Pontiac's forgotten supercharged sedan: Bonneville SSEi
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- Опубликовано: 1 июн 2024
- Good afternoon guys! When I first heard about this car a couple of weeks ago, I had to make an entire video dedicated to it. The Pontiac Bonneville SSEi: a very underrated car from the early '90s. These supercharged motors were put into a few other cars during this time; however, I want to make separate videos for them as they are so much more than a 10-second mention in the video. It is critical to bring up the 8th-generation Bonneville as those early SSE models paved the way for these awesome SSEi models. Be sure to watch until the very end to see where I rank this car on a tier list. As always, thank you all so much for watching!
CHAPTERS:
0:00 -Intro
1:05 -Bonneville Name
1:20 -8th-gen Bonneville
4:40 -9th-gen Bonneville
8:45 -10th-gen Bonneville
9:20 -Tier List
9:37 -Final Statements
10:35 -Outro 
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My uncle had the Bonneville SSE, let me tell ya, that was a real touring performance sedan, it had impeccable road manners and great highway cruising power , and very smooth ride, just a home run , would hold up today as a highway cruiser
I agree, we had one and it was the most comfortable car to drive on long trips. The seats were low I can’t explain it exactly but I could drive that thing 500 mi and still be fresh.
They really were great cars
I test drove one once, nice car
As someone that drove a few Bonnevilles, and several W-body cars from the 1980s and into the 2000s, the SSEi was a nice, smooth comfy, "sporty ish" sofa on wheels from Pontiac. As for the supercharged 3800 cars over all, the 1997-2003 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP is my favorite with the Regal GS a close second. From the factory the 1997-2003 Grand Prix had the best balance of handling and comfort, and the GTP had what my 2003 Grand Prix SE lacked, the power and torque. When a friend with a 1997 GTP was still getting 33 MPG at the time he was making about 400HP on 98 octane gasoline, and I was stuck with 160HP max..... The supercharged 3800 was worth the extra cost stock or modded.
The Bonnie’s were always cool, big, comfortable, and quick for the time, plus a damn reliable ENGINE.
Please don’t apologize for your content. We should be the one thankful for your videos.
Thank you man, I appreciate that!
This was a stunning car, ahead of its time with the interior, very comfortable, and beautiful to look at. You could not mistake it for another brand.
I’ve had 2001 & 2003 SSEI’s both black and my dad had a white 1992 SSEI. Love these cars so much! Glad to see this!!
My dad bought one brand new in 1989 from Midway Pontiac on Bell Rd in Phoenix AZ. The Bonniville was so cool.
I love those bonnevilles. I had an 88, a 1992 and a 1993. I live in Germany and had so much fun with them. For me as a musican, it was great cause I could even fit bass and guitar cases into the trunk. Head display was also an amazing feature. Miss cars like this
I had a 7th 8th and 9th gen and I absolutely loved them and all gm vehicles were some of the best most comfortable seats I ever had in a car/truck/suv
Unfortunately gm is not what it use to be
I always thought the 8th and 9th gen was a good looking car, and the SSE, and then SSEi were downright beautiful.
I graduated in 93, and as we were coming out of the 80’s mid level performance (like this) was picking up nicely, and personally, I thought the GM and Pontiac specifically looked downright amazing in their sport trim, be it a z24,34,Indy,SSEi,GT, gtp… you get the idea.
The 3800 series 2, was as close to a perfect engine as you could get in its day. Was more dependable than gravity, thrived on neglect, never broke down, handled tons of abuse, and still got 30 MPG! Slap a supercharger on it and it was twice as awesome!
The supercharged 3800 is a VERY common swap into the fiero. Add some motor mounts from the camaro/firebird rear wheel drive 3800 and you ca. swap it into a lot of other vehicles. In Australia they called it a ‘super six’ and was in rear wheel drive applications stock.
This is the engine going into my Chevette with a few tricks. I hope to have 300 horses to the wheels, and hope the 5 speed holds up to the abuse!
If you want to keep me updated on that build, I would love to hear how it goes man!
@@GreenHawkDrive
youtube.com/@Project_Low_Expectations?si=7lV8PQlfoSlL_a14
I have a lot of crappy episodes, then ended up taking two years off due to a nasty compound fracture.
I just got back to it, but will still be a slow build.
