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 Post subject: Bonneville GXP's in 2017
PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 4:52 pm 
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Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 5:35 am
Posts: 4
Year and Trim: 2005 Bonnevile GXP
I've been hunting for the right GXP for about a year now, saving a little money, and doing a ton of research. I've consulted prior owners of them and asked questions every time I encounter someone driving a GXP. The majority of what I have learned is that these cars, like any other car, are hit and miss. Some are well taken care of, some are not. Some are problematic, some aren't. They are hard to work on, and many of the mechanics I know laugh at me when I say I want a Northstar powered car. They aren't fond of working on them!

I've already decided that when I do purchase the GXP I've been looking for, it cannot be my only ride, and probably not my daily driver, either. My question to you all is, now that these cars are "old", how are they holding up for you? Are they falling apart, full of rattles, and routinely being fixed? Or have they been pretty trouble free? I'd also be curious if someone can sum up the costs and repairs that they have done on their particular GXP over the miles and years that they have owned them.

Most the cars in my budget in this area are now north of 120k miles, and I'd say on average, they usually have in the ballpark of 140-160k miles on them, so I'm well aware it could be quite a gamble if I do not purchase the right car off the bat.


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PostPosted: Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:23 pm 
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Resident Gearhead
Resident Gearhead

Joined: Wed Apr 01, 2009 7:11 pm
Posts: 2594
Location: Alberta, Canada
Year and Trim: 2004 GXP, 2008 STS, 2020 XT6
I only have 77,600miles (125,000km) on mine, so I'm not sure I'll be your best source of information. I also tend to go way overboard on repairs because even the smallest of problems gets resolved. I just don't leave anything. However (in no particular order)....

    1. At about 30,000km I had some transmission work done. They never were really clear about what the problem was and it was covered by warranty.
    2. I had constant problems with transmission and oil cooler lines. GM never has been able to build a good set of these. I had custom sets made and have never had a problem since.
    3. The water pump was replaced numerous times, but I really don't think that was the problem. It never resolved the coolant smell. Once I replaced the coolant crossover gaskets, I've never had another problem. This isn't difficult on the Bonneville, just time consuming.
    4. Water leaks... OMG!!! I can't even begin to tell you everything I had to do to fix this. These can be related to numerous problems so it isn't necessarily a single quick fix. These aren't exclusive to the GXP.
    5. While I've never had a problem with a window regulator (that I can recall), these are a known problem area.
    6. Cam cover gaskets are another problem. Since replacing it the last time on my own, I have not had a problem since. GM did them under warranty many times and they just kept leaking.
    7. I've had a couple of park brake cables and two rear calipers replaced for sticking.
    8. My driver's seat heating element and module were replaced under warranty. No problems since.
    9. The electronic compass module also failed under warranty.
    10. Automatic level control sensor seized and required replacement (not unique to the GXP though).
    11. GM repaired a leak in my AC at a connection a few years ago. Never a problem since and still blows cold.
    12. Bulbs.... The bulbs in the tail lamps (in particular the small marker lights) are notorious for burning out. I found that by using Long-Life versions this has improved.
    13. HVAC actuator was replaced. The dealer changed the wrong one which didn't correct the problem. I fixed it myself the second time and all is well.
    14. Front engine mount was replaced (warranty).
    15. Replaced the CD changer, Twilight Sentinel/fog lamp control.
    16. I'm about to replace the front wheel hub assemblies for a droning turning left around long, wide curves.
    17. Most everything else (short of mods) is just routine including brakes, tires, windshield, wiper blades, fluid changes, etc.

As for the ride, it's still solid. I don't notice any crazy rattles, shakes or vibrations. The sunroof squeaks a little where the seal rubs against the body, but otherwise that's about it.

I still love the car, don't want to get rid of it. I park it in the winter now so it only sees the road six months of the year. It did used to be my daily driver. Cold, horrible winters included.

