Come on TonyC! I think we have run that subject into the ground: Comparing incomparable models to one another! Your talking comparing a late model V-8 to an early model V-6. I can't understand the persistence of people to race Porsches against air cooled Volkswagens and use that as a valid argument. Next we'll see a race against a helicopter and a mountain bike... jeez.
Lets run an STS against the proper MBZ: An E55. Since the STS is Cadillac’s version of an E55, it's a fair and silly race. You cannot come back and argue a stock E430 because it is not supposed to be a high performance model. It's an E with a V-8. Since I know that a 1999 Corvette will roast an STS like a red headed step child, you can be darn sure that the E55 is going to beat the STS even if the MBZ raced in reverse! I have the article showing the E55 in pix and on paper eating the DOHC Vette all the way through the quarter with a SOHC 4-door family MBZ. But even if you want to compare an E430 stock here you go.
Real World (not fantasy)
MBZ 0-60 6.4 Seconds Caddie STS 6.9
Drag Coefficient- MBZ .29 Caddie .31
Weight- MBZ is 600 pounds lighter
Skid Pad- MBZ .83 Caddie .80 (duh!)
Top Speed- MBZ 150mph (computer limited) Caddie 135 (computer limited)
Quarter Mile- MBZ 15.6 Caddie 16 seconds
So uh… Lets see, does the 2001 Caddie beat ANY 2001 V-8 MBZ E class? No.
How much is a Caddie worth the minute you drive off the lot? A can of fishing worms. MBZ? About 2 grand less than the purchase price.
As for the Captain here, it sounds to me like that guy is a Democrat. He'll say absolutely anything the opposite of you, just to say it. You can't argue with someone who eats crack for breakfast. Print out the Caddie specs on his car and give it to him. Or go to the Caddie dealership and have a mechanic print the spec sheet and stick it under your neighbor’s windshield wipers along with a free lobotomy offer. The guy is sick in the head.