I love seeing my car in the shop window reflections. God these cars look good rolling down the road.

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-Car Guy Carl
"Penelope" - 2003 SLE - 247k Miles
"Sydney" - 2000 Honda S2000 - 98k miles

That they do. *Insert vain G8 comment here*

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Will
88 Cutlass Ciera Brougham International | 120k mi | White w/ Dk Claret Int. | Roller to be S2 L67/4T65E-HD | 1 of ~5100 3.8 FE3 Int'l series
91 Riviera | S2 L67 Swap/4T60E | 127K mi | Antelope Met. w/ Tan Int. | Saved From Death By Crusher
92 Bonneville SSE | L67/4T60E | 77K mi | Med Slate Grey w/ Two-Tone Grey Int. | Low Miles Time Capsule
92 Lumina Z34 | LQ1/4T60E | 177k mi | Torch Red w/Grey Int. | Rusty In Odd Spots
99 Tahoe LT | L31/4L65E | 276k mi | Spiral Grey Metallic w/Grey Int. | Truck for Truck Things and Portable Concert Hall
03 Park Avenue Ultra | 212K mi | White Diamond Met. w/ Shale Int. | Southern Time Capsule
05 Acura RL | 155K mi | Carbon Grey Pearl w/Ebony Int. | The Super-Hooptie Daily

I love my Bonneville because it's N/A. I bought it, not only because the price was right, but because it was white, N/A, and a 99. The power of the L36 can be attained, but it's not as simple as bolting on a smaller pulley and a few supporting mods.

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I have a Bonneville, it's white and N/A!

Mod List: Hood and Fender "adjustment" - "Enhanced" A/C compressor clutch - Extra loud PS Pump - Mega sensitive CKPS - Audible Rear Drums - Lowered headliner - Custom stained upholstery - "Brown Devil" weight reduction kit - Low Friction Belt. More to come!

I think they are good "normal" cars. No one particular use, just a general purpose car. They have adequate power, decent looks and pretty good reliability. For 99.XX% of the population, that should be plenty.

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02 SSEi-Turning money into tire smoke, very efficiently.

Oh, it's also good at making me think of ways to modify an L36 to run better.

_________________
I have a Bonneville, it's white and N/A!

Mod List: Hood and Fender "adjustment" - "Enhanced" A/C compressor clutch - Extra loud PS Pump - Mega sensitive CKPS - Audible Rear Drums - Lowered headliner - Custom stained upholstery - "Brown Devil" weight reduction kit - Low Friction Belt. More to come!

I'm like Carl - never feel the same about mine each morning.

I actually prefer the looks of the 00's to the 92-99's, but having owned a 92-99 H body, the build quality of the 00's really anger me, but I'm working through it. So yeah, when mine is clean and shiny, I love the way it looks.

Also, mine may be S/C, but it might as well be a N/A with the way it runs at the moment.

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- Greg | -- Project Prasinos -- |

1995 LeSabre Custom: 312K Miles | Custom K&N CAI | Edelbrock SDT Muffler | Camaro Tips | 180 T-stat | LED Interior
& Exterior | 20% Tint | PA Grill & Portholes | Limited Trim | GTP Rims | Ported LIM | Plus Many More Mods | Restoration Thread
2001 Bonneville SSEi: 225K Miles | Instense FWI | Intense MPS (3.4") | 180 T-stat | ZZP Plog | Ported Rear Manifold |
ZZP 3" Downpipe | Magnaflow Cat | Retrofitted HIDs | GenV M90 | GXP Brake Upgrade | 35% Tint | Plus Many More Mods |
2005 Bonneville GXP: 101K Miles | Custom FWI
2009 G8 GT: 89K Miles | 35% Tint | Roto-Fab CAI | SOLO Mach Exhaust | BMR Tunnel Brace | BMR Sub Frames | BMR STB |
Kooks Headers | QTP Electric Cutouts | BMR Sway Bars | Elite Engineering Catch Can | Innovative Dual Wideband Kit
1984 Caprice Classic Wagon: 86K Miles | Restoration Project

the way they ride and handle, especially rolling down the freeway at 80. It is fun to drive. Parts are inexpensive (except for the extremely few needed to keep the car running that are hard to find). And no one believes it when I tell them it's 21 years old with over 295,000 miles, original engine and transmission. - BC

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In Memory of Brad - 1/21/1977 .. 10/23/2013 ...... Aaron - 1977 .. 2017 .....
2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport ..... 1992 Bonneville SSE 1SB 170 HP L27 4T60E retired/sold to MattStrike ..... 2005 Bonneville SE 1SC 205 HP L36 4T65E - retired/salvage yard ..... PBCF user 2321

295k? She's just getting broken in!

