The 1989 Cadillac Brougham Is the Best Cadillac From 30 Years Ago 

Brom? Broam? Brog-ham? BRO-HAM? I look forward to you people arguing it out while I relax in two t-shirts.

The low horsepower lets u be more accurate during drive-bys

Does it make me weird that I’d rather see a review on this old Cadillac instead of a hyper car

I liked that car in 1989 when I was 29, and I still like it today. You could drive it from LA to SF, and get out feeling fine. Soaked up the bumps, glided over the seams in the pavement. Took the fatigue out of driving. These ideas are still worthwhile today.

I love how earlier cars actually focused on making customers happy and giving them a better treatment …

From car reviews to house reviews and now, boat reviews, now that’s progress

I find these reviews much more interesting than the hyper cars

Fun fact: The 80s Caddy had air suspension, which you could adjust by stopping at the gas station and adding some air! Cool feature

Two points: 1) How does a car guy like Doug not know that the middle brake lights were mandated in 86? 2) Are these really that rare today in California? I'm Californian born but live in Ohio & every few weeks in my small town here I'll still see pristine examples of this out & about being daily driven.

The reason why the trunk switch is in the glove box is so that when you use the valet, the owner can lock the glove box thus preventing the valet attendant or anyone else who may be driving it other than the owner from opening the trunk. Many cars had it back then.

This is one of my overall favourite car designs, I just find it so elegant with beautiful proportions.

A couple of things. The trunk release was in glove box because you cam lock the glove box with what i believe was the trunk key. It kept the valet out of your trunk. The vinyl roof provided a quiet ride experience when it rained.

The little lights that let you know if a bulb is burnt out arent actually lights, theyre fiber optic cables that run from the light fixture itself. ~The More You Know

My dad owned an 87' and riding in this car was like riding in your living room.

I can still remember the day back in the 80s when one of the neighbor kids discovered that the hood ornament was on an elastic cable and we all took turns bending it and releasing it until the owner came out and yelled at us

What makes my 1989 Cadillac Brougham special is that this year it turned over to 45k miles and was bought new and belonged to my now deceased dad & mom.

When I was a kid back in the 90s if you saw one of these or a Lincoln Town Car you knew that guy had money.

When I see the interior of this car, I think of smoking, VHS and curly hair.

The extra box as you called it was where the optional digital miles to empty would go. The seats are outstandingly comfortable. Modern cars do not come close to the class style and comfort of these caddys

"The Penalty of Leadership" was an ad in the "Saturday Evening Post" back in 1915. It was the ad that put boosted Cadillac's name as a car brand.

Why do you describe the back seat as "surprisingly" comfortable? How can one look at that seat and NOT think it's comfortable?

I loved these American cars. Coming rom Europe, we used to go to the US on vacation in the early 80s and you knew you were in a different world when you saw these fabulous, huge cars. They were like nothing else in the world. Now, the cars are all bland and look the same wherever you are in the world. Back then, these huge cars, the fantastic highways with those green signs and great American radio stations is what I remember so fondly.

I disagree that these only appeal to 80 year olds. I was just 7 when I fell in love with a neighbor’s 1972 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. People who make fun of classic American style are truly fools.

Got to admit it - when I was a little boy, _these_ were the cars I was drawing. Like, in the mid-80s.

Those were the days when a full-sized sedan could literally seat six adults. Land Yachts!

If you transport 6 with this, 2 will be in the trunk.

Gorgeous and I'd take this over absolutely any Mercedes ever made

That is a particularly gorgeous example it must be said. Lovely.

Yes! These are the videos I like. Old cars I don't know much about that actually have quirks - not all these 2019 boring cars that are reviewed on a hundred other channels.

"It's... A Cadillac!" - James May, 2007

My dream is to have a caddy like this. Gotta love those pillows

I'm 35, and I always wanted one of these back when I was in high-school. I wish I picked it up. Would of been the most chill car to have lol 😎

1989 was 30 years ago....here I am thinking 1970 was 30 years ago

The trunk button makes sense since the glove box is lockable.

I had a 1979 fleetwood brougham and the interior looked exactly the same. Mine had a factory CB radio and 8-track player.

You know Doug, it is a bit amusing to me how you mock the the cars you are featuring but if you were growing up in the era people liked the innovations or even quirky features. I was a limousine driver when that model came out and my limo company promptly ordered a stretch of that Caddy. It was sweet. It quickly got outclassed, in my opinion, by the Lincoln Town Car models though. I just think maybe you might be slightly more respectful. I mean, it's really all about design and taste.

you forgot to mention the 5 cigarette lighters inside.

