Pontiac Bonneville

theiceman · April 2001

Smfran: Yeah - there's a little creaking (not really rattling) going on the passenger's door on mine as well. Conversely, my '95 Villager (which I hope to sell this weekend) has 110k+ miles on it and is rattle-free.

I like the Sienna but I want the heck out of a minivan I'm afraid - at one time, I saw them as a necessary evil. In our family, a minivan is no longer necessary, so that makes them just evil. I will say that the Sienna and Odyssey are the least evil of all minivans however.

Ken: if I'm going used, it might be to a '00 Regal LS but I doubt if I'd go supercharged for the 2nd car. I discussed it again with my wife this a.m. and she's cooling on the Aztek - starting to realize it's a lot of $ for functionality we don't need. Keep your fingers crossed for me guys.

Dan

smfran · April 2001

What does it mean to "want the heck out of a minivan"? Also, I thought you had kids in Daycare?

theiceman · April 2001

Stephen: I positively loathe driving minivans (although I must confess that a Buick Century doesn't hold too much over one) but I'd live with one if we absolutely needed it - even though they're expensive as "all get out" (?????).

Since we bought the Bonneville last December, that has become our daily commuter and has proven itself to be a very capable hauler of our entourage and its trappings. In that period, our minivan has not once demonstrated its utility as a minivan - so frankly I have to question what we need it for. Even with young kids (our kids are 4 and 6 - although she's kinda adamant about saying "6 1/2"). Heck, my parents had 5 of us and the closest we got to a minivan was dad's 1968 Toyota Crown wagon.

Ya know guys (and gals), that's one of the things I really like about the Bonneville - it feels like a frivolous, indulgent car in that it looks and drives sporty but it is downright practical too. If Pontiac added a split-folding rear seat, I'd be putting a second one in my garage - sans hesitation as we say up here in Canada.

On naming cars: I have never done this and used to roll my eyes when I came across others who did. When you have 2 or more cars, though, I admit that it actually makes sense. And this car comes the closest to getting a name from me - in that I call it "the Bonnie". Of course the presence of "the" probably would technically keep that from being a "name" and the name itself certainly lacks originality. If I did name it though, I think Zeus or Rufus would be leading contenders - the latter because (a) it strikes me as funny and (b) this car definitely has bite. Still, it ain't no dog - so I probably won't be going there

Dan

theiceman · April 2001

cornering: Yesterday, I took one of those decreasing-radius on ramps at a speed I had never achieved in the 20+ years I've been driving in this berg. The suggested limit on this piece of road is 30 kph (about 20 mph) and it is the only road I know where they post signs warning truckers of the possibility of a tip-over - am I painting a picture here? I took it at a steady 80 kph and actually kept myself from taking it at a greater speed. I wore I giant smile but wondered if I could hit 100 kph...

In short: this baby really corners.

Dan

theiceman · April 2001

...for that elusive 2nd vehicle: Ken thanks for the gentle reminder of one of my earlier loves (the Aurora). You know, there are just not that many of them on the used market up here and anyway I think that a car with a fold-down rear seat would be a good idea for the odd time that we need that functionality. And anyway, I hit a wall the last time around with the Aurora Classic - they virtually all have sunroofs. Same headroom issue as in the Bonneville. I'm interested though - is $23kCdn (about $15kUS) for a '98 Aurora with 53k kms (about 31k miles) a good deal where you guys are? It's black and has a slider (therefore not for me).

Dan

P.S. If I bought an Aurora and was interested in naming it, I'd probably call it "Belle" after "La Belle Aurore" - the Parisian nightclub in which a few scenes of Casablanca takes place. Besides, the word means "pretty" and how bad can that be? Probably just not quite bad enough for some....

tpken · April 2001

on either of the two Auroras at last week's NJ meet. I've seen a lot of E-Bay auctions for these vehicles - they usually have a decent assortment of 95-99 cars for bidding. My guess is that with the demise of Oldsmobile, there should be a good availability of these cars at affordable prices.

