Hey there. I'm new to Bonnevilles and domestic cars in general; I owned a '98 Grand Prix GTP for a couple of months a few years ago, but other than that I've been mostly involved in Japanese and German imports. I've been lurking here as a guest for a while and soaking up as much info as I can about these cars.
However, I've gotten into a situation where I needed a decent, non-RWD vehicle for work/winter purposes and a fair amount of travel. My project Audi had to go and an 00+ Bonneville was on the short list. I live in Colorado and they're kinda rare here, but I found one that wasn't ridiculously overpriced(but needs some care) and pulled the trigger. I'm bringing her home on Sunday.
The car is a 2002 SSEi, black on charcoal interior. Just under 200K on the clock. Car spent its entire life in Michigan; the PO just moved to Colorado recently. Picked up for $1400.
Pros:
-Transmission was rebuilt at @150K by someone who used to work at ZZP; the strengthened output shaft was used.
-Car starts, drives, runs, and shifts great and smoothly. PO has used synthetic oil for most of the life of the car.
-Modifications are pretty much where I was planning on taking an L67: ZZP ECM reflash, 3.5 pulley, cone intake(though I'll be relocating to the fender well in a bit), ZZP powerlog, 3" downpipe, and 1.9 roller rockers. Most work was performed by ZZP.
-All the options I was looking for, including color.
-Interior is in good shape, bar some cracked/missing portions of a few of the vents.
-Tires are in decent shape, but I will need winter rubber for tooling around in the mountains.
-Remote start equipped, which could be very useful.
Cons:
-Rear suspension really needs replacement. Car was pretty 'squirmy' on the test drive and an occasional 'clunk' from the rear end was definitely noticeable. Any good sources for parts and a list of what is needed?
-Passenger rear window regulator shot and needs replacement.
-Rust forming on rear fender arches; oddly enough the gas door area isn't that bad yet. Colorado's not known for rust; I may or may not get this taken care of down the line. This is a back burner issue more than anything.
-Need to get a spare wheel/tire as well as the general replacement tools. Would prefer full size.
-Fog lights are missing. Will want to get those replaced, along with cleaning up the headlights and HIR1/2 bulbs.
-Heated seats aren't working with the switches turning off a couple of seconds after turning them on.
-DIC nag messages about stability control, airbags, and tire pressure. Tire pressure reset likely hasn't been done, but are there any diagnostic procedures I can do to narrow the others down?
-Radio display scratched up and completely inop, but otherwise works fine and sounds great. I'm unsure if '02s had Bose or Monsoon? I'd like to add iPod capabilities, but am not sure about whether it would be good to source a new stock stereo and do an integration harness or go aftermarket.
-Front brake pads/rotors need replacement.
That's all I can think of at this point, but for the price I think I did alright for a running car that needs a bit of reconditioning. Either way I'll be coming out ahead on this than if I picked up at one of the stealerships that were wanting $6K for an '00-01 SSEi with moderate miles and likely on the original transmission. It'll also keep my main car out of the bad weather this year, so I can't complain too loudly.
I'm looking forward to learn more about these beasts as time goes on, even if this car will never be a show queen or track star.
A pic below:
