Thank you for doing a video on the 92 Bonneville redesign. These were absolutely gorgeous and inventive cars, and I will die on this hill. I've had seven 92-99 Bonnevilles over the years. The community of enthusiasts for this car is small, but we are very dedicated. It's really great and also bizarre to see these cars finally get some recognition, after years of being overlooked. Thanks again for this great showcase, from me and my 1992 Bonneville! Would love to one day see an interview with the interior designer.
My dad had two bonnevilles, an 88/90 in grey and I believe a 93/95 in green. I'm looking for one right now online but despite listing being at a minimum, I'll find one and make that one of my project cars. We out here!! ✊🏾
Those tail lights aren't "smoked".... they're striped. This is a great trick to kind of simulate tinted lenses, but because the striped aren't transparent... they won't fade like tints tend to do, and they give that "tinted" feel because they mute the loud red/amber lenses. It was a cool look that only Pontiac figured out.
I've owned three of these, an 1989 SSE, 1995 SSEI, & 1998 SSEI, I loved these cars but the 98 was my favorite because of the more comfortable seats & the extra horsepower. I'd buy another if I could find one.
A good modern sleeper (for cheap) would be a first gen Hyundai Genesis with the 4.6 V8. 375 hp, 330 ft-lb torque (with 91 Octane) and 0-60 in 5.7 seconds.
I had a '94 SSEi, the car was comfortable and quick. It was a lease return when I bought it. I kept it several years and replaced it with a '98 Lexus LS400.
Both the B- and C-bodies of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s had the paint-peeling issue, which started happening within just a few years after they were produced. I believe it was due to mandated lower-VOC or water-based paints, and it took the US car makers (particularly GM and Chrysler) about a decade to figure out a paint system that’d hold up. That’s why you hardly see any of this generation of cars around any more. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong on that.
Tell me about it. I had a 95 achieva for a while and it was a total garbage inteior. I only got it cuz it was dirt cheap and was happy when the tranny shit the bed. I then got a 94 Buick Regal custom which had a quality (albeit oddly styled) inteior and was a terrific vehicle. I was always suprised those 2 cars could be so different and from the same company.
@@davidblevins9513 ram 1500 yes. At least fca upgrades the interior qualiy with the Laramie and Limited trims. GM keeps it cheap to the top of the line
Did anyone actually have this car? Only thing they did well was highway cruise and still the “sport suspension” was too garbage for comfortable ride yet not sport enough to take a curve
My wife and I borrowed my mother in law’s new 1988 Bonneville (base model) to drive to Kansas City to look for a house due to a job change. I thought I was driving a 4 door sports car, it handled so nicely. Mind you, this was the base model with base suspension. And we got 31 mpg on that trip as well! I didn’t think it was a nice looking car, but when I was sitting on the inside, I didn’t care what it looked like on the outside.
My first new car was a 93 SE, it was a nice looking car and the regular 3.8 V6. I replaced it with a new 96 SE with the optional 240 horse supercharged engine. It was quite quick for a big front driver. In 99 I bought an SSEi again with the supercharged engine. Common strong points: roomy and comfortable with great seats and large trunk. Ride was pretty nice, amazing fuel economy even with the supercharged engine. Apart from my comment below about transmissions they were very reliable too. Very attractive looker too. Common weak spots: lousy performing brakes that also warped quickly. Torque steer was annoying on base cars and even worse on the supercharged cars. Transmissions were failure prone with the supercharged engine. Interior looks good in the slightly blurry brochure photos but it was typical 90’s GM Tupperware quality in real life. Another GM wide weak link was how quickly the ride quality would degrade, after 40-50k miles it drove like a Toyota with 150k miles. Interestingly my 93 SE was the best handler of the three as Pontiac kept reducing spring rates over the run to address hard ride complaints. Another interesting tidbit was that my 96 car was much faster than my 99. Having read up on those engines recently I’ve discovered why. The 96 supercharged engine was newly improved that year and was underrated at 240 horse. By the end of the model year it was obvious that the engine was burning out transmissions so they quietly lowered the boost for 97 but didn’t change the rated power or torque numbers. Further confirmation of this was when my friend bought a new 97 Grand Prix GTP with the supposedly same 240 horse engine as my 96 bonneville but despite it being in a smaller lighter car (identical axle ratio and transmission) I’d walk him easily in my 96 Bonnie. My 93 had R12 AC which was polar vortex in cooling ability, the subsequent years switched coolant and while sufficient they were a big step down. My 99 was the best looker of the bunch in black with tan leather and sharp factory chrome mags but as mentioned the engine didn’t have the grunt of the 96. Also it had adjustable shock valving and it was lousy in both soft (sloppy) and firm (flinty). Overall excellent comfortable sporty looking car only let down by the typical GM bean counter front drive chassis.
I currently own a 1995 Bonneville sse red like your last picture. I love the car it looks great and it has a more comfortable ride then my wife's 2008 Buick lacrosse. Mine doesn't have the super charger but when I bought the car a little over a year ago it only had 77 thousand kilometers on the odometer and I bought it from the original owner. Tha ks for featuring it.
I had a 2008 Buick Lacrosse with the somewhat rare 3.6 engine. It was quite the wheel spinner if you punched it hard from a stand still. The 3.8 was significantly more reliable however.
I had a ‘95 SSEi as a company vehicle. It was what I would call British Racing Green in color with gold graphics that was a very popular color across the entire Bonneville lineup. It was fairly well built and for the time was a strong performer. One of the things I most remember about the interior was driving at night and the overwhelming amount of buttons and switches that were all lighted by Pontiac’s orange glow backlights. It was like a sea of Halloween decorations. Adam is correct about the seating. If you couldn’t find a comfortable position with those seats, then the problem was your own body, not the seat! 😉
My parents had a Bonneville just one like these I wanted it but they ended up drinking it cuz they didn't drive it until this day I still say another Bonnie but they're probably impossible to find now
It's interesting that Ford's supercharged 3.8 V6 (in the Thunderbird SC and the Mercury Cougar XR7) had similar horsepower but much more torque. The 89-93 models had 210hp/315lbft and the 94-95 models were rated at 230hp/330lbft. It makes me wonder if the Pontiac engineers deliberately choked these down a bit so as not to scatter the front-wheel-drive transmissions and/or encourage lame, FWD burnouts...
