I'm a Pontiac nut, new to the forum. I've owned a 79 Bonneville, had a 78 Grand Safari growing up, and in the past have had a gorgeous white 1995 SLE non-supercharged and a light green '96 SLE non-supercharged. My friend Laird is a member of this forum with a really pretty low-mile white '96 SLE I found him. Laird is active on here, many of you may know him.
Currently we have a 2001 Grand Prix GT with factory Nascar package.
ANYWAY I came across a car that I think might interest the members here, and I REALLY hope a Bonneville lover buys it and saves it!
The car is a rare Supercharged 1995 SE (SLE package), it's a rust-free Texas car and only has 67K miles on it!!
Please look at this Craigslist link: http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/3024104477.html
I came within hours of buying this car. Even gave the seller a deposit, but in the end my wife, who would be driving it, decided it was older than what she'd like to drive daily. The seller is very motivated as well. Someone save it!
I know how rare these are. The seller is a nice lady, and I have the full history and a full rundown for you folks. The car was bought new here in Austin by the sellers mother. It has never seen salt, underside is CLEAN, always been garaged, and actually has 67K miles on it! The seller's mother passed away in December, and they car has been in the garage since.
I looked all over this car, took it on a good test drive, and as mentioned, gave the seller a deposit, but had to back out sadly. I'd love to have this car, but just could not make it work. That said, here's the good and bad, and please keep in mind I'm VERY picky! This is a NICE car and would be a great and very simple project.
The GOOD:
- Texas car always, garaged, no rust, not abused at all that I can see.
- LOADED car. One of the highest-optioned SE's I've seen.
- Black leather seats that are not ripped, even the driver's seat bolster has almost no wear! Neat to see a power passenger seat in an SE.
- Steering wheel and shifter leather is still nice. Dash has no cracks is is not warped. All gauges work, no CE light on, (weird to see SE gauges with the Supercharged engine...no boost gauge)
- Power moon roof works fine and seller says there are no leaks
- Runs, drives, shifts and stops fine
- Has NEW Goodyear Eagle Tires on it, new starter, new battery, new Bosche battery, and a new a/c compressor and accumulator, blows ice cubes
- Door panels are all good
- Has the electronic climate control, and it works. Air blows out dash vents and switches from floor to defrost normally. Nice...these can be trouble.
- Power windows, locks, cruise, power driver and power passenger seat all work. Power mirrors work, has an aftermarket keyless entry with two fobs. Power trunk release works, as do all lights, signals, delay wipers and washer.
- Carpet is nice, not any real wear, and has the factory GM carpet floor mats front and rear.
- Has the top-line CD player with equalizer, mids and tweeters in the front doors, sounds great! Did not have a CD to test the player though.
- Dark green paint is very decent, but could use a polish and wax. No sunburn or fade, clearcoat issues, but has various small parking lot scratches and also has some rub marks on the hood. Think they stored boxes on the hood in the garage. Not dented and may all buff out. The car had factory painted pinstripes but they are almost all worn off. Easy fix.
- Factory crosslace wheels are perfect and look wonderful!
- Has the air inflator option in the trunk
- Engine is quiet, supercharger is quiet, engine fans all come on normally, and see no leaks under the car.
- Has factory dual exhaust, under bumper, never seen that on an SE. Burbles well, starts easy, no hesitations, no smoke.
- Comes with a ton of paperwork, owners manual, records since new.
The BAD, this car was not abused, but not babied either. For you Bonny owners, a lot of the issues will sound familier, and most are easy fixes. As mentioned I'm really picky!!
I have a feeling this was grandma's car, and she had grandkids in it, and it got used a lot, despite the low 67K miles. Here we go with the main issues of concern:
- The car was hit in the back once. The seller was very honest about it. It was not a bad hit, in looking under it, the area behind the bumper and the trunk lid/latch area is fine, factory paint still there, trunck latches and seals fine, and paint on 1/4 panels is original, BUT the rear bumper was replaced, and they painted over the black trim on it, and the black trim on the sides of the rear bumper behind the wheels is missing. Also, they painted the trunk lid, but it has a shallow dent in it still and is missing the Pontiac emblem. If I had bought the car my plan was to go to Pick-N-Pull and get another trunk and bumper the same color off a salvage car. If you did that, you'd never know the car had been bumped. The tail lights and reflector/reverse lights on the back and trunk are perfect. High gloss too!
