lets talk public perception

[zuper8]

(off topic sorry)

thanks for the compliments! put them on over the summer. I can never seem to get good pics of my car, because I drive so much it just gets instantly dirty after a wash. but soon for sure.

(ON TOPIC)

what is wrong with me that I'm not crazy about the look of grand prixs?? 99% of the general public seems to think they look better than bonnevilles. I'm just not a fan (no offense to GP owners!!)

[SSEiMan01]

what is wrong with me that I'm not crazy about the look of grand prixs?? 99% of the general public seems to think they look better than bonnevilles. I'm just not a fan (no offense to GP owners!!)

I'm sure you aren't the only one here who feels this way...I too prefer the look of the Bonnie's over the GP's. I think people confuse the GP with a Bonneville because, let's face it, GP's are more common it seems.

[WhiteArrow3800]

I regularly attend cruise-ins and car shows when I can. Almost the ONLY way my car(s) get attention is if I had JUST washed it and she's gleaming...or a GP guy walks by and knows what it is and peeks around for a moment. I've watched a few people walk by while the hood was up and glance over and do a double take when they realize there's a blower on top. Though over the years I've had many compliments on the '01. Not much interest in the '93 I've found. I do get many glances if I give the pedal a good stomp, but even then most of the looks are like WTF was that!?

All my friends love the Bonnies though...not that most of them would want one, but they all respect them at least.

[burger]

Most people don't think of my 97 Bonnie as anything special, just another old granny sedan. But I do get complements on my blue led fog lights, unfortunately the cops liked them so much they decided to pull me over. Everyone who rides in my car loves the red lighted dash, and the matching red lights i added near your feet.

[underpressure03]

Haven't heard the whole 'grandpa/grandma' thing and don't expect to. You hardly ever see SSEi's here. So with that said, our Bonneville turns heads of all ages and it seems to me that the majority are female. When we picked it up, we actually pulled on the lot to look at suv's and my wife pointed to the Bonneville and said, 'i want that.'

[1oldman]

Two summers ago ('09), I went to a reunion of us old retirees from our old group at work. When I drove up (late as usual), some of the guys looked around and didn't really pay much attention. When I left, it was dusk, and we were in the country (no competing back ground noise). When I fired the ole green monster off, I thought there was going to be a riot to get to the ole car. Several couldn't believe it was a V6 Bonneville. They all offered to relieve me of it (ha ha ha - fat chance). Most of these older cars don't get attention except from people that know these old cars, at least that's my observation. Even all the guys at Firestone said they wouldn't mind owning the ole car. I still can't believe Pontiac didn't follow up with something as popular as the '92s were when they first came out. Pontiac should have put a "mouse" motor in the Bonneville. I still haven't gotten over the demise of Pontiac and the Bonneville - Time Marches on. - BC

Epilogue - GM won't sell the Pontiac name. Does that mean that GM could bring back both the Pontiac line and the Bonneville? Only time will tell, but I certainly hope so. - BC

[nickdalzell1]

if it's something from the 50s and 60s a Bonneville is an attraction. but currently most cars from the 80s-90s and up which are mass produced are not head turners because 1) they're not rare and 2) are too 'new' and not yet considered classic or 3)are of low value

i fell victim to that often esp #3 with my 1984 Chrysler Fifth Avenue, which was 25 years old or older and had Historic plates, mainly because the M-body Mopars are not high-rated, deemed gas guzzlers, and, according to the statistics, fall also into the #1--too many left in town and are not rare

i do however find that every car show featuring some variation of a '57 Chevy Bel-Air has become so common that the particular car no longer dazzles me. a term i like to call 'overexposure' and of course the '57 Chevy falls into the #1 category of mass produced and many around town running.

about the only time any car is valued high or turns heads (regardless of manufacturer and/or year) is when they hardly exist. at least around here, finding a 1980 AMX, something that was a flop for AMC, but is so rare as a result that it now attracts a lot of attention, or a Fox-body Mustang, seems to gather attention. but something as common as a Fifth Avenue, or Newport sedan, or a 1969 Chevy pick-up, no matter how much restoration involved, is just 'common' and oft-times ignored. if your car's make and year are on the 'curbside classic' website, be warned. not to say they're bad cars, but just not regarded as popular among the masses. i know a few who love their Aerostar van, and they're popular on Ford fansites, but to most people those vans are a bad memory or joke today.

a similar page exists for fans of the M-body Mopars (Diplomat/Gran Fury/Fifth Avenue/siblings) as dedicated to them, mods and performance there as our Pontiacs are to us here, but most people consider them a joke, and yes, the Fifth Avenue is on the Curbside Classic and despite how i felt about mine, the criticism is accurate!

