why did you buy your bonneville?

[ga93sle]

When you first saw your Bonneville for sale, what was it that made you say, "I am going to buy that car."

For me, it was the color combined with the body lines. For about $200 cheaper, I could have had a Grand Prix in better shape, but it just didn't grab my attention like the Bonneville did. And now that I own the Bonneville and have driven an identical Grand Prix, I am glad I got the Bonneville. It is a lot funner to drive for me.

[dave1764]

Funny that you should say that i was actually looking for a grand am but saw this car all black nice lines and supercharged and was sold immediately.

[TenGHz]

Mine was because I wanted something with a 3800. Back around '96 someone bought a silver one in our church and I thought it looked cool. Fast forward to 2004 my previous vehicle was nickel and diming me like mad. So, when I found out the Bonnevilles had 3800's, I was set on what I wanted. I originally test drove a '99 before I bought my '01. Due to the dealer I got my '01 from I was able to get it almost $2000 cheaper than the '99.

[repinS]

Dad's coworker got a new car.

That's how most of my family's fleet gets acquired, Civic, Volvo, and 4Runner are no exceptions. Dad is usually the go-to guy when someone goes "Hey I got a new car and want to get rid of this old thing fast."

[bonnevillain]

it was $500 and i knew the 3.8 was a good motor

[nicklikesmilk]

mine was on a used car lot (almost 2 years ago) and my friends and i went there for no good reason, and i initially though that the car looked lame, but my buddy said he really liked it. fast forward 2 weeks, and the car is still there with a lower price while i'm getting pissed at my old cavalier. so i test drove it, liked it, and the dealer offered to drop the price even more.

and here i am today.

[CJCroel]

Well, I was in search of a new car, and would settle for no-less than a 3800 Series II. I'd been looking at and driving a ton of Grand Prix, and really wasn't happy with any of them. I wandered into the "bargain barn" at the stealership I was at, and it caught my eye immediately...

I drove it to my mechanic for an inspection, got the thumbs up, and bought it the next day! The car had been traded in the day I found it, and they hadn't even had a chance to vacuum the thing, let alone their "oil change and safety inspection." I told them to leave it there, knowing their reputation with servicing cars wasn't great...

I couldn't be happier!

[radomirthegreat]

1337ssei drove me around in his 97 SSEi, and it was awesome. His dad's coworker was getting rid of a 278K-mile 94 SSEi, and it was trashed enough to bring the price down LOW. I bought it late summer of 06, and I've been working on it since then.

1337ssei's dad was selling the SLE when I suggested to my parents that we're rotten eggs if we don't buy it. We got it because the Sable we had was being a party pooper, and the SLE was far more comfy and reliable.

[laxmangl]

My dad upgraded from a Ford Festiva, to a 99 SE. Then my mom went from a minivan, to a car she took me along, and I thought this was the coolest car on the lot. In two months we went from having a ford festiva, and a minivan, to two bonnevilles

[Bonneville92V688]

My first one ('94 SSEi) was kinda on a whim. I had my '87 Fiero GT for sale on fiero.nl, and I got a PM from a Tom "markviisvt4", which happened to be a member on BC. He asked me if I was interested in trading my Fiero for a '94 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi. I thought to myself "Hmmm...a bloated, slow overweight luxury car?" But I was wrong. I started doing research, and found that it had 225hp, and that it was a supercharged one, and only weighed abput 3,600lbs. I was a little skeptical at first, and replied back and decided to go look at it. The first time I saw it, that was it... I wanted it. What came over me first was the body color matched rims. Tom came out and greeted me, his driveway was full of Fieros, so I could see why he wanted another. I looked the car over really good, and he handed me the keys and asked me of I wanted to test drive it, I said SURE. So I pulled out of the driveway gingerly... and got to the main road and turned the traction control off and put it on performance shift, as soon as I turned on the main road, I floored it. That was what made me want the car. I had never owned a car that would roll smoke and give me so much torque steer. I let off and looked over at my Dad and said, "I want this car." So we got back and I decided to do the trade. Quite honestly the best thing I did. I had bought the Fiero the next street over with 60k on it. Turns out it had been sitting a LONG time, brakes were locked up, brake lines were rotted, every single vacuum hose was dry rotted, belts were old, and it needed tons of work.

[cml37]

Back when I was in middle school, my friend's mom got a '92 SE. Thought it was pretty rad (funny thing is that she later regretted it and thought she should have gotten a Grand Am).

