There are those who see a fully loaded Honda Accord V6, and think "Yup, I think I'll buy that without seeing what this money will get on the used car market." And then there are the smart ones who understand you could buy this supercharged mammoth and have enough left over cash to buy a year's supply of freedom fries. Mmm.
First things first: This car is a brute. 556 horsepower from its supercharged 6.2 liter V8, which is actually a detuned Corvette ZR1 engine - in a four door with multi-zone climate control, alcantara accents, and a panoramic roof.
The CTS in its stock form is quite a nice place to be. It's the car Cadillac made when its design team got its shit together and stopped making head-gasket-explody nightmares that were created to race its aging customer base to the grave. This second-generation, revised, top-of-the-heap version has one hell of a striking look, and the drivetrain is nothing short of astonishing. Drive one and you'll understand.
"But the maintenance on that thing must be horrible! And what if it breaks? I bet Cadillac repairs aren't cheap!" Easy, there, Terry. The car's drivetrain is made in this country, so parts are plentiful, has been around in one form or another for the last 2 decades, so parts prices are more than reasonable, and this car comes with a warranty. It'll do a low 12-second pass, bone stock at your local 1/4 mile drag strip, seat 5 in comfort, and hold all your groceries. Still thinking about that Accord?
If you'd like to see more unimaginable horsepower values for money, check these out:
Tavarish is the founder of APiDA Online and writes about buying and selling cool cars on the internet. He owns the world's cheapest Mercedes S-Class, a graffiti-bombed Lexus, and he's the only Jalopnik author that has never driven a Miata. He also has a real name that he didn't feel was journalist-y enough so he used a pen name and this was the best he could do.