So, I had reached a point of needing another reliable car that did not have a million kms on it (Bonneville 301,000, GP2 288,000), and being that it has been 9 years since the last Bonneville came out, and 6 years since the last GP, I had written off any chance of finding one of either that was fully loaded, and could meet the condition I desired...
So...alas...my search began with all kinds of platforms from the new Buick GS, through a new Camaro, Fusion...Altima...through the Caddy line...
Then...somehow, someway, as I parked up one of the VW cc 6 speed manual cars I had been out with on a test drive, a real big F350 truck pulled away and revealed something I never expected...
So, my first thought is..."sure, looks clean, but up close probably has 180,000kms on it, no options and probably owned by a young punk that beat it to hell since it has the ventshades, and I even noticed some projectors on it...but as any avid 3800 enthusiast, I had to ask the dealer how many kms. He was not sure, so while he went in to find out, and grab the keys, I struggled really hard to find a single flaw in this car. I was not even able to locate a scratch in the paint or door ding, paint chip repair, or anything. Seriously. Inside was the rare black leather, so she was a true black on black special edition GP, fully loaded including Monsoon sound. She is the L26 base powertrain, but I have a built L26/GenV engine that was in waiting in the shop to install this spring in my silver 2005, so it could be put here instead anyways. Investigating the under side of the rockers, flawless, like it barely saw any road salt in it's however-long life. Then the horn beeps as the dealer arrives with the keys...and says...78,000kms. Yep. So could it be true?
It was. How does a GP lover find such a car when he is not looking? Well, I did not much care. I drove it, it ran perfect. I had him stick it on the hoist right away to inspect below, and it was as I had hoped, so I bought it. He wanted $15,500 for it, I told him he was too high, offered $12k. He said no way, so I said too bad...then he said let me talk to my manager...and he came back with lowest he could go $12,500. SOLD.
Pickup this week, and cannot wait to move over my performance and appearance hardware from the silver one to this. Sometimes, a person can never predict what may come, but it is how you act when it does that makes the difference.
NOPE...The Bonneville does not go.
It is my short trip car, and I will drive it until it goes no more. The silver GT2 becomes the winter car, unless I get lucky and find something better for snow, and then put it into the rebuild category.
