My thoughts:

Can't comment; still waiting for this problem to surface on the 2004 LeSabre.

Agreed; could be many things. Warped brake rotors are a strong possibility.

When you go back, bring a jack. Jack up each front wheel in turn and check for play in the wheel by grabbing the tire and shaking it: if side-to-side (i.e., 3 o'clock / 9 o'clock), indicates tie rod; if top-and-bottom (6 o'clock / 12 o'clock) indicates ball joint; if in all directions, could be both / and / or wheel bearing.

Also could be many things, but a leaking VC gasket is a strong possibility. Could also be the dealer recently changed the oil and spilled some on the front exhaust manifold.

Agreed with Hawkjet above; all 4T65E'* before '03 were manufactured with a defective pressure control solenoid. A shift kit (about $70 to $120 in parts and fluids, and 2 hrs labor DIY) will help this greatly. Also, all 4T65E'* were manufactured with a known defective input shaft rubber seal (saved GM a few pennies per car), which can cause a hesitation or "clunk" into gear when pulling away from a stop; the additive called LUBEGARD red (about $13 for a 10 oz bottle) fixed that up for me.

I would recommend all new high-end (e.g., US-made Bendix) rotors (for the fronts, anyway) rather than any resurfacing. Stock rotors are thin to begin with, and resurfacing ensures warping again very soon. For $300 to $350 (far less if you shop around) and a few hours DIY labor, you can have some kick-a$$ front brakes far better than a shop is likely to charge the same or more for.

As to the coolant bottle being low; I would go in with the assumption that coolant is being ingested. Dealer may have changed oil recently, so no way to tell where. But, if the car made no strange noises from the crankcase, the main bearings are OK (for now).

Upper intake manifold and lower intake manifold gaskets (new-style aluminum) are a must; figure $250 to $300 in parts and fluids and 7 to 8 hours labor for a first time DIY.

BTW, did you mention, is there any kind of warranty from the dealer on this car?

57chevy - welcome back! Long time, no see!

I wouldn't let an intermediate shaft issue be a deal breaker on this. If nothing else, use it to your advantage to talk them down. Then, come back here and we'll get you fixed up.

torero500, I've done the full blown "coolant problem repairs" now on three of them, and I always allow a full day. But, I choose to work slowly and carefully, and I always do all "three areas." -that is replace lower intake gaskets, install modified EGR stovepipe and sleeve, and repair or replace upper intake manifold (air plenum) with new throttle body gasket. And OF COURSE, GET THAT "DEATHCOOL PINK POISON" flushed out of the system thoroughly and completely, and replace with real coolant. As a side note, I have not yet damaged or found it necessary to replace the coolant "elbows" that the guys mention, although I think that would also be a very good idea.

Also, as a note to everyone: I discovered that our local "Captain Clean" company has a large ultrasonic cleaning tank. I had them clean the radiator on my '99, and WOW did it look like brand new -and didn't even cost that much either. (they use a "green" hot detergent solution. -no acids, etc.) So from here on, anytime I encounter a less-than-clean radiator, I'm darn sure taking it to them to clean for me.

And by all means, I agree with Vital49 (where do you people come up with these user names,,,,) "OH, HI vital " -yes I've been on a "long vacation, I guess" -just too many other issues in life for a while, I guess. BUT anyway, back to "I agree with vital49:" about the steering shaft, heck I'm not too sure I'd even fuss with it. I replaced mine with a brand new unit, following the "heavy grease pumping technique" which I think is in a tech bulletin for the Chevy Impala, and it only lasted for about a year (or less) before it started the clunking again.

BTW, everyone, I'm quite certain that I can invent a little modification to that intermediate shaft that will fix the clunking once and for all. BUT, I have way too many other projects to work on for now. (maybe later,,,, -WAY later.)

Yes torero500, I still L O V E our Bonnevilles, in spite of the corporate screw-ups.
Besides that, it gives me just about the right amount of "re-engineering" challenges that I actually enjoy . (yeah I know, I'm kind of weird that way. Heck, you ought to see my crazy hot rod '57 chevy truck truck I built, and you'd surely believe how I enjoy the "re-engineering" challenges.

Sorry to have gotten so long winded. Again, welcome to the BC !!
Harry

Thanks for all the input guys. The info was invaluable. Great site this is to all owners.

Looks like should I go ahead with the buy, I'll need to budget in about $2k for all the repairs/uprgrades. But I'll definitely be doing a much more detailed inspection of these problems areas beforehand. If I can bargain the dealer'* price down some in light of all this info, I'll probably go ahead and make the deal. We'll see how things go this weekend.

Just got my car today and had the pressure control solenoid replaced. Total bill came out to just under $600. There should be some leverage for you while you deal.

To update those who've helped with this post, I bought the car yesterday. After close inspection and re-drive, I don't have all the problems I thought I had....yet. Got the used car dealer to drop another $500 in price and put a new battery in.

This forum was awesome in letting me know what to look for. Today I basically started in on alot of the cosmetic work, will be doing fluid changes, and putting on some new rotors. And watching for any coolant problems.

But this car is awesome! I love how it looks at night and already have alot of comments how great the silver looks.

Sounds like a good buy. Before you spend any money on a remote control, will you post or PM me your VIN? I'm still not convinced you need to do this.