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opinions on 97 bonnie
Pontiac Discussion of Pontiac Automobiles (alt.autos.pontiac)
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opinions on 97 bonnie -
12-07-2008
, 03:22 PM
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Hi, I recent asked about the 97 40th anniv edition of the bonnieville and I am considering buying another one, (I bought one back in 1997 for 7 years and 150K miles until the head gasket popped). The car in question, was a lease car which came off lease in 2000 with ~52K miles. �appearently to the same dealer who has it now. �At this point it has ~55k miles, the magna steering seems shot and it has no heat. �The car looks in pretty good condition other than the drive train being oxidized. �There were no appearent leaks before or after the test drive. So, �Is the Manga Steering rack difficult to replace? I figure the heat is either the thermostat, or the heater core...is the heater core hard to replace? It seems unusual that in the last 8 years only 3K miles have been put on the car, ( would you agree?). and I wonder if the odo could have been altered, what do you think? I appreciate your time, peter |
#3
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Hi, I recent asked about the 97 40th anniv edition of the bonnieville and I am considering buying another one, (I bought one back in 1997 for 7 years and 150K miles until the head gasket popped). The car in question, was a lease car which came off lease in 2000 with ~52K miles. appearently to the same dealer who has it now. At this point it has ~55k miles, the magna steering seems shot and it has no heat. The car looks in pretty good condition other than the drive train being oxidized. There were no appearent leaks before or after the test drive. So, Is the Manga Steering rack difficult to replace? I figure the heat is either the thermostat, or the heater core...is the heater core hard to replace? It seems unusual that in the last 8 years only 3K miles have been put on the car, ( would you agree?). and I wonder if the odo could have been altered, what do you think? I appreciate your time, |
Being a 40th Anniversary edition, it could be considered a collectors item,
but still 3000 miles in 8 years does seem odd. I also agree with
"Dipstick", that a 1997 Bonneville with only 55,000 miles on a dealer lot
shouldn't have any problems. The heat question could be a different fix.
Does the car have Auto Climate Control? If it does, does the engine heat
itself up? If the car is heating up, but it's not blowing hot air (and of
course, it is full of coolant), it could be the door actuator that controls
whether hot or cold air is to be thrown out of the vents. That is a common
problem on that era Bonneville, with the auto climate control. I own a 1997
Bonneville SSEi myself, and love the car. It has almost 300,000 KM's on it,
and runs like a million bucks. It was sitting nearly 2 days, and the
temperature was -19 when I went out tonight, and it started and ran as
though it were a warm Florida day. They are very very good cars.
#4
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I may just not be understanding properly, but where has the car been from 2000 until now? at this dealer's lot from what i am told |
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Can/will a dealer run the VIN to check on the service history? Here is the VIN, I would appreciate if some one would run a carfax for me 1G2HZ52K3VH278277 The dealer pretty much will do what they want. If I were you, I would ask for a Carfax, and the service history. Shouldn't cost them anything. |
the dealer for this info as the car has been in his lot the whole time
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Depending on the options, and permitting the dealer repairs the heat and steering problems, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase that car for $5K. he says he will go thru the car for $7K...every thing should work for %5K |
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| If the car is heating up, but it's not blowing hot air (and of course, it is full of coolant), it could be the door actuator that controls whether hot or cold air is to be thrown out of the vents. The door on the Auto Climate Control? under the dash? Is there an easy way to test it? Is that a vacuume or mechanical actuator? Is it easy to get at to replace? Yup, it's under the dash on the passenger side. You can see it if you pull the glove box out, and look through a hole on the right side. I find a good way to test it is to start the car, let the engine heat up, put the fan on Hi and turn the temperature all the way down. Give it a few seconds, then turn the temperature all the way up, and see if you can hear the door moving behind the dash. I found on one of my Bonneville's that doing that procedure a few times made the door work properly. As for replacing it (if needed), most people say the dash must be removed. I have seen some who have replaced the part from going under the dash, but it's difficult. this sounds exciting  |
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That is a common problem on that era Bonneville, with the auto climate control. I own a 1997 Bonneville SSEi myself, and love the car. I have also seen a couple SSEi's but at a longer distance away...Are there any addition considerations with the blower? ( I am rebuilding SWMBO's 95 Miata w/ a JR/SC, so I like super chargers) The only problem I know of with the superchargers from the 1996 and up Bonneville's is eventually the bearings in the nose cone start to rattle, and need replacing. that doesnt sound too bad. A guy at the local voc-tech school knows |
would guess for others as well)
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| I'm in Ontario, Canada. It's -9 with the wind-chill right now, so it isn't too bad Lol |
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The buick is in the shop so I have to travel 60 miles on my 93 BMW K 1100 LT bike today. funny thing is, with the Gerbing electric heated gear I have, I end up being warmer on the bike... Nice. The SSEi's are looking better and better at this point. In my opinion, the only bad thing about the SSEi's with the supercharger compared to the non-supercharged versions, is the supercharged engine requires 91 octane gas, instead of the normal 87 in the regular engine. But, if you drive a normal 3800 engine, then the supercharged version, you likely won't mind the extra few cents a liter for the 91. The supercharger can really blow you away. pun intended?? |
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Again, thanks for your time, No problem. Like I said, I've owned many Bonneville's, so feel free to pick my brain if you want. I have to get more info from the dealer, but I have to be careful that I |
peter
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#5
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80 Knight wrote: I may just not be understanding properly, but where has the car been from 2000 until now? at this dealer's lot from what i am told |
good car sit on a dealer's lot for 8 years, yet still manage to rack up 3000
miles? If it was just sitting in a corner, then it shouldn't have racked up
any miles, and if it were being driven by, perhaps the dealer owner, why
only 3000 in 8 years? Something just sounds odd to me.