I was born in '84, so I was 10 in 1994. The Bonneville SSEi and the Grand Prix GT-P had the same engine and both were very respected amongst people who were into fast cars. In 2000 I was 16 and these cars were still in production at a time when the Prelude and Civic Si were on the road and people were street racing. When a supercharged Bonneville or Grabd Prix showed up to race, people were afraid to lose to them, which they would, and again, these cars were respected. At the time you were able to replace the pulley on the superchargers and get 300hp out of them. I really wanted a Grand Prix GTP.
I appreciate this man, thank you for sharing this. Those little tuners had nothing on these!
@@GreenHawkDrive Its true. those tuners were cool in their own right, but these pontiacs were absolute beasts and luxury in comparison, and very heavy, so to see a bonneville roast an electric blue Si was pretty wild. Also I think the numbers in the video are wrong about the SSEi Bonneville 0-60, I remember them being around 6.7 seconds for the 90s gen, which was the same as a manual transmissions Nissan Maxima of the time, I could be wrong of course. The Maxima was another impressive vehicle back then.
You could be right, they made several tweaks to it over the years.
Civic si in 99 were putting out 7 second 0-60 which is much quicker than 7.8 preludes were even quicker
@@AnthonyParrilloRI These figures aren't perfectly accurate. The 1997 Grand Prix GTP did 0-60 in 6.5 seconds, sometimes recorded as 6.7 seconds. Car magazines documented this back then and it can be googled now. The Si was quick and so was the Prelude. I had a friend who supercharged his SI. It was fast but unmanageable. You could easily get 300HP from GM's 3.8 by upgrading the pulley on the supercharger, which some people did. There was an article in Road & Track (maybe car and driver) of a modded GTP. That car was wild.
I owned the 1988 Boonville SSE, when I was a junior in high school and i fell in love with this beast. Exterior was Gold w/Black trim / Gold interior. I have owned many vehicles throughout my 45 years of living and without a doubt the Bonneville surprisingly swept in and quickly became the best vehicle I have had the pleasure of owning. Miss my Bonneville, once it reached 329,000 miles her ability to keep going came to an end. Best car ever.
Happy New Year! Very good! You did a great job on this video and did your homework. I believe the first Bonneville was 1957. I liked the footage, the information and I liked the fact you discussed the 3800 V6 and you went into detail about the Bonneville and the trim levels. I liked the fact you mentioned the Oldsmobile Ninety Eight. A lot of GM cars used the Supercharged 3800 V6. Holden ( GM Australia) used the 3800 V6 and Supercharged 3800 V6 as well. I heard at one time SSE stood for Sensuous Sport Express. I do not know how true that is. I hope you will do the last generation Bonneville. The SLE trim level sold well also. SSE was replaced by GXP with a Northstar V8 in the last generation. I have been a fan of the Bonneville for decades. I liked the older models from the past and 1975-1976, 1980-1981, 1982-1986, 1992-1999, 2000-2005. I was not too thrilled about the downsized 1987-1991 model because of its length, trunk space and exterior door handles. It as a difficult time at GM. The Bonneville was the only full sized GM car that never offered digital gauges. The SSE offered a heads up display. It has always been analog gauges all the way up until the end. I also liked the Pontiac Grand Ville. That was a combination of Grand Prix and Bonneville. It was basically in the Pontiac lineup above the Bonneville in the early to mid 1970's and it was like Pontiac's version of the GM C-Body. The car became Bonneville Brougham in 1976. Thank you again.
Thank you again, OLDS. I will for sure make a video on the last generation Bonneville. A lot of people in the comments have such respect for both 9th and 10th gens. Like you said, the 8th gen is/was not the best but the times were different, that's for sure. I have never heard of Grand Ville in any video, forum, book, sales brochure, nothing. So thank you for bringing that car to my attention. Just based on looks, that looks like one sweet ride and definitely looks good for the time.
@@GreenHawkDrive You should look up the Grand Ville. My favorite one was the 1975 model year. I forgot to mention the Parisienne. There is a long history and connection to Bonneville as well. Parisienne was the Canadian Bonneville and more later as it came to the United States 1983-1986. It also has more history than I am telling. Thank you for the video again.
Always nice to hear from OLDS98.
@@jeffshadow2407 Thank you so much for your kind words. It is appreciated.
I owned a 91 SSE in high-school and it was a blast
I loved when GM body colored the rims to match the body - looked especially hot in this car, the 6000 STE and the Trans Sport.