Ken

bdreggors · April 2001

Well, after a nice vacation across the state to Ormand Beach, its nice to be back home. Ol' Bonnie held up like a rock and cruisin' Ike's Interstate is fantastic.

In any case, I saw a half dozen other Bonnevilles: 1 white SSEi, 2 SSEs, and 3 SEs.

I'll post more later...just getting everything unpacked now.

Henry · April 2001

For those who do not know

ITS aROARa

not Aurora

Its not in the name, but how you say it!

((okay, so it wasn't my last post))

theiceman · April 2001

Aurora or aroara, it's a damned fine car and arguably the best of the G-bodies. Of course, Bonneville and STS owners might dispute that being the argumentative sorts that we are. Still, your posts are always welcome. Henry, do you Aurora owners have any intelligence on the post-Olds future of the Aurora?

tpken · April 2001

Dan - Have you considered looking at an Impala with your wife? Not sure why I didn't suggest it earlier and perhaps you have driven one of these gems already - but if not - you really should. The base model is under 20K and is available with the buckets and console of the LS and also can be ordered with the folding rear seat and whatever else you want. The std 3.4 turns in 32 mpg (US) or better; the 3.8 is available.

The LS model is totally SWEET. The 3.8 is std and uses regular gas, the car handles like a dream - and it's priced right in the 23-25K range US. I've seen them advertised for $21.8.

There's no doubt in my mind that if I were looking for a second sedan - it would be this one. In fact it's what I was looking for when I stumbled across my car. It's as close to another BONNEVILLE as you'll find.

It's a great day here - going to be sunny and 70s. Hope you have a nice one too.

Ken

fantascp · April 2001

Hey Ken
Good Morning!! just passed a BLACK SE on the way down to work this morning - interestingly enough- right by the Exit 35 where we had the car meet last week- the car was like a sheet of glass- BEAUTIFUL- the owner put on one hell of a waxing on it over this week-end

Henry- Glad to hear from you again on the BONNEVILLE POST!!!
Can you explain again what's involved with these time trials at the meadowlands- for $30.00 -what
do you put your car through?
Thanks,

Chuck

tpken · April 2001

Chuck - I followed a black SSEi for a few miles this morning as well - man were those chrome wheels blinding when he turned the corner! Unfortunately I was in my old Grand Marquis today so didn't try to get his attention. I've seen this car before and have an idea where it goes now - will try to establish contact with the owner sometime when I have mine. What a great look it is from behind to see those dual pipes staring at you!

Ken

Henry · April 2001

"What a great look it is from behind to see those dual pipes staring at you!" <-- We are talking about a car right???

According to "sources" when Olds finally closes, the new Bonneville will actually be the Aurora. In other words guys/gals --- You can run, but you can't hide. If you want to get a jump on things, you can start posting to the aROARa board now.
[:^)

Timed trials - the $30.00 gives you eight runs of the course they set up in the Meadowland parking lot. You need to arrive around 8:00am to sign up. You need a helmet, and they will inpect your car to make sure that there ar no loose things that could fly off or be thrown about the car. It would be a good idea to clean out the trunk before you go. If not, you can leave the stuff in a parking space while you drive.

Hope this helps.

Henry · April 2001

This stuff is put on by the Porsche Club. So if folks are interested in going, it would be great to come as a group. (In other words, on the same day.) The sedans can show those little Porshes that you can carry more than two folks comfortably and still have driving nervana!

Somebody say "G men"!

tpken · April 2001

Dan - The Impala board is contemplating a meet at the Oshawa plant for a factory tour sometime. How close is this to you? I'd consider a drive up through Niagara and Toronto and over to Oshawa - especially if you were interested in meeting somewhere in that area. Don't know about the timing of such a trip - perhaps June or July.

