Why do we like these cars?/Show-quality Bonnevilles

[Cat]

Two Questions:

1. It is obvious that those of us who own these Bonnevilles really like them. I need to know why. You start and then I will tell you my reasons.

2. Does anyone have a "show-quality" Bonneville that they actually show?

[Jfridge92]

I can honestly say that when I bought my car, I didn't already love the H body platform. I got my car because it was really cheap, safe, and reliable. I fell in love with it after having it a while. You can't beat the fact that you're driving a couch, it has a decent amount of pep to get you around, gets good gas mileage, and has the reliability that the 3800 does. Do I wish it looked better on the outside? Of course! But this wasn't a sports sedan, it was a car built for comfort, which it does extremely well.

I think Pat is one of the only ones that actively shows his car. His screen name is 2003 ssei. I know Randy (yourgrandma) and Mike (95NASTA) both have incredible cars that they've put a ton of work into, but I'm not sure if either of them regularly show them at car shows?

[1oldman]

Not me as I need daily drivers. Having never seen in person other members cars, I'd have to go along with what Joseph posted, and maybe add Andrew's 3800 GXP. - BC

[redmetrix]

The main reason I like Bonnevilles is because I grew up with a fully optioned 92 SE which my parents owned, they bought it in 1995. For the time, that 92 had features which many other cars didn't have such as retained accessory power, steering wheel radio controls, and automatic headlights. While I like also the Olds 88 and LeSabre, the Bonneville has always been interesting to me since it is a sporty version, inside and out, of what is essentially a luxury car platform. I like luxury cars and I like sporty looks. Put those things together along with the 3800 drive-line and you have a great car. I would say the 97 SLE I have now is near show quality save for a couple minor blemishes in the paint that should be addressed, I have not driven the car in the winter. I have not yet brought it to any shows.

[RJolly87]

My father had a 1990 SSE growing up in my teenage years. One of the cars I learned how to drive in.

Admittedly I did some stupid things in that car too, but I loved the styling, the noise it made, everything. For years, I lusted after the 92-95 SSEi. The looks, the sounds, everything. Especially in Forrest Green Metallic with Gold Crosslace Rims, that was teh sex.

Then I got the Park Avenue in April 2008, and never looked back since. Even when I got it it had 150k miles, and showed no signs of letting up. Even today, it sets in my driveway with 189k miles, and having been flogged relentlessly by a heavy footed buffoon, it comes back for more every time. Sure the car is falling apart around it, but the drivetrain seems rock solid. The drivetrain makes the car.

The day before I bought my PA, my dad also got a 98 PA Ultra. That car was one of the nicest things I have ever seen, and supercharger was great for kicking two tons of flagship family sedan down the road pretty quick. It suffered a premature end unfortunately, essentially being broadsided by a Ford Ranger probably going 50mph. My dad walked away, the driver of the truck didn't.

So I rambled a bit there, sorry. Why do I like these cars? Because they have nice enough creature comforts, and will take the hardest of beatings with a smile for a very long time if cared for properly.

[thesam1984]

My first nice car was 93 Bonneville SE. My father put up $1500 so i could get it... Ive always liked the square h-bodies as well and almost bought a 90 delta 88 coupe with an ailing trans for $600 but needed the reliability and my buick was the other choice... I love the combination of luxury/performance/size/mpg that this platform offers.

Im a high miles person more than show... im everything that is against trailer queens, cars need to be driven, although they can be kept up and looking nice im not going to worry about every scatch dig and dent... that's her character... ive actually only entered my rat look cars in shows (this is a style that evokes 50s hot rods built with junk to make them fast... a rat rod, but done to a modern car)

[94SilverSSEi]

What do I like about these cars? They are deadnuts reliable, will take you everywhere you want to go and gets GREAT gas mileage (considering the size and capability of the car). And even when they do break, they are a dime a dozen and are VERY easy to work on in relation to almost anything else of the era or newer thats on the road. They have a simple design. No DOHC, 9 speed trans BS to worry about. I like my good old OHC, 4 speed.

And the fact that I grew up in a 1994 SSEi since I was 6 and then at 16 my first car was a 1968 Bonneville. I guess you could say I'm a bit attached.

But once I got a "Real" car, I saw the light. My 02 Seville was my first taste of horsepower, then the 05 Escalade. I'm a speed freak and could never go back to an NA Bonnie.

But I do still have the 94 SSEi and I LOVE it. I'm not really one to brag about it because most people can't appreciate it anyways.
But here's a pic for the feelz.....