God I love those SSE interiors. Those instrument binnacles with digital readouts in five different colors along with that Pontiac velour interior, loved it. Maybe someday I’ll find a perfect example at an estate sale or something 😊
In Dec 1992 I purchased a brand new Pontiac Bonneville SE. It was a nice, comfortable car with lots of power for the time and great gas mileage (30-31 mpg on the highway). The 2nd gen 3800 was great but unfortunately the rest of the car was a real pos. It was in the shop for repairs almost more than I got to drive it. In 1994 my first child was born so I decided to trade the Bonneville in on a brand new 94 Plymouth Grand Voyager.........THAT was a big change........lol. Later I purchased a 1996 Buick Park Ave Ultra with the supercharged 2nd gen 3800. That thing was quick and was almost like driving while sitting in a Lazy Boy recliner. I still miss that car
I appreciate you sharing this man. Those ultras were something else, weren't they.
My best friend had a 1990 Bonnie SSE in high school from 2004-2006. I remember it being sooo nice for a 14 year old car. White on white wheels with the body kit and the interior was plush even with cloth. Not super punchy but you could get where you needed to get without fuss. I loved that car so much I would have him pick me up for school even though I had my own car 😅
I had a 1990 with every option that I bought for $1500 with 150k on it. By the time I gave up on it, the car had survived 330k rough, abusive miles. A local older gentleman replaced the transmission and put it back on the road within a week. I still saw it driving around for a few years. I think my example was exceptional, because I never see this generation on the road or for sale anymore. The next gen looked far more interesting and they are still everywhere, even in the rust belt. They're also OBD-II compatible
I graduated in 2009 and my buddy had a 9th Gen supercharged SSEI. I remember him driving backwards in that thing down a dirt service road for probably every bit of a quarter mile and the vehicle was extremely comfortable and stable.
And a couple weeks later I egged him to do a roll race against my '99 Elantra after leaving a friend's party. Within 20 seconds I couldn't see the taillights, it absolutely just took off. That vehicle was brilliantly swift, had a cartoonishly plush interior, and was just about the coolest vehicle I remember from high school. 10/10 car
Few things:
1. This car was so good. Same with the Grand Prix in the higher trim.
2. The seats were incredible. I was an 96 Impala SS owner and some replaced the stock seats with SSEi seats and embroidered the SS logo.
3. Color matched wheels were dope.
I have two 2001 SSEi Bonnies (one is in poor condition and the other is in amazing shape and fully loaded). I was very lucky to get the fully loaded one with Android Auto pre installed for 3 grand in early 2020. I'm very happy to be so satisfied with owning a car. I plan to drive a Bonnie for at least the next decade. It is the perfect balance between modernization and simplicity for me (as long as the head unit is upgraded to one compatible with Android Auto (the head unit even has HD radio, something my brother's 600 dollar stereo upgrade doesn't have in his newer car). I love showing off the unexpected features like the air pump (most people have never seen a car that can pump up its own tires) and the heads up display (it's actually a bit baffling to me that these weren't mandated by law in the mid 2010s when you consider the extremely low cost it would take to implement such a feature with more modern tech, especially now in 2024). Really looking forward to your next Bonneville video. These cars already stand out in some places (I've met plenty of people who have never seen one before). I'm lucky to have one that's in such great condition (it's at over 150k miles too, which means at least most of the previous owners loved their car too).
Holy crap man... The car can pump up its own tires?!?!?!
@@GreenHawkDrive yeah, you attach an extension to a thing in the back, push the "air" button and wait. It taps into the compressor that manages the rear air suspension. I will never pay money for air at a gas station ever again. 😂 It already got me to a Walmart when I had a flat one time.
Very impressive, thank you for letting me know this!
@@GreenHawkDrive my lower-tier SSEi (the one without the heated seats and sunroof) has the air pump feature too, so it's pretty likely that you'll see that feature when you make a video about a post-2000 SSEi (I can't speak for any Bonnies newer than 2003 or older than 2000 though). If you need help doing some research for your video, let me know. Those cars have a lot of features that aren't talked much about online. For example, the dual key system and the seat and mirror presets: you and your partner each have a key that adheres to presets, so by the time you've opened your car, the seat and mirrors have moved to your chosen position... That is, unless you've turned on the feature that makes the seat move every time you unlock it to make it easier to get in (then, when you close the door, it moves to your preset). The mirrors move back to help you cheat when you are in reverse, there's automatic headlights, etc. Most people who cover these cars on RUclips don't talk about the coolest features.