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Can/will a dealer run the VIN to check on the service history? Here is the VIN, I would appreciate if some one would run a carfax for me 1G2HZ52K3VH278277 The dealer pretty much will do what they want. If I were you, I would ask for a Carfax, and the service history. Shouldn't cost them anything. i wail ask...but because of what you say above, I was hesitant to ask the dealer for this info as the car has been in his lot the whole time |
Like I said above, it sounds odd to me.
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Depending on the options, and permitting the dealer repairs the heat and steering problems, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase that car for $5K. he says he will go thru the car for $7K...every thing should work for %5K |
wouldn't pay $7,000 for it though, not unless the history is spotless, the
dealer can prove what the car has been doing the past 8 years, and the car
is in absolutley mint shape. And even then, $7,000 is too much, I think.
$5,000? Sure.
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The door on the Auto Climate Control? under the dash? Is there an easy way to test it? Is that a vacuume or mechanical actuator? Is it easy to get at to replace? Yup, it's under the dash on the passenger side. You can see it if you pull the glove box out, and look through a hole on the right side. I find a good way to test it is to start the car, let the engine heat up, put the fan on Hi and turn the temperature all the way down. Give it a few seconds, then turn the temperature all the way up, and see if you can hear the door moving behind the dash. I found on one of my Bonneville's that doing that procedure a few times made the door work properly. As for replacing it (if needed), most people say the dash must be removed. I have seen some who have replaced the part from going under the dash, but it's difficult. this sounds exciting |
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That is a common problem on that era Bonneville, with the auto climate control. I own a 1997 Bonneville SSEi myself, and love the car. I have also seen a couple SSEi's but at a longer distance away...Are there any addition considerations with the blower? ( I am rebuilding SWMBO's 95 Miata w/ a JR/SC, so I like super chargers) The only problem I know of with the superchargers from the 1996 and up Bonneville's is eventually the bearings in the nose cone start to rattle, and need replacing. that doesnt sound too bad. A guy at the local voc-tech school knows where to get replacement parts for blowers (at least for his blower, I would guess for others as well) |
superchargers themselves are made by Eaton, one of the best supercharger
builders, as far as I know.
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I'm in Ontario, Canada. It's -9 with the wind-chill right now, so it isn't too bad Lol suddenly I fell tropical |
Bonneville's heat up quick.
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The buick is in the shop so I have to travel 60 miles on my 93 BMW K 1100 LT bike today. funny thing is, with the Gerbing electric heated gear I have, I end up being warmer on the bike... Nice. The SSEi's are looking better and better at this point. In my opinion, the only bad thing about the SSEi's with the supercharger compared to the non-supercharged versions, is the supercharged engine requires 91 octane gas, instead of the normal 87 in the regular engine. But, if you drive a normal 3800 engine, then the supercharged version, you likely won't mind the extra few cents a liter for the 91. The supercharger can really blow you away. pun intended?? Again, thanks for your time, No problem. Like I said, I've owned many Bonneville's, so feel free to pick my brain if you want. I have to get more info from the dealer, but I have to be careful that I dont just get it because I want it...it should also be a reasonable deal |
good at the time", or because I was just a hasty buyer. Be sure to check
out everything on the car, and make sure the dealer can provide some sort of
provable answer as to what the car has been doing the past 8 years. Good
luck, friend.
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