Ken

blacksilver · April 2001

My wife made me test drive an Impala when we were car shopping last fall (bought a 2001 Bonne SLE and a 2001 Silverado LT).

Even the top-of-line Impala LS suffers badly by comparison to the Bonne --- sloppy handling, poor performance, cheap interior fittings, cheap exterior trim, butt ugly styling, etc., etc.

Not anywhere near in the same league, and not that much less expensive -- I'll be surprised if Chevy doesn't put it out of it's misery and replace it with a broader selection of models in the Monte Carlo.

Hans

theiceman · April 2001

And yet the Impala outsells the Bonneville several times over. Why?

smfran · April 2001

I'm not taking it personally but I think you are missing the boat on the Sienna. It does not handle or "feel" like a Chrysler/GM/Ford mini van. It is actually a Camry with more functionality. Don't forget this is for the ice woman and not you. I personally wouldn't drive it everyday as I too am a sedan man, but my wife loves it.
Stephen

theiceman · April 2001

Sienna's a fine van - one of the two best IMHO with the Odyssey being the pick if you want something a little larger. And thank you - I genuinely appreciate the suggestion (and Ken for the Impala suggestion).

My wife's stone cold on the idea of another minivan though and would much rather drive a mid-size SUV - hence the interest in the Aztek. Soaring gas prices and the need to conserve width in our 2-car garage have convinced her that the smart move is a sedan. The compromise is the folding rear seat (hey, it worked fine for us on our Mazdas and Camry's for many years before we moved up to a minivan).

BTW, some info on buying Toyota up here: the ones on the lot are over-optioned (I think dealers must get one CE model each so they can justify the advertising and the rest are loaded). Of course, the one you demo has neat features & they're hoping that you'll want to buy it that way: "if you're ready to wait for a few months, you can have it any way you want it but..." Besides, if you order the base one, you'll get diddly from them in terms of discount off list.

A CE up here with traction control, keyless remote and power windows will cost about $5k more than a very nicely optioned Century. And the resale market on Sienna's is a joke so used aren't any bargains. So, if you don't need a minivan....

Dan

tpken · May 2001

Wow - the very first time I've ever seen another Spruce Green Bonneville like mine - spotted it yesterday on I-95 on my way home from work. It was an SE model with spoiler and looked ever so nice! I smiled all the way home - of course the fact that I was skipping out early on a gorgeous spring day helped produce that reaction too!

This morning I passed a car carrier loaded with new Bonnevilles heading north on the highway - no doubt all headed eventually to happy homes.

Had an oil change and state inspection done yesterday and was told the air filter is in need of changing - dirty. Should I buy one of these K&N units I hear about? Or just get the standard replacement unit? Comments or suggestions?

Ken

tpken · May 2001

Dan - have you considered looking at a preowned Lexus RX-300? I haven't driven one but remember being very impressed at the car show by that vehicle. Ought to be numbers of these coming off lease about now I would think. Pricing might still be steep but two year old models might be mid twenties.

Ken

blacksilver · May 2001

The Impala outsells Bonne because of a few bucks difference in price. It is impossible to over-estimate the stupidity of the Consumer!

Hans

ezrapon · May 2001

I've been there too. I looked at the century and the GS last year. In the right color, I actually liked the style of the century better, more sedate and less busy than the GS. The price was better and they had a promo on the 2000 turn of the century-century. If they had offered the GS powertrain in the century, I'd probably be there now. The trouble is, once you start adding toys and rasing the price... you see that black Lesabre with the sport wheels on the other side of the showroom. I walked out with the SSEi, but with all the rattles and squeaks that have surfaced, I might have been better off with the century or Lesabre.

mlm4 · May 2001

Last night my girlfriend bought a new 2001 Oldsmobile Alero GL2 Sedan. She has been drooling over the Alero for awhile and finally I was able to justify it for her financially. Even though the long-term costs associated with buying a new car are higher than sticking with what you've got, in the short-term she was able to lower her monthly payment by $80, so we went for it. Traded her '99 CR-V, which has great build quality and is very practical, but not so fun to drive and expensive to maintain (new spark plugs and tranny fluid every 30K miles, and $80 oil changes).