That would be awesome. I took a screenshot and put it into a folder for later use. Thank you man!
I was the Class of '91 and these cars were definitely not uncool. This era was the turning point where 4 door sedans started to become cool. Before this, 4 door cars were for your parents. The only other 4 door car that comes to mind that was cool for a younger person was the Maxima. I remember a (rich) kid in school showed up with a brand new 1988 SSE. I was like wow.
Pontiac always made fun cars. I myself had an 89 Grand Prix 3.1 and a 93 Grand Prix SE 3.4 (bought these after high school because i was BROKE then! LOL). Fun times!
Holden in australia had these motors but rear wheel drive. Absolutely bullet proof.
I came home from school at 16 and there was a brand new 89 SSEi supercharged, British racing green w/ tan leather and gold rims in our driveway. My Dad’s friend stopped by. He was a major speed freak and just bought it. He let me take it to the car wash and wash it (unsupervised!) Man, it’s one of my best memories! To this day, I’ve never driven anything so special, and I’ve driven and owned some nice vehicles
Honestly these were such good looking cars and I always liked them as a kid. Can't believe the same brand made the Aztec.
I worked with someone who had a white 8th gen SSE - it was a cool car (so many buttons!), and a splurge for him back in 90 or 91 - he was ,aybe 10 12 years my senior and I was impressed - just what an aspiring VP at a small firm should have. Alas, life got in the way and afterward he downgraded to a Crown Vic and thereafter Camrys. Years later I got my own - a 2001 SSEi, loaded (including, please forgive me chrome wheels - and those were one of the reasons it didn't stay too long - wrong image there) Nice car, good mid-range punch and loved to hear the supercharger. Thought the comfortable seats looked great in leather, HUD was nice - unusual at the time, and a 12 cd changer was a revelation on long trips even if it was in the trunk. But the overall interior trim wasn't 'premium' - and I wanted that. TBH, it wasn't sporty enough either; too big, too floaty and the 0-60 while decent for the day wasn't good enough. Replaced with a Lincoln LS Sport V8 - much better driving dynamics (but crappy seats). I give Pontiac credit for going well beyond what you could get in a LeSabre, and it spoke to me more than the Park Avenue Ultra - which I couldn't really have afforded in 01.
I had both an '05 Lincoln LS V-8 and a '97 Riviera, (The Bonny's Buick equiv.) and you are are right about the seats!
I went to the 1999 Autoshow and looked at & sat in every car & truck there. Of all the vehicles at the show the 1999 Bonneville SSEi had the most COMFORTABLE seats out of any car or truck. After being at the show for seven hours, my back and feet were hurting so I sat in the Bonneville for an hour or so until we went home. It was absolute heaven inside that car!! I ended up buying a 98 SSEi a few years later. It was extremely reliable, & handled like a fighter jet with the air ride suspension & handling package. The red back lit gauges were really cool & Heads Up display was off the chart! What sucked about the car was it only took premium gas. If you drove with low octane gas it would run like crap & the check engine light would come on. The car had many cool features & options. I would definitely buy another if I could find a nice example with low miles.
Awesome story, thank you for sharing this!
Nicely done. I remember the first time I saw one of the ‘92s. I was 11. It was a huge deal. Ads compared it to German sports sedans. They were head-turners for sure. Some could argue they were a little gaudy or overwrought. But they stood out successfully. One of my friends had a dad who sold Pontiacs. When the latter 80s version came out, I remember riding in it (an LE model) and thinking (as a kid) it was okay. But the later SSE and SSEi were a bold move, and I thought the “smoked-out” taillights were awesome. Was glad they carried the taillight treatment over in subsequent years.
Totally agree!
Pontiac was the first American car builder to smoke the tail lights in the last facelift of the formula and trans am in 79
Totally agree. We’re about the same age and I loved the 9th gen style. I still think they look great. I wonder what my 12 yo would think about the look and if they’d think it loooks ancient.
I also remember a parent at elementary school had the 80s ssei - it was white w blue leather and I knew it was something special w the smoked out lights and all the buttons!
