Finally got back home with my prize this past weekend. Turns out this SSEi is even nicer than I had hoped. Interior, and exterior look absolutely showroom new. Averaged 28mpg @80 mph all the way home.

nice clean car, but only 28 MPG? I got in the 30s with 5 big guys in the car on a trip during the fall

Heyyyyy, that'* purrrrty.

Very nice car. I'm sure you will have many happy years with it.

Very clean looking car! How many miles are on it, and what'* the first mod you have planned?

It had 96,000 miles on it when we picked it up, now has 98,000 due to the trip home. It'* the highest mileage car I've ever purchased, but the car looked so good I couldn't pass it up. Came with the chrome front "Bonneville" plate, and looked like the previous owner took great care of it. Also came with the original window sticker, owners manual, and the little accessory bag in the trunk.

On the negative side we immediately noticed a slight oil burning smell. Looks like the front valve cover has a very small leak. Also there is a small pool of antifreeze on the manifold. This may explain why I wasn't getting better mileage. I am shopping for the gaskets today. Front brakes look to be about 50%, and the rears are getting a bit thin. Some drilled/slotted rotors, and ceramic pads will be on the short list for the spring.

As for mods, I will be starting slow due to finances. The car was a great deal, but we spent a week in Vegas, and the trip ended up costing more than expected as usual. I already picked up some platinum plugs as I'm sure it still has the originals. Plug wires will also be replaced, and maybe coil packs if I can fit it in the budget. My wish list would start with a Corsa exhaust, K&N filter system, and smaller blower pulley. I will be looking for advice from the forums.

Sounds like your on the right track with your mods. Check this thread out, it should be helpful, and ask any other questions you have. Check here

My car was doing the exact same as yours when I first bought it, burning oil and coolant off the manifold. Post a thread in the 2000-2005 section and our gear heads will get you fixed up in a jiffy.

Thanks for the info, really appreciate all the tips I can get. I want to get going on this stuff, but it'* too cold even in the garage here in St. Louis to enjoy working on much.

very nice clean ride!! thanks for sharing!

I know this isn't the right place to post this kind of tip... I will take a photo and post it in the correct spot tomorrow. Just wanted to mention many of the little black plastic lug nut caps were cracked on my car. I just happened to find that Costco sells some beautiful heavy chromed acorn lug nuts for .48 cents each in their tire section. Quite a bargain compared to auto parts stores that charge a couple bucks each for poor looking ones.