Looking at 2002 Bonneville SSEi - UPDATED

[TheFamilyMan]

UPDATE:

Picked up the car on Tuesday night and got to drive it a bit that night and all day Wednesday. Short story: didn't end up buying it.

- Previous owner was a smoker...big negative. Even through two detailings and cleanings, that disgusting, staleness was still there
- Had paint issues...entire roof was devoid of clear coat. No rusting as of yet but it definately needed new paint
- Vibration in front end at speeds above 70...nothing that created dangerous driving condition but was not smooth at all
- Some hesitation in the SC kicking in
- Possibly some SC/engine issues as every time the car was parked, there was a "hot" smell emanating from under the hood...wasn't an burning-oil smell and didn't smell like a burning belt/hose/rubber smell...tried pinpointing where the heat & smell was coming from and everything pointed to the SC area
- Cruise control on the steering wheel stick and fuel gauge in the dashboard cluster didn't work...start of the famous "electrical gremlins"??...didn't want to take the chance

With all that said, I did get a chance to find out that if one comes available with good miles on it and in good condition that I'd jump on it in a skinny minute.

I'm a big guy (6' 3", 225) and have normal work baggage with me (backpack and/or briefcase) and do pick up one or both daughters on a regular basis. This car had ample room, great styling, and was just overall a great fit for me from a size/performance/options perspective with relation to pricing.

Orignal post:

I've got the chance to grab a 2002 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi with about 80k miles on it.

I'm going to have my local guy look at the following:

- Door seals (known issues with this model/year combo)
- Tie rods and vibration issues at low speeds (known issues with this model/year combo)
- Electrical gremlins particularly with doors and overhead lamps
- Major engine components
- Full diagnostic on starter, alternator, pumps, A/C, supercharger, etc.

I've got a great price negotiated already and the dollars work for what I'm looking to spend.

My intentions with this car are to be a daily driver to-and-from the office which is only about 7 miles away from my house. I've got a coupe that I will probably drive one or two days a week depending on the weather so this car won't even get driven every day.

Is this the kind of car (considering it all checks out mechanically) that, in your opinions, would last me for another 60k - 80k miles without major problems? What would most of you guys pay for something like this considering it's not a huge "need to have" and I'm not buying it from status or speed...just sedan comfort and possibly going to-and-from airport when traveling.

My biggest concern at this point is having a supercharged engine...from what I can tell, things are a bit more expensive to fix when they go bad on this type of engine.

Thanks in advance for input and advice.

 

[Arkaign]

In my opinion it sounds reasonable. Why this particular car though? For a basic DD it would probably be better to skip the SC model, even though it doesn't sound like fuel economy is a huge deal at only ~14 miles round trips to the workplace.

How much is this vehicle?

 

[TheFamilyMan]

Oh, I didn't pick this particular car...I've been looking here and there for sedan daily driver but never jumped on anything because I didn't ever "need" another car. I've been driving a coupe and am just kind of tired of the two-door thing.

Fuel economy isn't a huge deal as I only do drives to Atlanta every now and then.

KBB value is around $8k but I can get it for a couple grand less as cash.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

$6K is a good price.

SSEI's usually came fully loaded and the 3800 SC motor is really stout with few issues.


Should last a good long time.

 

[LTC8K6]

It's not rated too bad for economy. It's meant to run on premium fuel though.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calculatorCompareSideBySidePopUp.jsp?column=1&id=17796

 

[CraigRT]

It's not really my cup of tea, but its not a bad looking car, and its got a good powertrain.

If it checks out, should be a good used buy.

 

[TheFamilyMan]

It's not rated too bad for economy. It's meant to run on premium fuel though.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/calculatorCompareSideBySidePopUp.jsp?column=1&id=17796

I'm sure it's been beat to death on here but what are downsides to using 87 gas in a car (such as this one) that's rated for premium gas? Will I only experience lower-than-spec'd fuel economy or will there be adverse engine wear/other issues?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Arkaign]

I'm sure it's been beat to death on here but what are downsides to using 87 gas in a car (such as this one) that's rated for premium gas? Will I only experience lower-than-spec'd fuel economy or will there be adverse engine wear/other issues?

Thanks in advance.

http://www.thecarconnection.com/answers/101023208_premium-fuel-for-a-2000-pontiac-bonneville

If it's recommended for premium, I'd be safe and stick with that to ensure the timing isn't retarded. Some motors are better at managing different octanes than others, but with a forced induction vehicle based on a pretty old motor design, I'd prefer to stick to what the manual says to use.

 

[TheFamilyMan]

Hrmm...now that scares me as I do not know the detailed history of this car. It was one-owner but I do not know if this one owner used premium as stipulated. 80k miles worth of regular if Premium was required could have caused some internal heebie-jeebies that could compromise the integrity in the long haul...am I correct in thinking this way?

Is there anyting in particular I could have my local guy look at that could tell him if I'm looking at something serious internally or is this just a gamble on my part?

Thanks.

 

[LTC8K6]

It's new enough that it would have knock sensors to prevent engine damage. If it runs well, I wouldn't worry about the fuel the previous owners used unless it was abused.

The other item would be lower intake manifold gasket problems.

From the 2002 Bonneville manual:

http://www.extendedgmwarranty.com/owners-manual/pontiac/2002-Pontiac-Bonneville.pdf

If your vehicle has the 3800 Supercharged V6 engine
(VIN Code1), use only premium unleaded gasoline with
a posted octane of 91 or higher. In an emergency, you
may be able to use a lower octane -- as low as 87 -- if
heavy knocking does not occur. Refill your tank with
premium fuel as soon as possible. If you are using
91 octane or higher-octane fuel and you hear heavy
knocking, your engine needs service.

