How Deep!

[SMok3-11]

I was just wondering, for those who don't mind, how much do you have invested in your Bonneville? I've been reading around and reading sigs etc... Then I just started wondering... It seems everyone here really love their cars, so when is the shut off point or is this a life addiction? When I got mine less than a year ago, with in two months a clown ran a yield sign and hit me in the p/side rear quarter panel hard! It cost me $3500 to have it fixed, some of the expense was to paint whole car. I was just wondering am I insane? My train of thought is this is the best car I've ever owned, such as ride, speed and appeal. Would this have been your cut off point?

[2003 SSEi]

I have a lot in it, probably more than 99% of the members on this board....hell my Transmission cost more than the Purchase price of a Used SSEi/GXP

there is no turning back now

[gweg_b]

I've seen Pat's car - tons of money in there.

While I haven't spent what Pat has, I've probably put in at least half of what I've paid for my 2001 SSEi back in Feb. '08 ($7K then). It's been a mixture of mods and repairs. If I charged myself for the work I've done myself, I could easy have reached the cost of the car.

I'm also too deep to really turn back, especially since the car runs 95% of the way it should (just some minor issues I'm still working out).

[Jfridge92]

I don't have a ton invested in my car, maybe a few thousand in maintenance and some small upgrades (that's including tires haha), but the way I see it, is that I bought my car for $1500, so for the price of making it fun, I still come out cheaper than a car that would do those things stock. And it's really fun surprising people in a granny car.

[J Wikoff]

$3000 between 2 transmissions
$700 reman engine
$600 struts
$some odd hundreds on stereo stuff
$1000-$3000 on different engine work (a couple superchargers, TBs, electrical gadgets, alternators, HB, water pump, mounts, injectors, sensors, CAIs, chip, etc)
$800 brakes over the years
$500 on recent front end updates (ball joints, tie rods, CVs, end links, bushings, calipers)
$180 headliner and visor recoverings
$200 delam-free tails
$800 wheels
$3000 tires (a handful of sets)

Lord only knows what I'm forgetting...

[CMNTMXR57]

I stopped counting after I signed the papers, brought it home, and put it in my stall and disassembled it. Same with my Camaro before hand.

[95naSTA]

No idea. Lost count on purpose a while ago.. Definitely more than most here. Probably more hours too.. No regrets though. There's something to be said for getting exactly what you want.

[SMok3-11]

Thanks guys! I paid $500 for mine and it was running swell before the accident. Thats why I'm glad I found this site!!! I cant deny I fell in love with a car! LoL Now by trying to do repairs with the help of you all I can save money along with you all. No car payment is a plus, now after the accident I need rear shocks. My plan is do them all away around along with rotors and hubs and of course brakes. In all it is an addiction eeh?

[MattStrike]

Got my SSEi for $400 on its way to a junkyard, as a cheap replacement engine/trans for the '93 SE. Not going to include tools or time, these are estimates.

$800 fixing the rust and swapping in the series 2.
$800 building the motor, including misc things like my custom water pump pulley and the MPS/tune
$200 on bodywork
$40 on the LED cluster
$30 on a custom A/C controller that allows me to use the '93 A/C without a '93 pcm
$30 on a trans cooler setup
$600 on the brakes and AGXs

Things not finished:
$1200 into the F40 swap, shouldn't be much more depending on how the machine work goes.
$250 HID retrofit
$200 other (lg3 timing chain swap, etc...)

[nos4blood70]

Too much for my comfort. And it's only the beginning, since I have a vision for it...

[bobtaz13]

I will not brake it down, but I've got over 5 times what I paid for the car itself into it (not including the original cost of the car). But it worth every penny to me.

[SSEiMan01]

I had a lot in my 01 SSEi. Including ~$1500 in stereo work, and another $800 or so in GXP parts. Among other things.

The 96 SSEi, I have a few maintenance items, roughly a grand in wheels and tires, and a few hundred in stereo work. (Didn't go all out on it by any means.) And I don't plan to spend much on it either besides maintenance kind of stuff.