This model returned Bonneville to a beautiful and unique car. When the 82’s came out as basically a rebadged Grand Le Mans, I honestly screamed. It was a nice design but it SOOOOO was NOT a Bonneville. The late 80s had some great technology but the 6000 looked better than the Bonneville. 1992 brought back Bonneville pride
Coolest car of the 1990s with staying power? My choice would be a Lexus SC400! The styling is way less busy and has stood the test of time. Also, the aluminum block V8 engine is an excellent power option.
I loved those seats and the supercharged 3800 was one of the better high performance engines that GM has built. The downside of these is that with that engine they just chewed up transmissions right and left. If only Pontiac had put this engine and a good manual transmission in the Fiero. Make the Fiero like the Ferrari 288 GTO where the engine and transmission was mounted longitude ways instead of like a FWD vehicle. Of course GM would never have done it.
Had they developed this engine a little earlier, they could have put it into the 1986 Buick Grand Sport and made it a worthy companion to the Grand National.
I worked at a couple of Pontiac dealership when these cars were out. I drove a few of them and I really liked them. Good-looking, comfortable, sporty, and dependable. I couldn't ask for more.
I’ve read that these bonnevilles were a dream to drive, but we’re very unreliable with frequent electrical issues across the board. Did you experience this?
@@Forge17 I worked at 2 Pontiac dealerships and the Bonnevilles didn't come in for too many repairs. The N-Body cars (looking at YOU Grand Am), were a different story.
Same. I worked at a small town Louisiana Pontiac, GMC, Oldsmobile dealer and people loved these cars. We constantly ran the 1 penny over invoice specials and would make a killing on the backend adding service plans and other fluff items.
I would like to think of myself as someone who’s up to speed on 90s GM vehicles, I have an 03 Monte Carlo SS but wow those bonnevilles had a lot of feature that I had no idea about. It seems like that car was almost ahead of it’s time. The seats are crazy and I can’t believe it has a heads up display. Maybe not the first to have some of these things but definitely paved the way for features GM still currently uses
Criminally under-braked for a factory equipped 'z' tire vehicle. Loved to eat transmissions. There is separate oil for the supercharger that must be checked with a fill plug in the lifter valley. I don't think you can blow heat out the front vents, only floor and defrost with the auto heat. That slider under the radio is a gain control for the subwoofer on the non-bose radios. The seats are fantastic.
I love these videos, Adam. You cover all of the cool details people often gloss over. My first car was my dad's old '95 SSEi, and it was a lot of fun. I drove it well into adulthood and put 237K miles on it. It had some cool details you didn't often see in cars (e.g. the seat belt light and chime would stop once you got the seatbelt about a foot out versus having to wait till it was buckled; you could touch the windshield washer and let go, and it would spray a designated amount of time in addition to wiping versus having to hold wash down to keep it spraying like most GM cars of the era; etc.) in addition to the more noteworthy ones you covered. Really enjoy your interviews too. Thanks for the great content! Mitch Quade - Madison, WI
Excellent Adam. Thank you. I cannot add anything to what you said. I have been a fan of the Bonneville for decades. I liked this generation. The facelift in 1996 was good looking. It told the upcoming 2000 Bonneville. I liked the 2000-2005 Pontiac Bonneville as well. I recall the seats. If you buy one of these, the SSE/ SSEi or SLE trim was the way to go. I was told the floor shifter and console from the 1987-1991 Bonneville was used in the 1993-1996 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight LSS. There was a lot of parts sharing going on. I know the Bonneville GXP with the Northstar V8 replaced the SSE trim. I had to watch the video twice because of the many things you said. This car should have had a remote fuel filler door. It did not. I recall back in the day when Bonneville SSE came out they called the climate control "rather Cadillac looking". The funny thing about the 1987-1991 Bonneville it was the longest front wheel drive GM sedan until they upsized Deville and Fleetwood in 1989. I should say when they created Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special in 1988 model year. Then Oldsmobile got the Touring Sedan which rivaled the Bonneville SSE. It had multi adjustable seats too. Buick had Park Avenue Ultra. Another fact. The Pontiac Bonneville never offered digital gauges. Other GM full sized cars did ( not counting Buick Roadmaster) . The 2000-2005 Pontiac Bonneville used the Oldsmobile Aurora seats after Oldsmobile Aurora was phased out. Thank you for always backing up what you share with photos and videos. You should have shared a Pontiac commercial for the Bonneville as well. Driving Bonneville! Thank you again Adam.
Owned one for 3 years, sold it when the back door locks were constantly needing to be serviced due to living on a gravel road. The trunk had a tool kit, white gloves included and an air compressor to reach all 4 tires. Very nice car, probably not desirable with high mileage, so many things to go wrong.
I bought a new 1990 Pontiac Turbo Grand Prix in late 1989. The instrument cluster with HUD was basically carried over to the Bonneville. But the car was the typical GM junk that they put out.
They did run good. The interior switchgear was pretty bad, really cheesy. I never liked all that exterior cladding on the Pontiacs, just too fake looking.
Pontiac was the button and gauge division from about the mid-70's until . . . at least the mid-90's, but Motor Week's John Davis probably would have complained that there was no oil pressure gauge. John loves his gauges. I do recall riding in a friend's early 90's Bonneville and being somewhat impressed with it. But Pontiac at the time, took some good things and carried it just a bit too far for my taste. Too many gauges and buttons and too much cladding. Oh, that awful cladding they slathered so heavy-handedly on every car.
Pontiac designers ruined the styling of this car when they de-Pontiaced it. They did that in a number of ways. People who fell in love with the early Pontiacs did so because they loved the V-shaped grill and hood. It was a signature styling cue for Pontiac. Taking away the V-shaped nose would be equivalent to taking the verticle rear lights off from Cadillac. At that point, it was no longer a Pontiac. It was just another car in the crowd.
A neighbor of mine, the son of a CEO, drove one of these as his father bought it brand new for him to drive while he was in college. I frankly thought it was rather hideous. There was just too much going on with the styling, and the cladding on the sides was just junky looking. Many years later, my son drove one of these, a used car with high mileage. He drove it for several years and it never gave him any problems. But he eventually got bored with it and traded it off.