_________________
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Bose Luxury Sound System w/Touch Screen Navigation, Addition of Factory XM, 2005 MY Antenna, OnStar Upgrade (3G),
RainSense Wipers, Backup Camera, '00 Style Door Panel Courtesy Lights, Heated Washer Solvent, 2X Remote Trunk Release,
Turn Signal Mirrors, Center Console Courtesy Lamp, Rear Outboard Heated Seats, PVD Chrome 18" Factory Rims, Upgraded
Carbon Fibre Appearance Interior Trim, Highly Modified Main Body Harness, Instrument Panel, Door, Door Panel & Headliner
Wiring Harnesses, Custom Fuse Box & Tire and Loading Information Decals, Additional Acoustic Insulation


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PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 7:35 pm 
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Posts like an L27
Posts like an L27
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Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 12:51 am
Posts: 749
Location: Missouri
Year and Trim: 95 SSEi
05 GXP
In my opinion they need a ton of TLC.
I'm willing to do the work, so it doesn't make me furious,
but most people would dump a car needing this much maintenance
and repair.
I actually bought my son a 2015 Malibu to take to college because
I knew the GXP would constantly be giving him fits while living
300 miles from home.
Mine has 159K miles. Currently putting struts and new transmission pan
gasket on it. I'm driving it on weekends only (when it's not down for repairs.)

_________________
Black 95 SSEi (original owner) 238K miles
Black 05 GXP (some idiot put the first 12K on it)186K miles
Black 04 Tahoe (original owner)310K miles
Black 16 Traverse (original owner)90K miles
Black 15 Lacrosse (some nice lady put first 15K on it)43K miles
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"You can have one in any color as long as it's black" - H. Ford


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PostPosted: Tue Sep 12, 2017 9:48 pm 
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SLE Member
SLE Member
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Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2015 11:57 pm
Posts: 71
Year and Trim: 2005 Bonneville GXP
I bought my '05 GXP long distance from St. Louis 2 years ago with 32K miles. It was immaculate and well taken care of. I immediately changed all the fluids once I got it home. The only issue I'm having now is the valve (cam cover?) leakage, even after I torqued and lock tited all the fasteners. It's not too bad, and I'm just living with it. I also probably have a small leak some place, because I do have a slight musty smell in the car at times. However, I fixed the trunk drain tubes and checked the sunroof drain tubes, and they're all fine. Also, the floor pans under the carpets are all dry. So, I don't know where the leak might be.

I have 54K miles on the car now and it's my daily driver. Hoping to get many more miles and years out of it. This board is a great place for info and help. I think you will be happy if you find a good one and take care of some of the common trouble areas.

My first car was a '67 428 Bonneville, so this car reminds me some of it. It's actually our second '05 GXP Bonneville. Our first one we bought new, was totaled in '06 by an idiot running a red light in a pickup truck. This one is exactly like our first one, so driving it is like deja vu all over again. :)

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2005 Pontiac Bonneville GXP Greystone
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:05 am 
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SSE Member
SSE Member

Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2012 7:06 pm
Posts: 101
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Year and Trim: 2004 Bonneville GXP
2008 Grand Prix GXP
I agree with skregal. Ton of. TLC, that being said... the car is alot of to drive, and if you can do the work on
It yourself it will help you financially, i have replaced my radiator, belts, and all the pulleys and tensioner, on mine, changing the spark plugs is tedious, but doable, regular maintenance is a must, and as mentioned water leaks are common, chech trunk and the floor well and often, i think the reward of driving this car out weighs the TLC it requires, i am relocating from Indianapolis to Tampa, and will ve taking my GXP with me, it's around a 900 mile trip, and have accomplished all i can do to prepare for it, good luck in you search!


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:50 am 
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Certified Bonneville Nut
Certified Bonneville Nut
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Joined: Wed May 13, 2009 10:45 pm
Posts: 5827
Location: CHICAGO
Year and Trim: 2006 STS-V, 2004 GTO, 2009 G8 GT
1) The car itself has been around since 2000. So any issues with anything other than the engine is well documented around here. Read.

2) I will say this for the umpteenth time in this section as it relates to GXP specific things... The N* is a "needy" size 10 engine in a size 5 dress. You figure out the rest.

Once I am done with the V, I am NOT buying anything with a N*. I'm done with these *dang* things.