[SSEiMan01]

I feel like Bonneville is almost a household name...People ask me what I drive and when I say Bonneville, it's like a switch clicks in their head. "Oh! I had one of those" or "I know someone who had one of those, great cars!" or some other variant. People know about them, they're not as obscure as maybe some other cars, but not many know that they have such a following as they do by enthusiasts.

[repinS]

Definitely not a household name up here, I always have to say "yeah, its the next step up from the Grand Prix"

[human]

To my mind, the Bonnevilles are the most youthful of their GM stablemates. I know very few LeSabre drivers under the age of 70 unless their LeSabres are rolling on 22's and have a 'thumpa-thumpa' stereo system rattling the rear windows out. I hate saying it since my father worked for Oldsmobile for 32 years, but Olds 88's, especially the later ones, have got to be some of the most nondescript cars on the planet. They're not bad cars, they just have no personality and are all too easily confused with their corporate siblings. I think Chevy Chase put it best in the movie "Fletch" when he referred to driving a rental 'OldsmoBuick'. NPR actually played that soundbyte as part of a story on the demise of Oldsmobile.

As for my '95, it looks like a POS on the outside. The paint's peeling off, so I don't make much of an effort to keep it washed and waxed. I just sand and spray in the spring. Needless to say, I don't get many compliments on the car. My now former girlfriend always said the Bonneville fit my personality. Given its condition, I was never really sure how to take that. But for the record, it was not a contributing factor for our break-up.

The car I've owned that got the most compliments was my '98 Aurora. Now there was an Olds with attitude! I still regret the day I wrecked it. I briefly replaced the Aurora with a '97 Deville Concours and most of the people who complimented that car probably thought it needed a set of 22's and a 'thumpa-thumpa' stereo system.

[MattStrike]

I've been driving the LeSabre since 2003 I think. Only ever had a 70yr old lady say anything about it. Until this last year that is. Now I mostly get the staredown of death at the next light (Grand Prix GTPs), or a look or sheer disbelief (rwd guys) and utter confusion (ricers).

[yourgrandma]

I sure hope someone from gm eventually gets the message this tread is conveying. Gm has made a business of building soulless, boring cages for quite some time. Ford and chrysler seemed to snap out of it a little sooner but gm lagged behind. Its a sad day when I look at a honda accord and think "wow, that's a sweet looking car" and about the only thing gm has with any personality costs twice what I make in a year.

Wake up!

[SSEiMan01]

Definitely not a household name up here, I always have to say "yeah, its the next step up from the Grand Prix"

And yet they know what a GP is?!

[repinS]

They outnumber Bonnevilles 10 to 1 (or more) here.

[jedwards83]

They outnumber Bonnevilles 10 to 1 (or more) here.

Here too. EVERY single person who has made a comment about my car has called it a GP.

Occasionally I see an SE here and there, but SLE/SSEi are all but extinct around here.

[Ken_W]

I've had two strangers ask me if I was interested in selling the car. Both wanted to low-ball me, but they did bring it up out of the blue. Also had a teenage boy say "cool car."

I've also noticed that 00-05 Bonne's seem to sell pretty well on Craigslist, if in decent shape with no major issues.

Ken_W

[Boreas]

I get compliments on how clean/new it looks when I take people out to lunch. But that's about it. When I told fellow employees I had a fuel leak last month they were all like "yea you should go get a Mercedes or BMW". Yea, f.u. id own either of those...

One time I was stopped by two teenagers at the Autozone who'd asked me if it was an SSEi, I said yeah.

And then when I first bought the 96, I was waiting in a parking lot and this guy walked by, he gave my car a glancing look, and then did a double-take when he probably saw the "SSEi Supercharged" badge as he was walking up the side.

The girls are otherwise clueless, and wont even talk to you out here unless you drove one of those "bro-cars". I know one of them eeked with joy when she bragged to everyone at work she bought a Kia SUV. That's the mentality people have with cars, no wonder why manufacturers pound out *shoot*...

[yourgrandma]

What's a bro car?

[yourgrandma]

WOAH!!!

To make use of the amazing weather today, myself and a buddy went and did a little cruising downtown mpls tonight. Flex the system and generally be a couple of attention whores.

To my amazement, not one but three seperate times, decent looking women would aproach and compliment the car. Not just "nice car" but "wow, what is this" or my personal favorite: "your car is really sexy".

SO, even the skeptic gets a compliment now and then.

Had to share, thought it was funny.

[95naSTA]

I usually avoid talking about my car to people who haven't seen it. Otherwise I'll get the why don't you get a insert commonly modded car that you can mindlessly mod here.

Anyone that's ever taken a good look at the car seems to like it though. Lots of people will stop and ask about it when I'm working on it.