At one point in automotive history, Cadillac was seen as the best in the business. Marques from the US and beyond tried to compete and, in some cases, copy Cadillac, to no avail. It's no surprise that the GM-owned luxury subsidiary was once known as "The Standard of the World." This sentiment lost much of its meaning as the 20th century entered its final decades, as years of financial constraint and ever-changing emissions regulations slowly dismantled Cadillac's luxury segment reign.Cadillac's loss of image reached a pivotal point in 2011. That year, it was announced that the DTS, the brand's flagship sedan, was getting the axe. The DTS — or DeVille Touring Sedan — was the final iteration of the long-standing DeVille nameplate, and was the most luxurious sedan offered by Cadillac at the time of its departure. Luckily for Caddy sedan lovers, the final model-year DTS can be had for pennies on the dollar in the used market. Not to mention, it still has a lot to offer, despite it being 15 years old. Depreciation Worked To Your Advantage Cadillac When the 2011 Cadillac DTS was new, it stickered for $46,680 in its base form. 15 years later, that MSRP equates to a roughly $67,500 base price. Not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. However, the large price was due to the DTS being Cadillac's prized pony, alongside the Escalade SUV. The two titans of luxury represented both the new and old ways of motoring about in opulence, and the old ways were quickly losing a foothold in the US. The DTS's customer base was largely gone, and the newer generation of luxury buyers simply weren't interested in its old-school, land-yacht style.Cadillac Because of this, along with the typical large levels of depreciation seen with used luxury flagship sedans, the '11 DTS is quite cheap these days. Looking at the CarBuzz Marketplace, we can see that the average price of a 2011 DTS currently sits just north of $10,500. Of course, this number varies widely currently, with some extremely low-mile examples instead selling for north of $20,000. However, on the flip side, some used DTSs with higher-than-average mileage can be had for just a few thousand dollars.That's not particularly unusual for a luxury sedan of this vintage. You might expect to pay roughly the same for an old S-Class or 7 Series, but at least with the DTS, you can fly the flag for the US automobile industry with pride, rather than deferring to Europe for your opulent daily drive. This Is What The 2011 DTS Had To Offer CadillacBeing a flagship luxury sedan, the '11 DTS needed to offer a good bit of standard amenities even in the base model. Like the BMW 7 Series, Lexus LS, and Lincoln Town Car, Cadillac offered a long wheelbase version of the DTS in 2007 and 2008, but it was extremely unpopular and rarely purchased by civilians. In total, the model offered four distinct, main trim levels, ranging from the unnamed base trim, to the mid-range Luxury grade. Moving up from there, you have the Premium model, with a Platinum trim topping off the range. Base (Original MSRP: $46,680) Kicking off the DTS's model lineup is the base spec, which still manages to contain a good amount of standard kit. For starters, it comes with powered, leather-trimmed seats, real wood trim, and dual-zone climate control. In addition, heated wing mirrors, HID headlights, and fog lights came standard, as well. A satellite radio-ready stereo was included, which could also handle MP3 connectivity. Buyers had a choice of optional features, as well, which included things like a front bench seat, navigation, and heated and cooled front seats.Cadillac Luxury (Original MSRP: $51,925) Moving one trim level up, buyers could go for the Luxury grade. Along with all the standard amenities mentioned previously, things like a power-sliding moonroof came standard, along with a set of chrome wheels, rather than the polished aluminum ones seen on the base grade. Front seat and wing mirror memory, a universal garage door opener, tri-zone climate control, front and rear-seat heating and front seat cooling were also added to the Luxury grade's standard feature list, along with a six-disc CD changer. The split front bench remained an optional extra. Premium (Original MSRP: $54,825) Batting third in the '11 DTS's order is the Premium trim level. At this point in the lineup, we're getting close to the top-spec grade, meaning the Premium-spec'd DTS needs to be a heavy hitter. Coming in as standard kit are things like a tilting and telescoping steering wheel, whereas the previous two grades only offered tilt. Wing mirrors gained a power-folding feature, and a premium Bose sound system found its way into the Premium's standard offering list, as well. Optionally, buyers could spring for a blind-spot warning system, along with a lane departure warning system.Cadillac Platinum (Original MSRP: $59,875) Sitting at the top of the pile is the Platinum trim. The Premium grade already offered nearly every single optional feature as standard, except for things like the blind-spot warning and lane departure warning, both of which became standard kit. The main difference between the Platinum grade and the rest of the lineup was its interior quality and material use.Its seats were trimmed with Tuscany-style leather, and front-seat cupholders boasted both heating and cooling. A unique burled walnut wood trim was used on the dashboard, door cards, and center console. Its carpeting was also upgraded, made to be thicker and more plush than on other grades. Its steering wheel was also heated as standard. A set of exclusive 18-inch wheels were featured as part of the Platinum package, as well as optional adaptive cruise control. Under The Hood CadillacAcross all trim levels, a single engine was available: Cadillac's 4.6-liter Northstar V8. More specifically, the final LD8 iteration, which was the culmination of nearly two decades of improvement over the original design released in 1992. The '11 DTS's version of the mill boasted things like an all-aluminum design, along with a dual-overhead camshaft valvetrain consisting of 32 valves. A total of three timing chains were utilized by the motor, along with hydraulic tensioners. Variable valve timing is seen, as well. Platinum-trimmed models received a more potent version of the Northstar called the "L37."Handling the Northstar's smooth power is a four-speed 4L80-E automatic transmission, a gearbox that was criticized during the DTS's final years for being outdated when compared to other, flagship luxury sedans. Its suspension is fully independent, and makes use of an optional Magnetic Ride Control, along with a standard rear self-leveling air ride system. The air-ride setup is a common failure point, and many DTS owners opt to convert their models' rear suspension system to a more traditional, coil-over setup. A Great Budget Buy With One Caveat CadillacAt just around $10,000, getting into Cadillac's final soft-riding land yacht isn't a bad idea. After all, while there are many full-size luxury cars from this era on the market at low prices, the Caddy's low price beats nearly all of them. It's also well-proportioned, with a look that's decidedly sleeker than, say, the 2011 Lincoln Town Car. Plus, having options available like blind spot monitoring, ventilated seats, and adaptive cruise control sweeten the pot quite a bit.Sources: General Motors.