What she saw on the dealer's lot and REALLY wanted was a Black Coupe. She said is was "very sexy," and I agree, but I refused to let her get a black car (I had a say because I made the down payment). It looks awesome when it is clean and shiny, but otherwise is difficult to maintain. And a black car in Florida...hot hot hot. So we settled on her second choice - my first choice - a Midnight Blue Sedan. I like the looks of the sedan and think it is more practical than the coupe (hence one of the reasons I went for the Bonneville over the Camaro). I also like it because it looks like a scaled-down Bonneville. It's got the same lines and kicked-up tail and even the headlamps and taillamps are familiar looking. I love the color too, although the Alero Midnight Blue is not the same as the Bonneville Midnight Blue - it is actually much closer to the Indigo Blue of my Tahoe. So now we have three blue GM vehicles between us. I'm happy, and she loves her new Alero.

Long post, but I thought I would ramble a bit more...

I am very impressed with the Alero. It is a great value, $2000 cash back and a free GM extended warranty 60 months/60,000 miles since Olds is being phased out. It has a lot of the same features as the new Bonneville, too - and many are standard on all models. Tire pressure monitor, Oil Life Monitor, dual radio presets for the two keyless remotes (but no other driver-specific settings), RDS radio/cassette/CD (w/200 watts and eight speakers, but not Bose), customizable automatic door locks and horn chirp, and a very cool dash-mounted ignition switch - same as the Bonnie (I think it's cool, anyway). When I told my girlfriend that it had the same Goodyear Eagle RS-A performance tires as my SSEi has (16-inchers, though), she got it into her mind that she could challenge me sometime. I said sorry hun, I got SUPERCHARGED! ;-) I got to test drive the Alero, but I'm looking forward to ringing it out some more this weekend. It is a fun car. I'll try and take a pic of the Bonne and Alero together and post it here soon.

tpken · May 2001

Hans

A base model Impala with ABS, custom bench interior and the basic option group is about 4K less than a base Bonneville SE that already comes pretty well equiped (22K vs 26K). The AARP set seems to have taken handily to the Impala and rental fleets are buying up base Impalas which certainly drives up the sales volume if not the resale value.

I've driven a number of Impalas prior to buying my Bonneville and am quite impressed with the performance and features of the LS model but not so thrilled with the base model. I agree that the Bonneville is turned out better in a number of ways and am glad to have bought what I did.
Still, I'd buy an Impala LS in a heartbeat for the right price and while it's no competitor for an SSEi, it does come fairly close to my SE model in a lot of ways. Styling is definitely controversial - particularly the large tail lamp lens assembly but then again, not everyone likes the Bonneville either - especially the body cladding on SLE and SSEi, so beauty, as always, is in the eye of the beholder.

I wouldn't be so hard on Impala or those that buy it - GM has certainly designed a good family car that is appealing to a broad spectrum of buyers. Even teens are saying positive things about the car from reports over in the Impala forum.

Best wishes

Ken

mfahey1 · May 2001

Time for me to chip in after a few days of silence. Sorry Dan for coming down on the Century. I of all people should know about tradeoffs when it comes to cars. Although I was privileged for some years to have a company car, our second car was another story. When both our kids decided to go to a private university after we had saved for them to go to a state university as we had, that left a significant cash shortfall and the easiest plaace to make it up was to forego a new second car. I said when our son started in 1993 that the 88 Caravan was going to have to last a long, long time. Looking back, we've never regretted driving an old beater for all those years.
Too bad about the Intrigue crash ratings. Of all the rental cars I had, I probably was most impressed with the Intrigue. For its size and price range, it just seemed to be a very well put together package. Interestingly, the one car that I totally detested was the Explorer that I rented in Toronto. Why someone would want to drive that bucking bronco is beyond me. Us geezers need to hang on to our kidneys since they're the only ones we have. I think if I had one of those, I'd have to start with Depends as the motion of the car over normal roads would probably shake it out of me.

