1990 Cadillac Eldorado

1990 Cadillac Eldorado Much to the chagrin of the Cadillac loyalists, the brand downsized the Eldorado in 1986, sharing the platform with the Buick Riviera and Olds Toronado. They also cut production in half with just 24,266 Eldorados built in '86 and 22, 832 in 1990. In 2002, the Eldorado celebrated its 50th year, and GM announced that '02 would also be the final year and just 1,596 special edition versions were produced. For consignment, a 1990 Cadillac Eldorado with a title verified 82,375 actual miles. The car has been a one family car since 1992 and unlike the other E-body front wheel drive cars at the time, the Cadillac kept a V8, here being the 4.5 liter with 180 horsepower.  Exterior It may have been downsized, but that didn't stop Cadillac from including cosmetic luxury styling cues throughout the exterior, beginning with the faux convertible canvas top, here is beautiful dark blue, exemplifying a luxury trend of the times. Gold trim was a luxury bump and it's here in spades, from the Cadillac script, badges and hood ornament to the dealer tag and the rails on the trunk mounted luggage rack. Some of the gold shows some oxidation of the plating. Our compact Caddy has composite headlights up front, a stately eggcrate grille, and vertical tail lights that hint of Cadillac legacy. A broad chrome side trim piece flows end to end, taking in side markers and visually connecting the 15-inch alloy wheels that were standard, here showing some delamination on the clear and representing the only exterior flaw we note.  Interior Come with us, back to the early 90's and feast your eyes upon the blue vinyl door panels with integrated controls in a monochrome and tidy presentation. While the electric switches could have been from GM's parts bin, in the Caddy, they are framed in piano black faceplates for a more upscale feel. The blue leather bucket seats are wide and well padded, wearing an embroidered Cadillac crest and replete with narrow tuck and roll stitching the run the width of the seats. In back, the pattern is shared and includes a fold away arm rest in the center and a lap belt for a third passenger. Opera lights ride the C-pillar, a feature reserved for GM's higher trim levels. Up front, it's ground breaking digitation, a black screen that lights up with segmented green digits and a slew of idiot lights. Black and silver switchgear occupy the rest of the dash including the Delco AM/FM/Cassette radio to the right. A/C and a Driver Information Center is in the center stack, allowing owners to scroll through various status points relayed by the car's computer. In the center console, a tidy T-handle shifter rises from a plastic base over plush blue carpet that is toes deep and clean. The felt lined, foam backed headliner shows points of sagging, typical for this generation. Gray cloth panels fully finish the trunk which is topped by an additional Cadillac branded mat.  Drivetrain A clean 4.5 liter transverse mounted V8 is under the hood, rated at 180 horsepower and is port fuel injected. It's hooked up to a TH440-T4 4-speed automatic which keeps power up front with 2.97 gears. Four wheel power disc brakes are employed.  Undercarriage Evidence of a pampered life becomes obvious when you look underneath. Typical surface rust and only a thin film of oil on the pan denote a car that's likely been garaged. A single exhaust travels down a tunnel of the mostly flat underside and terminates discreetly after a stock style muffler. Coil spring suspension is found up front and the rear independent suspension utilizes a transflex leaf spring. Drive-Ability The comfortable interior doesn't disappoint and has plenty of room while still feeling a bit cozy. The V8 is a quick starter and we move the floor mounted shifter to Drive and roll through the test loop. No complaints here, the car has good power, a square footprint that tracks straight, and although floaty at speed, handles well. We note the brake warning