- The upper front plastic edges of the front bumper, below the marker/cornering lights, are popped out. My guess is she bumped the garage wall. They can be pushed back in and the front will be fine. Still factory paint on the front bumper. Easy fix.
- The other somewhat concerning issue is almost all the button lights next to the shifter are on. Has the Perf Shift and Perf Ride buttons, and those, along with the Normal Shift and Normal Ride, are all lit up, and pushing them makes no change. As I said car rides and shifts smooth, so no idea about the lights. I did not have these on either of my non-supercharged Bonnys.
- The Trac Control button next to the shifter does not light up when you push it.
- The engine oil pan is painted red (?). Never seen that before. Wonder if it was leaking or the car got bottomed out and it was replaced?? No leaks on it, but weird to look under the car and see a red oil pan.
Those are the BIG issues, the rest is smaller stuff. Here we go:
- The owner was a smoker (she died of cancer in December...), so the interior, despite the fact the seller had the car detailed, has that smell. The headliner is just starting to fall, and I'm sure replacing that will make a HUGE difference on how the car smells inside.
- One of the grab handles, above the right rear door, is cracked, and the light there is broken (SO COMMON)
- One of the vents on the back side of the console is cracked, my guess is a grandkid kicked it.
- The console lid latch was "repaired" using a small screw. It does latch and unlatch, but is not as tight as it should be. Again common on these cars....and the cupholder that folds out from there is missing.
- The volume knob on the radio is missing. Volume works when you turn the metal rod, just needs a new gray knob. Salvage yard part.
- One of the door light lenses on the back door is taped on. Still lights up, just needs lens replaced or glued on. All the other lenses on the other doors are there and fine.
- ALL the black lug nut caps are missing from the lug nuts. The wheels are perfect and the tires are new, but the caps are missing. Goofy. Salvage yard run!
- The engine and underhood in general are filthy. Looks to have never been cleaned under there. The new starter, a/c compressor and accumulator, and battery all really stand out against the rest of the engine bay.
- The engine oil, trans fluid, and coolant all look dirty. I'd change them all first thing if I'd bought it. It was in the 90's when I drove the car and it ran fine and cold, but the coolant looks bad, I hate Dex-Cool!
- The alternator looks newer, but with the headlights on, a/c on high, foot on the brake, and sitting idle at a light, the volt gauge dropped almost to the red. As soon as I moved again it came right back up. My other Bonnys did things similar to this and I never had to do an alternator, but as mentioned, I'm nit-picking. It may need an alternator soon....and could have a warranty in all the paperwork. Don't know!
- The fog lights did not come on when I tried them. The lenses are good, and I had the headlights on. BUT I can't remember if I had the high beams on. I may have, and if I did, of course the fog lights would not work. Thought of that later that night.
- The Twilight Sentinal does not work. You can pull on the headlight knob and the lights all come on fine, but they do not come on by themselves.
- The windshield was replaced sometime in the past and they got silicone on the paint and trim piece along the top of the glass. I scratched it off witrh my fingernail, and think it would all come off with a little elbow grease. Paint under it is fine, just a sloppy job!
- The lights on the passenger side sun visor mirror do not work. Driver's side visor lights work fine. Think the switch may just be sticking from lack of use.
- The ash tray and lighter are nasty. I hate smokers cars. Would replace both of those with salvage parts first thing.
- The steering wheel radio buttons do not work....VERY common! Needs the toothpick fix!
I know that seems like a long list, but overall this is a great car and should have a ton of life left in it. As you can tell I really gave this car a once-over. If you have questions, let me know. I listed all I can remember off the top of my head. Just looked at the car night-before-last.
