All Aboard the Banana Boat: 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille

Here she is, my new old daily driver. The "Banana Boat," as it is called by my family and friends, is a Naples Yellow 1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. Bought from a gentleman in Milford, New Hampshire (the same town where my 1971 Cadillac Coupe DeVille was bought for those keeping score at home), the car originally came from Oklahoma and it is absolutely unbelievable how spotless it is top to bottom and inside and out. Seeing the overall condition of this car and my old 1977 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, which was an Idaho car, makes me never want to buy a vehicle from New England again. The average used car around here that is described as "extremely solid" has roughly as much rust as the Titanic. That's why I have to search high and low to find cars like this Coupe that haven't been completely consumed by the tin worm. It's remarkable, really; even things like the fuel tank straps that rot away on EVERYTHING here in New England are not rusted and there are still factory chalk marks clearly visible on the rear differential cover! It's got 84,000 miles on it and merely needs stupidly simple cosmetic things like a new headliner and a set of rear fillers like every other car that was ever made with ABS plastic fillers does. I'm a sucker for the first generation of the "baby" Cadillacs (1977-1979), and this one was way too good to pass up. Since selling "Big Red," my 1979 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, I've never been able to get the desire for another of this generation out of my head, and this one being in the same color as my mother's '85 Eldorado that I spent a good chunk of my childhood riding around in was certainly an added bonus. A virtually spotless, relatively low mileage, ice cream-colored two-door Cadillac with a white leather interior couldn't be more me. And for $700, I wouldn't even think of chancing the fact that it might not get to sit in front of my house. I'm not even going to suggest that I would never sell the car because I'm tired of putting my foot in my mouth, but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. And for the time being, the big yellow Cadillac will do just fine for my transportation needs. Gas prices be damned!