What's the story behind your Bonneville purchase?
#1
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What'* the story behind your Bonneville purchase?
Out looking for cars around $3000 I came across my current SSEi, which needed very little, for an advertised price of $3300. the guy had no idea what he was selling. He thought it needed all kinds of work and didn't think he'd get what he wanted for it, so he let it go to me for $2700 a few weeks ago, with only 85k on the clock. AS far as what he thought was wrong with the car? HAHA! He thought the alternator bearing was going bad, due to a metallic rattling noise that appeared every so often . I immediately knew what the noise was and just nodded my head when he told me. After bringing it home that day, I crawled under the car, bent the heat sheild back away from the exhaust pipe, and WA-LA, no more rattle. He also told me "the air works, but it'* not real cold, and it only blows out the defroster and floor vents. My mechanic told me it'* just a motor or something under the dash and you can get one out of a Lumina or any car like that at the junkyard". Yeah, ok. You guys here helped me solve that problem for $0 buy just telling me to hook the vacuum line back up under the hood. Thanks again.
Sorry so long. Just thought I'd share my story this morning. So when and where and for how much did you pick up your Bonne for? BTW, I've still got just some minor things to take care of (minor meaning not very costly) then it'* on to the pulley and new SC coupler. WOOHOO. I love this damn car....
Sorry so long. Just thought I'd share my story this morning. So when and where and for how much did you pick up your Bonne for? BTW, I've still got just some minor things to take care of (minor meaning not very costly) then it'* on to the pulley and new SC coupler. WOOHOO. I love this damn car....
#2
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I bought mine 2 years ago with 60-something K miles on it. From a wholesaler for UNDER wholesale value. This was after my 94 LT1 Roadmaster got totalled. He didn't know what it was, either.
In fact, before I drove to Portland to see it, I didn't even know if it had a HUD or sunroof. The guy honestly couldn't tell me. After I saw the car, I had a hard time containing myself in order to turn the deal lower. He was asking just over wholesale value, and I ended up talking him down $500, paying just under wholesale.
In fact, before I drove to Portland to see it, I didn't even know if it had a HUD or sunroof. The guy honestly couldn't tell me. After I saw the car, I had a hard time containing myself in order to turn the deal lower. He was asking just over wholesale value, and I ended up talking him down $500, paying just under wholesale.
#3
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Browsing the Want Advertiser under the "complete cars for parts" section I found the 90 selling for $250. The seller sent pics via email and I picked it up a few days later. 6 weeks and almost $1000 later it became my everyday driver.
Found the 93 in the same publication selling for $1000 obo. Took the wife to see it and she approved largely due to the sunroof. Offered $900 and closed the deal. Towed it home 2 days later. Interior refurb still continues and next step is paint.
Found the 93 in the same publication selling for $1000 obo. Took the wife to see it and she approved largely due to the sunroof. Offered $900 and closed the deal. Towed it home 2 days later. Interior refurb still continues and next step is paint.
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Saw a coworker driving the 93, He started out with a $2K price tag. He had recently rear-ended a Ford Ranger on a trip to Dallas so the car didn't look good, had sensor issues that made it die when it felt like it, and a bad TPS that made it not want to start. After hours of reading on here to figure out what'* what and if I could fix it I talked him down to $772, with a full tank of gas I pointed out probably a million things that were wrong with it, some that were just normal wear and tear, And some that I haven't even fixed yet because they're not important. Well worth the money, But I'm not going to add up what I've got in it now. I stopped counting at $1500.
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Driving around one weekend with my father looking for a car since I just sold the previous one, came across this dealer that had three Ford Explorer'* for sale, so we stopped. All of them were beat up badly so that was a no go. Then I saw a 95 Grandprix 2 door and hoped in that, but the engine knocked and it was kinda small for legroom in the front. Then the guy told me about the Bonne they had. Test drove it, slept on it, then the next day I brought it home with me. A person was actually selling it but the dealer got a certain percent for putting it on their lot.
