1997 Pontiac Bonneville SE 3.8L V6

Summary:

This car is a great American luxury sports sedan, and it is a great buy for a kid's first car

Faults:

I had to replace a stabilizer pin when we bought the car.

Had to buy new tires after a point.

Sometimes gives me trouble starting.

Some minor scratches on the body.

General Comments:

The car rides very smooth.

The suspension allows for a luxury sedan, however, it also gives the car a sporty feel when on the road.

She looks great on the outside, and is very comfortable on the inside.

The creature comforts in the car, like power seats, power locks, power windows, bucket seats, premium cloth seats, and plenty of leg room, make the car a very good daily driver.

The 205 horsepower 3.8 L Series II V6 offers fairly good performance, coupled with gas mileage that won't really break the bank if you drive like a normal person.

The engine is pretty responsive to a good push on the accelerator.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th April, 2012

1997 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi 3.8L

Summary:

You'd better get one

Faults:

This car has been a blessing. Other than maintenance, this car is perfect.

General Comments:

This car is a dream.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th June, 2010

1997 Pontiac Bonneville SSEI 3.6

Summary:

It is a fantastic automobile

Faults:

General maintenance is required, as with all cars.

All “problems have been with repair shops", not the car.

I have the car PM d with a local dealership in the fall of the year. This is a service that needs to be done with any car.

It has served us well. The car is an awesome 6 cylinder auto, a pleasure to drive, and to look at.

I can get 30 MPG, my wife gets about 24 mpg. She drives a little harder than I do.

Having owned Ford, Chevy, Oldsmobile, Buick in the past I think this is the best of the lot.

General Comments:

This is a very desirable car. For the money it was a bargain plus.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th January, 2010

1997 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi 3.8 Liter Supercharged

Summary:

I can't believe everyone doesn't want one.

Faults:

Computer Controlled Ride (aka. CCR) broke prior to 50,000 miles.

A sacrificial coupler in the supercharger started warning me that it needed to be replaced at around 85,000 miles.

General Comments:

This has got to be one of the fastest full-sized cars out there. This car taught me the value of torque versus horsepower, and the wish that all vehicles had superchargers.

Ultra sport luxury, but strangely no heated seat option.

I bet if GM are able to stay in business, they will bring the Bonneville back. It is the most reliable, completely cost free ownership of every car I have ever owned. Owning this car makes me wonder why GM struggles so badly.

I have had my '97 SSEi (with every single possible option) for four years now. It is parked in climate-controlled parking at all times at home and at work, except when actually on the road, and now with 92,000 miles you would be hard pressed to tell it from a 10,000 mile car.

Under the hood is absolutely showroom new, as is the paint and the leather. I wax every metal spot under the hood and engine bay twice yearly. My point is this car has maintained its appearance since new.

I am an executive in the city, but bought it when I wasn't, and now could drive most any car, but I just love this car and am not embarrassed to drive clients around when they come to town.

I have put 50,000 miles on it, and still I am impressed by the torque and super speed this thing has. A standard pass of the car in front has me in excess of 100mph without effort. Of course, with this much power, I push the car much harder (just because I can). Therefore, I am always frustrated by other slow drivers in the left lane.

With all that good stuff from an American car, here is the bad: the CCR (or computer controlled ride) broke just after the warranty, and I never fixed it. The ride is bad (rough) but I can't see spending the money to replace the CCR system with regular shocks. If I keep it under 65 mph, it is semi-OK.

The only other thing that has now started to go out is the coupler inside the supercharger. It is a $20 part that is supposed to sacrifice itself and be replaced. It rattles lightly under the hood, but only at idle, and hasn't affected drivability yet.

To sum up, I have spent zero dollars in maintenance, aside one set of front brakes and one set of tires. I cannot say that about any car I have ever owned. I would like to see any other car, after this many winters, in such nice shape. I plan to keep this one as a collector.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th November, 2008

30th Oct 2010, 07:11

Just bought one! Nice and sleek! Powerful drivetrain, but have not drove it on the roads yet (requires some work and inspection for matriculation). The car is black on grey leather int. and is fully loaded. When my friend drove it to my place, he floored the car and I heard that whistling (forced air from the supercharger) right through the exhaust tips, closed windows in my pickup truck! I'll keep you all posted on the work done, and how it was performed! BTW, the car has 350000k's and does not even look or feel like it!

30th Oct 2010, 18:28

These really are great cars. My co-worker had one that was wrecked last year, and he had liked it so much he had to find another one. He succeeded in finding an identical car for only $3500. He had a friend who is a GM service tech check the car out before he bought it, and he was told it was 100% flawless. It only had 127,000 miles, so it should be good for easily another 100,000.