It's the cleanest Bonneville I have EVER seen in person. There is NO RUST anywhere. Not even paint bubbles on the bottoms of the doors or anything. Just hit its 21st birthday and it has NEVER seen salt/winter. So I suppose it could be a show car considering its condition

[rustyroger]

Right price, right time. That's why I bought my first H Body, my wife liked it so I bought her one too. Both have exceeded all our expectations, in terms of performance, fuel economy, comfort and reliability.

I regularly take mine to shows, not because it will win any prizes but all American cars are welcomed at most UK car shows.

Roger.

[2003 SSEi]

I am probably one of the only Bonneville Owners that regularly shows the car. That being said, my car is not like your "normal" Bonneville. It was a daily driver for the first couple years of its life, and then retired to Garage duty, and sunny days only.

I got to a point with the car that I had so many one-off parts, and mods that it was not worth it to drive the car on a daily basis.

I have taken 3 GM National awards home, and the first 2 years of the Natonal 3800 Gathering I have won awards

[MattStrike]

Mine's show quality if you don't look too closely at body panels and interior bits and some of the stuff under the hood.

Mine started out as a rusto-resto, not sure what happened along the way but somehow I ended up with a racekar, still working on the 'show quality' part of it.

[nos4blood70]

Comfy, fuel efficient, cheap to repair, they look nice, etc. The list goes on. In those respects at least, what's not to love?

[Bumzag]

My father had a 1990 SSE growing up in my teenage years. One of the cars I learned how to drive in.

Admittedly I did some stupid things in that car too, but I loved the styling, the noise it made, everything. For years, I lusted after the 92-95 SSEi. The looks, the sounds, everything. Especially in Forrest Green Metallic with Gold Crosslace Rims, that was teh sex.

Then I got the Park Avenue in April 2008, and never looked back since. Even when I got it it had 150k miles, and showed no signs of letting up. Even today, it sets in my driveway with 189k miles, and having been flogged relentlessly by a heavy footed buffoon, it comes back for more every time. Sure the car is falling apart around it, but the drivetrain seems rock solid. The drivetrain makes the car.

The day before I bought my PA, my dad also got a 98 PA Ultra. That car was one of the nicest things I have ever seen, and supercharger was great for kicking two tons of flagship family sedan down the road pretty quick. It suffered a premature end unfortunately, essentially being broadsided by a Ford Ranger probably going 50mph. My dad walked away, the driver of the truck didn't.

So I rambled a bit there, sorry. Why do I like these cars? Because they have nice enough creature comforts, and will take the hardest of beatings with a smile for a very long time if cared for properly.

It's not a '90, but my SSE is forrest green with golden crosslace rims.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzjJ9z ... sp=sharing

@Cat I'm with Jfridge92. I bought mine because it was practically free and had low miles. I quickly came to realize that it was just a genuinely attractive car, with a hell of a lot of get-up in it. My car has left me stranded a few times, but only because of trivial things like an s-belt, battery, flat tire, etc. She's never let me down or truly disappointed me.

[Saturn Simon]

I also love Bonnevilles for their reliability, comfort, economy relative to their size, the way they look, and because they are cheaper to maintain than even a lot of the smaller cars I have owned. In the UK the added bonus is rarity, so they can turn heads too.

My Bonneville is my daily driver but it cleans up nicely so I still exhibit it at shows. They are definitely show-able in the UK where they have more novelty value.

[yourgrandma]

I still really like the styling of the 92-95s and the 00-05s. Especially given the times they came about. They also feel better built than the lower models in the range.

I wouldnt call mine a show car. Infact, i get turned into the dirt parking area every time I drive it to Cars&Coffee. It is pretty extensively modded, though, and a fair bit quicker than a lot of people would expect.

[Cat]

Thanks for your replies. I read and enjoyed every single one of them. Some of you articulated exactly what I feel, especially you Jfridge92 and redmetrix. It is indeed a comfortable car, but it looks sporty. You get the best of both worlds. The original brochure (which I have) described the Bonneville as "Luxury with Attitude." Plus, I love the front wheel drive in the snow. It makes life so much easier.

94SilverSSEi, your car wowed me. That red is awesome. And 2003 SSEi, thanks for sharing. I knew that people had show-quality Bonnies! Yours is really a beauty. Do you have more pics?

To me, these cars have nice lines and are among the most unique and recognizable ones out there today. People see them and know what they are. They have personality, unlike most of the newer cars today that all look alike.

Again, thanks to all who replied for sharing your thoughts and pics. I will post a pic of my Bonneville (it's silver, by the way) and my Corvette soon.