 

[LTC8K6]

Check the supercharger oil level also.

 

[speedy2]

I own a 2005 Grand Prix GTP. The SC'ed engine is fine. Plenty reliable stock. And mileage has been impressed to me. I was getting 25.5mpg at 80mph on the trip back home this weekend. I also get 30mpg quite easily at 60mph. Runs great. I've read up on it and I fell pretty confident tackling almost anything that could go wrong with it. The 3800 engine has been around long enough, so whatever happens shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. Also, cheap to mod if you want to have fun lol.

 

[Knavish]

As I recall, the supercharged version of the Series II 3800 has an aluminum upper intake manifold. This is GREAT, because the one common failure point on the non-supercharged Series II was the dreaded hydrolock problem caused by the nylon upper intake manifold.

I'm not sure about the durability of the supercharger, since I haven't read up on that engine in detail. Overall, it seems like the big GM sedans with the 3800 V6 and 4 speed auto are quite reliable. They're also quite cheap when it comes to parts.

 

[ss284]

My 2002 SE was a piece of shit. Tons of problems, mostly electrical. It eventually died on me right around 115k miles. Soured me on GM cars forever.

It was fun to drive though.

 

[TheFamilyMan]

Going to pick the car up today and get a chance to keep it for a couple of days. If everything checks out on it and the interior is as pristine as described, I will probably pick it up. Will post details and pics if/when I get it.

 

[Arkaign]

My 2002 SE was a piece of shit. Tons of problems, mostly electrical. It eventually died on me right around 115k miles. Soured me on GM cars forever.

It was fun to drive though.

One of my good friends had the same thing happen to him with a Grand Prix SC model of the same era. He did do some suspension mods and a pulley on the SC, but he usually takes really good care of his cars. He bought it new and ended up dumping it at around 90k miles after heaps of problems. Then he went and got an Audi A4, and he's constantly complaining about more issues than he's ever had to deal with, but he also loves driving it when it works.

 

[ss284]

I ended up getting an Acura because of my experiences with my Bonneville. I love tinkering, but I'd rather it be for modifying something rather than fixing problems that never stop.

 

[ss284]

Also, make sure to check all the power windows work. Both of my rear power window regulators broke within a year of each other. Not a cheap fix either.

 

[speedy2]

My 2002 SE was a piece of shit. Tons of problems, mostly electrical. It eventually died on me right around 115k miles. Soured me on GM cars forever.

It was fun to drive though.

I love how people get turned off on American cars by ONE car they had. Most likely this car was bought used and had a crappy maintenance life. Yet, if it was a Honda with the same problems.....owners somehow overlook it and buy another one.

 

[ss284]

It was purchased new. I took great care of the car. It was my second GM.

 

[Pulsar]

I've seen a lot of problems with the supercharger snout bearings going bad - and that can be a semi-pricey repair. Of course, the long term data doesn't really bare that out, so it might just have been a cluster of local cars that had the problem.

 

[jaydee]

As I recall, the supercharged version of the Series II 3800 has an aluminum upper intake manifold. This is GREAT, because the one common failure point on the non-supercharged Series II was the dreaded hydrolock problem caused by the nylon upper intake manifold.

I'm not sure about the durability of the supercharger, since I haven't read up on that engine in detail. Overall, it seems like the big GM sedans with the 3800 V6 and 4 speed auto are quite reliable. They're also quite cheap when it comes to parts.

My '96 Riviera has the 3800 SII SC, and I had the gasket problem (was losing coolant internally). Replaced with $100 aluminum gaskets at 170k miles (my bro-in-law is a mechanic, we did in an afternoon). We did the lower IMG just because we were already down there. By 2002, they may have been fixed, you can jump into some Pontiac forums to find out. In fact, I would highly recommend the OP to join a Pontiac forum and ask these questions, they're usually straightforward with any common problems.

My take is, that should be a real fun car to drive, I love that engine in the Riv. I believe they're on the same G-body, which has been rock solid for me. My biggest complain with my car is that it's a 2-door and we now have a kid on the way...

 

[slag]

It was purchased new. I took great care of the car. It was my second GM.

Yet, I had a 97 Grand Prix GTP and had nothing but praise for the car. Left me stranded one time with an idler pully that shot craps, but that relatively miniscule. The car had tons of power, good mpg, was fun to drive, had a lot of mods, seated 5 easily, great trunk room, was sporty and attractive, and in general a nice car. I really loved the HUD as well. I had no electrical gremlins with that car.

 

[slag]

My '96 Riviera has the 3800 SII SC, and I had the gasket problem (was losing coolant internally). Replaced with $100 aluminum gaskets at 170k miles (my bro-in-law is a mechanic, we did in an afternoon). We did the lower IMG just because we were already down there. By 2002, they may have been fixed, you can jump into some Pontiac forums to find out. In fact, I would highly recommend the OP to join a Pontiac forum and ask these questions, they're usually straightforward with any common problems.

My take is, that should be a real fun car to drive, I love that engine in the Riv. I believe they're on the same G-body, which has been rock solid for me. My biggest complain with my car is that it's a 2-door and we now have a kid on the way...

Really? The SC cars didn't have gasket problems since the intake manifold was aluminum, not nylon or plastic, and they did not warp.

 

[Hecubus28]

LIM gasket is a fairly common problem on the Supercharged 3800, go to any grandprix forum and there is alot of info on this. Changed mine on my old car at around 120k, wasn't that big of deal.