Thank God Everybody Is Alright

[spoiledred94]

I rear ended a 530 I. The ins is looking into it now. I have been offered a Subaru for a token price but it might be awhile. There are newer and better Bonnie's out there just barely in our price range. I think I know bonnies well Yet the Subaru Legacy is 02 with 55k and well maintained. IDK if progressive will pay. I had zero tickets in 25 years and then 2 speeding tickets in last 6 mos. And I got in a wreck in 13 where neither of us reported. I did not report the wreck or the tickets and on top of those I have expired tags due to an elusive P0420.

Whattaya think? Subaru 55k for almost nothing or Bonneville 100k for everything else? Any opinions on ins pay off? I paid in full on time for the last 4 years.

[96 SSEi]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, ins prob wont help you cause the car is unregistered.
I would go for the bonny.

[spoiledred94]

Your notification that your post came in at exactly the same time as the call from the insurance adjuster... He's paying $3,100 adjusted value minus the deductible to 2616.91. I prefer another Bonneville obviously but I don't think it's in my price range of 2600. And the other car would essentially be free and that 2600 would go a long way towards paying bills. I really do want another Bonneville and the ones I was looking a t were for pretty close to what we have. I think I need another thousand

[96 SSEi]

great!! you know whats best so go for it

[spoiledred94]

Thanks a lot. (Matt?) I needed to hear that big. Currently we are thinking Subaru for a year to save money for a low mile SSEi

[spoiledred94]

But then a 05 Bonneville in 2018 would be 13 years old. I don't think we can afford a car that old unless she was a real find. Kinda sad. But those v8 bonnies are to die for.

[redfury]

Age has nothing to do with the car, maintenance has everything to do with the car. I'd rather have an experienced car than a new one that keeps getting sent back due to recalls and other early adopter problems...

[spoiledred94]

What about in a year? I'm not likely to have 4k in a year. I borrowed my friends car to get to work and I am very sad looking for Betty and she is not coming back another bonneville would fix that. 1 year to get 4k? Hope so.

[redfury]

I hear you. I couldn't come up with 4 grand unless I completely controlled the family budget and every expenditure, and even then it would be difficult. Now, if you could handle payments, you could get a used car loan over 3 years for around 200 a month and get something in that price range if you had good enough credit to take advantage of the low interests they are offering. Usually the banks want to see a newer car ( 15 years old ) with around 100k or less on the odometer. Usually though, they look at loan to value ratio ( is the asking price less than what it is worth ) and you will need to have full coverage insurance if you don't carry it already. Full coverage isn't all that much more to carry per month and in the example of our used truck loan, our insurance through the bank covers the deductible on both of our cars in case of an accident.

[RJolly87]

Sorry to hear bud, and I am glad it seems like everyone is doing okay, but here is a major question that I feel warrants the most consideration, can you put another Bonneville in the driveway in the same condition as yours for the "adjusted value" the insurance company is figuring?

If not, you may need to take another crack at them to get the figures right. It may also be good to see what comparable vehicles in the area they are leveraging against. The duty of the insurance company is to restore you to the state you were in prior to the incident, within the policy contract.

Given the concerns you mention of your situation, if you would be able to acquire the Subaru at a price that can later be profitable if resold down the line, that may be the best shot at the moment. 100k miles on a Bonneville still brings with it some pain, especially on the 2000+ gen.

I expect the insurance would pay, but I also expect they will shake things up a bit when it comes time to renew your policy, whether it be a surcharge (more $$$), or a straight up non-renewal (good luck somewhere else, and then, more $$$). It takes quite a bit for them to start denying claims, but sometimes if they are pushed hard enough, they can try and drop you immediately, but I doubt this is big enough.

Also remember, these forums are visible to the public, and anyone can view them, including the insurance company. Unreported accidents (and probably even tickets too) are typically a violation of the insurance contract, and is just more fuel to the fire. You figure the insurance company assumes a financial risk for a period of time for a fee. More "risk" (as indicated by tickets and prior accidents) means a higher fee. If it's not financially feasible to assume the "risk", they correct the problem (again, non renewal or rate surcharge).

[spoiledred94]

I like that plan. We would save a thousand in a year. And add the around 3k from the sale of the Subaru and Bing we'll have enough to buy a solid Bonneville.

