So she's sporting a few minor blemishes here and there. But not enough to stop strangers at stoplights from signaling me to proclaim, "I love your car!" I love her, too. But it's time to let her go. She's got a lot of miles ahead of her still. The right next owner is going to be very happy to have her. Call 727-498-0868 Here's a list of everything that's with her...- Runs excellent (glides down the highway and that 5.7 liter V8 jumps to life when you stab the gas pedal)- Superior comfort (like driving to work in a leather recliner)- Huge interior (Roomy enough for 5 long-legged adults to sit comfortably in style)- Clean paint and leather (no chips and zero rust, the paint still shines like new. Vinyl roof cover sparkles white with a squirt of X-14, chrome sparkles) - Ice cold air (I replaced the compressor a couple of months ago and even the Florida summer is no match for the Arctic blast blasting through her vents)- Good tires (they both have plenty of tread, but the thickness of the whitewalls are mismatched because I couldn't find Broadway whitewalls to replace the fronts)- Tinted glass (about 60%)- Superior sound system with CD and cassette, (so you can rock those mix tapes you knew you were hanging onto for some reason)- Turn signal indicators on hood (that's just cool! and they still light up with every "tick, tick, tick.")- Mechanically maintained with love (this is my daily driver for 8 years so she's had no mechanical downtime. If it breaks I bring it to my Cadi-loving mechanic and get it repaired right. They'll have a list of repairs done over the years.)Over the years I've let some little stuff slip. Here's the list of what's "wrong" with her...- Back windows slipped off the track so I don't use them. Which is fine (both fronts operate fine) but recently the back window on the driver's side slips down when you drive.- Trim around vinyl popped off in the car wash, but I have the pieces in the trunk (just need the clips)- Wreath around trunk emblem came off (I have that, too - just needs glue)- Chrome trim is loose on one side (it won't fall off, but I wouldn't take it through a car wash before getting new clips)- Antennae motor died (another reason to wash her by hand - the way she deserves)- Fuse panel cover won't stay on (no idea why. Try velcro maybe?)I think that's about it. Give her a good home and she'll treat you right.