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I have a Bonneville, it's white and N/A!

Mod List: Hood and Fender "adjustment" - "Enhanced" A/C compressor clutch - Extra loud PS Pump - Mega sensitive CKPS - Audible Rear Drums - Lowered headliner - Custom stained upholstery - "Brown Devil" weight reduction kit - Low Friction Belt. More to come!

Clayton, I just noticed your response to my post. Lol

How is a tenth Bonneville going to be more practical than a car with close to double the horsepower and more interior room? To play devil's advocate. OK the horsepower thing might just be the 20 year old in me, but still. A G8 is newer, roomier, and doesn't have 300k miles.

On another note, if I had to choose a color for a GXP it would be Stryker Blue with my second choice being Liquid Red. So I didn't compromise with mine, really.

_________________
Will
88 Cutlass Ciera Brougham International | 120k mi | White w/ Dk Claret Int. | Roller to be S2 L67/4T65E-HD | 1 of ~5100 3.8 FE3 Int'l series
91 Riviera | S2 L67 Swap/4T60E | 127K mi | Antelope Met. w/ Tan Int. | Saved From Death By Crusher
92 Bonneville SSE | L67/4T60E | 77K mi | Med Slate Grey w/ Two-Tone Grey Int. | Low Miles Time Capsule
92 Lumina Z34 | LQ1/4T60E | 177k mi | Torch Red w/Grey Int. | Rusty In Odd Spots
99 Tahoe LT | L31/4L65E | 276k mi | Spiral Grey Metallic w/Grey Int. | Truck for Truck Things and Portable Concert Hall
03 Park Avenue Ultra | 212K mi | White Diamond Met. w/ Shale Int. | Southern Time Capsule
05 Acura RL | 155K mi | Carbon Grey Pearl w/Ebony Int. | The Super-Hooptie Daily

Actually I now own the uhh 9th (2000 SSEi) and added a 10th (2001 SLE) for parts to the other two.

For how much I despise the 2000+, how did I get conned into buying my lil bro's (that doesn't run)


Lmao, Will you are a terrible influence. I have bids in on G8's and Escalades on ebay Doubt if any of them will pan out though.

I need another car right now like a hole in the head.

Another one just came home today too. (Thats for another thread)

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Clay
1997.2 40th SLE-138k
1968 Bonneville 400ci w/TH-400-40k
1999 GMC Suburban SLT-191k
2005 Escalade 253k-GINA

I’m along the same lines as that, which is why I left my initial comment sort of generic in that they “age” well.

What I am about to say, will piss a few off, may shatter the little cloud of naivety that some seem to surround themselves with in regards to this car, etc, but it isn’t anything I haven’t said before. But I have to say it after reading some of the posts in this thread. Normally it’s greeted with “Well, why are you still here type of commentary…” But before making such, step back and READ what I have to say… One thing I have tried to be here during my time, is brutally honest.

The Bonneville is a great car with a rich history. It has always been a level or two higher up the food chain than the plebian Chevy version of whatever “full-size” car has been en-vogue at the time. I too have had several over the years, whether it be a “Bonneville” or “Catalina”, etc…

However, the modern day Bonneville is nothing more than a cookie cutter template, GM FWD, mass produced, parts neutral and parts inter-changeable, “average” car! Change some grill work, some interior pieces, wheels and maybe even a shock or 4, and it’s an Oldsmobile. Do that again, and it’s a Buick. There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with this as it has reduced GM’s costs, which also reduces YOUR cost when buying and maintaining it over the life of the product. This comes from that part inter-changeability and part commenality with other GM vehicles.

Is it a reliable vehicle? Absolutely!
Is it a comfortable vehicle? Absolutely!
Is it a safe vehicle? Absolutely!
Is it a fuel efficient vehicle? For the most part, yes!

I think you get my point

But it is hardly a soul stirring machine! Yea, SSEi versions and GXP versions elevated the blood pressure a little, offering better acceleration, braking and handling vs. lesser models. But at the core, it is still a FWD, plowing, understeer prone chassis, that really doesn’t have much in terms of performance credentials. When I see comments like “it handles well”… Really? Have you actually been in/driven cars that handle well? I won’t lie, I engaged my GXP’s stabilitrak on a regular basis (daily pretty much), because it’s chassis, even in GXP flavor, wasn’t up to what I consider as “my skill level” , or the learned capabilities of performance rear wheel drive cars I’m used to. So it shut the fun off before things got truly “exciting”.