I know the Bonnevilles pretty well. More so than Japanese car. Also it's much safer and comfortable. Driving a Honda Civic was cramped and very light weight.

I am not pressuring Progressive. I think that if I did that they could back out altogether. 3100 is a lot of money.

[MattStrike]

3100 is a lot of money.

Calculate how much free money you've given them the entire time you've owned a car that they have insured, vs. how much payout you've received. Then compare that to the 3100.

[spoiledred94]

$100/mo on time every time in full for 4 years. Comes out to just over $1000 more I paid than they paid. I would think it would be in their best interest to keep taking my payments. One insurance claim wreck in almost 25 years (with other ins companies). I do agree about not posting all secrets on the web. Shouldna done it. Probably no harm though.

The subaru is in basically mint condition. If I can take good care of it for a year and save $1K to $2K and sell the subaru I d be in a good position for a bonneville. But not counting GXP 07's are there going to be any truly healthy low mile 00-05's left for $4K?

They'll raise my rates but that's the way the system works. When they find the tickets and add in this wreck I'm budgeting tentatively $200 a month. Steep but this ins check is going to pay off a lot of bills and the extra $100 a month wont hurt so bad. And realistically I need to be a hecka lot more careful.

[Kajidono]

But not counting GXP 07's are there going to be any truly healthy low mile 00-05's left for $4K?

I just bought an '04 GXP in nice shape with 162k on it for $500. That's not a typo, so yes. It's in the shop now getting a blown axle seal on the driver's side replaced for another $200, it has a slight misfire which I assume is from the total lack of tuneups it's had (or a coil) and the heater core is clogged (which will be fun but it's only $30). That's all that's wrong with it. The sunroof doesn't even leak. Yet.

[jradke61]

But not counting GXP 07's are there going to be any truly healthy low mile 00-05's left for $4K?

I just bought an '04 GXP in nice shape with 162k on it for $500. That's not a typo, so yes. It's in the shop now getting a blown axle seal on the driver's side replaced for another $200, it has a slight misfire which I assume is from the total lack of tuneups it's had (or a coil) and the heater core is clogged (which will be fun but it's only $30). That's all that's wrong with it. The sunroof doesn't even leak. Yet.

You know what they say about ASSuming...
If someone sold me an 04 GXP for $500 I'd assume it needed A LOT more than $100 to fix it.

I've bought 2 nice cars in the past 2 months at great prices. You know why? I stay clear of deals like that for starters. Unless I KNOW exactly what's wrong with it and what's involved in fixing it. 99.9% of the time if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. There are RARE 'exceptions of course.
I also steer clear of cars owned by certain classes of people that generally indicate a car has been beat and/or they are looking to finance their next toy off my dime. Sorry but if you're 18 I probably wouldn't even look at your car. I mean, I wouldn't buy a car from myself at 18. Why would I buy yours? Again, exceptions.
I know what I'm looking for and at and go from there. I look at and/or call on any car I think COULD be "the one" and take my time and see how it progresses.
Low mileage is great but not everything. Low mileage Bonnevilles are getting scarce. They'll be even harder to find a year from now. Maintenence records are worth a fortune. First off anyone smart enough to keep them on a car they may sell in the future is someone smart enough take care of their *shoot*. They also tell me a lot about the car.
So much more I could say here but I won't.

Just sayin...

[Kajidono]

Believe me, I crawled all over and under this one. The guy bought it as a spare when he blew the engine in his truck and he only drove it a few times. It really looks like it spent all but the last couple years in somebody's garage. He's got a new engine in his truck and with the axle seal blown it was just taken up space in his driveway.

I did find out earlier that the shop checked the temp on the heater core intake and it didn't match at all, so that's clogged. I asked him how much to replace it and he said the book says 8 hours of labor for a total of $900. I'll just take care of that for $30 myself. Then I asked how much to change the plugs and wires and he said, "Oh god" and started complaining about N*'s. So I'm having fun trolling my mechanic with it at least.

I also read the writeup on swapping in an L67. I have that bookmarked and there's a guy parting out a GTP locally. $400 for motor and tranny, pretty sure I can get it for less since there's been zero interest in it for weeks. So it's going to be my nice Bonne whether it knows it or not. And it'll give me an excuse to replace the tools some douchebag stole out of my truck.