I know that my Bonneville is just a DD, but I just love it. In addition, I every so often think about "someday". Someday if I ever have stupid money to spend how I'd like to mint it out and show it. But. alas, this gets filed under the realm of fantasy, not dream, because that's what it is right now. Dreams are possible; fantasies are not. This will probably go the way of my 1979 Seville for which I had the same aspirations but was forced to sell because of fuel injectors that "couldn't be fixed"--or so I was told by my husband. I wish that I had kept that car because today I see them at car shows and they are indeed rare and beautiful, just as I had predicted they'd be and just as I predict one day these Bonnevilles will be. (Of course the SSEi's will probably be the most desirable ones.) Only time will tell....

I am new to this site, so I am getting familiar with it and will take CMNTMXR57's advice and use the search feature before I start new posts with questions that have already been answered. By the way, CMNTMXR57, I looked at your profile, so I know why you have so much knowledge. Should have checked before asking! Again, new to the site and new to navigating it.

Wish I could contribute more in the way of giving advice rather than just asking for it, but my knowledge is limited so I don't have that much to offer. Still, I can and will enjoy this site if for no other reason than the validation that there are people out there who own these cars and love them as much as I do mine.

I will follow up on the issues with my codes and let you know what happens with my inspection. I'll also let you know if I am going to be able to keep my car, but Hubby has his eye on a used Chrysler 300 that is not that expensive, so right now it is not looking too promising.

Cat =^..^=

[Cat]

"i get turned into the dirt parking area every time I drive it to Cars&Coffee."

You made me smile. Your car looks great to me!

[zuper8]

94SilverSSEi, your car wowed me. That red is awesome. And 2003 SSEi, thanks for sharing. I knew that people had show-quality Bonnies! Yours is really a beauty. Do you have more pics?

Yeah holy crap Clay, have you ever posted pics of it before?? I don't think I've ever seen it before. What a beautiful car.

To me, these cars have nice lines and are among the most unique and recognizable ones out there today. People see them and know what they are. They have personality, unlike most of the newer cars today that all look alike.

I agree, I truly think the 92-99 was a beautiful design and I am partial to the 96-99 design tweaks. I ended up loving Bonnevilles so much because it was through those cars that my journey of learning to fix my own car unfolded. Such a huge impact on my life, and getting under the hood of a Bonneville just feels like home, if you can imagine that.

[94SilverSSEi]

Well here's a link from when I first got the car. She currently sits at just over 75k. Haven't had much time to get to fixing stuff hence why I haven't posted anything in a while.

I guess I never updated my original post with my wheel selection. My bad....lol
But you can see which ones were my favorite from the more current pic.

Still have the cross laces. Hanging on to them for the sentiment. They are absolutely mint! And the average craigslist doesn't seem to want to offer a fair price so I'm holding them even if they may never be on THAT car again. Haha

Edit: http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... hilit=Ssei

[rustyroger]

Mine's show quality if you don't look too closely at body panels and interior bits and some of the stuff under the hood.

Same here, I would add maybe don't look too closely at the interior as well.

Mine looks at its best in fading light, but the sun still bright enough to shine in your eyes, especially if it has just been raining, from thirty or forty feet......

Roger.

[labonnevillastrangiato]

I am on my second 1993 SSEi and many of the sentiments posted here sum up mine.
But I will add the following:
When I sold my green one a few years ago, I never felt right. I felt like a piece of me was sold with it. Weird, I know. I think it's because these cars are fun to tinker with. After I sold my green SSEi, I bought a Pontiac G6. Great car, got me to and from work safely each day, but you could not tinker with it. I tried one day and it got pissed off so I stopped.

Now I have my red '93 and feel happy again. Many of us don't have much money, so owning a REAL classic car is a dream and lotto win away, so our Bonnie's satisfy this desire. They have bold styling, if you're boosted you can let the whine out, reliable, are reasonable on gas and safe to drive, so they are the perfect car to tinker with, and feel bad assed when you drive it. Plus, my insurance provider is now offering Classic Car insurance, so they are becoming one!

Our usual family car is my 2003 GMC Envoy. It hauls gear, our trailer, and family around comfortably, but is FAR from bad assed, and does not have whine or bold styling, so a completely different function. This Envoy is temperamental too. There have been times where the Envoy needs to go to the garage, most recently a complete transmission rebuild, and guess which car happily pinch hits?
My Bonneville costs me nothing unless I choose to buy something for it, but gives me joy, and that's rare these days for a car!

Adam