Hi all,

New guy here, posting for the first time on this forum. I'm debating purchasing an '04 or '05 Bonneville GXP, and had a few questions for the experts. I'll just list them in order -- any input is MUCH appreciated.

1) For the guys with higher mileage, how reliable have the GXP'* been?

2) Any particular areas on the car to watch out for?

3) If money isn't an issue, is it worth the extra $ to buy a certified pre-owned from GM?

4) Realistically, what kind of gas mileage (city and highway) are you all truly seeing?

5) Are there any cool aftermarket parts for these cars? (carbon-fiber inlays for the interior, etc.?)

I'm sure I'll have others, and in the meantime, I'll continue to search on this site!

Thanks in advance,

Ntwrkguy1

I dont have high mileage but the northstar seems to hold up pretty well id say. as far as any cool mods there really aren't any as of yet. k&n makes a drop in filter and jet makes an after market maf and some kinda piggyback controller (don't remember the tech term for it) the steering wheel and air vents have carbon fiber accents on them. all in all I love my car but sometimes I do wish I had gotten the ssei

also I would definitely get one that is certified and if you have the extra cash and extended warranty you never know what could go wrong and thats with any car.

I can only speak for myself as far as gas mileage in that it isnt very good i get anywhere from 13 to 15 mpg with premium 92 octane, I don't travel highway very often but I did get 20 mpg on some country back roads.

i was getting around 25mpg on the highway today.that is with a 15 mph head wind.

You'll also find Northstars seem to get better as they cross the 30 000mile threshold. I've seen low 30mpgs on the hwy with a proper tuned engine.

Mine is a bit smaller (4.0) but 4.6'* have respectable mileage, especially out in the open.

1) I have 36k miles and few problems this far.
2) My hood paint chips when the wind hits it. Drives me crazy b/c I really drive like a granny. No tailgating, etc.. Driving me insane... Make sure the intermediate shaft (steering) has been repaired. The fog lights...just rip them off the car. There are several posts about how F8cking unreliable they are. I had both housings changed and my bulbs last about 10 months or so and they are NOT simple to change. I have an LED bulb blown in my radio...there are no more replacements for many of the interior parts since the GXP has black faced instruments and other Bonnies have gray.
3)Yes, yes, and yes. Wish I had the money to buy the extended warranty. Didn't have 2k to plunk down.
4) Not great. I can get 25 highway if I cruise easy ( I once got 29mpg in Michigan over two tanks of gas, but that'* just cuz Michigan rocks ). 18-19 city and that is with premium. Prem. is not required but mileage on regular sucks.
5) Very few. I can't even find a molded plastic rock deflector for the hood.

We mainly use ours as a long trip car. It is not a good daily, in-town driver IMHO. The fuel consumption for town driving is atrocious (thus my Nissan). On long trips it is the best. Uber-comfortable and powerful. The dash kicks a$$ and the sound system is great. I wish they had put the "corvette" seats in the GXP like are in my SSE. There is simply no seat more comfortable than those (although I like the look of the GXP seats better - they are cleaner looking).

The drive train is worth all the quirks.

Even with these relatively minor problems, the lok of the car is AWESOME. It is a very unique car and no one knows what it is on first sight. The 18 inch wheels paired with the wedge shape makes it a great look. And then there is the exhaust. Heavenly noise, really.

I would buy a second one if the wifey wasn't hung up on getting a minivan .

1&2) I just rolled 100,000 miles this month. I bought the car new with less than 100 miles; I use Mobil 1 and change the oil filter every 4K and the oil every 18-22K;
I've had what appear to be the 'normal issues':
foglights last about 3-6months (I can now change the bulbs in ~15 minutes...pull the headlight for access and it'* not too bad);
steering shaft (dealer 'lubed' at 25K and then replaced last wk at 100K....no charge, they know it'* an issue);
gauge cluster- the smaller gauges have bad motors and occasionally flake out on me....not a big deal;
it uses a little oil the past 50K.....maybe a quart over 5-6K. no leaks
brakes-i've changed front pads 3 times and just did pads/rotors all the way around
otherwise rock-solid drive train and I love the car.....still get compliments/questions all the time!

3) I didn't get one; I have a very good relationship with a service manager at a dealership.

4) 17-20 city; 22-24 hiway. (it has improved over time)

good luck with your decision

I love the car and its actually in the shop again for the fog light housing replacements.

The car has been in the shop more than I have had it I think. I just recieved a 1600 bill (extended warrenty covered it) but about $500 was my fault. 1 LED is out on my stereo also but I am replacing ALL speakers amp and head unit later this month. I have a transmission problem still (when I shift from neutral to 1st gear it jumps hard and makes a clunking noise) I just had the harness replaced also which didn't solve the Foglight issue. I have a warranty up to 125k and 2011 so I am not worried to much.

Yesturday I got 34mpg going about 60mph which is surprisiing I will usually get about 29-30mpg on my trip to work. But my DIC says that I average 17mpg right now with highway and in-town. But I am pretty rough on it in town.

The car just turned over 35k.

I love my GXP, had it for about four months now. Got it at 25,500 and has just over 31,000 now. I miss the raw acceleration that the boosted SSEI had but this is no slouch either. Took it a bit for the computer to relearn how I drive from the previous owner but it performs very well. Stability and traction is the best of any car I've ever driven, aside from maybe my '75 Olds that I still have (only because it'* a damn tank).

Haven't had it long enough for any issues to come up. I do have an extended warranty, and would always recommend getting one on ANY used car, as long as you can afford it. Mine can even be renewed when it reaches the expiration date. I easily put the price of the warranty into my previous Bonneville, and one repair (ABS / TC Control module) paid for the warranty in one shot.

Wow the fact that everyone is getting much better gas mileage than me is making me upset! just kidding! maybe its because i dont have a lot of miles on my car (16 thousand)?

Interesting input everyone!

I'm a little surprised at the range of gas mileage you all have achieved, but I guess mpg is definitely a situational thing dependent on a lot of different factors.

I will definitely have to go the extended warranty route -- I've actually seen a few decent deals on some GM Certified Pre-Owned, which extends the warranty out to 100k (though only 5 years/100k). Not a lot of selection in the CPO category, but usually I see one or two black (personal favorite) or silver (close second) once or twice a month.


GXP_Vince -- is that a GM warranty you have that extends out that far?

Two Bonnies -- that'* a strange problem with the paint. I have heard of some vehicles having soft paint. I detail a lot of cars on the side, and have really never came across one that had excessive chipping. Any thoughts from the dealer? Or are you just resigned to the fact that it chips easy?