[redfury]

Yeah, my 400 dollar Bonne was a find for me, but the kid that owned it had moved onto JDM's and had a pretty wild turbo'd car in the pole barn next to his brothers WIP, plus granny had a barn full of old Dodge's and Fords ( 1930-40's ). He lost interest in the car when it wasn't an easy fix for him. I put a lot of my time into the car over 2 weeks, so someone looking for a cheap car that didn't do their own work would have probably junked it when they found out how much it would be to have it fixed by a Professional mechanic. Ah, the feeling of how much money I save because I can fix my own stuff most of the time.

And insurance? My brother was complaining because he got into an accident, had a couple of speeding tickets and now they want 500 a month to insure his Audi A5 ( bagged and wrapped in brilliant blue ). Don't drive like an idiot when you have a car that grabs everyone's attention...he's lucky they are willing to insure him.

Good luck though, sometimes just waiting it out for the right car is the best bet if you have the ability to.

[jradke61]

Well I fix all my own stuff too and yeah sometimes the helpless people of the world sell *shoot* cheap when it's over their head but the fact remains nothing's free in Waterworld. I wouldn't just assume it's an easy fix because the seller said this is what's wrong. Especially with a N*.
My point is tho, the OP is talking about finding a good Bonneville at a good price. I doubt he's talking about finding an 04 GXP that may or may not need an engine swap or 9 hours labor for a heater core or MAYBE needing plugs and wires for a miss (The N* has COPs BTW. Not cheap and the back one is a PIA.
If he were smart he'd stay away from the N* altogether. And yes I had one. Got rid of it while I could before it had a boatload of problems.
This is my idea of a good bonneville at a good price.
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 49871.html
Or this...k, I paid $1800. He was asking $2400.
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 50033.html
And this...don't remember what he paid but it was a good deal if I remember. *dang* nice car.
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 49947.html

For most people $500 for a GXP, with that many miles on a N* especially, needing God knows how much $$$ to get it on the road, is a crapshoot. Maybe you'll get lucky tho. If you do it all yourself.

[Kajidono]

Yeah, those are pretty nice. I had a 97 SSEi that I picked up for $1100 a couple years back. I sold it cause I needed a truck, and now I sold the truck since I don't really need it anymore. So I decided to get another one. I didn't want the regular 3800 though. My options were pretty much limited to a 97 Buick Park Avenue Ultra with a lot more miles on it, a 92 Ranger 4x4 that was actually nice (he never called me back), some beat to hell Jeeps, half a dozen Grand Prix's with all kinds of problems including bad titles (They always mention that part last, like they "forgot") and this forlorn GXP.

What I remember about my 97 was that no matter how many problems it had, it always gave back more than what I put into it. Every repair I did gave me an immediate result that put a big grin on my face when I hit the gas. I replaced the intake gaskets, had the supercharger apart to replace the worn coupling, put new subframe bushings in it, found this place which showed me how to do all that and generally had fun with it. I don't remember the last car I had that was fun to work on.

So I went and looked at it, came here and read for a few hours to see what kind of beast I was getting myself into and decided I could handle it. I figure if I can get the transmission sealed and the heat working, if it will just run until about the start of summer that's all I need out of it. By then I'll have funds built back up and either find a guy who loves working on N*'s or I'll have the money to swap an ls4 or l67 into it.

One thing I noticed about the engine is that someone has obviously already been into it. There's all the little telltale signs like nuts missing here and there, empty brackets and the cross brace between the strut towers is gone. But the front head looks newer than the back one. Like brand new, very shiny inside and out. I'm thinking somebody blew it up already, had it repaired and then got rid of it. And I don't think it was driven very much since then, just passed around as a spare vehicle. There's lots of signs of sitting still for a very long time, longer than the last owner had it (so more than 6 months). So the whole thing doesn't quite have as many miles as are showing on the dash.

[jradke61]

The more you tell me the more I think it's a bigger problem than you think. Someone wanted out from under that car real bad to dump it off so cheap too.
As for not wanting a regular 3800, the odds of a car being beat and/or not properly maintained are far greater with the supercharged ones. Kids are drawn to them like stink on sh!t.