I think this generation of GM G and H body vehicles were some of the best cars in modern history. In my opinion, these were the last time cars were good. It’s hard to find any car after this generation, from any brand, that has this level of style, comfort, driving dynamics and fuel economy.
I thought I wanted one but one day waiting for a traffic light to change I looked around and realized I was surrounded by Bonneville just call it a odd coincidence but sitting there in traffic In my 90 GMC Sierra I got turned off by the Bonneville just too many of them where ever I go nothing special or unique about them
I owned a 1994 Bonneville and then read how the platform was carried over from the previous generation. After that, I immediately started recognizing shapes and dimensions from my dad's 1989 Buick Electra. Keeping with that theme, I also owned a 1995 Pontiac Grand Prix and test drove a 2000 Grand Prix as a possible replacement. As soon as I got it on the street, it became clear to me it was the exact same car.
You really dont want all that seat adjustment. You end up obsesively adjusting everything all the time, and without seat memory its the worst thing in the world when someone else drives it and adjusts the seat.
I miss my 87 Bonneville. My 99 wasn't such a great car, was relieved to get rid of it when I did. Intake gaskets, oil pump, fuel pump, transmission solenoid, lots of other failures before 70k. That said, it was sharp, peppy and generally comfortable. I wish GM still made full sized cars like that.
Always loved these cars from the day the first SSE was introduced in ‘88. Sadly I never owned one but ‘circumstances’ in 1995 put me in GM’s Oldsmobile variant … the 88 LSS. Loved that car but winced every time I saw an SSEI on the road. Still do and watching this video inspires me to launch a search so I can finally make good on my dream to own one. Thanks Adam.
I absolutely loved my ‘98 Bonneville (sadly only a loaded SE). One of my first cars, I drove it daily through high school, college and beyond. Other cars were purchased but I kept that Bonneville around. A great road trip vehicle, one of the most comfortable I’ve owned.
I miss Pontiac so much. I loved my Grand Prixs and kept them longer than any cars I've had. The GTP I had had the series 2 supercharged engine and it was torquey reliable and fuel efficient. I sold it at 148,000 with the notorious cooling system elbows and a couple of serpentine belt pulleys being the only non-maintenance issues I ever had.
I guess they lost the tec to build a car like it today. 30mpg was the norm. I had a 93 APV mini van with a 3800 that routinely got 32. I've heard, they forgot how they got to the moon too...imagine that.
Looks like Pontiac did Ok for awhile. Too Bad GM couldn't kept something going with that line, like with Oldsmobile, which ended production after over 100 years (2004).
Oldsmobile gone after 2000. Pontiac gone after 2008, along with the Saturn. 2009 Pontiacs were just left over 2008's. Now, the only new CAR anyone will be able to buy from GM will be the Corvette.
A friend had the previous gen SSE and I had the next gen SSEi (gold all options save for some reason heated seats, with those slightly ghetto chrome wheels - 2001 I think). Mine was more capable, improved chassis architecture, better NVH, but I thought my friends' 1990 looked better. In my heart of hearts however, I probably liked the 240 hp version of this gen best, slab of ribs and all. In BRG with tan leather, please.
I'm a big fan of those 90s Bonnevilles. I remember seeing them all over the place. They had great performance and the exterior had a really nice design. The dash layout starting in 1993 was so elegant, other than the clumsy compass.
I always appreciated the thoroughness of design and packaging of these cars, and that red one you featured at the end of the video is very good looking.
This was one of my favorite cars as a kid on the 90s Was like a sporty LeSabre I always thought. Even though it was a Pontiac Bonneville and not a Buick LeSabre. I really love these so much! More now than ever!
Bothe the Bonneville SSE and SSEi were incredible full size sports touring sedans with refinement not found in their price range matching their category. Great cars.
Neat video on a car that many people have forgotten about. I had a '95 SE in medium blue and drove it for about 6-7 years. Great looking car for the time. The seats were the most comfortable I'd ever had. Another plus was the car routinely hit 30 mpg on a long, highway trip!
These really were affluent in appearance. Looks that were pleasantly superior to anything in its class.(especially when you consider they were hitting dealerships already in July of '91)
The Bonnevilles of the nineties are a world different from my grandfathers Bonnevilles of the sixties & seventies!!! I think he'd approve & be happy to drive one!! 👍🙂
My parents had a very early model '87 Bonneville SE... solid metallic red with grey cloth. What a great car and much better looking to my eyes, then the replacement. In fact, I remember my dad being invited to look at a new SSEi, and he came back laughing at how "busy" the exterior was. My dad was a life insurance guy, so I wasn't shocked, but when I laid eyes on it myself, it was a lot to take in for sure and agreed with him. He went on to buy a new Acura Legend. But, with the passing of time, I really miss all of these cars now.
I really liked this video, it brought back a lot of great memories of a car that really felt so "special" back in the early 90's. I'd also like to point out that the supercharged 3800 was available as an option on the SSE as well. I'm not sure about '92, but for '93 it most certainly was. You didn't have to get the SSEi trim to get the engine.
I get that these are very good cars especially when equipped with the 3800 from but unfortunately all this "plastic fantastic" tack-on's always made the car look cheap. Personally I think if GM wanted to market this as a lujury or even sports Sedan they should have made it look a bit more dignified. I think the old's Aurora did a better job capturing capturing the look and feel
I had 92 SE. Bought it new and drove it for over 100K miles. Sold it in 2000 to buy a Grand Prix. The family that I sold it to is still driving it today, despite its Michigan Cancer (rust).
I owned the SSEi back in 1992. After around 65,000 I started blowing the alternator around every 5,000 miles. Also the fuel pump, water pump, the entire dash had to be replaced and the anti-lock brake system. And that was all before 80,000 miles. I loved the style and size and features. But I don’t think the normally reliable 3800 engine was engineered well enough to handle the super charger.
