Thinking of buying a '97 Deville

[anony00gt]

Car has about 80k miles on it. Seems in good condition, rides well, drives well, etc. As far as I can tell, all the interior gadgets work properly. It needs a few things that I can see right away (windshield, rear shocks), I'm gonna get the chance to put it up on a lift and give it a thorough going-over tomorrow afternoon. The salesman told me they'd fix whatever I found wrong with it, but I'm skeptical as I'm well aware that this is not his decision to make.

Question #1 - Are there any common problems I should be looking for in addition to checking the basics (suspension/front end, CV Joints, fluid leaks, tires, brakes, etc)?

Question #2 - Exactly what is the "Northstar" system? I have heard someone say quite some time ago that this engine can run without oil or without coolant or something, is this true? If so, how the heck does it work? I've searched the Google and found nothing about the engine running without fluid(s), and cadillac.com is useless in answering this one. Thanks

 

[codewize]

The NS supposidly can run for 50 miles at 50MPH with no coolant. I wouldn't try it with no oil. Also take a look at, I think it's partsamerica.com or one of those stores websites has a great interface to look for common problems, known issues, recalls and things like that.

Car has about 80k miles on it. Seems in good condition, rides well, drives well, etc. As far as I can tell, all the interior gadgets work properly. It needs a few things that I can see right away (windshield, rear shocks), I'm gonna get the chance to put it up on a lift and give it a thorough going-over tomorrow afternoon. The salesman told me they'd fix whatever I found wrong with it, but I'm skeptical as I'm well aware that this is not his decision to make.

Question #1 - Are there any common problems I should be looking for in addition to checking the basics (suspension/front end, CV Joints, fluid leaks, tires, brakes, etc)?

Question #2 - Exactly what is the "Northstar" system? I have heard someone say quite some time ago that this engine can run without oil or without coolant or something, is this true? If so, how the heck does it work? I've searched the Google and found nothing about the engine running without fluid(s), and cadillac.com is useless in answering this one. Thanks