The Penalty of Leadership was written in 1915 as an advertisement copyright. It became so famous that Cadillac used it everywhere (ie in this owners manual) for decades.

I had a Fleetwood back in the 80’s and it was a lovely car that had all the appointments you mentioned here. What a nice flashback. I own a de Ville today. Nothing like the luxurious ride of a Cadillac.

This just popped up for me. I remember a friend of the family having one of these in '89 and the thing just felt like it was floating. Doug's a tad off as far as it's competitors horsepower numbers. The Mercedes 560SEC's engine delivered 275hp, Cadillac's own 4.5L LW2 engine in the Allante for the same year produced 200hp and, Jaguar didn't have a V8 in the XJ of the time, but their 4.0L inline 6 delivered approx 225hp. Same for BMW's 7 Series, your options were V12 or I6 and the inline 6 in the 735 clocked in at just over 200hp. Only its American rivals had these insanely low power numbers from V8's with the Chrysler New Yorker Fifth Ave having a slightly larger engine (5.2L V8) and only 140 hp, and the Lincoln Town Car having a 5.0 with 150hp.

2:51 I swear I thought my phone died 😂

"I got da Fleetwood Brom" "Wit the velour?" "Fuggetaboutit."

It’s pronounced “brome”. My father was a general foreman at Cadillac. The horn is called a “trumpet horn”. We had several growing up and I fell in love with the brand as a child. Still love the old school Cadillacs and still love the brand.

This car looks so much better than the newer Cadillacs, or newer cars in general.

This takes me back to my childhood. My father dreamed of having this car and talked about it for years, never achieving that goal.

Broughams were the pontoon boats of land yachts, they floated along , on those long sunday drives, with the whole family comfortably seated, front and back, we went on many a 6 hour drive and never were farther than 30 mile from home. I lived in the blue ridge mountains of SC. Life was good.

It is very interesting to see, how in 1989 that Cadillac was very very different to what a Mercedes or BMW of 1989 were, whilst nowadays the car industry around the globe seems to develop into some kind of convergence. Also a 1989 BMW 750i - the pinnacle from Bavaria - had a 5 Liter V12 with 295hp. That must have been an incredible difference to the Caddy. I would really really love to have one of those Brom Delagances!

I know no one will probably see this comment, but my grandpa had one of these cars, and this video was a crazy nostalgia trip. I still have a scar from playing with the cigarette lighter. He grew up dirt poor in rural Oklahoma, worked his way into aerospace engineering, and helped develop the B1 bomber. He grew up pining over caddys of the 50s and this was his "I made it" car

A car from 30 years ago has stuff my car from 5 years ago doesn’t have.

Sometimes I forget how young Doug is. This car is legendary!

Doug this is my favorite video on youtube.. I've watched it like alot of times that I probably have it memorized.. I'm still anxious till the day I get my brougham

Doug missed that- The fuel cap was hidden behind the rear license plate which was spring loaded and foldable. The rear brake lights were also the turn signals. The ride was like floating on a cloud.

These kinds of cars is why I originally subscribed to you. More relic and quirky cars Doug!!!!

Richard Hammond : it’s a long walk James May : it’s a gentleman car

Drove one of these once back in the 90‘s. Nothing more relaxing than that. A peaceful giant.

If you have never seen one of these in person, you couldn't possibly understand how luxurious they were! I don't find this car a quirky, I would say LUXURY. When this was new the seats were a supple leather and buttoned. 6When you sat in it, you felt like you were in a cozy recliner ! The wood grain trim was very highly polished like a vintage RRoyce. Space, SPACE is what I would say. 6 people could ride for hours comfortably together without getting in each others way. When I was a kid, we sometimes had 5 parents and 2-3 kids riding together for hours to go to Football games. My favorite time was night because this car had Opera Lights in the doors, behind the back seats, lighting in the front seats (remember people had to look at paper maps back then) and both sides had lighted vanities with adjustable light color. The car was magnificent when the lights were on at night. My most favorite parts of the exterior were the Hood Ornaments and trunk ornament, the heavy spoke wheels and laurel wreath designs. For those who love music, this car had symphony sound and literally you felt like you were in a concert hall. I have never had a car with that sound again.

Those Cadillac seats were wonderful!

