I bought this Bonneville in April 2024, and it's been a love / hate relationship. Loved it after having a test drive, but regretted my purchase when I discovered... Many problems. The list of things I've fixed is huge, but she still needs work. I was going to sell it, and the day before I made the deal, my other daily blew up. I'm glad I kept my bonnie! Been driving it and fell back in love, now I want to actually make her a solid vehicle. Thing is, I'm in the "great" white north (Canada) and we're about to see a huge jump in prices for car parts and really anything that comes from our southern neighbor, so I'm just trying to get a list together fast to prepare, IF it's worth it. Just want a second opinion. Currently has 230k KM / 142k MI on the odo. Now where to start...
She's loose. I did replace front tie rod ends, front hubs and brakes, right CV axle and both sway bar links before getting an alignment. But when I hit the highway, the grooves in our worn out roads pull me around like crazy, like a ship in choppy water, double handing the wheel for sure. When I hit the brakes in a bend, I get a moderate front end vibration. I'm guessing bushings? Would love to see if there's a way I can tighten her up and gain a bit more confidence in the bends.
Needs total overhaul of trans / motor mounts. Shifts good (most of the time) since I put the Transgo shift kit in but I sure feel the sloppy-ness of the mounts. Exhaust leak getting quite loud from the rear manifold (I think) and the CAT is blown out. It stinks after driving for a bit, not sure if it's a cat smell, but it smells a bit like rubber.. No clue.
Tons of water leaks but I've seen the threads on how to fix those, just need the weather to get a bit better. Sunroof is bound and leaking, trunk leaks, door leaks, etc.. Driver's door only opens from the inside.
Service air bag and service theft system lights are both illuminated intermittently.
It's cosmetically cooked. Clearcoat is done on the roof, hood and trunk. Full of scratches. Not much hope in fixing that without a paint job..
All the lenses are done for, I know those are a pain to get a hold of too.
Some repairs I've done: Radiator + hoses, coolant elbows, rotors and pads all round, front end stuff^, rear widow motors/regs, shift kit, most vacuum lines done, PCV valve, full service (eng, trans, s/c)
I can go on. Is this worth it? I feel like I have to keep going since I'm so deep already but man, it's a lot. I also have no back up vehicle. Any advice is greatly appreciated, even if it's telling me I'm a clown!
