Comments: 1-15, 16-17
Coolant leaked into fuel intake system. Upper and Lower manifolds replaced, gaskets, valve covers, plugs, etc. ($1,335.00)
Transmission failed ($2,500)
Computer failed, reports all error codes, will not clear.
Replaced Serpentine Belt.
Replaced Spark Plug Wires.
Replaced thermostat, twice.
I really liked the way this car handled and drove. It appeared well-maintained when I purchased it and I have had it serviced regularly.
I can't believe how many expensive repairs have been required in the last two weeks.
This is a P.S. from the original author. Guess what, now the engine has seized. In less than 3 weeks I have had three major, unrelated failures on this car. What a mess. Has anybody else had a similar experience. I just don't know what I'm going to do except give the car an indecent burial.
Bought my '95 Bonneville SE, (several nice options and added an excellent ASC sunroof) new at 13 miles.
Lots of little things the first couple of years: noisy power steering, bad paint on the front air damn, paint flaking off the steering wheel and the tranny went at 40K, but all were replaced at no charge.
I must say honestly, that I have definitely enjoyed the car, now at 93K. Just spent $1300 for brakes, struts and mounts, and 4 good new tires plus an oil change (every 3K since new).
I will keep the car another 6 months to a year. I will be a little heavy hearted when I let it go for various reasons. Dependable, quick and fast, especially for a non supercharged 6 - the consumate highway cruiser no doubt.
Green (monotone package) / tan cloth,, still drives confidently, especially with the new struts & tires, and still looks good.
Anytime most people get in the car, they say "nice car". Not horribly dated yet, but will be soon.
Get rid of it now. You're are looking at major engine and transmission work on this model. Go to the NHTSA site and look at the technical service bulletins. I know, I own one, its engine has failed after two head gasket jobs.
Hi, I just read all the comments about the Bonnevilles'. I have a clean 1995 SE and purchased this vehicle w/less than 34K miles. I carefully maintain it and still have the car.
The problems I read are not accurate unless you bought a bad model which one cannot always tell. It takes a lot of effort and VIN number checks to make sure the car is good.
My car has been nothing but reliable and smooth running. The only true problems w/Bonnevilles' especially the SSE/SSEI models w/lots of gadgets are underpowered alternators, possible oil pump failure, the brakes due to cheaper factory quality like other car makers follow plus slight nose dive (soft suspension), certain interior trim; screws come loose, power door lock actuators/window motors, and steering wheel discoloration; not a fault, cheap dye used on many cars these days. A good solution is to put a quality steering wheel cover on to protect it and enhance the look or keep conditioning the wheel itself w/a good product before any discoloration.
I suspect the dealer might have turned back the odometer on my car and I still have no major problems like you describe. Regarding the paint, Pontiac uses PPG and has a good quality consistent paint job w/less orange peel than the newest models.
Regarding the transmission, if it's worked hard/abused and most importantly the tranny fluid/filter hasn't been flushed/changed, your inviting trouble.
I can further back this up w/Bonneville owners on line dating back to 1990 w/high mileage and good reliability. My mother also owned a 1992 Park Avenue w/the 3.8 Series 1 and no major problems/failures except for the things I mentioned above and maintenance related items. We sold it w/110K miles driving like new and was scooped up in less than two weeks.
I would advise doing more research or talking to people who own new or non lemon used models and see what they have to say. Take care.
My 95'has 111000 miles and going well. I bought an SE @100k out of the newspaper with records from the dealership where it was purchased new. It had been maintained by them apparently with few mechanical replacements, (i.e. water pump, brake pads).
I gave high bluebook for it's almost new car like leather interior and nearly pristine paint with the factory alloys, new 60 series tires and ground effects. I am so pleased with the comfort and road ability of this car that I will not hesitate to do the necessary parts replacements to keep it as is.
So far. Front and rear struts and alignment-$700. Transmission flush-$120 (flushed and replaced torque converter oil also). Serpentine belt (original) -$60. Full engine diagnostic and tune up with wires and plugs and injector cleaning-$200.
Unfortunately for me I ran the tires too long on bad shocks so I'll take that in stride. This is a great car and will remain so for at least five years or about 180000 miles easily. The money I'll spend in total will be no more than 1/3 the cost of a new one. That's if the engine blows.
Our 1995 has been in the shop 3 times in three years also has a crappy paint job as all the paint is flaking off it looks like a big cow. Nancy.