Mark
I get my rear stabilizer bar tomorrow and hope to put it in shortly thereafter. I needed an excuse to rotate the tires so what better excuse to remove the tires?

theiceman · May 2001

Buying that 2nd car - and having all those competing and conflicting requirements. The Intrigue was also my first choice - until I did my homework and uncovered its abysmal side-impact performance. The Regal is half-decent all around and, if we're only talking an extra $30/month, it might be the way to go. Either way, I think I'll be leasing and 4 years will be over before you know it - by then, my Bonnie will be the 2nd car and who knows what I'll be looking for as our "voiture principale". We shall see.

BTW, Century or Regal, lease or buy, the Cobra Cxi irons are mine to keep.

Dan

rb8225 · May 2001

Well, my friend brought home his Tech2 from work and we were able to play with the programming of the car last Monday. After seeing all of the things you can do with the Tech2, I want one! Did you know it will tell you the temperature of your brake rotors? Why, I have no idea.
Anyway, the programming couldn't be easier. Once you get past the setup phase, where you select the type of vehicle (I didn't know this, but the Bonneville is the H body), verify the VIN number, etc., you are faced with a simple menu. To program the DIC you just go to the personalization section and choose driver 1 or driver 2. Here is where we had a little trouble. When I entered the new message, I just wrote over the existing message. But, although the Tech 2 would show the new message as being loaded, it would not display on the DIC. After trying various things, I went back in and re-wrote the message, but first I cleared out the old message completely. This seemed to be what was needed, and now the new message would display. BTW, when programming the messages, you get a full selection of characters, upper & lower, numbers, and symbols. 98 choices in all. You can fill up 2 lines of 16 characters each.
Programming the steering is even simpler. You go to the chassis' section, and you see three choices- Less firm, factory default, and More Firm. I changed my setting to More Firm, but I can't tell much difference from the factory setting.
I put some pictures of the new DIC settings on the Photo Gallery. BTW, has anyone found a place to post photos for free, now that Photopoint is going to start charging?

Robin

kzm · May 2001

Robin,

Here's where I'm placing mine:

http://www.bonnevillecars.com/

You have to sign up and it's free (So far).

Peace

KZM

tpken · May 2001

I'll check out storing my pics there too since I'm going to get charged at photopoint now

Ken

smfran · May 2001

Great looking car and pics of the DIC. Thanks for sharing.
Stephen

mfahey1 · May 2001

I picked up my new rear stabilizer bar today and was very impressed with the workmanship of the package. The frame bushings were even prelubed. One and a half hours of relatively easy garage time and it was in. Of course I had to take it out on the back roads and I liked what I felt. If anyone else is tempted, all you need is a floor jack, a 14mm socket and a 1 1/4 socket and a bit of patience. Now, if I could just get the front one.
Ken, you can have first shot since you are so near us in Maine but if you would like the old bar and bushings, they're yours gratis. Check your car but the rear control arm has a hole on the inboard side of the spring for the bolt that goes through the end of the bar and there is a tapped hole on the cross member on each side where the bushing is bolted. I would imagine that even though your SE doesn't have the rear bar, surely GM made the provisions on all of the bodies, regardless of the final model designation. Let me know and if you want it, I'll bring it out when I come in a couple of weeks. Otherwise, anyone else is welcome to it if they want to pick it up either in southern Maine or near Chicago.

theiceman · May 2001

Yeah - I went with a real stretch: "Dan" instead of "Driver 1". Woo-hoo.

