Information about our Bonneville

General Info:

  • Official Name: 1993 Pontiac Bonneville SSE
  • Scientific Name: GM H-body
  • Nickname: "Daddy's Car" - rather generic, I know.
  • Color: Tan/Gold
  • Miles: 207,500 (as of 3-24-12)

Under the Hood:

  • Engine: 3.8 Liter (231 c.i.) V6, OHV, 2 Valves/Cyl
  • Horsepower: 170 @ 4800 RPM
  • Torque: 225 ft-lbs @ 3200 RPM
  • Transmission: 4-speed automatic w/overdrive

Dimensions:

  • Length: 201.1" (5.11 meters)
  • Width: 74.5" (1.89 meters)
  • Height: 55.7" (1.42 meters)
  • Wheelbase: 110.8" (2.81 meters)
  • Track, front/rear: 60.8"/60.8" (1.54m/1.54m)
  • Curb Weight: 3587 lbs (1627 kg)
  • Tires: Two Goodyear, Two Yokohama 225/60R16

Performance:

  • 0-60 mph, sec: ?
  • Quarter Mile, sec/mph: ?@? mph
  • Braking, 60-0 mph, ft: ? ft

Best Observed:

  • Speed: 80 mph (Various occasions)
  • MPG: 27 mpg
  • Utility: A wooden crate from work, which fit in the back seat.

Stuff we've had to do to it thus far:

  • November, 2008: "New" front brakes. I used two old rotors that I had turned, and some cheap off-brand pads - the car deserves no better. Cost: $50
  • August, 2007: First week of ownership: Swapped on two better used tires for the rear. Cost: $14. Fixed bad connection in the tail lights, put the steering wheel on straight, adjusted the weather-stripping on the doors so as not to leak, adjusted the trunk lid to close flush with the fenders. Cost: Free. New ACDelco spark plugs, some new vacuum line, and an air filter. Cost: $20.

Stuff we didn't have to do, but did anyway:

  • Nothing yet...

Related Links:

About the Bonneville
August, 2007 - May, 2012

3-24-12 - Sold. The rest of the story: Since the last post back in November of '08, I did some more brake work (including new lines in three places when they blew and tried to kill me on three separate occasions), put a new muffler and tailpipe on it, replaced the front struts and an inner tie-rod, and spliced the transmission line. I also put in some Lucas transmission fix, which worked quite well to eliminate the popping out of gear. There may be more, but those are the highlights. It finally became a car that I didn't mind driving, and I decided to drive it until it died.

So, naturally, it decided to die sooner rather than later.

OK, so it didn't actually die. One day I took off for work, and the transmission started to shift funny and slip. I put in another bottle of Lucas, but it didn't fix it, so I panicked and bought a 2001 Saturn SL1 to replace it. The Saturn needed some work, so I kept driving the Bonneville for a couple of weeks, and it didn't get any worse, and it might have actually improved somewhat. I had second thoughts, but decided that it was time to move on. It sold quickly; apparently there is a solid market for 19-year old Bonnevilles with failing transmissions. Win for me, I guess.

11-22-08 - One year after the previous post here, I have come to dislike the car. The transmission has the dreaded "morning sickness", which means that it doesn't always pop right into gear when started, or pops out at stop signs, all very temperature-related. At least it's not bad all year. The brakes got progressively worse, to the point of danger, so I did the front pads and rotors as cheaply as possible. The front suspension is loose and noisy. One strut kind of grinds as it moves. It occasionally smells of burning oil. Overall, it just isn't what I hoped it would be. Still, it drives me places, so drive it I will. At least until Spring.

8-19-07 - This is the new replacement for the '89. The '89 was suffering from a weak fuel pump, and rust in all the wrong places. As much as I hated to, it was time to move on...

So anyway, we bought this one from Beka's brother Matt, who had it for a few months in his driveway, but never got the title from his seller in Ohio. I offered to buy the car if we could get a title, and we found that a new title could possibly be had by just going into the Secretary of State office with the VIN# and letting them run a check on it, to see if it had been stolen. And that worked out fine.

The car does need some TLC. It's dirty, smelly, noisy, and has the ABS and Airbag lights lit on the dash. Still, it's an attractive car from about 30' away, it's nearly without rust, and it should last a good long time, if I decide that I like it enough to keep it a long time.

'93 SSE
From the front...
'93 SSE
From the rear...