To Grandmother’s Car We Go, Part 2

I had a certain price budget that lent itself to being very friendly to mid-size cars in lineups from companies like Toyota or Hyundai. Then I realized that I had limited my search too much. I was looking only at new cars, because if I’m giving a recommendation to a loved one, I need to eliminate any worries down the road. But what about certified pre-owned? Sure there are a few miles put on by a stranger, but with a warranty that’s as good (or sometimes better) than the factory one, no one will get stuck with any real problems.

With this new world opened up, a few new options became available. Grammy is comfortable with the size of her current car, so any extra value from the pre-owned cars will likely not go to added size, but instead added prestige.

We picked a sunny Saturday afternoon to find Grammy a car. Because my parents also live locally, we decided to make it a team effort at the dealership. Mom was distracting the salesperson so he/she wouldn’t bother Grammy and me. Dad was listening to everything Grammy had to say, and then translating it for me — after all, any good grandmother will like anything her grandson picks out for her. It’s a great trait to have when I buy her a horrible sweater, but it becomes a little harder when I’m trying to figure out what car she really likes.

Before we see the “sure things” at the Toyota dealership we make a stop at Lincoln and Cadillac. The MKZ and CTS are Camry-sized, and when they are a couple of years old, the pre-owned cars are also Camry-priced.

We eventually make our way to the Toyota dealer for the final comparison. The result: the Corolla was a little too small, the Camry was a little too big (the wheelbase grew in the last two generations since her Camry), but the CTS felt just right. The Cadillac’s long standing prestige probably played a decent factor in this decision. Grammy’s eyes lit up when she found out the CTS could be had in red – the deal was sealed.

Now I knew what I was looking for, and through the miracle of AutoTrader, it wouldn’t be that hard…or so I thought.

I set the search parameters to the perfect car. I was looking for a 2006 or above CTS with less than 25,000 miles, certified pre-owned, and of course, red color. I also limited my search to the 2.8-liter V6 engine instead of the 3.6-liter unit. While “more power” is my (and every other car guy’s) personal maxim, I though that almost doubling the horsepower from her Camry wasn’t necessary.

No one within a 300-mile radius had a red CTS with the small engine, only the 3.6 was available. I guess those who wanted a little extra flash from their Caddy also like to go fast. I continue to look for a week without any results. My grandmother may have thought she was putting some stress to find the car. She really wasn’t, but that didn’t stop her from calling me and saying that she decided on the Camry at the car lot. She wouldn’t admit it, but it was a compromise.

If she was ready to compromise, so was I. There was a dealer less than an hour away with the 3.6-liter CTS in red. I went down and drove it. The car was perfectly smooth, and when driven normally, the car wouldn’t unleash its 255 hp all at once. I could still get it to lay some rubber when I tried hard on the test drive, but Grammy is unlikely to watch any Starkey and Hutch re-runs any time soon.

I convinced myself that the little bit of gas mileage given up for the bigger engine was minimal, plus now I would enjoy driving her car a little more, and it was a done deal. Grammy got her red 2006 CTS.

The CTS is Cadillac’s entry-level car. In an ideal world, it’s the car GM wants customers to start with and then trade-in later for a larger, more expensive Cadillac. In the 80s my grandmother had a succession of Cadillac’s largest car, the Fleetwood. So she may not be the exact customer Cadillac designed the CTS for, but I’m sure they are happy to have her back.

But how did this happen? We set out to find a nice but sedate car for my grandmother, and wound up with a red luxury sports sedan. Is the lesson not to judge a book by its cover? Or maybe it’s how to really read between the lines on someone?

Quite frankly I don’t really care about the lesson. My Grammy is happy, therefore I’m happy.