Massachusetts man who bought a dead $80,000 Cadillac at 96% off reveals the wild battery quote he received for it
Published on Dec 13, 2025 at 1:43 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Dec 10, 2025 at 5:51 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Claire Reid
This man bought an $80,000 hybrid Cadillac ELR for just $3,500 with plans to fix it up, but was left reeling after being given a quote for a replacement battery.
Buying a Cadillac ELR with more than 95 percent off its original asking price is an impressive find.
However, as you have probably guessed, the low price reflects the car’s condition.
The Cadillac had clearly seen better days, having problems with its engine, battery, bodywork, and more.
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The Cadillac ELR needed a new battery, but it wouldn’t be cheap
Despite its condition, Rich from the Rich Rebuilds YouTube channel was undaunted.
He’s got plenty of experience in this area, having previously brought a Model 3 Tesla back from the dead and repairing a Fisker Ocean for just $100.
More recently, Rich got his hands on a Cadillac ELR that was in need of some TLC.
The car enthusiast carried out a long list of repair jobs to get the car back on the road, including fixing a coolant leak, repairing its bashed-in bodywork, and getting the coil pack back up and running so the generator would charge the battery.
He even splashed out on a new matte black wrap for the Cadillac to make it look brand-new.
With a huge chunk of the work carried out and the car now up and running, Rich decided it was time to replace the battery.
When new, the car’s battery should have offered around 40 miles of range, but this EV was only delivering around half of that.
Rich visited a Cadillac dealership to get a quote for a replacement battery, and it’s safe to say he was left shocked by what he heard.
The dealership told him a new battery would cost a staggering $12,000, and that didn’t include labor, which would push the price even higher.
Somewhat incredibly, the Cadillac staff member told the YouTuber that a replacement for ELR battery set one unlucky motorist back a whopping $30,000 a few years ago, but, thankfully, prices were a little lower now.
He had a tough decision ahead of him
After being told the price for the replacement, Rich had to weigh up whether or not he wanted to go ahead with the replacement.
And despite the price being lower than it had been in the past, Rich decided that $12,000 (plus labor) for a new battery was simply too high and he decided against going down the dealership route.
“That’s not happening,” he said in the clip. “That’s definitely not happening.”
So for now, the Cadillac is staying as it is, until the YouTuber can think up another solution for his battery problem.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