I was thinking "All systems go" or "Cleared for take-off". My wife suggested: "Awaiting your instructions" or "Your Bonneville (or Pontiac) welcomes you". Both good suggestions but I wasn't sure that there were enough characters available. After seeing Robin's pix, I might reconsider doing something a little more off-the-wall.

And then go buy a Buick Century. Anybody else see the incongruity?

Dan

denise51 · May 2001

Well, I'm back. I took a test drive in a beautiful dark bronze SSEi and I thought I was in love! What a great drive and, I must admit, I loved all of the gadgets and extras!! I thought, girl, look no farther, then the salesman told me what it would cost me to lease it. Now, if you will recall, I am looking for a lease that will cost me less than the BMW, I didn't expect it to be more!!! This guy sold me my other 2 Bonne's and I don't want to believe he's being a jerk, hmmmm!!! He told me it would be a little over $600/mo., no money down. He said GM is making it more difficult because they want to bring the residuals down from where they used to be. When I told him I was going to check out other cars he said I might have more luck with some other models. Maybe I need to check out other lease options besides GMAC. Why is it that you can get better deals on some of the foreign cars

Iceman, I am also looking at the Regal GS, haven't tested it yet. Talked to a guy who sold my friend a couple of cars and he quoted me a lease price of under $500, no $ down for a fully loaded Regal GS. Someone also suggested I take a look at the Lexus ES because there were some real deals out there since they are changing the 2002.

Why can't anything be easy? I have no patience when it comes with dealing with car sales people. Being in sales myself for years, I don't put up with any bull. You mess with me, I walk!!! They really hate me.

Well, in case you can't tell by the tone of my message I am really frustrated. I go through this every time it's time for a new lease. Thanks, everyone for all of your suggestions and kind words. You're a great group! I'll keep you posted!!! By the way, that was cute zzah!

theiceman · May 2001

$600/mo. sounds steep - I'm spending $425/mo. on my '00 SLE - and that's purchasing it new over 5 years, no money down and incl. all charges and taxes! However, I bought it at invoice with 2.9% purchase financing. GMAC apparently isn't offering great financing rates on the Bonneville right now but there's no question that you can do lots better on the price. There's about a $3 grand (US)cushion between dealer invoice and MSRP on the SSEi and they can even move on the destination charge. Go on the last day or two of the month - they're eager to meet monthly targets/quotas and usually more motivated to deal.

Anyway, if you can get it at invoice, there is no reason in the world why you couldn't buy an SSEi for $600/mo. - with all charges taxes and charges included over 60 months. I would suspect that leases can be had for under $500/mo. nothing down. If not, I think we'd all understand why you'd start looking elsewhere. Don't give up without first checking through GMBuyPower on the GM site.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Dan

tpken · May 2001

Gee that's a tempting offer Mark. Actually, I thought that I did have a sway bar in back but perhaps not - I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the offer and I'll let you know soon.

BTW - when are you driving through? I'll be out of town the 14-18th, back on the 19th. Hope I don't miss you.

Ken

mfahey1 · May 2001

You may well be right about the SE having a rear stabilizer bar but somewhere from older posts, I was under the impression that the SE models didn't have the rear bar. Perhaps someone can chip in their two cents worth. As to when I'll be in Maine, it's all up to the contractors who are putting in the basement and the second floor. Access back there has been the main problem but now that you've skipped spring and gone right to mid-summer, things should dry up. At this point, I'm looking at May 15-16, naturally when you're out of town.
Many thanks to those who posted about the programmable steering effort. Talked to the service manager who looked it up and said they could do it. They have even programmed the DIC message for someone else so he said they'd do it for me. Both of us kind of scratched our head as to why GM didn't make it a part of the driver programmed variables since it would seem likely that two drivers for the same car might have different preferences when it came to something like this. Without this forum, I wouldn't have had a clue that this was doable.

zzahh · May 2001

A guy damn near proposes online, and it is considered "cute". Story of my life......

bdreggors · May 2001

First Bonnie 'issue' has sprung up today.

