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Pontiac Bonneville
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Comments
How's your hearing? :-)
Seriously, your car reminds me of a cross between my '88 Black SE and my '94 SLE. Thanks for providing the link.
Cameron - Loud_Pontiac - I think it's a hissing Black Cobra - those eyes do it for me! Ready to strike with that killer sound system!
Rich - boosted1 - Congrats to you on the SSEi! What a fabulous new ride - I'm jealous! I will add your data to my growing forum list here. you've broken the tie on Dk Bronzemist vs Midnight Blue as the second most popular color to Black.
Dan the Iceman - you'll have to buy the cubans, brother! BTW - Ice is breaking up here - hope you don't melt anytime soon.
Have a great day all
Ken
I am very happy with the performance of the SLE and am more into cosmetics. I have tinted the windows and run dark tinted licence plate covers.($50.00 fine here for no front plate) I "dechromed it and removed all those ugly stickers.
My wife made some great padded covers for the terrible headrests.
I planned on adding an aftermarket CD changer to save $$ but found out that they don't make one to fit the new radios!! Anyone know of one that will work?
The Carbon Fibre dash kit is $220. I would like to know if anyone has seen one .
The Black is beautiful but hard to keep looking good, lots of tiny "scratches" Where do you get the 3M glaze?
Very few Bonnevilles in Nebraska, but that makes us more exclusive. Later.. Jake
Enjoy that great Bonneville ride.
Ken
Dan - we might be driving north of the border sometime this summer - love those Canadian vacations - great parks and sights and Gotta love the exchange rate for us Yanks. Did Montreal in Sep with my wife for an anniversary trip - great city. Visited Niagara a couple years ago and Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia before that. I think New Brunswick - St Stephen's area (not you SMFRAN!) this June might be the plan. Haven't been to Quebec City in a few years either - always a great escape. Going to have to send for the tourist book - you Canadians do a super job promoting travel and making it enjoyable for us vacationers.
Ken
YOU CAN PURCHASE THE 3M IMPERIAL HAND GLAZE AT ANY PAINT/ BODY SHOP SUPPLY/AUTO PARTS STORE. IT'S GOOD STUFF.
HAS ANY BODY USED THE ONSTAR FEATURE YET? I JUST HAVE THE ENTRY LEVEL VERSION. ANYBODY GET THE UPGRADES?
I'm an old Pontiac owner, twice actually. Had a 1979 Sunbird that got me through my college years and then bought a black and gold 1984 Trans Am as soon as I could afford one. I had actually been thinking about buying a late model Formula, but decided to be a little more responsible.
One thing about the Bonneville that I miss in the LeSabre is the interior. Bonneville has the best interior of all the G-bodies. Better stereo, too. Too bad the GM weenies have designed these stereos to be hands off.
Enjoy your ride.
- vtech83
Let's set up shop!
Ken
Hehe...see how popular the Bonnie is? We're even debating it in another forum! I just put in my 2 cents over there.
BTW: Do you perchance live near Toronto? I took a road trip up their a few years back with my '99 Regal GS during the summer. I don't know how the roads are up there during the winter, but I really *loved* (sarcasm) those 'collectors' on the highway outside Toronto. A few tense minutes trying to merge across 5 lanes
Smfran,
Forgot if I responded or not, but I remeber about 30+ posts ago, you said something about Taiwan in relation to my little flag? It's really Florida as in the Sunshine State. The Taiwanese flag just represents my heritage on my mother's side and I thought it would breakup the slew of Red, White, and Blue (oh, and the Maple Leaf!) in here. I checked my profile and saw how it came out. Sorry about any misunderstanding!
To all,
Saw two Bonnies yesterday: one a '59 hardtop coupe and the other a '58 sedan, both just crusin' in a Bonneville fashion. Beautiful cars!
Oh, and today I had a Lexus driver tell me I had 'awesome rims'. Man, it feels good to drive a Bonneville!
Comments? Ideas?
Ken
You know, I would have bought the SE, even without the SC engine, if Pontiac had offered the following options on the car (LeSabre LTD has all this):
- Heated mirrors
- DIC
- HUD
- Auto-dimming rear view mirror
- Memory seats
- 12-way power seats
- StabiliTrak
- Magnasteer
Some of the other stuff available on the SLE/SSEi, I could have added myself, like:- Stiffer suspension
- Dual exhaust
- 17" or 18" wheels/tires
- Supercharger
If I could have my way with the LeSabre LTD right now, this would be the list:- A little stiffer suspension. Probably a 30mm solid front stabilizer bar and a 25mm solid rear stabilizer bar. This is going to be tough since no one in their right mind would make a bigger stabilizer bar for a Buick LeSabre. Currently, I have a 29mm front and 18mm rear bar, both tubes as opposed to solid.
