Looking to buy a '96 SSEi, advice? *PURCHASED*PICS*

[alec_b]

Hi all-

I used to be a member on the old bonneville club site a long time ago, have to say the new site is great!

A few members on here know me from the aurora forum, Jim W is one I believe.

Anyways, I've just come across a 1996 White SSEi on craigslist, asking $2600. 196k on the car, but 2k on a new trans. I talked to the guy tonight, he said the supercharger oil was just changed, and everything was maintained on it. Also, it's got blue CLOTH interior. No sunroof, either. Other than that, it's loaded.

Is there anything I should look for in particular? Any other questions I should ask? I may go look at it tomorrow, if he hasn't sold it. I'm waiting to sell my car also so I won't even know if I have funding available yet. I'd really like to pick it up though.

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1018215282.html

There's a link to the vehicle. Thanks for all the input!

[harofreak00]

Overpriced in my opinion. See if he'll take 2k.

[Allmachtige]

Depends on your situation, but I wouldn't spend 2600 on 196,xxx miles.

[Water 97SSEi]

An SSEi without leather? For some reason I thought all SSEi's had leather. I've never seen one without it and most/all the SSEs I have seen have leather.

[BlackHawk99]

Seems a little over priced.

(did you finally retired the rusted to hell '87? )

[alec_b]

Ha my '87? God, that was a long time ago. I have no idea what happened to it. It was rust free when I sold it, I fixed all the rust.

The order, slightly before and some after the sale, when like this:

Before: Car is sold once. Complete, solid running with new rebuilt trans. New buyer returns it, with a bogus estimate in hand, and the car running rough. Won't let me look at it. Returned money as title hadn't been signed yet. Come to find out shop quoted $2300 worth of intake and head gaskets, tune up, and... A NEW TRANSMISSION. Why was it running rough? Dead coil. Replaced, runs like new again.

Before: Car gets stolen. Car gets used in an assault. Car gets recovered and impounded. DNA evidence is cut and removed from the upholstery. Car is recovered almost 4 months later. Returned home and let to sit.

After: Sold, $700. Title is never switched by buyer, I receive 3 separate letters from the state saying the car was used to steal gas. Track down buyer, threaten lawsuit, settled. Car is totaled a few weeks later. Last I saw of it it had a broken passenger lower balljoint, a smashed passenger rocker, no radio, cut up and drawn on seats (mint before), and a missing headliner (brand new). I couldn't bear to look.

[harofreak00]

You'd be much better off spending $1k more and getting one of these:

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ctd/1019886142.html
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/cto/1017042826.html

[Jim W]

A few members on here know me from the aurora forum, Jim W is one I believe.

Yo!

I like the ones Andrew posted, average to high miles for an 00+ but overall a better car.

[alec_b]

I'd like to, but there's a couple reasons I won't:

1. The '96 has a new trans. I'd rather have a 200k engine with a new trans than a 168k mile total powertrain.

2. I don't have an extra $1k to spend. It'd be nice, though.

3. Personally, I prefer the '96-'99 style over the '00+ style. I've had less problems with my k-bodied STS (as I believe the bonneville was, yes?) than I did with my g-bodied Aurora (new-gen bonneville?)

[harofreak00]

The 87-05 Bonneville always has and always will be a h-body car. I don't know who started the g-body rumor, but it is indeed just that, a rumor.

I'll agree that a new trans is nice. However, a new trans can be just as unreliable as a 168k old drivetrain. The rebuild transmission in my car only lasted 14k. I dropped in a used unit after that and have put on about 50k since.

[alec_b]

That is a good point. But, I've talked to this fellow a couple times on the phone, and he seems VERY knowledgable (spelling). He's got a couple northstars, also. And today I guess he just replaced the radiator that had a side tank that sprung a leak. So that's new, also.

[RJGill84]

I would also definitely go with an 00+ over the older gens. I personally don't like them at all, and they're were totally redesigned in 00.

The G-Body rumor got started from GM themselves, which leads me to believe it's not simply a rumor. The GM promotional video and literature says the 2000+ Bonneville is based on the Cadillac K-body, "most recently used in the 98 STS" (exact words). Even tho the names are different, the G-Body is technically a renamed K-Body. GM just didn't want to make it look like lesser vehicles were getting the premium K Body as it would have reduced the cache' of the STS.

So, if GM themselves state the 00+ Bonneville uses the "latest premium FWD architecture most recently used in the 98 STS" (again, exact words) and the G-Body is a renamed K-Body, then its no surprise people say the H-Body Bonneville is a G-Body.

The platforms are the same, just renamed. Potato, Pototo (sound it out)...it's all the same.

[seekinhighhp]

i'd pass or have him go down on the price. or just find another bonneville with more options for the price he's asking.

[GoldenBullet]

it looks like a decent car, but is over priced for sure.

[alec_b]

I'm going to keep looking, especially because I haven't even SOLD my car yet, and until I do there isn't any funding available.

The only problem is that most of the '96-'99 bonnevilles around here are either base SE's (i'll pass), beaten up SSE's that aren't supercharged, or overpriced SSE or SSEi superchargered. I'm not TOTALLY against a non-supercharged one, but it would be nice.

I'm capable of fixing whatever breaks on the car, so the miles really don't scare me that much.

[Guest]

Coming from a person who owns a 96 SSEi,

Save your money and buy a 97 SSEi.

The 97 SSEi's have better transmissions and are easier to mod when your ready to do that.

Not that you can't mod a 96, I have, just more support for a 97 and newer Bonneville.

[alec_b]

*UPDATE*

Well, I ended up buying it. I know, I know, it was spendy, but around here you just can't find anything better. I got $2700 for my cadillac, and paid $2500 for the SSEi. I drove it extensivly before making any decisions, and looked through an entire stack of receipts that he had from the past. Some new items include:

Blower motor
Heater actuator
ICM and coils
Heater core
Ceramic brakes and rotors
Trans. with warranty until 9/09
EGR valve
Fog lights (the housings, not the bulbs)
Brand new tinted windows
Plugs and wires
Synthetic oil change

The thing is REALLY clean for the miles, you'd never know by looking. There's a little paint work that needs to be done, very minor, but the interior is beautiful. It's called medium teal cloth I guess.

Really the only thing it needs is struts all around. It's still got the CCR's in it. I'll be giving it all new struts and mounts this spring/summer.

The underbody is very clean, almost as clean as my cadillac. The lines just show light rust, the suspension is all solid. Not bad considering it came from canada (GM export apparently), then to MI, then here. Carfax is clean, shows nothing other than new owners. I think I'm owner #4 or something like that.

I'm going to try and get some pictures soon. The guys on ANCA want to see it too.

[sandrock]

Good on ya. You should enjoy that car for a while.

As for modability, you can do anything to the '96 that you can do to 97-up. The two tricky areas will the be the transmission (which yours is under warranty, so you shouldn't have any issues), and the PCM. The 1997 PCM will work in 1996 applications, but in order for an L67 to use it, the trans tables need to be modified and few codes turned off that deal specifically to the 4T65 transmission.

Going back to the transmission, I would fit a nice cooler to it. HD 4T-60s tend to get a bit tepid.

[wake]

well you knew this was coming

[alec_b]

I know I know I'll get pictures.

And the tranny already has a cooler mounted up front. Idk if someone added it or it was factory installed, but it's inline with the built-in one in the radiator.