Car rebuild expert buys Cadillac CTS V-Sport from dealer for half the price, thinking he'd hit the jackpot—but there’s a reason it was so cheap
- Florida-based car-rebuild expert bought a Cadillac CTS V-Sport
- It was half-price off the usual cost
- However, when he tries to drive it home he discovers why
Published on Jan 28, 2025 at 8:17 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Jan 29, 2025 at 3:48 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
When a Florida-based car-rebuild expert got his hands on a Cadillac CTS V-Sport at a dealer trade-in auction for 50 percent less than the usual price he thought he’d bagged a bargain.
He paid just $8,000 – way below its original price of $70,000.
However, there was a reason that it was half-price.
Turns out the automotive content creator needed to put a lot more work into it than he’d bargained for.
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The 2014 Cadillac CTS V-Sport
After driving away from the auction, stating: ‘This ain’t your Granddaddy’s old caddy’, content creator Samcrac, known simply as Sam, thought he’d bagged a bargain.
“I figured it could be a pretty great gamble for just 8,000 bucks,” he said – especially considering the emotional connection many have to the American
To make matters worse, it stalled on the road due to an empty fuel tank.
“The car literally has died,” Sam said.
He was forced to take an e-bike home to grab a can and refuel in order to get it home.
The reason for the price
When he finally got it back to his home shop, he found various cosmetic and mechanical issues, including worn suspension components and minor oil leaks.
Thankfully, the transmission seemed well-maintained, which was a positive sign for the car’s history.
The main problem, however, was slack in the timing chain, a common issue with GM 3.6L V6 engines said to be caused by infrequent oil changes.
Sadly, this can lead to catastrophic engine failure.
Sam plans to fix the timing chain and make sure it’s looking as good as it possibly can – a project that will set him back a few thousand dollars.
We’ve seen huge glow-ups on Cadillac CTS previously.
If it can make this rare and coveted car a solid and reliable daily driver it’s arguably worth it.
“These cars are still pretty darn desirable,” Sam said.
All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
