PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

Folks, I need your help in deciding whether to keep fixing my 2000 SE or just buy a GXP (the car I really want). I would like to hear from GXP owners about and issues they had. Also, most of the GXP's on the market today have an average 89k on them. Is it to late to buy? One note: I have always done proper maintenance like an old man on a Buick.

I have looked around at other cars and seem to come back to the GXP.

The biggest issue is just the size of the engine makes working on it difficult. If you want to avoid the Northstar quirks you can get a 2005 SLE and have a car that looks 90% the same on the outside but has the 3800 and regular interior of the SLE.

The GXP is a very good looking car, IMO. But it weird they seem to carry a premium. As mentioned above if you like the look there is always the 05 SLE as an alternate.

But another stone to kick around if you want the performance or like the Northstar is a Cadillac. I wanted a GXP but most of them (at least in my area were $6k-$9k and all had 120-170k miles).
I ended up getting my Cadillac with 69k miles for a few thousand Dollars less than the Bonneville. You prolly could care less about this but there is also the fact the Caddy has more "goodies" which made it sticker for about $10k over the Bonneville new"

I would still take a black or crimson GXP any day though. Awesome cars.

I don't know if there is any truth to this but it seemed the better deals on GXP's at least when I was looking were out of the rust belt, surprisingly.

Yeah, I can get a 05 GXP for under 10,000. I just want to know if head gaskets will come in to play? Also, how long will this engine last me with proper maintenance. I have dont my research, I just need to hear from the experts.

NOTE: I am not worried about MPG's. Personal safety and looks are important to me. Your ride = what people think.

You can find lower mileage (under 40,000 miles) GXP's but you have to check the ads frequently and be prepared to pay over $10,000. I bought my '04 with 32,000 miles on it. I have no mechanical issues in a year and 8000 miles of driving. The first thing I did was change the dexcool because I don't know if the original owner ever changed it. Dexcool over 5 years old builds up acid and can cause gasket failure. I did note a coolant smell in the engine compartment but no coolant visible. It may be the gasket for the front crossover. Put I put in 6 GM coolant pills (similar to Bars Stop Leak) and have not noticed the smell since. The engine is known for oil and coolant leaks but the issue with the head gasket bolts loosening up was corrected before 2004.
There is not much you can do to increase performance and expect the gas mileage is going to be less than your SE, maybe 17 overall and 20-22 on the highway. The transmission is solid, the 4T80E is the strongest transmission built by GM, much more reliable than the 4T65E. You can run the engine on regular if you want and it has a "limp home" feature that allows you to drive up to 50 miles with no coolant. The rest of the issues with the car are the same as all the other 00-05 Bonnevilles

I have two choices now, GXP or the Cadillac CTS, which I found is very similar to the G8. I just need a car that will run, look great, have room, and turn heads. I am tiered of fixing my Bonnie's non-regular maintenance problems. You only live once, right?

GXPs are great cars but not the roomiest.

After cruising the forums for the last 10 years, my opinion on the GXP is as follows:

The 'worry free' mileage window usually ends about 120k
'End of life' events like to happen in the 200k range

As was said, a giant DOHC V8 was stuffed in an engine bay that even V6 owners curse from time to time.

The NorthStar typically does need more attention than the 3.8 on its own, and combined with the engine bay concern, may need to be pulled out for more maintenance items than other engines/applications (freeze plugs, head work, etc).
After market support is limited, so you shouldn't hope for more than what you already get.
Being a DOHC, it is less suited for slugging stoplight to stoplight, and more suited for highway screaming.


There is advantages though, the look, the suspension, the interior, and after some fiddling, the exhaust note.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have anything against the GXP, it's just not for me. It takes love and commitment to own one.

Another factor is attrition. There is less and less good examples, but then again, there is more and more parts from them, so parts are readily available. It seems like it's getting cheaper and cheaper to cladding swap an SSEi, or in your case, an SE. Laws of supply and demand at work.

Starting to look at the Cadillac CTS's.... I cannot believe they are so "cheap" used.

Take a look at these as well.... http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/ctd/4381027126.html They are a lot better made then the Bonneville GXP's. 99% of the issues of Northstars have been worked out. And my Dad has one, it's been the most reliable car in our fleet. Plus you get super nice creature comforts like heated and cooled seats, navi, rear parking assist, and even a freaking heated steering wheel.

99BonnevilleSE wrote:Take a look at these as well.... http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/ctd/4381027126.html They are a lot better made then the Bonneville GXP's. 99% of the issues of Northstars have been worked out. And my Dad has one, it's been the most reliable car in our fleet. Plus you get super nice creature comforts like heated and cooled seats, navi, rear parking assist, and even a freaking heated steering wheel.

In spite of the couple of extra goodies, the car is still ugly as sin compared to the GXP AND unlike the Pontiac badge, Buicks still carry the brand of the "old man's car".

I just bought my GXP, and admittedly I bought it for looks. I don't care about nav when my phone does that already. I already have heated seats, but who really cares about cooled seats and a heated steering wheel. It's just something else to eventually quit working and cost you a fortune to repair or drive down your trade in or resale value. And parking assist? Really?! This is something that belongs in an old mans car. IMO if you can't park the car yourself, you have no business with a license in the first place.

IMO go big or go home. The GXP is a no brainer. Just be prepared to swear at it a lot when it needs work or to pay out the arse.

Most vehicles are depreciated at 15% the first year, then 30% every year thereafter from a business write-off standpoint.
3 year old car should be 50% less expensive than a new one.......and after 5 years when the original warranty is up, it's worth less and you can still buy a 2 year warranty from a GM dealer if it has less than 50K miles.

2000Silverbullet wrote:Most vehicles are depreciated at 15% the first year, then 30% every year thereafter from a business write-off standpoint.
3 year old car should be 50% less expensive than a new one.......and after 5 years when the original warranty is up, it's worth less and you can still buy a 2 year warranty from a GM dealer if it has less than 50K miles.

There are such things as repair insurance policies. I had one on my 2002 Burb. Needed lots of work and 1200 later, I only paid 100 bucks.

My take on it, is "dependent on mileage". Otherwise everything else has been said that I would say.

Nothing against a CTS, but you're comparing two different size classes of cars. Although one would safely argue that the backseat area of the Bonneville isn't as large as it could/should be, it still is larger than a CTS.

True. I have my eye on one GXP close to me, crimson color.

Crimson Tricoat is a really nice color. A couple years ago there was one that color for sale with 5000 original miles.

MY biggest problem is I keep hearing "that are expensive to fix." Then I hear they are very reliable. Most that I see are around the 89K mile. Good or bad.

The engine is reliable in most aspects and won't go belly up on you. But, it can be needy though, at or north of 100k.

The problem is, it's a size 10 engine in a size 5 dress.

You figure out the rest.

Thanks to all. I have made my mind up, GXP it is. All ways came back to this car. I wrote down what my last car (2k Bon SE) did NOT have that I matured to. We all know the SE trim is a "base" trim and the 3800 engine is still hot @ 122k. What I need now is heated seats, sunroof, and when I step on it my wrinkles go away. All of these are in the GXP. All I can find in my area of Richmond, Indiana are GXP's with 80k+ miles. I found one with one owner that belonged to an elderly person and I am wondering if they "gunned" it at all, which this car need occasionally as I found. I have seen these on the road and my neighbor down the street drives his girl to work every day.... GAAAAAAAAA!