So when it was time for me to finally buy a car in 2002, I went hunting for a cheap bonneville, since that was what I always wanted. The '95 "SSE" that I found was priced right (I was a poor college student at the time).

Unfortunately it had a lot of problems.

Fast forward to 2005, I decided it was time for it to go. Test drove 3 2004 bonnevilles that day The white one had the lowest miles on it, so from that stand point, it was purely a business decision (probably would have preferred to have the 5-seater sandstone one I drove over my 6-seater white car, but that's ok)

[harofreak00]

Because it was cheap ($4400 almost 3 years ago) and needed the work that I am good at. Sadly the engine blew on the way home, and the trans 2 months later. However, after a replacement drivetrain, I am good to go. I ended up paying about the price of a normal SSEi after it was all said and done.

[Skippy1827]

I purchased 99% of my cars from my parents. They had good taste and they were well maintained, and I didn't have to pay tax on em.
My 98 SSEi was my mothers car before she died. My father couldn't get in and out of it easily, so he offered it to me. I knew it was well taken care of, so I purchased it in 2001. Kept it 7 years. Just sold it for the DTS.

[crzydmnd72]

Because it was cheap ($4400 almost 3 years ago) and needed the work that I am good at. Sadly the engine blew on the way home, and the trans 2 months later. However, after a replacement drivetrain, I am good to go. I ended up paying about the price of a normal SSEi after it was all said and done.

You have the advantage of knowing exactly whats in there, and its put together with your hands. More value added IMO

Back in 98, needed a car for a road warrior, fast, it was the one that caught my eye, still had paint back then. Dealer said that the way I was planning on using it (50-60k a year) that I should buy something newer. Bought with around 98k on it, 10 years later its turned over to 204k. She's getting ugleeeee though!

Bought the second one (same year and color) from my parents neighbors (original owners) who replaced her with a GTO.

[JayGXP]

I was at the dealership looking to get a brand new car (07) at the time and i was looking at getting a impala but the high end ones were out of my reach. An then the sales guy was like well i have this car you might be intrested in!!! He said its not brand new but it FULLY loaded. As we walked up to it. i was like ah man WHITE!!!!!!!! I dont know about white. But the more i looked at her the more i fell in love. the interior is really what sold me on the car. two days later i had a 04 pearl white GXP

[glorkar]

My parents bought one when my dad had to retire for medical reasons. I always enjoyed riding in it, and then driving it. Got my first speeding ticket in that car. Ah, memories. So yeah, after my mustang decided that it wasn't going to run any more I started hunting for a B-ville. I would have been happy with an SE like theirs, but I'm sure glad I found my SLE. Absolutely love the leather and console shift options

[clm2112]

I didn't buy mine. It was left to me when my aunt passed away. (actually, nobody else in the family wanted it.) I got it 16 years old with 24k miles on the clock. In this household, Kim usually gets the new cars, advantages of being an RN I suppose. I usually get them after they have racked up the miles and rubbed fenders with other vehicles.

[MadMike]

well my first bonne, was my dads
he had it for a good 4 years or so, bought it with 9000 miles on it new
it was a dealer demo
the thing drove like a champ, and in october 05 he wanted to trade it in for it had 127k on it
he ended up getting an 06 impala ss, and gave me the bonne
one week later both right tires blew out when i was driving home from a friends house,
at 55mph we hit a telephone pole.. :sad5:
and for a year and a half, i was carless.. till i found [MINIV8] at the chevy dealer my dad got the imp at a year before
it has every option you can get, and i was sold before i even got the pricing on the car

bought it for 18,675 out the door with 29,143 miles on it,
i had it dynoed the day after i bought it just for tits and giggles,
i found out my car is one a dem factory freaks eh? as my dad said, ha.
according to most things ive read on the car, 03's stock have about 215/255 stock at the wheels

it had 227hp/268tq at the wheels- now the guy at the dealer said it was 100% stock, but idk wat to think, it was to loud to be stock.. almost two years later, and i have close to 300hp/400tq yay! i still wanna go to the dyno, and really see wat im puttin down

i did break 13's tho! woo! my tires hooked up perfectly, one of my best launches ever imo
my trans is getting weak tho : /

[Paul]

There was a guy in the office who was always bragging about his Grand Prix GTP, I got tired of hearing it one day so I went and bought my Bonneville just to get him to shut up. Loved it ever since, the car is pretty nice to.

[LakevilleSSEi]

I got my first bonne (95 SSEi) for free with a blown trans, so I fixed it and drove it for a few years, then traded that off for a trans am......My second Bonne was Smellbird's old 98 SLE which I picked up for $500 .