Hi Adam, greets from Mexico. Enjoyed this review of the Bonneville. Back in the day, I worked in Atlanta for a Fortune 100 company, and we had great rates for cars from National. Really great monthly rates too. I was coming out of a car lease and wanted to get the new (1994) Mustang GT convertible coming out in the fall. So how to bridge the gap? I’d do a couple of the 30 day rentals on National’s “Emerald Aisle - Pick Any Car and GO.” Took the light rail to ATL, and headed to the rental lot. Lo and behold I got an SSE - three times. What a car. Fast, nimble, and quite comfortable. Perfect freeway cruiser for my commute. I can only imagine what the supercharged variant was like. In the end, I still wanted a convertible with a 5 speed and made it happen. But that Pontiac… Btw, the rates were like $350-400 for the month, insurance included so I was ahead of the game until the Mustang.
I always like these. I wanted to get one but marriage and two children in Parochial School would not allow it. However, we did get a low mileage 1994 LeSabre Limited back then. A wonderful Family Car. Very Peppy for such a heavy car. Since it was a Limited and not a standard Custom LeSabre it had Analog Gauges on it. We had it for years and over 200K miles. Sad thing was it rusted out . The wheel wells in the trunk rusted through. I had them patched quite well and sold the car. We purchased a 2000 Park Avenue which was actually 500lbs lighter then the LeSabre. The Park Ave had more 'Gizmos' on it but the LeSabre IMO was a much better car. I wish I would have looked harder for a Bonneville back then.....
Despite this car's attributes that I am acknowledging, the ugly pillared 4-door sedan body style turned me off then, BEFORE then, and still does to this day. Pontiac was very far into its declining years here (as were nearly all American cars) and it's sad to see. This Bonneville is such a fall off a high cliff compared to the 1971-'76 generation with all of the great body style availabilties, that it's not even funny, never mind the 1965 Pontiacs you've featured. The downsized full-size cars of 1977 forward were the end of GM's large cars in any sense other than family sedans, taxi cabs, police and rental cars. So 1992 was roughly the mid-way point of 1977 to the end of Pontiac altogether.
My father had 3 Bonneville's, 2 of the previous body style and then this one. He must have had a 93+, because he 100% had a faux wood dash kit installed, he missed it from his previous Bonneville's. lol
I recall the Pittsburgh PD 🚔 in Pittsburgh PA used odd Pontiac sedans: Bonneville as patrol vehicles. Around 1992 to 1995 or so. The cops had smaller cars but the super charged engines. I think as the 1990s went on, the Police Bureau went with new V8 Ford sedans, P71s.
I owned a 1994 Bonneville SE and it had less then 2 miles when I bought it new. I wish I could have afforded an SSEi, but just the base model snickered over $22K, I enjoyed driving the car, but I thought the fit and finish of the car was subpar. I traded it in for a 1998 Ford Taurus SE with a 200 HP engine that was much more responsive and enjoyable to drive
I had a 1992 Olds 88 Royale, with the same corporate platform. Probably the most comfortable car I ever had. Ugly, but dependable and satisfying. The thing that really turns me off is the Pontiac interior fittings. All that gray plastic kid-safe ......yech. Looks like it was designed by Gumby.
I used to have a 1990 SSE and I realized that the onboard compass worked better than my iPhone6S. The compass on my iPhone was completely out of align, yet the SSE compass worked flawlessly. I later drove it in circles to recalibrate it and it didn't change much.
These are the cars that had plastic front fenders. My mom had an '89 Bonneville SE and it was bulletproof. Lots of cheap stupid looking plastic, and I am SURE the interior was built by Mattel the toy maker, but the 3800 engine was a winner. And the stereo controls on the steering wheel was a great feature!
As a kid of both the 1980's and the 90's it was so cool to watch the transformation of styling.
Now we have windstream amebas with wheels.
They made 4 door sedans great again!
Agreed! Todays cars are all just variations of the same sausage link. And about as exciting as the prospect of buying an "EV." No, thanks.
@@roccosophie6498 'sausage link' 🤣🤣🤣
@@nycstarport8542 😁
Thank you for doing a video on the 92 Bonneville redesign. These were absolutely gorgeous and inventive cars, and I will die on this hill. I've had seven 92-99 Bonnevilles over the years. The community of enthusiasts for this car is small, but we are very dedicated. It's really great and also bizarre to see these cars finally get some recognition, after years of being overlooked. Thanks again for this great showcase, from me and my 1992 Bonneville! Would love to one day see an interview with the interior designer.
Are you on drugs??? That is one of most ugly pieces of shit ever created and a far cry from the beautiful cars the US made in the 50s, 60s and 70s...
My dad had two bonnevilles, an 88/90 in grey and I believe a 93/95 in green. I'm looking for one right now online but despite listing being at a minimum, I'll find one and make that one of my project cars. We out here!! ✊🏾
These were far more reliable than the chrysler LH cars they compeated against.
That could be debated. Each had thier pros & cons. If we take Chrysler's 2.7 out of the equation, they're both equally good cars.
Those tail lights aren't "smoked".... they're striped. This is a great trick to kind of simulate tinted lenses, but because the striped aren't transparent... they won't fade like tints tend to do, and they give that "tinted" feel because they mute the loud red/amber lenses. It was a cool look that only Pontiac figured out.
I think they called them Rally Lights, at least on the grand prix’s they did, but those were muriform not striped
I especially like the honeycomb design on the tail lights of the fourth gen Firebird
Exactly
Looked like an cross design overlay to me. True, they were not smoked but gave the illusion they were.
I've owned three of these, an 1989 SSE, 1995 SSEI, & 1998 SSEI, I loved these cars but the 98 was my favorite because of the more comfortable seats & the extra horsepower. I'd buy another if I could find one.
One of my favourite Pontiac Bonneville generation. Was a revelation when it was released.
I always wanted one of these as a teenager, I have a long deep seated love of sleepers.
A good modern sleeper (for cheap) would be a first gen Hyundai Genesis with the 4.6 V8. 375 hp, 330 ft-lb torque (with 91 Octane) and 0-60 in 5.7 seconds.
I had a '94 SSEi, the car was comfortable and quick. It was a lease return when I bought it. I kept it several years and replaced it with a '98 Lexus LS400.
A lot of these cars in my area, have the the paint peeling off, mainly on the hood or trunk. Very cheap paint.
Both the B- and C-bodies of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s had the paint-peeling issue, which started happening within just a few years after they were produced. I believe it was due to mandated lower-VOC or water-based paints, and it took the US car makers (particularly GM and Chrysler) about a decade to figure out a paint system that’d hold up. That’s why you hardly see any of this generation of cars around any more. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong on that.
