I've had a 92 Bonneville for the last 6 years, and its getting about time to retire it.

I'm looking very closely at an 07 Sonata, thats about the only car I've looked at in the 2000+ year range that I've liked. I haven't sat/drove a 2000+ Bonne yet, but I have really liked mine, so I'm thinking about looking at them. The exterior dimensions are quite a bit bigger than the Sonata, and I was hoping to get a car that parks better than my current bonne. But I'd save a lot on taxes by going with a 4-5 year older car. My state charges property tax on vehicles, so the newer the car the more I pay every year.

Anyway, I was wondering if there were any issues with the 2000 Bonne, since it was the first year of the redesign? Maybe I should only look at 2001'* on up?

How reliable has the 2000+ model been? I see a lot of issues in these forums but thats probably to be expected, as people bring their problems here.

http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...=45965&start=0

heres a list of the common issues to look over

I have a 2000 Bonne and love it. No major problems other than the ones with all 3800 SII and such. Nothing too unexpected so far (I have 133.000 miles and the UIM gasket hasnt gone yet (knock on wood)).

Unfortunatly if you are looking for a car thats easier to park, the bonne is not your best choice. But for everything else it is.

I have a 2000 as well, and it'* a wonderful car. No major problems, but of course I did replace the LIM gaskets and a wheel bearing.

147K on mine.

You're flirting with disaster and gambling with your motor.

Thanks for the input.

Does the 2000+ bonne have any kind of manual shift, like some cars have where you push the shifter or something to manually control the shift? Or do they have a performance/economy switch?

I find myself shifting my '92 quite a bit, usually bringing it out of overdrive so I can accelerate in ~50mph interstate traffic. Sometimes bringging it down to 2nd for on ramps, too. I think my '92 shifts like a granny car, it always wants to be in a high gear.

You can shift it manually if you want but it will down shift for you if you stomp it while passing.

just park way out in the lot like me!!

get an SSEi.....they are more reliable IMO than the SE and SLE versions in regarding to the motor itself. (they dont have the UIM failure)

Keep in mind:

Any 2000+ bonne will have a potential transmission failure...drive the heck out of it and notice any harsh shifts or soft shifts.

Any 2000+ bonne may have window problems, but that is a very cheap repair

Any 2000+ bonne will have problems with the fuel gauge eventually it seems, under $50 in parts to repair

Any 2000+ bonne *could* have hood bubbling problems requiring repaint of the hood.

Any 2000+ bonne willl need the steering shaft replaced if it has not been already.

Basically they have their issues, but most are very easy or very cheap to fix.

You will get the same MPG with an SSEi as you would with a sonata...20/30 is the sonata rating, SSEi is like 19/28 or something.

SSEi is a $35,000 car vs the sonata were like $20,000 new....

There is no other car I've found under $15,000 that I've found that can compare power-wise or feature wise to my car, and I could buy 2-3 of them for that much.

Granted you may not have the UIM concern with an L67, but do NOT overlook the failure with the LIM gaskets and by-pass elbow. That'* a failure waiting to happen. Whatever you buy (L36 or L67), plan on flushing out the Dex and changing the intake gaskets immediately.