I was with my grandad when he bought his 96 ssei and it was given to me when he passed in 06. This was his family dinner night car as he usually drove his 89 Silverado daily. (I was given this too). It was garage kept and in 06 had a whole 20k miles on it. Unfortunately I didn't have a garage to keep it but kept it in as clean as possible the 5 years I owned it. Where did it go? A busted supercharger belt and a trip to a bad shop rendered the car useless to me and at the time couldn't afford to take it elsewhere. I needed transportation quick to get to and from work and was forced to sell it. It was a beautiful iridescent green that looked blue in certain light. I upgraded the stereo as age made many radio buttons stop working. I had all windows tinted and Cadillac CTS wheels cuz I hated those 3-blade wheels. I really miss that car. Had I known then that 401k loans were a thing, I'd gladly have done so to save my granddads wonderful car.
Honest the 9th gen Bonneville SSEi is what I credit getting me interested in "modern" cars. My friends dad bought one new in 93 black on black with the gold honey comb wheels and I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking that's a cool ass looking car, also it was quick for time.
Modded SSEi'S were no joke at the time. You'd be careful when you ran one but there were never body mods so you just had to learn who had them. That torque was awesome off the line.
There was a mint condition black 1991 SSE for sale near me for a while, absolutely gorgeous car, one of the best looking Bonneville body styles if you ask me. I grew up in a black 93 Grand Prix Coupe, and now own a rust free 04 Grand Prix GT that I plan to turbocharge this spring. I've been around Pontiac my whole life, a brand that was very unfairly axed by GM, whom I will never forgive for that.
As much as I miss Pontiac, it was a generic and generally ugly rebadged Chevy towards the end *with a couple exceptions*
When they had to trim the fat, it was the obvious choice to axe that name and try to control the bleeding.
I blame the bean counters for turning Pontiac (and Saturn) into what they were by the early 2000’s
@@Project_Low_Expectations I do agree with you for the most part, I don't think the last gen cars were PHYSICALLY ugly, except one... you probably know what one I'm talking about. The G8 and GTO were rebadged Holdens, the G8 was also known as the Chevy Lumina SS in some other countries (Didn't know that until I visited South Africa and saw one in a parking lot lol), literally not a single thing was different between the different variants. They were pretty generic and uninteresting despite having an LS in them. The G4 and G5 looked almost identical to the cobalt, and the front of the G6 heavily resembled the Impala. The Grand Prix, Bonneville and... Aztec... were the few fairly uniquely designed cars left. But yes, it was clear that the brand wasn't doing so hot, as GM IN GENERAL wasn't.
I personally think the Grand Prix was the best looking car Pontiac produced during it's final days, and I surprisingly get compliments here and there about my GP despite it being a silver base model car. Probably because people up here in the north are so used to seeing them completely clapped out and rusty, while mine looks pristine.
I wish I could go back in time to re-live those days, the days when the GTP and GXP were one of the most respected and underestimated cars on the street. Before they sadly fell into the hands of the unemployed baby daddies and became nothing but rolling piles of junk.
I just find it unfair because there had been so many chances for Pontiac to either break away from GM or return as a brand within the past 10 years.
I had two 1991 models, a 1993 and a 1994 and they were all such great cars. Never had the supercharged version but I always wanted one. Still would like to have one but they few and far between these days.
My pops loved it. The 90s was a good year for cars.
I had a 1990 Black on black Bonneville SSE , That car looked like the batmobile back then. Turned lots of heads. Good times.
Had a 9th gen, Bonneville SE. Had a 3.8 with almost all the options. Miss that Pontiac
Had a 2001 SSE1 black, loaded, miss that car, reliable, comfortable, fast and drop dead gorgeous, miss that car. Look forward to a gen 10 video
Now I had a 2007 I believe Pontiac Grand Prix GT with the supercharged 3.8 and oh my god I loved that car and I loved that engine they are so great and just so bulletproof and you could make decent power even with just slight modifications. My uncle and his friends used to use them to build cheap race cars and they would get them up to about 400 horsepower and they would just go all day long with the stock rotating assembly and that's not just driving on regular. That's like racing abuse
Happy New Year! Great vid. If you wanted a opinion of what a young person thought of them when they were new...Well I was in my 20s then and selling Pontiacs in the 90s. None of my friends wanted them. It was a pricey,fairly quick larger car a 40 somthing would likely come in to test drive. I love the Buick 3800 engines and the supercharged ones were fun.
Thank you as always! I can definitely understand that😂
My dad's last car was a '93 SSE, green on tan, before he died in '94. His usual ride was a Cadillac, but they'd gotten too expensive, and he refused to spend more than $25k on a car. That Bonneville handled so much better than any Cadillac he'd ever had.
Wow, that is remarkable. Hope all is well with you and your family, thank you for this comment.
