PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

Hi guys I'm Nick. Love the site. Just wanted to share my 1996 Bonneville SE. It is my first car and I've had it 2 years this month. Mechanically it costed me a lot over these 2 years but i want try and learn to upkeep it better so it can last me for the next 5+ years.

Good Times! Welcome, and good on ya for choosing Bonneville as your ride.

Welcome. What have you had to do to your car?

Well. First off i bought it at 110k miles, the tires had good tread, under the hood seemed alright (not that i know much). I paid 3150 for it. I have put about 3k worth of work into it since then, maybe a little less or more. i never know what will go wrong next. it's my daily driver and never take it on the highway or trips longer than 15 miles. I just think the previous owners didn't take care of it right.Here is some of the stuff that went wrong with it in the past 2 years.

1. failed inspection b/c leaking catalytic converter and pinholes in muffler (replaced both).
2. problems starting and issues w/ battery (replaced alternator).
3. still had problems starting (replaced starter) because the old one was worn out.
4. Winter came along and blew out my passenger front tire. got 4 new tires since the old ones were getting dry rot and leaking air/going flat in cold weather
5. my car overheated. Upper/lower intake was leaking coolant. replaced both intakes and the "tension elbows" (i have no idea what they did) costed 1.2k though

i can take pics of the engine if you want. I just want my baby to run good for the next few years since i put alot into it for what i bought the car for.

Sounds like most of what could go wrong has been addressed. I'm sure other's may be able to point to other things to watch for but it sound like you've had the main issues happen already and have repaired them. Should be a good car for you!

Yep. Sounds like the worst of the problems is behind you with the intake manifold gaskets being replaced. I just finished up the same thing on my 03. Car runs so much smoother now.

I would look into a trans cooler if I were you. Not sure if your year model has hard shift issues or not like mine, but if so, a shift kit and the cooler are $200 in insurance/ peace of mind.

great car. good for you to keep it going.

Glad you joined! More pics of your Bonneville would be appreciated, inside and out. - BC

Welcome!