Where GM cars of this era really disappointed was in the interiors. Most particularly the myriad of cheap grey plastic buttons and knobs.
Tell me about it. I had a 95 achieva for a while and it was a total garbage inteior. I only got it cuz it was dirt cheap and was happy when the tranny shit the bed. I then got a 94 Buick Regal custom which had a quality (albeit oddly styled) inteior and was a terrific vehicle. I was always suprised those 2 cars could be so different and from the same company.
Those gray switches and buttons used in pontiacs from the 80s to mid 2000s looked and felt like garbage. They would break apart over time.
These cars were from a time when I thought GM could do no wrong. Now after having owned several GM's I wouldn't touch one.
My beef with new GMs is that they still suffer from cheap interiors.
@@Henry_Jones ever ride in a new dodge lol
@@davidblevins9513 ram 1500 yes. At least fca upgrades the interior qualiy with the Laramie and Limited trims. GM keeps it cheap to the top of the line
@@Henry_Jones ever heard of a high country or Denali?
Did anyone actually have this car? Only thing they did well was highway cruise and still the “sport suspension” was too garbage for comfortable ride yet not sport enough to take a curve
GM plastic fantastic interior ruined a decent product.
Their 90s interiors always reminded me of something that would come from Fisher Price.
The Toyota Previa minivan also rocked the ribs, as did the gen 3 Mitsubishi Eclipse
My wife and I borrowed my mother in law’s new 1988 Bonneville (base model) to drive to Kansas City to look for a house due to a job change. I thought I was driving a 4 door sports car, it handled so nicely. Mind you, this was the base model with base suspension. And we got 31 mpg on that trip as well! I didn’t think it was a nice looking car, but when I was sitting on the inside, I didn’t care what it looked like on the outside.
My first new car was a 93 SE, it was a nice looking car and the regular 3.8 V6. I replaced it with a new 96 SE with the optional 240 horse supercharged engine. It was quite quick for a big front driver. In 99 I bought an SSEi again with the supercharged engine.
Common strong points: roomy and comfortable with great seats and large trunk. Ride was pretty nice, amazing fuel economy even with the supercharged engine. Apart from my comment below about transmissions they were very reliable too.
Very attractive looker too.
Common weak spots: lousy performing brakes that also warped quickly. Torque steer was annoying on base cars and even worse on the supercharged cars. Transmissions were failure prone with the supercharged engine. Interior looks good in the slightly blurry brochure photos but it was typical 90’s GM Tupperware quality in real life. Another GM wide weak link was how quickly the ride quality would degrade, after 40-50k miles it drove like a Toyota with 150k miles.
Interestingly my 93 SE was the best handler of the three as Pontiac kept reducing spring rates over the run to address hard ride complaints.
Another interesting tidbit was that my 96 car was much faster than my 99. Having read up on those engines recently I’ve discovered why. The 96 supercharged engine was newly improved that year and was underrated at 240 horse. By the end of the model year it was obvious that the engine was burning out transmissions so they quietly lowered the boost for 97 but didn’t change the rated power or torque numbers. Further confirmation of this was when my friend bought a new 97 Grand Prix GTP with the supposedly same 240 horse engine as my 96 bonneville but despite it being in a smaller lighter car (identical axle ratio and transmission) I’d walk him easily in my 96 Bonnie.
My 93 had R12 AC which was polar vortex in cooling ability, the subsequent years switched coolant and while sufficient they were a big step down.
My 99 was the best looker of the bunch in black with tan leather and sharp factory chrome mags but as mentioned the engine didn’t have the grunt of the 96. Also it had adjustable shock valving and it was lousy in both soft (sloppy) and firm (flinty).
Overall excellent comfortable sporty looking car only let down by the typical GM bean counter front drive chassis.
I currently own a 1995 Bonneville sse red like your last picture. I love the car it looks great and it has a more comfortable ride then my wife's 2008 Buick lacrosse. Mine doesn't have the super charger but when I bought the car a little over a year ago it only had 77 thousand kilometers on the odometer and I bought it from the original owner. Tha ks for featuring it.
I had a 2008 Buick Lacrosse with the somewhat rare 3.6 engine. It was quite the wheel spinner if you punched it hard from a stand still. The 3.8 was significantly more reliable however.
I had a ‘95 SSEi as a company vehicle. It was what I would call British Racing Green in color with gold graphics that was a very popular color across the entire Bonneville lineup. It was fairly well built and for the time was a strong performer. One of the things I most remember about the interior was driving at night and the overwhelming amount of buttons and switches that were all lighted by Pontiac’s orange glow backlights. It was like a sea of Halloween decorations. Adam is correct about the seating. If you couldn’t find a comfortable position with those seats, then the problem was your own body, not the seat! 😉
My parents had a Bonneville just one like these I wanted it but they ended up drinking it cuz they didn't drive it until this day I still say another Bonnie but they're probably impossible to find now
The earlier understated styling was very nice indeed. Wonderful 3800 engine, comfortable and roomy cabin, big trunk, pretty good handling. Great cars.
3.8 engine is legit one of the best motors ever made
@@joshkeeling82from ford as well
@@joshkeeling82you can see my 3.8 mustang and Bonneville in my pic lol
It's interesting that Ford's supercharged 3.8 V6 (in the Thunderbird SC and the Mercury Cougar XR7) had similar horsepower but much more torque. The 89-93 models had 210hp/315lbft and the 94-95 models were rated at 230hp/330lbft. It makes me wonder if the Pontiac engineers deliberately choked these down a bit so as not to scatter the front-wheel-drive transmissions and/or encourage lame, FWD burnouts...
This model returned Bonneville to a beautiful and unique car. When the 82’s came out as basically a rebadged Grand Le Mans, I honestly screamed. It was a nice design but it SOOOOO was NOT a Bonneville. The late 80s had some great technology but the 6000 looked better than the Bonneville. 1992 brought back Bonneville pride
Coolest car of the 1990s with staying power? My choice would be a Lexus SC400! The styling is way less busy and has stood the test of time. Also, the aluminum block V8 engine is an excellent power option.
I had one of these and I loved it! The styling was so cutting edge for the day. I would love to have one today!
