1998 Pontiac Bonneville SE review from North America
"I love my Bonneville!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Let's start with the intake gaskets at the ERG valve site. The service manager at the dealership where this car was purchased was left walking... in Chicago, about 350 miles from home! The intake literally broke. The dealership did a shoddy repair job, just replaced the intake and gasket without checking for other damage as it literally quit running due to high temps. Of course I am not told this until after I buy this car. But 10,000 miles later I have both a new motor and transmission under the extended warranty. 33,000 miles on the new engine and the intake gasket blows!Interior speaker covers on doors came loose.
Center arm rest/tape holder hinges broke. Other misc. interior problems.
General comments?
Intake gasket failure is a big problem with these engines. This is in my opinion the only real issue.
This car handles very well.
Very comfortable seats.
Plenty of truck space.
Would I buy another one? Indeed I would. Dollar for dollar spent I have enjoyed this particular car more than any other vehicle I have ever owned. I do think GM/Pontiac needs to fix the intake gasket issue however.
Recommended reviews
| 1998 - Bonneville SE 3.8 Series II (3.8L) Lots of features means lots of problems! |
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| 1997 - Bonneville SSEi 3.8 Liter Supercharged I can't believe everyone doesn't want one. |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1998 |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.8 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 6 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 10 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 54000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 104000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Tempo |
| Date of Entry | 21st May, 2006 |