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My father bought my bonnie from a dealership. He was looking for something that I would proably like (he'* a pontiac fanatic ) I had been telling him about how I wanted something quick and sexy. So the day he went and got it, I was expecting a grand prix or something, but he showed up with this gorgeous white Boneville. Then I saw the SSEi sticker and the supercharged motor. Been hooked ever since with it. This was back in 1998, he bought the car fully loaded. $42,000 bucks, brand new. So I'm still thanking him for it
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Well, my 16th birthday was coming up, and of course I wanted a car. I had around 2k saved up, and so I started looking at some cars. All old, and they all had problems with them. Seeing as how it was my birthday, I had planned on picking out a few cars that were ok and then having my mom pick it out for me so that it was a surprise, but I still had some input as to what my first car was gonna be. Well, when my mom was taking one of the cars to the shop, the mechanic told her about a bonneville that an old lady was trying to sell. They said that they had done all the work on it, so they knew that it was a good car, plus it had really low miles (21k at the time). Well, I didn't know anything about it until I woke up on my birthday to find my bonne sitting in the driveway. Granted it needed a paint job, but it was still pretty sweet. I paid 1500 for it, my mom paid 1500 to get the ac fixed, eventually I had to get the tranny fixed for 2000, the radiator for 400, brakes for 400 (two different times), suspension for 500, a paint job for 600 (I was poor at the time and didn't realize how much maaco sucked), timing gear for 400, and I'm sure that there are some other things I'm forgetting too. Anyways, despite all of that, I still love my car, and want to keep it until I'm rich and can afford to turn it into the ultimate sleeper. MUAHAHAHA...
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Bought my 1991 from my parents in May 2000 for $5000 Cdn,
They bought it new in August 1991.
Bought my 1997 in Sept 2003.... had to fly to T.O. to buy it and drove it back.
Had JimW do all the leg work for me, and test drive it. Paid $10,800 Cdn
They bought it new in August 1991.
Bought my 1997 in Sept 2003.... had to fly to T.O. to buy it and drove it back.
Had JimW do all the leg work for me, and test drive it. Paid $10,800 Cdn
#9
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My grandpa bought the car "special order" in 1992. He has had Pontiacs in the past including a few firebirds. I always remember playing with the power seat whenever i got the rare oportunity to ride shotgun with him. One of my favorite moments was when he asked me if i "wanted to see what this car can really do" and he got on the gas and took a 55mph corner well above 70mph. As I got older I was able to start to drive it quite regularly around the age of 13. Him and I talked about it and how the car was so great! He then later sat me down and told me that the car is going to be able to be "purchased", aka: buy for not very much, from them once I turn 16. Then a year after that my grandpa was diagnosed with stomache cancer. He was not able to fight it since he had health problems in the past. In April he died. I later went up to spend a summer with my now widowed grandma when I turned 15. I took my drivers ed class up there and got a part time job. I continued to have the great passion for the bonnie that i had but now with a more deeper meaning. The day of my 16th birthday I was presented the bonnie from my grandma and parents with it freshly professionally detailed.
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In 1998 I was at a GSA government auction with my dad, looking for my first car. We had decided to spend about $4000 on a Ford Taurus - there were a few of them there. Most of the cars were fleet vehicles, although the US Marshals service was auctioning a few siezed cars. As the cars got driven by and people bid on them, my dad went back to the lot to inspect one of the Fords. Then they drove the Bonnie up. I hadn't even seen it out in the lot, but I was instantly impressed. It looked and sounded big. I had to have it. There was only one other person bidding on it and I got it for about $6000, which was $2500 under book value.
My dad almost flipped out when he came back and found out I had bought it. I paid the $2000 difference of course. He flipped out again when the car wouldn't start. Turned out it was just a dead battery- they had a tow truck going around jump-starting a bunch of the cars. He completely lost it when we looked under the car and there was fluid dripping steadily from the engine area. I thought he was going to kill me. Some guy came over, stuck his finger in it and sniffed it. "It'* just water," he said. "From the air conditioner."
Turns out the car used to belong to the IRS Criminal Investigations Division. It has a siren speaker mounted in the right front wheel well, and there is a switch under the steering column that used to set the headlights to wig-wag mode. Under the passenger seat I found the following:
1) A Dunkin Donuts coffee cup with accompanying napkins
2) A crusty old macaroon
3) A list of radio frequencies and callsigns for the CT/RI district of the IRS CID
4) An itinerary for a day of hand-to-hand combat training at a local military base
5) A reference sheet describing how to use their encrypted Motorola radios
My dad almost flipped out when he came back and found out I had bought it. I paid the $2000 difference of course. He flipped out again when the car wouldn't start. Turned out it was just a dead battery- they had a tow truck going around jump-starting a bunch of the cars. He completely lost it when we looked under the car and there was fluid dripping steadily from the engine area. I thought he was going to kill me. Some guy came over, stuck his finger in it and sniffed it. "It'* just water," he said. "From the air conditioner."
Turns out the car used to belong to the IRS Criminal Investigations Division. It has a siren speaker mounted in the right front wheel well, and there is a switch under the steering column that used to set the headlights to wig-wag mode. Under the passenger seat I found the following:
1) A Dunkin Donuts coffee cup with accompanying napkins
2) A crusty old macaroon
3) A list of radio frequencies and callsigns for the CT/RI district of the IRS CID
4) An itinerary for a day of hand-to-hand combat training at a local military base
5) A reference sheet describing how to use their encrypted Motorola radios