Hey all -

I'm Craig from Decatur Illinois... I'm a proud owner of a Bonneville for the third time.

First Bonnie was a Medium Garnet Red '88 LE, lightly loaded, served me well through half of high school and first two years of college.

Second Bonnie was a black '95 SSE with tan leather. Again, lightly loaded... no HUD, no sunroof, no auto climate control, no traction control. Held onto it for four years, and after two water pumps, two AC clutches, hail damage, ground effect paint problems, and one break-in, it was time to move on.

Third car was a silver '01 Grand Prix GT with gray leather. This one was all tricked out for a GT.. leather, roof, HUD, heated driver seat, traction, etc. Had it for 3 years and some change, then the transmission started slipping and I had been eyeing a GXP for a while...

So the new ride is an 05 Graystone Metallic GXP, all factory options, 27k miles. First impressions after two weeks of ownership: This is a mean car. It accelerates and handles like a car half its size, and I love the gurgling exhaust note. The subdued styling, chrome exhaust tips, 18" wheels, and red calipers finally give the Bonnie a true performance look. The jumbo jet cockpit effect at night gets me every time.. in fact, I keep a CD of Airwolf soundtracks in the changer all the time, and I'll kick on the Airwolf theme sometimes as I pull out of the garage, makes me giggle every time.

On the downside, the gas mileage on premium is not very impressive in town, and I'm already tired of the brake dust on the front wheels. Lots of you are recommending ceramic pads, so I may be looking into those sometime soon. Other than that, though, I'm in love with the car and hope to keep it for a long time.

Craig

Welcome, fellow Illinoisian!!


Please take a moment to read this:

http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...ic.php?t=48230

Welcome brother nice to see another GXP in the mix.

D'oh... sorry, I didn't see that. My sig pic was 15 pixels too tall. Does it look ok now?

Looks good.

Coincidence? I think not! People who know a good car just keep coming back for more (Love the colour by the way). I changed to NAPA Ceramix and have had a noted decrease in brake dust (although there still is some accumulation).

Welcome!

Yeah, I was really sold on the Graystone color too... I think it accents the taillights really nicely, and overall makes for a very rich apperance. I do feel a little strange though, this is the first car I've owned in eleven years without a version of the 3800 in it. Not that I'm complaining though, the Northstar is impressive, and a great fit to this car.

I was debating between a couple different cars when I was still shopping... a 2005+ Mustang GT, an Acura TL (which interestingly kinda looks like a small version of a GXP , but I think I made the right choice. It'* good to be back in a Bonnie.

Welcome...