MY SSEi is costing more to get home than to buy it.>>>>
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jpSSEi
- LE Member
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:30 pm
- Year and Trim: 99 SSEi
88 K5 Blazer - Location: where the lake snows land in ny
MY SSEi is costing more to get home than to buy it.>>>>
I purchased my SSEi about a week ago... A great deal off of e-bay. I have wanted one of these cars for quite some time and we were off to pick it up. To make a long story short, the dealer got the best of me on this. I drove about 70 miles, not quite home and the oil pressure bottomed out. Then the knocking, and a final puff of blue smoke. I had a used motor put in by a Vince's in Lockport,NY. These guys did me all right. The car also had a slip in reverse which is now much worse since the motor was swapped. We trailered out to my area to a transmission specialist who is going to rework my tranny. This car still has not made it home. I will have about 5,000 in it when it comes home this week but I should also have a very strong running SSEi for me and my kids to ride the summer in. I look forward to seeing you at shows and meets all summer long. We plan to be at Hershey this fall with my father 1913 Vellie and continue to raise my kids as "car guys".
- olblueeyesbonne
- Retired Moderator

- Posts: 6146
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- Year and Trim: 99 SSEi
01 SLE
02 GTP40th
02 SSEi
06 GP GT - Location: Sauk Centre, MN
- Contact:
Re: MY SSEi is costing more to get home than to buy it.>>>>
I know exactly how you feel. I purchased my current 99 SSEi in July 2006. I paid $2500 and it needed bumper covers (I had already -paid $250 IIRC for them) and a motor (bought a salvage GTP w/38k miles) for $1100 and paid another $1000 for everything needed to get the SSEi car driveable (radiator, condensor, paint, and all parts swapped into the SSEi).
Drove the car less than 1k miles and had the original trans go (I blame the engine installer who I had do a trans fluid/filter swap -when the new engine was installed he ran the car for 10-15 minute about 8 qts low on trans fluid).
I had the trans from the GTP swapped in for another $400 plus fluid and filter.
Drove the car for another 2-3k miles and had to find a new engine because the GTP engine had the #3 piston chip during a light throttle accel to pass a car doing 40 in a 55 zone.
Got lucky with a want ad on Craigslist for a 3800 supercharged engine. Had a guy contact me with a VERY LOW MILEAGE drivetrain (motor and trans with hole in trans case) out of a 2001 SSEi that had been crashed and dissasembled in 2001 with the motor in climate controlled MANSION of a storage facility. Paid the guy $800 and he also threw in a set of wheels for me to sell (recouped $100 on those) and I paid another $350 for install + oil/filter/coolant elbows, and a few other odd parts.
I'm now happy to have the car paid off and being reliable with the exception of this past week the exhaust which had a mislocated interlock flex cause all (including 4 added exhaust hanger/mounts) but the rear two exhaust mounts ripped off so I have to have that repaired now.
I've also done some mild modding and have set a record here for fastest (1/4 mile) SSEi with only bolt on's OUTSIDE of the engine and no valvetrain modifications.
Drove the car less than 1k miles and had the original trans go (I blame the engine installer who I had do a trans fluid/filter swap -when the new engine was installed he ran the car for 10-15 minute about 8 qts low on trans fluid).
I had the trans from the GTP swapped in for another $400 plus fluid and filter.
Drove the car for another 2-3k miles and had to find a new engine because the GTP engine had the #3 piston chip during a light throttle accel to pass a car doing 40 in a 55 zone.
Got lucky with a want ad on Craigslist for a 3800 supercharged engine. Had a guy contact me with a VERY LOW MILEAGE drivetrain (motor and trans with hole in trans case) out of a 2001 SSEi that had been crashed and dissasembled in 2001 with the motor in climate controlled MANSION of a storage facility. Paid the guy $800 and he also threw in a set of wheels for me to sell (recouped $100 on those) and I paid another $350 for install + oil/filter/coolant elbows, and a few other odd parts.
I'm now happy to have the car paid off and being reliable with the exception of this past week the exhaust which had a mislocated interlock flex cause all (including 4 added exhaust hanger/mounts) but the rear two exhaust mounts ripped off so I have to have that repaired now.
I've also done some mild modding and have set a record here for fastest (1/4 mile) SSEi with only bolt on's OUTSIDE of the engine and no valvetrain modifications.
DHP Powrtuner & Tech 2
1998 GTP Coupe
1999 SSEi 70k miles
2000 Silverado 2500 Ext Cab 4x4/6.0L/4L80E
2000 Trans Am WS6 LQ3 (LQ4 w/LS3 top end) 4L60E
2001 SLE
2002 Monte Carlo SS Top-swapped FSIC Gen V TOG's, Mezeire.....
2002 GTP 40th Anniv Ed Coupe
2004 GTP Comp G 'Bottom-swapped'
1998 GTP Coupe
1999 SSEi 70k miles
2000 Silverado 2500 Ext Cab 4x4/6.0L/4L80E
2000 Trans Am WS6 LQ3 (LQ4 w/LS3 top end) 4L60E
2001 SLE
2002 Monte Carlo SS Top-swapped FSIC Gen V TOG's, Mezeire.....
2002 GTP 40th Anniv Ed Coupe
2004 GTP Comp G 'Bottom-swapped'
- TenGHz
- Posts like a Northstar