Come on Bonny folks, you know what a rare car this is! Rust free and low miles too! Save her please!
-Mike
Currently we have a 2001 Grand Prix GT with factory Nascar package.
ANYWAY I came across a car that I think might interest the members here, and I REALLY hope a Bonneville lover buys it and saves it!
The car is a rare Supercharged 1995 SE (SLE package), it's a rust-free Texas car and only has 67K miles on it!!
Please look at this Craigslist link: http://austin.craigslist.org/cto/3024104477.html
I came within hours of buying this car. Even gave the seller a deposit, but in the end my wife, who would be driving it, decided it was older than what she'd like to drive daily. The seller is very motivated as well. Someone save it!
I know how rare these are. The seller is a nice lady, and I have the full history and a full rundown for you folks. The car was bought new here in Austin by the sellers mother. It has never seen salt, underside is CLEAN, always been garaged, and actually has 67K miles on it! The seller's mother passed away in December, and they car has been in the garage since.
I looked all over this car, took it on a good test drive, and as mentioned, gave the seller a deposit, but had to back out sadly. I'd love to have this car, but just could not make it work. That said, here's the good and bad, and please keep in mind I'm VERY picky! This is a NICE car and would be a great and very simple project.
The GOOD:
- Texas car always, garaged, no rust, not abused at all that I can see.
- LOADED car. One of the highest-optioned SE's I've seen.
- Black leather seats that are not ripped, even the driver's seat bolster has almost no wear! Neat to see a power passenger seat in an SE.
- Steering wheel and shifter leather is still nice. Dash has no cracks is is not warped. All gauges work, no CE light on, (weird to see SE gauges with the Supercharged engine...no boost gauge)
- Power moon roof works fine and seller says there are no leaks
- Runs, drives, shifts and stops fine
- Has NEW Goodyear Eagle Tires on it, new starter, new battery, new Bosche battery, and a new a/c compressor and accumulator, blows ice cubes
- Door panels are all good
- Has the electronic climate control, and it works. Air blows out dash vents and switches from floor to defrost normally. Nice...these can be trouble.
- Power windows, locks, cruise, power driver and power passenger seat all work. Power mirrors work, has an aftermarket keyless entry with two fobs. Power trunk release works, as do all lights, signals, delay wipers and washer.
- Carpet is nice, not any real wear, and has the factory GM carpet floor mats front and rear.
- Has the top-line CD player with equalizer, mids and tweeters in the front doors, sounds great! Did not have a CD to test the player though.
- Dark green paint is very decent, but could use a polish and wax. No sunburn or fade, clearcoat issues, but has various small parking lot scratches and also has some rub marks on the hood. Think they stored boxes on the hood in the garage. Not dented and may all buff out. The car had factory painted pinstripes but they are almost all worn off. Easy fix.
- Factory crosslace wheels are perfect and look wonderful!
- Has the air inflator option in the trunk
- Engine is quiet, supercharger is quiet, engine fans all come on normally, and see no leaks under the car.
- Has factory dual exhaust, under bumper, never seen that on an SE. Burbles well, starts easy, no hesitations, no smoke.
- Comes with a ton of paperwork, owners manual, records since new.
The BAD, this car was not abused, but not babied either. For you Bonny owners, a lot of the issues will sound familier, and most are easy fixes. As mentioned I'm really picky!!
I have a feeling this was grandma's car, and she had grandkids in it, and it got used a lot, despite the low 67K miles. Here we go with the main issues of concern:
- The car was hit in the back once. The seller was very honest about it. It was not a bad hit, in looking under it, the area behind the bumper and the trunk lid/latch area is fine, factory paint still there, trunck latches and seals fine, and paint on 1/4 panels is original, BUT the rear bumper was replaced, and they painted over the black trim on it, and the black trim on the sides of the rear bumper behind the wheels is missing. Also, they painted the trunk lid, but it has a shallow dent in it still and is missing the Pontiac emblem. If I had bought the car my plan was to go to Pick-N-Pull and get another trunk and bumper the same color off a salvage car. If you did that, you'd never know the car had been bumped. The tail lights and reflector/reverse lights on the back and trunk are perfect. High gloss too!