_________________
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Retired Bonneville Owner and former GM Tech:
2004 Pontiac Bonneville GXP: Black/Ebony *SOLD*

Summer Toys: Combined 827 RWHP / 877lb/ft RWTQ
2004 Pontiac GTO: Impulse Blue Metallic/Black/M6: lots 'o mods, 415 RWHP / 405lb/ft RWTQ!
2006 Cadillac STS-V: Light Platinum Metallic/Light Gray/A6 - Spectre CAI, Magnaflow exhaust, Speed Inc. tune, 412 RWHP / 472lb/ft RWTQ

Daily Drivers:
2019 Chrysler Pacifica Limited: Mommy's new RGC
2015 Chrysler Town & Country Limited Platinum: Kids new RGC
2007 Chrysler Town & Country Limited: Sold to neighbor
2009 Pontiac G8 GT: L76, Sport Red Metallic
2003 Chevrolet Suburban 2500: Doeskin Tan - 8.1L Big Block... new plow truck
1999 Chevrolet Suburban: Sunset Gold Metallic - Daddy's winter beater and plow truck


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 13, 2017 3:19 pm 
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Certified Bonneville Nut
Certified Bonneville Nut
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Joined: Mon May 10, 2010 6:11 pm
Posts: 9491
Location: Chicago, IL
Year and Trim: 2003 SLE
You'll probably want to find a lower mileage, well cared for (documented would be sweet) example. The 2000+ without the N* can be needy on its own. Adding the N* to it doesn't help matters.

Reading some of the things above, I'm glad to have my 3800 Bonneville.

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-Car Guy Carl
"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
"Sydney" - 2000 Honda S2000 - 98k miles
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 19, 2017 10:10 pm 
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LE Member

Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2017 5:35 am
Posts: 4
Year and Trim: 2005 Bonnevile GXP
Much appreciated advice guys. I used to own a BMW 330i, and even doing the matinence myself, over 8,000 miles and a year and a half of ownership, it cost me around $6800 in repairs. Was always a reliable car, but it always needed something fixed. It never seemed I could drive it for more than a few weeks without some kind of issue coming up. Some of the expensive issues were replacing the cylinder head, clutch, flywheel, the entire cooling system, fuel pump, the GM 5 module that controled the door locks. Replaced the disa valve, the oil filter housing gasket, idler pulleys, alternator. I had to do the valve cover gasket, twice. Loved that car, but it was eating me alive, as it was out of warranty and I was making payments on it. A friend of mine totalled it on a joyride, after all that work gad been done, and I was very mad about it, but looking back now, it was probably a good thing. I can't imagine all the other things that were going to come up over the next few years. Funny thing is, the car was in immaculate condition inside and out and only had 107k miles when I bought it. These GXP'S seem to be kind of the same animal. Great cars when they are running well, but always needing servicing of some type lol.

I will definitely narrow my search down to well documented cars with lower mileage, even though from what I hear, the GXP's are still needy cars when they have low mileage.

The forums and DIY videos saved my ass when I owned my E46 BMW. I suspect the same with a GXP. It's a shame the 00-05 Bonne in general suffered from so many issues even without the N*.

I hate that I love these cars lol.


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PostPosted: Wed Sep 20, 2017 10:51 am 
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Certified Bonneville Nut
Certified Bonneville Nut
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 13, 2009 10:45 pm
Posts: 5827
Location: CHICAGO
Year and Trim: 2006 STS-V, 2004 GTO, 2009 G8 GT
Well, in that case, a GXP will be the most trouble free car you'll ever own. Disregard anything we said.

Germans complicate the simple process of boiling water or making toast.