- 17x8 wheels with 245/50-17 tires. Believe it or not, this is actually an unusual tire size. Currently, my car has 225/60-16 tires, the same as in your SE. The two tire sizes have an almost identical circumference, meaning that the speedo would not be affected by the wheel/tire swap. This is probably the easiest thing to do. Only three tire manufacturers make a 245/50-17 size, but they are available.
- Dual outlet exhaust. This is easy. Use the same setup as the Bonneville SLE or SSEi. I could walk to the nearest Pontiac dealership and get them off the rack. I’d probably use a pair of muffler with twin outlet exhausts. Don’t think I would go with any type of cat-back exhaust. I’ve heard that some GM computers go crazy when you start messing with backpressure. Besides, I think the car would be a little too noisy.
- Better front seats. As I’ve said, the seats are OK, but could use more lateral support. Bonneville seats, front and rear, should fit in perfectly. I’m sure I could get the seats, but I’m afraid to ask the nearest Pontiac dealer how much $$$ it would take.
- Engine mods. K&N filter and 180 degree thermostat. And of course, I’d probably bolt on an Eaton M90. I wonder if the guys at the Buick dealership could do that. I’ve got the LeSabre Service Manual from Helm Inc. and they’ve even got a section on how to install the supercharger! I thought that was odd. I’m sure a lot of stuff in the Helm books is used in different manuals, like the Bonneville and Park Avenue. Of course, I don’t know how the stock LeSabre computer would react to a supercharger. Wonder if the computer from the Park Avenue would work? Might need a heavy-duty gearbox for the transaxle if I put on a SC. I could see myself going crazy with other engine mods, though.
Well, that’s what I would do to the LeSabre. Maybe when the warranty runs out. You know, its hard to believe, but I actually get a lot of compliments on this car. Probably because I spray it with Meguiars Final Inspection about every third day. Keeps it looking first day new!Mike
I've been reading these postings with great interest since Bonnie came home with me, but since Ken is cataloging everyone, I figured I'd join in.
The particulars: 2000 SSEi, 11,000 miles so far (since October), Silver, Gray interior, sunroof, heated seats. Didn't want the sunroof (6'2"), but couldn't find a reasonable deal without one at the time.
Only mod done is the drop-in K&N filter. That will probably be it for mods, because I have neither inclination or talent to go farther. I am living vicariously through the rest of you.
Only problems so far were a couple of burps from the computer. Engine ran rough for about five minutes one time (service engine soon light came on), then self corrected. Another time, security system warning came on, but went off after cycling ignition. Neither has happened again.
As for the minimal number of these machines on the road (I've only seen one SSEi), I have a theory. I think we are all going the same speed, and thus will never catch up with each other. Of course that same speed precludes us from looking for Bonnies on the other side of the road (being the safety minded bunch we are).
That's all for now.
Oh, and your theory about us SSEi owners might be correct!
Enjoy your car!
TIA
Rich
P.S. Didn't take long to program all the memory features, just sounds daunting as you read through the owners manual for the first time.
Iceman - You really stirred things up over in that other discussion. How could anyone misjudge your integrity? I see a clear difference in "personality" between Pontiac and BMW fans.
theiceman
Wayniac - I've got you recorded here buddy. Thanks for stepping up to the plate. Please participate along with the rest of us - it's the diversity and active involvement that will keep this forum from getting stale.
Vtech - Mike - Love to see that LeSabre when you get it built the way you want. It will be worth holding onto for the long term if you get it built up.
Ezrapon - Rod - I don't think I'll be doing any special performance mods except perhaps the K&N if I find one for the SE model. I'm satisfied with what I've got here for now - BUT - I don't want to preclude the idea of eventually moving into an SSEi for a little more FUN!
Iceman - Dan - thanks for the links. Don't have time to check them out yet - later for certain. Didn't realize Ottowa is only 8 hours form Boston.
That's it for now - hope everyone has a SUPERCHARGED day!