- The upper front plastic edges of the front bumper, below the marker/cornering lights, are popped out. My guess is she bumped the garage wall. They can be pushed back in and the front will be fine. Still factory paint on the front bumper. Easy fix.
- The other somewhat concerning issue is almost all the button lights next to the shifter are on. Has the Perf Shift and Perf Ride buttons, and those, along with the Normal Shift and Normal Ride, are all lit up, and pushing them makes no change. As I said car rides and shifts smooth, so no idea about the lights. I did not have these on either of my non-supercharged Bonnys.
- The Trac Control button next to the shifter does not light up when you push it.
- The engine oil pan is painted red (?). Never seen that before. Wonder if it was leaking or the car got bottomed out and it was replaced?? No leaks on it, but weird to look under the car and see a red oil pan.
Those are the BIG issues, the rest is smaller stuff. Here we go:
- The owner was a smoker (she died of cancer in December...), so the interior, despite the fact the seller had the car detailed, has that smell. The headliner is just starting to fall, and I'm sure replacing that will make a HUGE difference on how the car smells inside.
- One of the grab handles, above the right rear door, is cracked, and the light there is broken (SO COMMON)
- One of the vents on the back side of the console is cracked, my guess is a grandkid kicked it.
- The console lid latch was "repaired" using a small screw. It does latch and unlatch, but is not as tight as it should be. Again common on these cars....and the cupholder that folds out from there is missing.
- The volume knob on the radio is missing. Volume works when you turn the metal rod, just needs a new gray knob. Salvage yard part.
- One of the door light lenses on the back door is taped on. Still lights up, just needs lens replaced or glued on. All the other lenses on the other doors are there and fine.
- ALL the black lug nut caps are missing from the lug nuts. The wheels are perfect and the tires are new, but the caps are missing. Goofy. Salvage yard run!
- The engine and underhood in general are filthy. Looks to have never been cleaned under there. The new starter, a/c compressor and accumulator, and battery all really stand out against the rest of the engine bay.
- The engine oil, trans fluid, and coolant all look dirty. I'd change them all first thing if I'd bought it. It was in the 90's when I drove the car and it ran fine and cold, but the coolant looks bad, I hate Dex-Cool!
- The alternator looks newer, but with the headlights on, a/c on high, foot on the brake, and sitting idle at a light, the volt gauge dropped almost to the red. As soon as I moved again it came right back up. My other Bonnys did things similar to this and I never had to do an alternator, but as mentioned, I'm nit-picking. It may need an alternator soon....and could have a warranty in all the paperwork. Don't know!
- The fog lights did not come on when I tried them. The lenses are good, and I had the headlights on. BUT I can't remember if I had the high beams on. I may have, and if I did, of course the fog lights would not work. Thought of that later that night.
- The Twilight Sentinal does not work. You can pull on the headlight knob and the lights all come on fine, but they do not come on by themselves.
- The windshield was replaced sometime in the past and they got silicone on the paint and trim piece along the top of the glass. I scratched it off witrh my fingernail, and think it would all come off with a little elbow grease. Paint under it is fine, just a sloppy job!
- The lights on the passenger side sun visor mirror do not work. Driver's side visor lights work fine. Think the switch may just be sticking from lack of use.
- The ash tray and lighter are nasty. I hate smokers cars. Would replace both of those with salvage parts first thing.
- The steering wheel radio buttons do not work....VERY common! Needs the toothpick fix!
I know that seems like a long list, but overall this is a great car and should have a ton of life left in it. As you can tell I really gave this car a once-over. If you have questions, let me know. I listed all I can remember off the top of my head. Just looked at the car night-before-last.
Come on Bonny folks, you know what a rare car this is! Rust free and low miles too! Save her please!
-Mike