- Posts: 1877
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- Year and Trim: 2005 GXP
- Location: Sioux Falls, SD.
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Re: MY SSEi is costing more to get home than to buy it.>>>>
Welcome to the site. Hopefully you'll have better luck now that you've sunk all that money in. There were a lot of repairs I had to do when I first got my car, but nothing like this... :(
-Joshua-
- WhiteArrow3800
- Moderator / Social Dev

- Posts: 5962
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- Year and Trim: ___
2001 Bonneville SSEi
2009 Pontiac G8 GT - Location: Williamsburg, Va
Re: MY SSEi is costing more to get home than to buy it.>>>>
Welcome Aboard!

'93 SSE "Guinevere" RIP 1993 - 2019
'01 SSEi "Chloe" Mods: Intense FWI | GenV | WBS Intercooled | 3.2 MPS | 1.9 YT Rockers | SSAC Headers | N* TB | TEP Trans | 3.29 FDR | Torsen LSD
DTM Tuned | Dual AeroForce | Solid Mounts | 255 Walbro Pump | Fuel Logs | GXP STB & Sway Bars | CSS Lowering Springs | GXP Brakes | Disabled DRL
Magnaflow Mufflers | Magnaflow Cat | GXP Seats & Trim | 35 % Tint | Cleared & Tinted Tails | repinS Retrofited Morimoto Mini H1 | 19" GT500 Wheels
'09 G8 GT "Abigail" Mods: Rotofab | LS3 Heads, Intake & Cam | Kooks LT | Solo Exhaust | Tien Springs w/ GXP Struts | Whiteline Swaybars | BMR Subframe Connectors
Achievements: Guinevere - 264k mi | 16.27 @ 84.10mph | March '11 COTM :: Chloe - 223k mi | 13.85 @ 102mph | January '09 COTM :: Abigail - 192k mi | 12.85 @ 112mph
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JimmyFloyd
- Certified Bonneville Nut

- Posts: 3702
- Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 8:48 am
- Year and Trim: Past-1993 SSE
Past-1993 SSE SC
Past-1993 SSEi - Location: Rochester, NY
Re: MY SSEi is costing more to get home than to buy it.>>>>
welcome. You're not too far away. Hopefully i'll see you around if we have any meets locally.
2001 Honda Civic LX
- GoldenBullet
- Certified Bonneville Nut

- Posts: 4638
- Joined: Tue May 20, 2008 5:02 pm
- Year and Trim: 2001 GMC Yukon XL
- Location: Minnesota
Re: MY SSEi is costing more to get home than to buy it.>>>>
welcome. dont get down about the car, i had very similar issues to you but with a little elbow grease and alot of $$$ she is in pretty good shape now 
-Matt
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jpSSEi
- LE Member
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri Mar 20, 2009 12:30 pm
- Year and Trim: 99 SSEi
88 K5 Blazer - Location: where the lake snows land in ny
Re: MY SSEi is costing more to get home than to buy it.>>>>
Going to get the SSEi after work, lets see if it makes it home this time. New motor and reworked transmission. I may just drive around all night... wish me luck
- wake
- Certified Bonneville Nut

- Posts: 2683
- Joined: Wed May 28, 2008 8:51 pm
- Year and Trim: 96 olds cutlass supreme 4 door
- Location: Dekalb Il
Re: MY SSEi is costing more to get home than to buy it.>>>>
good luck...and welcome to the club 
Member # 534.96 olds cutlass supreme SL 4 door 3100 4t60 *3.33 gears* *Fe1* 115K bone stock DD
Wake asked SSEiman01 wrote:why in the the world do you have or need Vaseline in your trunk??!!..well Leather cleans easy..