This car is an excellent, reliable, solid DD, but it is not a performance car anymore. 10+ years ago, it was. 240 supercharged HP V6's and then 270hp 8 cylinders were the shizzle. But let’s face it, soccer moms in today’s mini-vans and some eco-dork machines make just as much and are just as quick, some even more nimble, and more fun to drive in some aspects.

In many a post I have noted my love-hate relationship with mine, and one of the reasons I sold it was that I was nearing the infamous N* 100k mark (as well as a few other factors, but one major one I will get to next). Not that the car couldn’t have well exceeded that, but rather that I was working on it every weekend to keep it reliable. One thing I never posted, was that I had a wake-up call one day when I had a full out war with a new Toyota Camry (the guy lived in my sub-division and made it known that he wanted a piece of the GXP). Anyway, one day we went at it and I had a hard time beating him! I could hardly pull away from him. For 20 minutes He and I went at it through many roads where acceleration was involved, some where handling and braking was needed, and in all, it was an overall chassis/vehicle workout. I barely beat the guy! It wasn’t until a flat out stretch, where we were into triple digits, where I literally started to inch away with the superiority of the multi-cammed 8 cylinder finally showing it’s supremacy. I was flat out embarrassed! I was mad! I know we’re not supposed to post stuff like this, but in retrospect, it really set me off (it’s working me up writing about it because I don’t like to be beat, especially by a *dang* Toyota that isn’t a Supra), and was really a driving force in me accelerating my timeline for the STS-V.

This is a soul stirring car? A great handling car? One that nearly got beat by a smurfing Toyota appliance? Hardly! I’ll be honest, I’d have hated to be an L67 car that wasn’t heavily modified like some of them here and in the Grand Prix world! This guy would’ve taken it. The good news is, we had a rematch. STS-V vs. his Camry. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict the absolute decimation he suffered (I mean I beat him so bad we were in different zip codes after I got done flogging him), but all in all…

But yes, it is a reliable, solid, comfortable, SAFE (I’ve walked away from a pretty harsh accident in my 88 LSS), cheap to maintain, GOOD car. Let’s leave it at that!

_________________


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

But a G8 DOES cost a crapload more money.

To me, the first thought I have when the percieved or actual superiority of newer cars comes up is "how the hell does everyone have so much money?" Guess I need to embrace the modern debt culture.

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02 SSEi-Turning money into tire smoke, very efficiently.

Yup. This is exactly why I (or any of my immediate family for that matter) don't a new car or a payment. Why have to 1 up the jones's when my 300k miler runs perfect. I'll drive it to its grave. (While hoarding my pennies)

Then pay cash for a G8

_________________
Clay
1997.2 40th SLE-138k
1968 Bonneville 400ci w/TH-400-40k
1999 GMC Suburban SLT-191k
2005 Escalade 253k-GINA

(Whenever possible)

_________________
Will
88 Cutlass Ciera Brougham International | 120k mi | White w/ Dk Claret Int. | Roller to be S2 L67/4T65E-HD | 1 of ~5100 3.8 FE3 Int'l series
91 Riviera | S2 L67 Swap/4T60E | 127K mi | Antelope Met. w/ Tan Int. | Saved From Death By Crusher
92 Bonneville SSE | L67/4T60E | 77K mi | Med Slate Grey w/ Two-Tone Grey Int. | Low Miles Time Capsule
92 Lumina Z34 | LQ1/4T60E | 177k mi | Torch Red w/Grey Int. | Rusty In Odd Spots
99 Tahoe LT | L31/4L65E | 276k mi | Spiral Grey Metallic w/Grey Int. | Truck for Truck Things and Portable Concert Hall
03 Park Avenue Ultra | 212K mi | White Diamond Met. w/ Shale Int. | Southern Time Capsule
05 Acura RL | 155K mi | Carbon Grey Pearl w/Ebony Int. | The Super-Hooptie Daily

haha Might be a few years before this is possible. And I'm holding out till I find the right one.

_________________
Clay
1997.2 40th SLE-138k
1968 Bonneville 400ci w/TH-400-40k
1999 GMC Suburban SLT-191k
2005 Escalade 253k-GINA

At this stage of my life, I can't stomach being in debt for a car/truck. All I wanted was a reliable, easy to work on car that had a little extra kick to it....and I got exactly that. Someday, I hope to join the G8 club, but that will be a long ways off and hopefully they'll still be around and in great shape.

_________________
Matthew

1998 Chevy K1500 Silverado Z71 ECSB L31 -- project/toy
1998 Chevy S10 ZR2 ECSB L35 5spd -- winter truck
2002 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi -- stock (trying to keep it that way...we'll see...)