I was in my 20's when these first came out and yes they were very cool to a car guy. The seats were out of this world and the 3.8 was dead reliable in all forms. The last version looked the best in my opinion. Great video keep up the good work!
I appreciate that man, thank you
I came to this video because I’m a 20 year old man from Arizona who just purchased one of these and was wanting to know the history on the car I have fallin in love with faster then any car mine has 274,000 miles and runs great the supercharger is nice and happy and makes all the boost and one of the most comfortable fun to drive cars out there I definitely recommend them to this day if u can find one of the 37,000 made I own one of the 1998 so one of 3400 and has the series 2 engine making 240hp and 280 foot pounds of torque and it’s definitely still making it all
Wow...I just saw this video. I started selling new Pontiacs in 1989. I remember the Bonneville very well. I sold several SSEi models, including a black/tan one to my parents. These generated a lot of floor traffic. The showroom housed that black SSEi that my parents bought, a red Turbo Grand Prix, a silver 6000STE AWD and a white 20th Anniversary Trans Am. The Trans Am was of course a 1989 but it lingered for a few years, it was $44k.
The SSEi was my favorite. Thanks for the memories, man!
Thank you for watching man!
I’m 51 and the 1988 SSE was on my wishlist but never happened but love the way they looked.
I had a 99 SSEi. It was a fantastic car. Amazingly comfortable, fast, and packed with features, it is still one of my favorite cars I've owned.
In high school I had a 97 Grand Prix GTP which was far superior aesthetically (in my opinion). Comfortable little sleeper. Being front wheel drive it would hook up and easily pull more powerful cars from a dig.
Why do you think it was far superior?
Same powertrain, slightly smaller but spacious af, and sportier "wide track" it was appropiate for the midsize.... as the final grand am and Bonneville were on either side of it, I just wish Pontiac went a different direction with their line up at the end....
Imagine thesolstice, in stead of the g6 we got, a percursor to the ats on the solstace/skyy platform, the g8, the GTO, a G10: Bonneville replacement after the last one we got, the holden statesman, and a pontiac torrents design language applied to 3 crossovers built on the first 3 platforms.... could've been epic for holden and pontiac.
I had a 95? SSEI that I bought used in 97? Slate blue with cloth interior. That car would dust a 5.0 mustang easy. It rode great and the seats were so comfy for road trips. I sold it in 2008? and it still ran great for a car with 325K miles. It would use maybe 1/2 a quart of oil in 3k miles. You could tell that the seals in the supercharger were worn because it didn't have the off the line grunt it used to but it still had plenty of get up and go. It got upper 20's for MPG in everyday driving. Before the Bonnie, I had an 80 something turbo sunbird GT. The turbo bird was fun because the engine had nothing till you got to about 8lbs of boost, then it screamed to 15lbs. The Bonnie had power from a dead stop to way beyond the speed limit. If I could have any of my old cars back, in as bought condition, I would take my Bonnie.
Loved my 2000 ssei. Incredibly fun car. Zzperformance and intense racing offered a ton of aftermarket go fast parts.
I got to take an SSE for a drive; either an '88 or an '89. I didn't get to put it through its paces, but it had decent pick-up for late-80s vehicles. It belonged to a friend of my friend's mom- an almost stranger. I used to ask ppl with cool (well, even dull) cars if I could take 'em for a spin, and every now and then, it paid off. Anyhow, I was impressed with it. My folks had an '88 Celebrity Eurosport, so that's where my 'impressed' level was, roughly.
The SSE looked great (this one was black) handled well, and rode smooth. I didn't throw it into any corners, or floor it, but I felt pretty cool driving it.. Especially when we passed the owner's older daughter driving in the other direction. We tooted and waved.
My all time fav car is 1999 Bonneville SSE I have always wanted a SSEi though with those headlights in the middle pretty cool looking growing up my family had several Pontiacs wish they could have stuck around…
In my young adulthood I had several of those front drive Boonies. I started with a used 88 SSE I bought in 1990. It was a nice burnt red and had a very comfortable (but cheap) interior. Engine was nice with sufficient power and surprisingly good economy. Weaknesses included crappy brakes and clunky suspension after about 40k miles.
I traded it in for a new 93 SE Bonneville. Even though it was a base model it was very attractive in its day in a nice dark green with gold leather. Engine was slightly updated but felt the same. Brakes were still crap.