Own '95 Bonneville for just over four years. Bought it from a reputable dealer, with all service records, and only 42,000 miles on car. I put 20,000 miles on it each year. Currently 109,000 miles. I have had to replace a lot of parts: brake master cylinder, water pump, water hose through water pump mount bracket, wheel bearings twice, all brake pads multiple times, front calipers, front rotors twice, rear wheel brake cylinders, two alignments, coil pack, plugs and wires. Currently I have the following problems that many mechanics can't seem to permanently fix: a cracking sound from the front end, a hesitation when requesting power from the engine, on a grade, during a mid-speed climb, and dash lights that don't work when my headlights turn on (this makes for scary night driving). Also, many interior parts have broken: console switch broke, cup holder broke, both rear heat outputs broke, both rear interior lights don't work and the switches broke, power antenna doesn't fully go up or down, windshield leaks, hood doesn't latch easily. It was my dream to own an older style Bonneville, and now it is a nightmare. I would never buy another domestic car, especially a GM. I have a '99 Altima and it has never been in the shop, even after 100,000 miles already. NEVER been in the shop. Buy Nissan or any other foreign.
Bought '95 Bonneville in early '98 with 50K miles. Got a great deal. Currently have 172,000 miles on it. Have had routine maintenance like brakes, rotors, tires, etc. In the last two years I have had master brake cylinder replaced, water pump, serpentine belt, spark plug wires, valve cover gaskets, oil pan gaskets, head gasket and oil crank seal replaced. Today my dash lights all went out. Do have other minor things to fix - one rear door lock actuator to replace, and minor paint peeling I will fix. All in all I still like the car. Rides smooth. For a 10 year old car that was paid off in 4 years. I have been driving it for near free till this last year. Will keep it till I have 300,000 miles!
I bought a 1995 SE in 2000 with 76K actual miles on it. I loved the car, but questioned my sanity of buying a car with that many miles on it. I have been pleasantly surprised. Car now has 191K miles. Over the past five years, I have had no trouble. Engine and transmission are original, work great and have had no major service. All electrical/mechanical and interior/exterior has weathered well. Engine/power train is all original except for a water pump at 148K. Bought Michelin X-one’s in 2001. Still have them with 88K on them and have never been rotated. In fact, the car has not been aligned since the tires were installed. One set of struts at 95K, one set of brakes at 156K and one serpentine belt. That’s it. Great car and still love to drive it! I'm 50 years old and have never owned a car this good. Wish I could buy it new today.
I bought a 1995 Bonneville SSE for a daily driver with 113000 miles on it and it still looks great, runs better and I literally put in Gas, change the oil, replace Tires, and drive it... end of story... the only problem I have had... and this is at 146000 miles, and in March 2007 the suroof has started to leak a bit... no big deal I ordered a sunroof seal (part number 12371670) from www.gmpartsdirect.com for $62.93 including shipping and away I go... great car... its starting to rust a little, but that's because the owner before me didn't wash it enough or take preventative steps to keep it from rusting... buy one that it is clearly taken care of and you will be fine...
I had very similar problems with the computer and transmission going at the same time, but my car was 11 years old at 150000 miles. It drives great, so I fixed it. Now, I can't purchase the correct serp. belt, it seems that the one from the store is too long. I definitely have the correct pattern, but it is 3 inches too long.
I have a 95 se with 190k miles on it and am just now starting to have problems with it but nothing that I would call bad but I am an ase mechanic and do all of my own work in the end you get what you pay for and if you don't look close enough at that cars you but then you can expect to have problem.
1995 SE purchased at 29k and now at 74k. Other than ABS break sensors and a leaking master cylinder it has been extremely reliable. Oil changes every 3k. Brakes and transmission filter/flush will be done at 75k. All around superb car. Great comfort, good mileage and power as well as safety!
This is a great car. I haven't had any of the problems I have seen here except with the transmission, which I'm going to replace at the end of the month. I think the reason I'm having this problem is that the transmission probably got damaged in the crash; the frame stayed straight as an arrow, right along with the chassis, so all I have to do is replace the drivers side door.
Excellent car.
My 1993 Bonneville is leaking somewhere along the headliner... where it meets the windshield. So I'm looking on Internet for answers and I come up on this site. I bought my car used 3 years ago. She's a sweetie!! Just regular maintenance problems...battery, alternator, brakes... nothing major. And I bought her with 220,000 miles on her! She's going strong still... although I'm a bit upset over this doggone water leak situation!! Had windshield replaced & molding & molding replaced in right door frame, where I SWEAR the water was coming in at. It's such a mystery even the garage guy doesn't have a clue!! But I just wanted to add my two cents in here...I'm sure there are lemons out there but not mine.