Cadillac Catera

The Catera (1997-2001) was Cadillac's attempt to compete with the BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class — a rebadged second-generation Opel Omega B (the European executive sedan), federalised for the US with minor styling and equipment changes. 3.0L L81 V6 NA (200 hp) — Opel-built, shared with the Omega and Saab 9-5. Four-speed automatic only (no manual offered for the US). RWD. The 'Caddy that zigs' marketing campaign positioned the Catera as a young-buyer European Cadillac, but the car suffered from poor reliability (Opel-quality electrical and cooling issues), unimpressive performance, and a fundamental positioning problem: traditional Cadillac buyers wanted a Cadillac, and BMW buyers wanted a BMW. ~95,000 sold across the five-year run. Replaced by the much more credible CTS for 2003. Now firmly a curio — clean examples are cheap and rare.