Next I got a new 96 SLE with the supercharged engine option 240 horse). Basically same car as the 93 except for the engine. Extra power was negated in city driving by torque steer but on the highway it pulled really nice, like a healthy V8 and it surprisingly got the same great mileage as my previous ones. Weak points included the same crappy brakes and comfy but cheaply made interior.
I liked it so much I got a new 99 SSEi with the same engine. Even though it was rated the same as the 96 it was clearly less powerful. I read years later that the 3800 SC while rated the same 240 horse from 96 to 2000 or so had higher boost in 96 that was dialed back in 97 on due to transmission failures.
Overall they were pretty good cars by the standards of the day. Good looking, practical, very economical on gas. Compact outside, very roomy inside and trunk. Good sound proofing and great seats. They were let down by lousy brakes, front drive torque steering and cheap GM suspension components and interior trim.
My older brother use to have one when i was younger. He sold dope and pick me up from school in that green boat. I went to prom with it and it was my first car i ever drove
Very nice commentary. The Bonnie just got better with age. The last gen are gorgeous and underrated.
Our neighbor had an Alpine green SSei, it was slick.
My first car as a teen was a dark green 1992 Bonneville SE. That car was awesome. So many good memories. It turned heads when it was new back in 1992 when my dad bought it. Trasnsmission died at 147k. Got 35 bucks for the scrap metal. 😔
I remember when the 9th Gen Bonneville came out and it was like a breath of fresh air! Finally manufacturers were making sharp looking family cars again. And the SSEi was the cream of the crop! The price tag was a bit shocking though. A $30,000 Pontiac?? Unbelievable! But the Bonneville was easily one of the sharpest looking cars at the time, and helped popularize the Performance Luxury Sedan, like the Ford Taurus SHO, Dodge Intrepid 3.5 L SOHC, Chevrolet Impala SS, and offerings from Europe like the Supercharged Jaguar XJR.
Totally forgot about the Intrepid.
That bonneville sse was a beautiful car at the time. The last models were very nice!!!!
My wife's best friend's mother had a Bonneville SSEI. My knowledge of the car is based on her stories about it. By the way, she is quite the gear head. According to her, these things had performance comparative to true sports cars of that era, except for some upper performance packages, but it would even sometimes surprise a Mustang GT or Z28 Camaro owner. If they didn't know how to handle the performance they had. With that performances, you also had luxury and creature comfort items that rivaled BMW, Mercedes, and the like. And it did all of this while being easier to afford and MUCH less expensive to maintain since the mechanical components were shared across a wide variety of GM's lineup at the time. The Buick Park Avenue, Chevy Lumina, Oldsmobile Cutlass, were all basically the same car as the Pontiac Bonneville under different bodies. The 3.8 liter V6, or 3800 as it was badged, was a MAGNIFICENT engine that produced decent power and torque already, but overbuilt to be able to handle boost levels that would turn many other engines into a time bomb. This helped keep production costs down since pretty much all of the extra power came from bolt on external components and computer adjustments to feed more fuel and air into the freshly awakened beast. To spite this, they were significantly more expensive than their base model counterparts, which kept sales relatively low.
My dad had 2 SSEi’s; a ‘92 &’ 94.
Loved both of them… and I got my last speeding ticket in the ‘94 (in 2003).
He also had a 90’s Oldsmobile Tornado Troféo. Don’t know if you’ve covered that one, yet, but it’s worth a look. That car had everything!
i have a 04 impala ss. and a 03 ls sport NA. I blew the engine in my 04 SS drove it home mising a piston and a hole in the block 2 miles and started it back up 3 months later to drive a 1/4 a mile to the tow truck. I dropped a Series III l32 engine in my SS with the gen v blower. It has MODS so it pushing 280hp 310 LB torque. And Im just getting started on it. If I cam it out and replace the injectors for E85 it will push 320HP and 420lb of torque. The 3800 is a beast of an engine for such a light car. Every single piston on the old engine was missing pieces of the piston heads keep that in mind and it still fired over like it was ok.
Holy crap man, that is awesome.
I had an 8th generation SE and I friggin loved it! So did other people because it was stolen. But driving it was awesome, fast and great handling. Very ergonomic from the drivers seat, dash had a cool feel remided me of a mid 80s camaro dash. Loved that car man.
The 87-91 was a major shake up. It was really the first real family American sport sedan contender. It was very expensive. The sse is what you got instead of a bmw. The only ppl who bought Pontiac at this point where the people who didn't want a boring car! If you had or your parents had an sse or ssei you where really cool!