The GXP has gotten a lot in it already, I could guess a number, but I'd be wrong. Haha. And I have a LOT planned for it, at least another 8-10 grand (spent over a period of time) til I'm at my current goal appearance, handling, and power wise. But if that takes me a few years, that's fine. I still enjoy the car and get the same smile on my face as when I nailed it on the first test drive when I bought it. 26k miles in 8 months later.

[00Beast]

I figured I'd had $15k in my 03 SSEi over 4 years. However, it's hard to look at it that way. Got backed into, smashed into another car, mods, etc all contributed to that. It's more of a cost of living thing than a "this is what I have sunk into my car" like you maybe look at a restoration.

My G8, I have a few hundred in maintenance, speakers and some small things, and that's not including what someone else spent on the snow tires, intake and exhaust it came with when I bought it.

[Zeik75]

I got the 2000 as an early college graduation gift we paid 3500 for it. I myself have spent 430 on licensing/tags and about 500 on some maintenance and an intake.

The 88 however is another story completely, some maintenance and some for fun stuff. I have 1600 in stereo, about 700 in interior restoration, about 800 in trans rebuild, overall I have at least 10k into it within the last 3 years and I only have more planned for it.

[Roadrunner]

I used to call the old '92 "The car that pays you back".
The thing got whacked about 9 times.
It used to be my parents car until my dad hit a guard rail.
Insurance company paid $9500 and wouldn't total it (hard to imagine that for a 92SE these days).
They didn't want a re-built car so they let me have it cheap.
I fixed it for about $4500.

It kept getting hit the rest of its life - seemed as soon as I fixed it, it would get whacked again.
Most were sitting at a stop light and getting rear ended, another was one of the middle cars in a highway exit ramp pile up, another low speed parking lot T-bone...
Other peoples insurance kept paying me and I would fix it at a fraction of the cost (including paying a body shop for paint).

Never counted $ but even after a transmission I'm sure the car was still positive cash flow.
Being a well built low maintenance car helped also.

But then Car-ma came around full swing with the '00, which was more of a money pit.

[1oldman]

My cutoff is no longer able to make the major/expensive repairs myself. I'm there now - ha ha ha. - BC

[94SilverSSEi]

If I had to guess I would probably say $3000 on top of the purchase price, maybe more. And if I hadn't done all the labor myself and had some spare parts I'm sure that number would be well over $10,000.

This car has needed or had done, just about everything you can imagine. And that is not including my time invested as I have done every single thing to it.

Well, I got the car at 272,000 for $700 and since then.

Gutted the whole interior with major cleaning and rust repair right away. LIM/UIM (Plenum replaced 3 times), Brake lines, struts, front brakes (twice), Power steering pump, Oil Pressure sensor (after the power steering pump snapped it off), Valve Covers, Multiple trans fluid changes, Waterpump, Coolant elbows (3 times), Wheels and tires (3 sets) although I got my current set for free.
Multiple rust repairs, BCM, Radiator and hoses, AC condenser, (Still needs a new compressor), Oil pan, oil pan gasket (twice), Multiple motor/trans mounts, belts, headlights, radio, trunk latch, multiple sensors, plugs and wires.


Would I do it again? In a heartbeat, this car has been worth every minute of owning it. 45k miles later at 317k, I can't complain, it has never not started. Never left me stranded. I wouldn't hesitate to take it across the country tomorrow.

[BonnieBoy08]

Gosh I don't even know and I don't want to. Over 6 grand for the car. Over $600 in performance mods, over $500 in appearance mods, just under $500 for undercoating and rust protection, I’ll have close to $700 in snow tires and another set of rims, probably another few hundred in detailing supplies to keep it looking nice, $55 a month to park in a heated garage, and god knows what in gas…LOTS and lots of gas. Thanks for reminding me why I don’t keep track But I don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon! Another grand or two and it will all be maintenance from there…or so I’m telling myself.

[SMok3-11]

Well guys Im willing to take the journey with you all! Wish me luck

[wjcollier07]

$5,500 in gas....
$505 in preventative maintenance
$100 for one repair
$100 for ONE mod (STB)
$770 on tires
$3500 on insurance
$8000 in payments

avg ~$970/mo

I think my old cars were cheaper to maintain....ugh. Not to mention, I haven't even begun the go-fast mods!