Ken
Other than for the gift, I have not received anything else from Pontiac - no surveys, no junk mail (Chevy is always sending me Tahoe literature, as if they think I will be replacing my truck so soon), not even a "thank you" from the dealership (and they should thank me - they don't sell very many SSEi's!). Also, I was under the impression that Pontiac published a quarterly magazine for owners, but I have never received one. I got a special edition of this magazine at the 2000 Detroit auto show, and even though some of it is sales pitch, there was some interesting content for enthusiasts too (which makes them collectable).
Anyone with different experiences? Opinions?
Some of use have changed to other thermos. I use a 180.
Come on lurkers - voice your thoughts - it's what makes this venue so interesting and entertaining!
Ken
Thanks.
Mike
DO YOU THINK GOING TO A 180 DEG THERMO AND A K&N FILTER REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE? BY THE WAY WHAT IS THE K&N PART NO.
SORRY ABOUT THE ALL CAPS, I'M NOT MAD!
When I put a Thrasher engineering cold air induction kit in my 2000 SSEi I took the slip in K&N filter out . I was going to put it in my wifes 99 Grand Prix but as I was walking over to it in the driveway I noticed my 93 Bonneville was closer so I put it in that, so she didn't get it and doesn't really care cause her 3800 Ser 2 is more then she needs. But it perked up my 93 Bonnie with its 170 HP ser. 1 a bit. Same filter fits them all as far as I see it and its worth it!
Actually get it on the sub frame and it bolts UP in.
This way car looks like a 205 HP SE or Lesaber but with the 3.25 dia. pulley, 180 deg term and CAI it goes like a 300 HP modified SSEi, that will really hurt the BMW guys snoby feelings. Got to get the whole package to make it work right.
If any one gets serious I have just such a package in my garage, came out of my 2000 SSEi. I thought about getting a 2000 SE for just such a reason, could hurt a GTP's reputation when you walk him from a light! But I think I have to get another SSEi.
I have been pretty busy at work but every once in awhile get the chance to check this site, sure is more active now. I haven't replaced my SSEi yet, hopefully soon. I could not pass up a real estate deal here on the lake so it may be a few months, land, they don't make it anymore you know! Like girls I should have got more when I was younger
Ken
Nice to have you back, Doug. Thought you had abandoned us.
It was a simple replacement but it took them a few days to get the part in. The worst part of it was that this happened to me the day I took delivery AND they subsequently fessed up that there was a TSB out on these ignition modules. They put me in a nice '01 Regal while I was "inconvenienced" and they've promised me a remote starter as "compensation". I'm not crazy about those gadgets so I'll probably try to barter for sumptin else.
theiceman
Its been a while since I have had a temp gauge with numbers on it. I just wanted to make sure that everthing was O.K. (new car jitters)
Thanks again.
The K+N part No. for the 2000 Bonneville is: MM33-2086.
It's great to see that dmckeown is still out there. Even though his 2000 bit the dust, I mean deer, he still is a Bonneville owner.
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1128627986
Really, how can you totally enjoy driving along at 60+ mph when the air and road noise can't be drowned out by the radio? Before this we had a 1989 Delta Royale Broghum with 199,732 miles on it which gave us an absolute SILENT ride--no outside noise. THAT WAS LUXURY
For $34,000 + we should all expect the same. If enough of us tell GM about this, MAYBE they'll do something.
Oh, and I agree about the cupholders. Also, Pontiac stopped sending us the quarterly letter after I wrote them about the noise issue; thought maybe they took us off the mailing list, but no one else is getting the mag either????
Anyway, it brought a smile to my day - hope it does something for you guys.
theiceman
I had seen a mention earlier of leaky trunks. Does anyone know if there is a repair that can be done or do I just need to keep a couple of towels in the trunk?
Other than that I love the car. I get lots of compliments, and it is a blast to drive.
Your comment about noise is well taken - I do notice wind noise and the whooshing you refer to and at times wonder if it is the same as what the LeSabre people were referring to as a kazoo sound. Compared to my old flying brick Grand Marquis though - this is a vast improvement!
BTW - Karen - did you ever live in NH? If not I know your namesake.
Ken
Ken
Saw a black SSEi with Chrome wheels - pulled into the parking garage in my building right in front of me this morning. We have a few investment firms and high-priced consultants in our building so there are some nice autos (new Volvo coupes, Boxsters, Z3's and the like). Not too many 2001's. I wonder why....
theiceman