It's kind of sad luxury is now judged by tech instead of ride quality, or space or comfort. You can stuff a corolla full of "luxury" tech features but it will never ride like an old Cadillac or Lincoln.

I just got a wave of nostalgia watching this video 😊 I remember when I was a little girl in grade school and one of my uncles would come in their Cadillacs and pick up me and my cousins with them hot ass leather seats during summer break and drive us up to the corner store and buy us 50 cent ice creams and cold drinks🤩 *sigh* I miss those days

LOVE it! Love all 80s boxy models really. Who else was cringing when Doug kept rocking that Cadillac hood ornament back & forth? 😖😬

Please review more old land yachts! Like old Lincolns, Cadillacs and such

That Cadillac “button” by the dome lights, looks like the perfect spot, and size to store a pack of cigarettes. And that was a lot more important in the 80s

Thank you for posting. I had a 1990 Cadillac Fleetwood in 2010 and loved it. Unfortunately the motor didn’t hold up past 80k miles. This video brings back good memories.

My grandma used to have a late 80s Fleetwood Brougham when I was younger and kept it looking and running brand new. Wasn’t the fastest thing in the world, but in something like that, you’re not really worried about speed or going fast in general.

Did I miss it? Did he not mention the auto-load leveler, auto high-beam system, or even the built-in garbage container on the passenger floor?? These cars are awesome.

Those seats look incredibly comfy

All Broughams from 1977 to the last year of production always came with a vinyl top. It was one of those things that helped to differentiate it from the very similar, slightly less expensive Sedan DeVille.

The cathedral tail lights never get old 👍🏽

This was my first car! The Fleetwood Brougham, We called it the COP.. Caddy Of Pain.. good times lol

The one thing I loved about cars back in the day was the headlights were real glass & you didn't have to worry about them fading over time. On these new cars headlights are made out of plastic & over time they get oxygenated & you can't see as well. Bring back real glass for headlights ! ! !

For an european like me this is like from another planet...love it

The Guy doing all the talking is some what sarcastic. I am a 74 year old Vietnam Veteran, I previously owned a 1972 Fleetwood Brougham, black on Black. The car was beautiful. The Cadillac in this video is beautiful as well. I currently own a 2008 DTS Cadillac and prior to that, I owned a 2007 DTS for almost 3 years that was totaled. Back in the day, In my opinion, Cadillac’s were the bomb. They were beautiful with the Cadillac wrath on the hood and they rode great as well. It use to be a joy for me to drive to Vegas in my 1972 Brougham. I kept it for 15 years and put another engine in it. I should have kept it as a classic possession. I didn’t at that time ,own a house with a 3 car garage, so for space concerns, I sold it. Back in the day, General Motors was the bomb. They were great. However, in this day and time, they have lost it. My current wife of 43 years has owned 2 Mercedes, currently a 2014 E-350. Mercedes are a little mechanically better than General Motors products. However, Cadillac’s are not bad for the buck purchased. In my lifetime thus far, owning 3 Volvo’s, 3 Cadillac’s, my favorite cars I owned, would be my 1966 396 engine Super Sport Chevy and my 1972 Black on Black Brougham Cadillac. I believe your host of this Video is sarcastic at best and car history should be respected. Currently, I am pretty Happy with my 2008 DTS Cadillac.

The middle front seat is the perfect size for your grandchild (aka me in the 80s).

The fact that a full grown adult American man is surprised to find the trunk button in the glove box makes me feel old.

Such a beautiful car. A motorized piece of ART

My dad still owns one of these and it is the reason I love Cadillac today

Hidden windshield wipers make better aerodynamics for this brick.

I bought one of these new in 1989. I was 40 not 80. After all the paperwork was done, the salesman came up to me and said, "we're a little curious as we don't sell these to someone your age. Why did you buy it?" "Irony," is what I said. A very important feature was the back seat, which was roomy enough for amorous activities. I kept the car until 2008.

This was a fun flashback. My grandfather bought a 84 Fleetwood d'Elegance and it had basically everything this car had, maybe the only difference was that extra cushioned seats. One thing I noticed he never pointed out that my grandfathers Cadillac had was a built in from the factory CB radio, we used to have fun with that on road trips to Tennessee, I'm surprised this top of the line didnt have it.

My dad always had Cadillacs in that era. His last was burgundy with plush velour seats, an 8 track tape player, usually playing Sinatra. We drove across country on many long trips and actually drove it up Pike's Peak in Colorado. I don't think we ever wore seatbelts. Very fond memories for me.