I noticed that my front A-pillar speaker housing is a bit loose. Nothing traumatic, but its just annoying as I find myself wiggling it constantly. I bet I'll ultimatly break it myself.

Also, I've noticed that the hood is misaligned slightly--which was the same misalignment that afflicted my Regal--as well as the ribbing on the passenger side (Oh my! Defects! Better trade for a Lexus! lol). Not bad for a mass-produced automobile.

mlm4 · May 2001

I'm seeing more and more of the current generation Bonnevilles these days, but most of them are rentals (SEs), this being the rental car capital of the world. But today I saw two Bonnies in the supermarket parking lot, parked two spaces away from each other, and they were not rentals. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who notices these things, but I wondered if either of those cars' owners would give two figs about such an "alignment of the Pontiacs." Alas, it was raining today so I wasn't driving mine (and it's Love Bug season - again).

Anyway, what was interesting was not the Light Bronzemist SLE but the Galaxy Silver SE, which had no rear spoiler. It's only the second time I've seen this rare sight. Kinda looks like a dog without a tail. Although I'm all for giving the owner a choice in optioning his/her car at order time, I think I'm glad Pontiac did away with the "Spoiler Delete" option this year, because the car is an ugly duckling without it's tail. Besides that, there was a strip of packing tape along the top of the left rear window. Must be broken. Hmmmm.

mfahey1 · May 2001

I haven't seen one of the current generation Bonnevilles without the spoiler but the 96 I had, since it was a company car, did not have a spoiler. To me, it looked butt ugly. It was as if the bean counters were in charge of designing the back end of the previous generation and only a spoiler could take your eye away from the drooping rear end.

homer2000ssei · May 2001

I dont have loose speaker housings - BUT i have blown the tweeters twice now in less than 1 year.
So they have been off a couple of times - and are pretty good. but when they go for the third time - Ill keep an eye on it.

Actually, the first time I went in with the crackling speakers was kinda funny - in hindsight. The stereo guy was listening - and at the time the sound was only noticeable when the system was cranked and there was enough high end sound being produced to create a sort of "crackling' effect. So, he is listening - and cant hear it - so i turn it up to 10 for him - and then he notices. Heres his response - youknow, maybe you shouldnt be listening at full volume - turn it down and you wont hear the sound."

We have an understanding now - and he doesnt say that anymore.

homer2000ssei · May 2001

deleting the spoiler was always a way to turn me off the car. I NEVER understood why a purchaser would make that decision - if they had a choice.

mlm4 - nope, you're not the only one who notices those sort of things - I make my wife and daughter play along with me - kinda like the old game of "punchbuggy" when if you saw a VW bug, you whack someone and say BUG. I do it with Bonnevilles - new generation only though. if Im in a parking lot hunting down a safe space, and spot a Bonne - and it's ok to park near - I will absolutley do it. If no Bonne's - I take a Grand prix. as long as they are far enough away from other cars, buggys and any foreign paint wrecking objects.

theiceman · May 2001

You should have told me him you were turning it up to 11 (Spinal Tap reference for those of you who remember that Rob Reiner "classic").

Are you a fellow Ontario resident? If so, wherefrom may I ask?

tpken · May 2001

OK you guys - put up those dukes! I like my spoiler-less Bonnie!

BTW - it looks much nicer now with the dealer sticker removed and the scenic Maine plate.

Ken

Henry · May 2001

Just picking up on what was said on 1419.

Supermarkets and the local Home Depot/Loews present the greatest challenge.

We need to park away from other paint damaging cars, everybody knows this (Parking 101). The special tricks are (Advanced Parking 301):

1) Park on the up grade so that shopping carts will not roll into the car.

2) Park in the most popular direction, so that if some num nut does decide to park next to you (I have had this happen) at least the car is facing in the right direction to have the door guards offer some protection.

