5th Bonnie, new 02SSEi from Minnesota

[phil0054]

Real short:
have owned 2 89-90 SE's, and 3 89-91 SSE's. Been 5 LOOONG years without a Bonnie and now I got a good one! Was a toss up between the GXP and the SSEi, but I like the styling of the SSEi a little better, and the cost made the purchase possible. For 184k, this one drives like silk, but in a hurry if I want it to. Amazingly, only a few lights in the dash/steering wheel do not work, otherwise everything else works and is in nearly perfect condition. Haven't quite figured out how to post pics yet, and I'meager to learn what the best mods are and lots of other stuff.

Jon

[drift7one]

welcome to the club. look forward to seeing some pics and helping any way possible.

Here's the link to help post pics.
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... ic146.html

[00Beast]

Welcome!! Where in MN?

I think you'll be much happier with the SSEi than you would've been with a GXP.

How to Post Pics: http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... ic146.html

[olblueeyesbonne]

Hi & WELCOME!!
Where in MN are you?
For the lights in the dash you might want to check in with Andrew (Harofreak00 -Browerville, MN) as he's repaired numerous of these -I'm not sure if he repairs the steering wheel controls, but I bet he has good replacements for those as well.

[phil0054]

welcome to the club. look forward to seeing some pics and helping any way possible.

Here's the link to help post pics.
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... ic146.html

Thank you for the link, I'll check it out next. I only have a few on my phone so far, but I can upload to flickr or photobucket, unless you know of better options.

[phil0054]

Welcome!! Where in MN?

I think you'll be much happier with the SSEi than you would've been with a GXP.

How to Post Pics: http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... ic146.html

Thank you very much! I am from the cities originally, but am in the process of moving to Owatonna. I think part of the love for the SSEi is the durability of the 3800 and the potential for improvements in performance, and just about everything else about the car too. The wife asked me which car I would want if I could walk into a dealer and have any car. I had a hard time coming up with another car with all of the options and performance and style the Bonnie has. A few gadgets have surfaced in newer cars like heated steering wheel, integrated electronics for entertainment and communications (bluetooth, mp3, navigation, etc), electronic stuff like smart cruise and parking assist, But most of those are simply compensation for driver error.

One of the things I'm looking for is a bluetooth module that receives a signal from my phone and broadcasts the signal to the stock radio on a set fm frequency. I would rather not give up the functionality of the stock radio. I also do not like using one of those cassette tape adapters.

Next, is a remote start/alarm system that interfaces with android, only alerts my phone when the car is touched or a door handle is lifted (not making obnoxious noise and flashing lights), and also does not lose the 2 person memory settings.

Then, I'd be interested in joining other Bonneville owners at gatherings or shows!

[phil0054]

Hi & WELCOME!!
Where in MN are you?
For the lights in the dash you might want to check in with Andrew (Harofreak00 -Browerville, MN) as he's repaired numerous of these -I'm not sure if he repairs the steering wheel controls, but I bet he has good replacements for those as well.

Awesome! Thank you for the tip! Harofreak00 wrote the instructions on posting pics...I'll try contacting him(?) asap. And From what I can tell, he's not that far from me!

[phil0054]

Ok, here's a pic:


Not sure where the car is from (Minnesota snow bird or southern car), but I am curious to find out all that I can about it!

[00Beast]

Very nice. They make bluetooth modules that replace your on-star, but they're not cheap.

IIRC Viper makes a remote start that you can use your phone on, not sure of all the features tho.

Browerville is about 3 hours NW of the cities, lol.

I can think of new cars that I'd rather have over the Bonne. However, I can't really find anything used that's better. My biggest beef is the tiny backseat, and massive outside proportions, along with the turning circle of a battleship...

[phil0054]

Very nice. They make bluetooth modules that replace your on-star, but they're not cheap.

IIRC Viper makes a remote start that you can use your phone on, not sure of all the features tho.

Browerville is about 3 hours NW of the cities, lol.

I can think of new cars that I'd rather have over the Bonne. However, I can't really find anything used that's better. My biggest beef is the tiny backseat, and massive outside proportions, along with the turning circle of a battleship...

Ok, not sure if I'd want to replace the onstar, or if I'll ever use the onstar. lol My main thing is avoiding the mess of loose wires hanging out of the dash. As it is I use the rear power port for my phone charger so the wire is hidden between the seats, unless I need to use navigation.

Thanks for the tip on the Viper system. I'll look into it.

Yeh, I looked into the town, but I don't mind a nice long drive in my car.

Which cars would you rather have?

I think most of the new cars out there are missing one feature or another, or more. I mean, I've always known there are cars with better performance and more features, but at a much higher price. For example the 300, lots of options and power, but they look like a brick. The Nissan Maxima is alright, but its almost too stiff (lil brother has one, and my bonnie is still faster!) So, to me, the Bonneville has the most power, durability, options and good looks for the money. Even if money wasn't an issue, I still think the Bonnie looks awesome. I also like some of the impalas, the volt, actually I like a lot of different cars, just not as much. lol The reason I ask is because I know that almost every car fails at some point, and I'll have to replace my car, much as I love driving it.

I hear you on the back seat too. Thinner front seat backs or even two more inches of interior could have made a huge difference. I have a bunch of kids, all over 8 years old, so space will get tight. Outside proportions? I like the large presence and the style. Most cars look bland to me, but that's just my style. lol Again, I know the large turning radius. Sometimes I think it was designed that way to reduce CV boot failures.

[00Beast]

You can't use the OnStar. It's the old Analog style, and AFAIK only the 03+ Bonnes could have the retrofit for the conversion.

My parents have a 2012 Passat, and I like it in every way better than my car, except the power. They have the 2.0L TDI, which isn't as fast (still plenty of power for 98% of the time), but the 3.6 V6 has 280 HP if you're after that. More space, better handling, etc. Not saying the Bonne is a BAD car, it was fine in its day, but technology has passed it by, and it wasn't perfectly designed in the first place. Yes the cost is higher comparing an 02 Bonne to a 12 Passat, but comparing MSRP to MSRP when new, the Passat is actually quite a bit cheaper, with a lot lower depreciation, especially on the diesel models.

As far as the size, I just find it amazing how bad the American auto-makers utilize space on the interior of a car...

Interesting though, I think they changed the seat-tracks for the GXP's and maybe even just 04+ in general, because my 03 gives me a lot more leg-room with the seat all the way back than my our 05 GXP, and you can see there is more backseat room in them with the seats all the way back in the GXP.

Anyways, not trying to put down your purchase at all, our family has had a combined 8+ years of Bonneville ownership, and the cars have served us very well.

[Krenzy]

Hey, welcome to the forum! I'm not too far from you, I'm in New Ulm, half an hour west of Kato.

[phil0054]

Hey, welcome to the forum! I'm not too far from you, I'm in New Ulm, half an hour west of Kato.

Sweet! My wife used to have a dark green SSE, 95 or 96. I don't get over that way very often though I am interested in meet ups

[sethjamesrimrodt]

Welcome! Car looks great! Owatonna isn't but an hour from where I live.

[phil0054]

Welcome! Car looks great! Owatonna isn't but an hour from where I live.

Thanks! If that's your car in the pics, its pretty awesome! Bonita is neat too. I was considering calling mine the white knight or white lightning. The car is simply awesome for 185k. I want to keep it that way and maybe have a few upgrades over time...

[nos4blood70]

Welcome to the club! Car looks clean.

[Hotwheels]

Welcome! I lived in Owatonna for a couple years! Got married in New Ulm too!