I had a 1997 Grand Prix with the supercharged 3800. Awesome engine! Impressive power when passing on the highway.
Same! White with tan leather interior. I loved that car. 28mpg highway too.
I loved those seats and the supercharged 3800 was one of the better high performance engines that GM has built. The downside of these is that with that engine they just chewed up transmissions right and left. If only Pontiac had put this engine and a good manual transmission in the Fiero. Make the Fiero like the Ferrari 288 GTO where the engine and transmission was mounted longitude ways instead of like a FWD vehicle. Of course GM would never have done it.
Had they developed this engine a little earlier, they could have put it into the 1986 Buick Grand Sport and made it a worthy companion to the Grand National.
I worked at a couple of Pontiac dealership when these cars were out. I drove a few of them and I really liked them. Good-looking, comfortable, sporty, and dependable. I couldn't ask for more.
I’ve read that these bonnevilles were a dream to drive, but we’re very unreliable with frequent electrical issues across the board. Did you experience this?
@@Forge17 I worked at 2 Pontiac dealerships and the Bonnevilles didn't come in for too many repairs. The N-Body cars (looking at YOU Grand Am), were a different story.
@@rogerhinman5427 ah good to know, I wouldn’t mind owning one of these Bonnevilles. Shame on those Grand am’s though
Same. I worked at a small town Louisiana Pontiac, GMC, Oldsmobile dealer and people loved these cars. We constantly ran the 1 penny over invoice specials and would make a killing on the backend adding service plans and other fluff items.
I would like to think of myself as someone who’s up to speed on 90s GM vehicles, I have an 03 Monte Carlo SS but wow those bonnevilles had a lot of feature that I had no idea about. It seems like that car was almost ahead of it’s time. The seats are crazy and I can’t believe it has a heads up display. Maybe not the first to have some of these things but definitely paved the way for features GM still currently uses
Criminally under-braked for a factory equipped 'z' tire vehicle. Loved to eat transmissions. There is separate oil for the supercharger that must be checked with a fill plug in the lifter valley. I don't think you can blow heat out the front vents, only floor and defrost with the auto heat. That slider under the radio is a gain control for the subwoofer on the non-bose radios. The seats are fantastic.
I love these videos, Adam. You cover all of the cool details people often gloss over. My first car was my dad's old '95 SSEi, and it was a lot of fun. I drove it well into adulthood and put 237K miles on it. It had some cool details you didn't often see in cars (e.g. the seat belt light and chime would stop once you got the seatbelt about a foot out versus having to wait till it was buckled; you could touch the windshield washer and let go, and it would spray a designated amount of time in addition to wiping versus having to hold wash down to keep it spraying like most GM cars of the era; etc.) in addition to the more noteworthy ones you covered.
Really enjoy your interviews too. Thanks for the great content!
Mitch Quade - Madison, WI
Excellent Adam. Thank you. I cannot add anything to what you said. I have been a fan of the Bonneville for decades. I liked this generation. The facelift in 1996 was good looking. It told the upcoming 2000 Bonneville. I liked the 2000-2005 Pontiac Bonneville as well. I recall the seats. If you buy one of these, the SSE/ SSEi or SLE trim was the way to go. I was told the floor shifter and console from the 1987-1991 Bonneville was used in the 1993-1996 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight LSS. There was a lot of parts sharing going on. I know the Bonneville GXP with the Northstar V8 replaced the SSE trim. I had to watch the video twice because of the many things you said. This car should have had a remote fuel filler door. It did not. I recall back in the day when Bonneville SSE came out they called the climate control "rather Cadillac looking". The funny thing about the 1987-1991 Bonneville it was the longest front wheel drive GM sedan until they upsized Deville and Fleetwood in 1989. I should say when they created Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special in 1988 model year. Then Oldsmobile got the Touring Sedan which rivaled the Bonneville SSE. It had multi adjustable seats too. Buick had Park Avenue Ultra. Another fact. The Pontiac Bonneville never offered digital gauges. Other GM full sized cars did ( not counting Buick Roadmaster) . The 2000-2005 Pontiac Bonneville used the Oldsmobile Aurora seats after Oldsmobile Aurora was phased out. Thank you for always backing up what you share with photos and videos. You should have shared a Pontiac commercial for the Bonneville as well. Driving Bonneville! Thank you again Adam.
Too bad the 2000-2005 had so many quality issues. I also found the 2000-2005 cars to have the driver's seat too far forward.
@@buckykattnj I hear that a lot about the 2000-2005 Pontiac Bonneville. I wonder why...
Loved these cars. My uncle had a 94 or so hunter green SSEi. Beautiful car that would RUN!
some of the best cars out of japan are from the 90s
Owned one for 3 years, sold it when the back door locks were constantly needing to be serviced due to living on a gravel road. The trunk had a tool kit, white gloves included and an air compressor to reach all 4 tires. Very nice car, probably not desirable with high mileage, so many things to go wrong.
97 Buick Regal GS
Buick Park Ave Ultra
94-96 GM B body
Any DSM car
Any 90s Honda
The executive sports car❤❤❤❤, but only with the Buick 3800/6😂😂😂😂.
Good Lord - the “interior button” salesman who had the Pontiac account in the early 90’s must have made a FORTUNE……..!!!!!!
😂
I bought a new 1990 Pontiac Turbo Grand Prix
in late 1989. The instrument cluster with HUD was basically carried over to the Bonneville.
But the car was the typical GM junk that they put out.
GM's front-drive full-size cars of the 1990's were good-looking cars.
They did run good. The interior switchgear was pretty bad, really cheesy. I never liked all that exterior cladding on the Pontiacs, just too fake looking.
The Head Up display was great, should have been in EVERY car as a safety feature.
Pontiac was the button and gauge division from about the mid-70's until . . . at least the mid-90's, but Motor Week's John Davis probably would have complained that there was no oil pressure gauge. John loves his gauges. I do recall riding in a friend's early 90's Bonneville and being somewhat impressed with it. But Pontiac at the time, took some good things and carried it just a bit too far for my taste. Too many gauges and buttons and too much cladding. Oh, that awful cladding they slathered so heavy-handedly on every car.
Great cars, good quality , ride, looks and performance yet 27 + mpg
We had the supercharged 3800 in the commodore of this era in rear wheel drive, only automatic transmission.