Last of the real Cadillacs. I had one and I miss it dearly. Gorgeous car!

Doug the type of guy to review a classic Cadillac without calling it a "Caddy"

I'm 49 years old in 2023, and I rather own this car than any new car out there today!

The trap door in the dome light assembly was where you put the factory accessory radar detector. Look closely inside, and there’s two brass prongs that provides power to it. Also worth noting, the headlight/turn signal/tail light “repeaters” are actually fiber optic. They pipe light from each bulb that they’re attached to.

"I always wanted to be a gangster ", this confirms it was Doug who shot Tupac

I never cared much about Cadillacs. BUT In high school in 1986 I worked and a stockboy at Kmart. One day I’m out gathering shopping carts in the parking lot and notice this new beige Fleetwood Brougham, “manufacture” plates and gauges mounted on the pass. Fender facing the driver!?! What? As I’m taking all of this in, the GM engineer driving the car walked up and gave me the dish. They were in Florida to do humidity testing on the then new 5.0 liter engine offering (previous to that was, I think, the HT4100, 4.1 liter v8? yikes!) He told me I had just missed the yet to be released Allante test mule they were running as well. I was enthralled. Exciting times indeed

* reads caption to video before clicking * ok I’m entertained gonna watch now

Love those casket-pull door handles. I have a 1990 Cadillac Deville which has most of these same features but in a front-wheel drive car based on GM’s C-body. It’s the last of the true Cadillacs, with chrome outside door handles and vestigial fins on the back. Brilliant car. Quiet, comfy and super-reliable.

"Nobody would put a vinyl top nowadays" Doug has never been to the hood lol

Doug is the type of guy who calls himself caddy daddy

This is great! Reminds me of the super used '89 I drove for a while. That one only had the suede covered seats though. It was, or at least felt, like the smallest Caddy I drove... had a '72 sedan De'Ville, '76 Coupe De'Ville and a '76 El Dorado which was by FAR my most favorite w/ the factory 500 ci engine. Seated 8 and was like driving a comfy couch down the highway.

Third time watching this. Doug's still the best!

Long sleeve shirt and cargo shorts... I get the sense that Doug always films his videos on laundry day

I owned a 1989 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham D'elagance about 15 years ago. Very similar to this. Black with 'Saddle' tufted leather interior. Had the 'Astroroof' clear panel sunroof as it was made in Texas and referenced the Houtson Astros. Rear air bag self leveling suspension. Soft close trunk. Don't knock these cars until you ride or drive in them. They are very nice!

Im really enjoying your car reviews im glad I ran across your Chanel

It’s incredible how many classic features from this car were kept when the Fleetwood Brougham was redesigned in 1992, thankfully the LT1 V8 in that one solved the power problem and the fuel economy was better than expected for such a large car.

Owned an 87 Bro-Ham (haha) White on White for about 4 yrs. Always wanted one and I bought one for 800 bucks back in 1998. It was in a accident and the guy told me everything that needed to be fixed. Had the money to get it right and it cost me 1400 to get it on the road again. No way this was a daily driver. She was my toy car that I keep garaged and only brought it out on the weekends. She got 11- 12 miles a gallon in the city but much better on the highway. Road like a Caddy on the QEW to Toronto and it always turned heads. Felt like a King every weekend. I truly loved that car. Ended up selling it for 1000 bucks to a guy who was in a Caddy club and he took it down South to Georgia. Left her in good hands. To me it was a very pleasing experience to own a car that I always wanted and I hope everybody has the same experience that I did with my Caddy.

Wow feeling nostalgic AF. Miss my grandpa. I think I want an old Caddy now.

My father had a Cadillac as it was the end game of GM. When he was a young man he had a Chevy Impala SS, he then graduated to a Buick Electra, and then finally a Cadillac. Their plan was as you aged you went from one model family to another. I can't think of any automobile manufacturer today who would have such long-term thinking and planning in order to retain their customers.

From 1980 to 1992 the Cadillac Brougham only underwent MINOR changes and they were all essentially cosmetic. A 1980 chassis and a 1992 chassis were almost identical. Even the last generation, 1993 to 1999, was still built on the same frame. And what you consider to be quirks I consider to be sensible convenient features that I miss and wish was on modern cars in many cases. I particularly liked the lamp indicators on the corners of the hood, the cornering lamps, and the fuel filler located behind the license plate.