_________________
Image

Retired Bonneville Owner and former GM Tech:
2004 Pontiac Bonneville GXP: Black/Ebony *SOLD*

Summer Toys: Combined 827 RWHP / 877lb/ft RWTQ
2004 Pontiac GTO: Impulse Blue Metallic/Black/M6: lots 'o mods, 415 RWHP / 405lb/ft RWTQ!
2006 Cadillac STS-V: Light Platinum Metallic/Light Gray/A6 - Spectre CAI, Magnaflow exhaust, Speed Inc. tune, 412 RWHP / 472lb/ft RWTQ

Daily Drivers:
2019 Chrysler Pacifica Limited: Mommy's new RGC
2015 Chrysler Town & Country Limited Platinum: Kids new RGC
2007 Chrysler Town & Country Limited: Sold to neighbor
2009 Pontiac G8 GT: L76, Sport Red Metallic
2003 Chevrolet Suburban 2500: Doeskin Tan - 8.1L Big Block... new plow truck
1999 Chevrolet Suburban: Sunset Gold Metallic - Daddy's winter beater and plow truck


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PostPosted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 8:16 am 
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SLE Member
SLE Member

Joined: Sat May 31, 2008 7:22 am
Posts: 72
Year and Trim: 2000 SSEI Bonn
2002 GTP Grand Prix
1978 GMC JIMMY
I would not have bought mine if a site like this did not exist. Unbelievable how helpful when I had my 2000 SSEI (wife totaled it) and on the GXP threads. I purchased a low mileage GXP (24K in Sept 2014). It now has 99K. I have a few things I am scheduling to get repaired like the dash gauges do their own thing (except for the oil pressure), wet trunk that I have spent many a day on it trying to figure that out. Much improved but still occasional mystery. Slight oil leak that drips on the exhaust. More of an annoyance but need to fix. Nothing hits the ground however. Then a recent item is my vents wont switch to cab. Floor and defrost vents work fine, just wont come out through the cabin vents.

Car is still awesome to drive and I desire no other.

Someone had a picture on this website where he bought a white GXP with tinted windows and it looked better than any car I have seen on the road. They are great looking cars all the way around.

Good luck with you decision.


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PostPosted: Sun Dec 10, 2017 2:33 pm 
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LE Member

Joined: Sat Dec 09, 2017 12:10 pm
Posts: 7
Year and Trim: 2005 bonneville gxp
bought my gxp after seeing it sitting in a driveway with no plates.the guy told me it needed a tranny and sold it to me for 1000 dollars.it just turned 100,000 so i thought it was a good deal.had the tranny rebuilt,and it needed a radiator also.drove it for a few hundred miles,and it started leaking oil.oil pan gasket changed.you have to drop the sub frame[800 dollars,and that was a deal].then the check engine light came on.o2 sensor.drove for a while and light came back on.throtle position sensor.instrument cluster needs rebuild[stepper motors]they dont always read properly.i was also told that the motor mount needs replacing,and that is common in these cars.d i c always reads low coolant and washer fluid and they are both full.i love the car,but am afraid of what is next.


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PostPosted: Sat Jan 06, 2018 6:08 pm 
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Posts like an LG3
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Joined: Mon May 26, 2008 6:17 pm
Posts: 317
Location: Stayner Ontario, Canada.
Year and Trim: 2004 GXP
2003 SLE [SOLD]
Oh ya... just when you think you have everything under control, BAM... something else will crop up! LOL!


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PostPosted: Fri Feb 16, 2018 11:06 am 
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SLE Member
SLE Member

Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2012 12:13 pm
Posts: 73
Year and Trim: 05 red GXP, 05 white GXP, 03 SSEI, 02 SSEI
I currently have two SSEI's and two GXP's. My experience mirrors what others on here have said many times before. My opinion is no matter who makes what, they are machines and they break. I love the German engineering but they get way out in left field all the time. Simple is NOT in a German engineers mind set. Some more some less but preventive does help tremendously. I do all my own maintenance and I'm comfortable working on this chassis, although on the N, swearing has increased. Sure it would've nice if GM refined the nuances over the last era of the H but companies don't like to invest in putting their engineers time into "old" product. So driving the GXP is great, the power, the handling and the look are awesome and hard to beat. The SSEI is great but the GXP is just at a higher level. Working on the GXP powertrain is VERY time consuming and much more difficult than the SSEI. I accept that trade off for the GXP's performance, because when I drive our GXP's it's always a fun experience, maintenance not at all.

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05 GXP Red, 05 GXP White, 03 SSEI, 02 SSEI, Sold 98 SSEI, 98 SE, 98 SLE, 98 SSE


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