First of all i wanted to say this is my first posting on this site and i wanted to tell you a little bit about my vehicle, a 1990 Bonneville SSE!

Well to start out with it looks like it is in fairly good condition fors its age. The loan is almost paid off and i am thinking about a different car, but am not sure if i truely want to part ways with my Bonnie.

It has the tail light problem that at far as i understand plagues the whole bonneville population, the clear lens it cracked/broken. Looking for ways to get by without spending to much money in fixing them.
The fog lights have been removed because we tried to change the bulbs and the whole light assemble fell apart because of so much rust. I still have the brackets and that is about it.
The drivers corner signal lens is also broken, was cracked when i bought it and now it is completely broken.
The interior has some problems too. The compass doesn't work. There is no connectors where the fuse for the compass should go so i am assuming mine did not come with a compass. The seats are cracked, looking for covers to put on them but with the strange headrest shape not too many options out there.
The doors have problems too. The back doors wont open, 1 will open when it is warm out but in winter no luck on either of the back doors. The trunk misterously pops open while driving down the road.
Most recently i took it in cause it was leaking anti-freeze and was notified of a intake gasket leak, anybody else have this problem? Need to know approx cost of fixing if it does go out. This is the reason i am thinking of getting rid of my car, don't wat to stick a lot of money into it.
If you could let me know any ideas on parts for the broken items listed above and any thoughts on the intake gasket leak, also let me know your opinions it time for me to sell and move on, or should i keep, repair and stick more money into the first car i hav really enjoyed driving! Or should i trade in for the 94 SSE at the locar car lot....

Thank you for your help everybody!

I picked "trade it in"

I'll tell you why..

I have found that replacing parts on an older Bonneville is very difficult. Those lenes and taillights are a b*tch to find. The electronic systems are beginning to go on the fritz, so that gets very spendy $$ very fast. The value to fix it is not equal to the value to trade it in (getting what you can) and picking up a more reliable 94.

There is a guy on this forum ...Tonyrodz I think; who has a whack of SSE parts for sale. You may want to keep the car if the following is true: low mileage, no rusting, good brakes, wheels, bearing and doesn't leak fluids. If you are mechanically inclined like some are on the forum, then this can be a great project car for you to restore

I debate this relentlessly, I want a 97 SSEi, but I can't do it right now, so I'm fixing what I can on my 89 and sticking with that. See, it also depends on your financial situation and what funds can be diverted to getting a newer car.

Its not an easy decision, but I'm sure you'll figure out something.

BTW...welcome to the forum

Ive got an 89 sse and believe it or not, it was in worse shape than yours, everything was done, and i mean everything, Just scout around scrapyards and see what u can dig up , reason i kept mine is because there are more 92s and up from that year, our cars are a rare commodity, the 87 to 91 sse, * i have only seen a few of these cars out there. So i think u should keep it .

I'm new to the forum as well, but only just as I am exiting my ownership of a (now dead, rip) bonneville.

Two tone red over gray 1990 SE w/ gray interior. She had 230,000 miles. The trip odometer didn't work. I had to replace the fog lights. The back right taillamp lens assembly didn't fit in correctly. Some minor rust above the rear left wheel well. The transmission shifted very hard (just went out completely). The automatic heating/cooling no longer worked correctly (Very hot or very cold only(winter only)). Air conditioner no longer worked. Replaced front struts. ECM and crank sensor out multiple times. Alternator changed too many times to count. Windshield wiper spray only worked on passenger side. Wiper spray pump out 2X. Brakes and tires numerous times, of course. Transmission ate fluid like it was going out of style. Three bulbs just burned out at once. The climate control and radio lights would stay on "bright" even at night. The lights would click on and off incessantly while in the twilight sentinel mode.

But all in all, a good car. The inside is still immacualate, and ran great with decent gas mileage and low oil consumption until the tranny quit. Now the replacement cost is waaaay over the resale value, so it becomes junk.

Your car sounds very similar to mine...does your look like this?



To bad shes a goner...time for a new one eh?