Pontiac designers ruined the styling of this car when they de-Pontiaced it. They did that in a number of ways. People who fell in love with the early Pontiacs did so because they loved the V-shaped grill and hood. It was a signature styling cue for Pontiac. Taking away the V-shaped nose would be equivalent to taking the verticle rear lights off from Cadillac. At that point, it was no longer a Pontiac. It was just another car in the crowd.
I had no idea the sheet metal under the plastic fenders was so similar to the prior generation.
A neighbor of mine, the son of a CEO, drove one of these as his father bought it brand new for him to drive while he was in college. I frankly thought it was rather hideous. There was just too much going on with the styling, and the cladding on the sides was just junky looking. Many years later, my son drove one of these, a used car with high mileage. He drove it for several years and it never gave him any problems. But he eventually got bored with it and traded it off.
I think this generation of GM G and H body vehicles were some of the best cars in modern history. In my opinion, these were the last time cars were good. It’s hard to find any car after this generation, from any brand, that has this level of style, comfort, driving dynamics and fuel economy.
I thought I wanted one but one day waiting for a traffic light to change I looked around and realized I was surrounded by Bonneville just call it a odd coincidence but sitting there in traffic In my 90 GMC Sierra I got turned off by the Bonneville just too many of them where ever I go nothing special or unique about them
I owned a 1994 Bonneville and then read how the platform was carried over from the previous generation. After that, I immediately started recognizing shapes and dimensions from my dad's 1989 Buick Electra. Keeping with that theme, I also owned a 1995 Pontiac Grand Prix and test drove a 2000 Grand Prix as a possible replacement. As soon as I got it on the street, it became clear to me it was the exact same car.
If it's so great, why did Govt Motors close up the Division a few years later?
And then. . . . Pontiac went broke. The car must not have been that great. At the end, Pontiac was only in GM owned rental fleets. No one bought them.
You really dont want all that seat adjustment. You end up obsesively adjusting everything all the time, and without seat memory its the worst thing in the world when someone else drives it and adjusts the seat.
Adam, this car is not "timeless". A Porsche 928 is timeless, this car is not-
These videos always lead me to check the classifieds after watching. Remember renting these Bonnevilles from Hertz on business trips back in the day
Same here. Great memories
I had two 1991 SSE's. They were just great road cars, fun to drive, and had those big comfy wide seats.
I miss my 87 Bonneville. My 99 wasn't such a great car, was relieved to get rid of it when I did. Intake gaskets, oil pump, fuel pump, transmission solenoid, lots of other failures before 70k.
That said, it was sharp, peppy and generally comfortable. I wish GM still made full sized cars like that.
Horrible cladding on these Pontiacs.
I could never get past the cladding element of the styling - loved that engine and those seats, but too much in the way of external distraction.
Early 90s was generally good quality stuff. Was rocking a 93 Crown Victoria. Beyond great car that one.
Always loved these cars from the day the first SSE was introduced in ‘88. Sadly I never owned one but ‘circumstances’ in 1995 put me in GM’s Oldsmobile variant … the 88 LSS. Loved that car but winced every time I saw an SSEI on the road. Still do and watching this video inspires me to launch a search so I can finally make good on my dream to own one. Thanks Adam.
I absolutely loved my ‘98 Bonneville (sadly only a loaded SE). One of my first cars, I drove it daily through high school, college and beyond. Other cars were purchased but I kept that Bonneville around. A great road trip vehicle, one of the most comfortable I’ve owned.
I miss Pontiac so much. I loved my Grand Prixs and kept them longer than any cars I've had. The GTP I had had the series 2 supercharged engine and it was torquey reliable and fuel efficient. I sold it at 148,000 with the notorious cooling system elbows and a couple of serpentine belt pulleys being the only non-maintenance issues I ever had.
1:07 My 1989 Bonneville looksed like this body style, but with a deeper red color! I loved it very much and it had the awesome 30mpg 3800 V6 engine.
I guess they lost the tec to build a car like it today. 30mpg was the norm. I had a 93 APV mini van with a 3800 that routinely got 32.
I've heard, they forgot how they got to the moon too...imagine that.
My dad had one of these. The rear drum brakes were a real let down.
Looks like Pontiac did Ok for awhile. Too Bad GM couldn't kept something going with that line, like with Oldsmobile, which ended production after over 100 years (2004).
Oldsmobile gone after 2000. Pontiac gone after 2008, along with the Saturn. 2009 Pontiacs were just left over 2008's. Now, the only new CAR anyone will be able to buy from GM will be the Corvette.
A friend had the previous gen SSE and I had the next gen SSEi (gold all options save for some reason heated seats, with those slightly ghetto chrome wheels - 2001 I think). Mine was more capable, improved chassis architecture, better NVH, but I thought my friends' 1990 looked better. In my heart of hearts however, I probably liked the 240 hp version of this gen best, slab of ribs and all. In BRG with tan leather, please.
I'm a big fan of those 90s Bonnevilles. I remember seeing them all over the place. They had great performance and the exterior had a really nice design. The dash layout starting in 1993 was so elegant, other than the clumsy compass.
90s cars! now we are talking!!!
I always appreciated the thoroughness of design and packaging of these cars, and that red one you featured at the end of the video is very good looking.
There was also a special model for farmers - the SSEeieio.
That was pretty good
Those things have a lot of good features but that light gray plastic switchgear that they used,,, SO cheap looking...
For some reason I'd rather just have a clean LeSabre or Olds LSS. This car is just too gaudy for me.
Still my favorite Gen
Thank you for posting this. Great video. I was 15 when this generation came out and I was just getting into cars and I was wild about these.
This was one of my favorite cars as a kid on the 90s
Was like a sporty LeSabre I always thought. Even though it was a Pontiac Bonneville and not a Buick LeSabre. I really love these so much! More now than ever!
Bothe the Bonneville SSE and SSEi were incredible full size sports touring sedans with refinement not found in their price range matching their category. Great cars.
Neat video on a car that many people have forgotten about. I had a '95 SE in medium blue and drove it for about 6-7 years. Great looking car for the time. The seats were the most comfortable I'd ever had. Another plus was the car routinely hit 30 mpg on a long, highway trip!
Because they were so forgettable.