3) Park so that there are no cars behind or in front of you. I learned this after a woman backed into my aROARa when pulling out of her parking space. No cars on either side of me, but she got me from the rear. Why is it always a Lincoln??

4) Avoid parallel parking at all costs. No matter how much room the person in front or behind you has to park, rest assured that the person parking in front/behind you will have to "tap your bumper just to make sure."

5) When parking at the job's parking lot, be sure to park in the shade, or at least facing the sun. The aftermarket sunshades do not protect the sides or back of the car. At least this way, you can help to save your dashboard.

6) When taking up two spaces (on a good day I have taken up four spaces) be sure to be far enough out so that someone does not feel the need to key your car for taking up 2 or more spaces.

7) Realize that having the car at a mall during the holiday shopping season is almost certain ding. Better to get a rental, or a beater car if you must go.

8) No matter what you do, realize that the inconsiderate will eventually get you.

DID I LEAVE ANYTHING OUT?????

Henry · May 2001

tpken · May 2001

We've gone from winter to summer here in a few short weeks - and Spring is the lost season again. The tulips open, get scorched in the 90 degree sun and are gone. Drives me nuts - even more than seeing a Bonnie without a spoiler!

(Whoops - couldn't resist the tongue in cheek there!)

Ken

vtech83 · May 2001

Hey Bonnie owners. Thought I would poke my nose in here at least once-a-week.

Chevy Impala
Chevys have always outsold Pontiacs. Always has been, always will be. Chevy sells more Cavaliers, Impalas, Malibus, and Camaros than Pontiac does Sunfires, Bonnevilles, Grand Ams, and Firebirds. The old saying used to be, "A Pontiac is a Chevy in a tuxedo." Sometimes, people don't want to wear a tuxedo.

DIC Programming
I'm glad people are doing this. I'm planning on changing my greetings as well in the LeSabre. In looking though the Helm manuals, I found the section where you can do this, but you do need the Tech2 scanner. I'm hoping I can change the steering firmness as well. Magnasteer is Magnasteer, whether its in a Bonneville, Aurora, or LeSabre. But I couldn't find any reference in the Helm manual on changing the steering. We'll find out.

G-Body/H-Platform
OK, what is up with this? Just about every automotive publication refers to the Bonneville/Aurora/LeSabre/Seville platform as the G-Body, but when ordering the Helm Manuals for the LeSabre, I had to get the H-Platform books. Its obviously the correct set of manuals, so now I'm wondering? No big deal, really, but someone's alphabet is messed up here.

Leasing costs
I had no intention of leasing my car, but just for the heck of it, I tried to find how much it would have been. With no money down, $600 a month!!! I laughed my head off. I told them they couldn't be serious. I could buy the car cheaper than that. Something is not right about leasing cars, nowadays.

SE Rear Sway Bar
I don't believe that the SE has a rear stabilizer bar. Ken -- if you can get your hands on one, grab it. I'd love to see if this Saner outfit can build me a set of better bars for the LeSabre, but I'm not sure I want to wait a year to get them either. Seems like they're the only outfit I can find that does this type of stuff. I'd like to get a strut tower brace as well.

18" wheels/tires
Has anyone out there put a set of 18" wheels/tires on their Bonnevilles? If anyone has drop me a response and let me know. Thanks.

Happy motoring, fellow G-body (or H-body) owners.

Mike
2001 LeSabre Limited
Medium Red Pearl/Taupe Interior

tpken · May 2001

It's always nice to see your posts here, Mike.

You know that Impala LS really is a great car and the selling price is very attractive for a well equipped and appointed car. I still look at every one that passes me. My Bonneville gets a bit envious at times. Can look - just not drive!

On leasing - besides being married to a payment forever and having to watch every mile you put on the car, it also limits you to when you can trade. If there's a new model coming out in the fall that you want but your lease is up in May - you're pretty well tied into the present model unless you buy out your lease, which is not always the most practical thing to do.

Ken

Pontiac Bonneville

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