Soon after our meat sweats in downtown KC we reached the heart of dustbowl country. Time to boogie. We had an appointment in Durango, Colorado to pick up a 1975 Ford F-250 Factory Highboy pickup purchased sight unseen by a very trusting Ed Hellwig.
The plan was to buy the truck in Durango and drive it back to Santa Monica, so we knew that the 800-mile run from Durango to L.A. would be more like a walk. This was when we could make up some time, plus Ed was worried that if we were late, the truck would already be gone to a higher bidder.
I assured him that the line of F-250 Factory Highboy enthusiasts looking for a well-worn, rusty truck in Durango in the middle of winter was a short one, but he wouldn't listen.
This is a gas stop somewhere in middle America. Look around; every vehicle in sight is domestic. You don't see many BMWs in Kansas. We were already getting comments from fellow motorists on the Caddy's condition. "Well, that's a dirty car, ha ha ha. What, they don't have car washes in California? Yuk, yuk, yuk."
The cops were out and about through the plains, but our trusty Escort Passport 9500i kept us ticket-free. In fact, I drove nearly 5,000 miles that week and was not pulled over once.
The Caddy's nav system was a very nice luxury to have (we never had to crack an actual map) and its graphics are more detailed than the display of the X5's system, so looking ahead to the next town and finding gas stations is easier in the Cad than the BMW. But it did this to us about a dozen times and it went into a rebooting fit for about 20 minutes just outside Durango. The screen said the system was overheating.
Strange. Eventually the system always found our desired destination, and the reboot problem hasn't been seen since.
And there it is. When I took these pictures, Ed had owned the truck for about 10 minutes. Yeah it's cool. Even a four-speed. But it's not exactly King of the Interstate. Hell, we weren't even sure the 33-year-old truck would make it back to L.A.
From here on out our top speed would be about 68 mph. Up to this point, the Cadillac was averaging 22 mpg at an average speed near 70 mph.
-- Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
greenpony says:
06:59 AM, 01/24/09
I see you just couldn't take the yuk yuks and got a car wash somewhere between Kansas and Durango.
brn says:
07:46 AM, 01/24/09
Nice truck. Congrats Ed.
"I drove nearly 5,000 miles that week and was not pulled over once."
You don't need a radar gun to pull that off.
brn says:
07:47 AM, 01/24/09
gun = detector. Dammit.
tshoe says:
08:03 AM, 01/24/09
The Caddy was in dire need for a bath, yuk.
Nice purchase on the Truck Ed. It looks to be in great shape! Not sure of the need for such a vehicle in So Cal but that usually doesn't stop most buyers, new or used. Put some wider tires on the truck and it will look even better.
rick8365 says:
08:16 AM, 01/24/09
Nice truck.
I was going to ask for photos and details re: the F250....thanks for these pics and I hope to see more.
Maybe the truck could join the IL LT fleet like the 308, Jetta and M3??
-Truck Guy
hondacura4 says:
09:04 AM, 01/24/09
I really...R E A L L Y like the CTS as Im 100% sure its the best executed product Cadillac..or GM for that matter has ever produced. I just hope this height of execution (or higher) can become more consistent throughout Cadillac and GM as a whole.
Although the CTS is a tad to large and heavy for my own personal tastes, Id truly like to see a smaller (3 series sized) RWD entry level sport/luxury Cadillac with the same type of execution of the CTS. To put this in a better perspective...think of how the BMW 1 Series relates to the 3 Series.
Bascially a CTS on a smaller scale with similar features, drivetrain/suspension options and execution with even more emphasis on the driver and driving enjoyment. Imagine this car weighing no more than a 335i.
bumpy says:
09:46 AM, 01/24/09
What's up with parking so far away from the pumps? I don't think they bite.
bumpy says:
09:53 AM, 01/24/09
Oh, and when did you put the front plate back on?
msdaisy says:
10:18 AM, 01/24/09
"The cops were out and about through the plains, but our trusty Escort Passport 9500i kept us ticket free."
Are you getting sponsored by Escort Radar or something?
superbird52 says:
11:24 AM, 01/24/09
Sweet truck. Wish my '69 Ford shortbox was that nice looking. But it still came from the factory with a 390... Probably easier to do donuts and burnouts in mine than in yours. :)
mercedesfan says:
03:01 PM, 01/24/09
Let me first say that the CTS looks great in those last two pictures. Normally I'm not a huge fan, but those angles really highlight the car's strong points.
As an aside, that is pretty abysmal gas mileage. I am hoping for the Caddy's sake that it was the snow you guys encountered early on that skewed the numbers.
roar02ram says:
04:59 PM, 01/24/09
Congrats on the truck!
So, I take it there's a story behind how Ed ended up with a 33-year old pickup somewhere between Kansas & CA...?
estreka says:
05:51 PM, 01/24/09
Nice truck. I, too, am curious about the story. Random search on Craigslist for Durango?
slickersdrip says:
11:42 AM, 01/25/09
Not one for trucks, but that is really, really nice. I'd love to have that here in Austin for the occasional weekend of mudding or going out to the lake. 4 speed, V8-- just how I would order it. Wish one could argue the new F-150/250 that way (or 5 or 6 speed).
redgeminipa says:
04:01 AM, 01/26/09
I'm starting to think there's something wrong with the CTS. The mileage just isn't coming out the way it should. They're rated at 26 mpg highway. With DI, it should be getting that plus. I test drove an '08 Malibu with the 3.6 and was getting 27 mpg w/ the cruise set on 70 mph and 29 mpg set at 55 mph. Granted, it was only about a 15 minute test to see what it would say, but still. I think I'd be taking it to the local Caddy dealer and have them check everything out. Have you checked anywhere else to see if owners of the CTS 3.6 DI are getting this kind of mileage?
misterfusion says:
09:10 AM, 01/26/09
Did that model-year Ford pickup feature the famous in-cab gas tank? If so, I only have three words for you: Use the reserve.
greenpony says:
07:30 PM, 01/26/09
redgeminipa: Keep in mind that cold and speed (and wind) have big effects on fuel economy. And DI only gives benefits over normal FI with its ultra-lean-burn, which is during deceleration, not highway cruising.
CaptainChaos says:
10:16 PM, 01/26/09
@msdaisy: Sponsored by Escort? Unlikely.
In my opinion, anyone who ever enjoys a little "spirited" driving now and again, or who drives a vehicle that is more likely to be targeted for speeding should have a radar detector. Heck, given the ailing economy, the proliferation of speed/redlight cameras and a need for local governments to make ends meet, a good radar detector is a wise investment for anyone, IMO.
I rarely egregiously drive faster than the flow of cars around me, and my 9500ix keeps me aware of all sorts of things that I couldn't otherwise see, including cops in trees with lasers. Expensive? Sure. But how much does a single ticket, say for 10mph over, cost you? The cost of the ticket and increased insurance rates alone will probably exceed the cost of the detector.