These really were affluent in appearance. Looks that were pleasantly superior to anything in its class.(especially when you consider they were hitting dealerships already in July of '91)
Rare yes, cool hell no.
Always loved the Bonnevilles. I had an ‘87, ‘91, and a loaded 1997 SSE which was beautiful, comfortable, and fun!
very nice front end.
The ending of the 3800 series II supercharged ended in 2003 not 1999. 2004 was the beginning of the GXP
The Bonnevilles of the nineties are a world different from my grandfathers Bonnevilles of the sixties & seventies!!! I think he'd approve & be happy to drive one!! 👍🙂
_Another One_ 👌
Adams like a mothers middle child ... no matter what he does he never disappoints me. 😆
I remember when these cars came out and I was like "Woah! I can't believe I like a 4 door!"
They're still one of my all time favorites!
My parents had a very early model '87 Bonneville SE... solid metallic red with grey cloth. What a great car and much better looking to my eyes, then the replacement. In fact, I remember my dad being invited to look at a new SSEi, and he came back laughing at how "busy" the exterior was. My dad was a life insurance guy, so I wasn't shocked, but when I laid eyes on it myself, it was a lot to take in for sure and agreed with him. He went on to buy a new Acura Legend. But, with the passing of time, I really miss all of these cars now.
I really liked this video, it brought back a lot of great memories of a car that really felt so "special" back in the early 90's. I'd also like to point out that the supercharged 3800 was available as an option on the SSE as well. I'm not sure about '92, but for '93 it most certainly was. You didn't have to get the SSEi trim to get the engine.
I get that these are very good cars especially when equipped with the 3800 from but unfortunately all this "plastic fantastic" tack-on's always made the car look cheap. Personally I think if GM wanted to market this as a lujury or even sports Sedan they should have made it look a bit more dignified. I think the old's Aurora did a better job capturing capturing the look and feel
96 SSEI have weak transmissions since they still had the 4T60E HD transmission. 4T65 was way better.
I had 92 SE. Bought it new and drove it for over 100K miles. Sold it in 2000 to buy a Grand Prix. The family that I sold it to is still driving it today, despite its Michigan Cancer (rust).
Had a 92 Bonneville...3800....Great highway machine!
I owned the SSEi back in 1992. After around 65,000 I started blowing the alternator around every 5,000 miles. Also the fuel pump, water pump, the entire dash had to be replaced and the anti-lock brake system. And that was all before 80,000 miles. I loved the style and size and features. But I don’t think the normally reliable 3800 engine was engineered well enough to handle the super charger.
Hi Adam, greets from Mexico. Enjoyed this review of the Bonneville. Back in the day, I worked in Atlanta for a Fortune 100 company, and we had great rates for cars from National. Really great monthly rates too. I was coming out of a car lease and wanted to get the new (1994) Mustang GT convertible coming out in the fall. So how to bridge the gap? I’d do a couple of the 30 day rentals on National’s “Emerald Aisle - Pick Any Car and GO.” Took the light rail to ATL, and headed to the rental lot. Lo and behold I got an SSE - three times. What a car. Fast, nimble, and quite comfortable. Perfect freeway cruiser for my commute. I can only imagine what the supercharged variant was like. In the end, I still wanted a convertible with a 5 speed and made it happen. But that Pontiac…
Btw, the rates were like $350-400 for the month, insurance included so I was ahead of the game until the Mustang.
Thank you Adam I appreciate the video
I always like these. I wanted to get one but marriage and two children in Parochial School would not allow it.
However, we did get a low mileage 1994 LeSabre Limited back then.
A wonderful Family Car. Very Peppy for such a heavy car.
Since it was a Limited and not a standard Custom LeSabre it had Analog Gauges on it.
We had it for years and over 200K miles.
Sad thing was it rusted out . The wheel wells in the trunk rusted through.
I had them patched quite well and sold the car.
We purchased a 2000 Park Avenue which was actually 500lbs lighter then the LeSabre.
The Park Ave had more 'Gizmos' on it but the LeSabre IMO was a much better car.
I wish I would have looked harder for a Bonneville back then.....
Despite this car's attributes that I am acknowledging, the ugly pillared 4-door sedan body style turned me off then, BEFORE then, and still does to this day. Pontiac was very far into its declining years here (as were nearly all American cars) and it's sad to see. This Bonneville is such a fall off a high cliff compared to the 1971-'76 generation with all of the great body style availabilties, that it's not even funny, never mind the 1965 Pontiacs you've featured. The downsized full-size cars of 1977 forward were the end of GM's large cars in any sense other than family sedans, taxi cabs, police and rental cars. So 1992 was roughly the mid-way point of 1977 to the end of Pontiac altogether.
My father had 3 Bonneville's, 2 of the previous body style and then this one. He must have had a 93+, because he 100% had a faux wood dash kit installed, he missed it from his previous Bonneville's. lol
I recall the Pittsburgh PD 🚔 in Pittsburgh PA used odd Pontiac sedans: Bonneville as patrol vehicles. Around 1992 to 1995 or so. The cops had smaller cars but the super charged engines. I think as the 1990s went on, the Police Bureau went with new V8 Ford sedans, P71s.
I owned a 1994 Bonneville SE and it had less then 2 miles when I bought it new. I wish I could have afforded an SSEi, but just the base model snickered over $22K, I enjoyed driving the car, but I thought the fit and finish of the car was subpar. I traded it in for a 1998 Ford Taurus SE with a 200 HP engine that was much more responsive and enjoyable to drive
I had a 1992 Olds 88 Royale, with the same corporate platform. Probably the most comfortable car I ever had. Ugly, but dependable and satisfying. The thing that really turns me off is the Pontiac interior fittings. All that gray plastic kid-safe ......yech. Looks like it was designed by Gumby.
I used to have a 1990 SSE and I realized that the onboard compass worked better than my iPhone6S. The compass on my iPhone was completely out of align, yet the SSE compass worked flawlessly. I later drove it in circles to recalibrate it and it didn't change much.
These are the cars that had plastic front fenders.
My mom had an '89 Bonneville SE and it was bulletproof. Lots of cheap stupid looking plastic, and I am SURE the interior was built by Mattel the toy maker, but the 3800 engine was a winner. And the stereo controls on the steering wheel was a great feature!