4:11 - They looked cool. The monochromatic paint was so '80s. The skirt and wheels looked sporty. The interior was highly-optioned. BUT, GM was not going to attract BMW shoppers with it.
Yeah.. I appreciate that you’re busy, but I’m loving your videos mate. Pleas keep them coming, they’re great. Not only do you love cars, but you seem to have a penchant and an absolutely superb knowledge of cars from all eras. I like to think I’m as accomplished 😂 👌🏻 keep ‘em comin’ please
I’ve always thought these were exciting and beautiful cars.
Dude I had a 90 SSE and nothing look like that inside or out at any price. That car was hot as a firecracker back then everybody wanted one, they was so rare I like the 88 to 91 the best. Btw SSE stand for Standard Special Edition….
Also 12 adjustable seat came from 88 to 91 models…
This was our driver's Ed car no kidding. I knew what it was being raised by car nuts and couldn't believe it. I loved driving it and if I could have one today I'd take it.
lol we haven't forgotten these cars. We had them. My brother's family drove nothing but bonnevilles for years. there was no more comfortable seating out there. excellent cars.
5:45 the i in ssei is for forced Induction
Good video, one of the longest desighns/production cycles, the next gen, had the se, ssei, sle, and GXP have fun. My sister had an 86, this car has been on my watchlist since i was a baby, it wasone of the coolest cars my mom liked, the factory smoked appearing lights was a pontiac feature from the 80 and 90s like the louvers on a mustang 5.0
Thanks for making this video, I’ve got a 1993 ssei my dad bought brand new and since he’s passed I’ve taken over her but she needs a new subframe so she’s been mothballed for 6 months but I will get her up and running one day soon
I hope you do man
Ive always liked the 9th and 10th Gen Bonneville, especially 9th Gen with a rear spolier.
My mom bought the exact black 1996 bonneville ssei new that’s shown at 6:38. That car was faster than the tested 7.8 0-60 you mentioned. I was 13 at the time and when I got my permit I beat the piss out of that car. It definitely was a 7 flat zero to 60 or close that that. That torque through you in your seat. A big problem was that 3.8 lit those front tires up so your spin out real easy. I also did 120mph on the highway no problem. It got floaty thought so I let off the gas. That car was awesome!
I worked at 2 different Pontiac dealership. One of mangers all he drove was a Ssei. Fun car to drive
Happy New year. I remember these cars when they were New!
Had a 94 Bonneville SE. 2nd owner just over 100k miles. Mint condition inside and out. Fog lights, 8 way 60/40 front bench power seats, fold down arm rest front and back in the back with a fold down panel to access the trunk. White exterior burgundy interior, red dash guages, heat and ac vents that went to the back seats traction control. I liked the fog lights being on the outside better than the inside on the sse and ssei as well as the smooth body without the accents. It didn't have leather and I don't think I'd prefer leather in that car it was so comfortable. Suspension drove on clouds 80 felt like 20 but handled good too and if you got on her right that 3800 would get up and go on the streets even with the big body weight, and easily cruise 120 on the highway. Everything I know about 90's supercharges from the gm and Ford engines was they had problems. Olds Buick Taurus and Thunderbird. All that weight in that big body meant all new front suspension earlier than your standard vehicles, around 120k, usually that's 150k mile maintenance with compacts around 170k. I've had a lot of cars and to this day that ranks # 1, they got it right in 94. Friend had I think an 01 and i liked the rear end style on it more, but that was it, still nice but just feel like 94 they had it just right, like the Impala had it right in 96, mustang Fox body in 88. There's just certain years with cars that are just right.
Very eagerly awaiting the last gen SSEi video! That was my first car! I absolutely loved that car and dream about owning one again. Heated leather seats, Bose sound system, 12 disc CD changer, Windshield heads up display. I bought mine used but got so many compliments on it. Sadly I was T-boned in it but like its other features way before their time it had side curtain airbags, standard, and they really saved me. And that 3800 engine is built like a tank, survived the wreck, and was actually pulled and put into a 56’ Chieftain, her heart lives on.
I can't promise an exact date and since I just covered the Bonneville name the video won't be out for a while. Don't worry, it will be out within this year. Sorry to hear about what happened to her, that truly is unfair. That is awesome that you kept her motor alive though man!
I think these were cool when they came out , I've always wanted a 9th gen ssei...friend of mine had one, it did not disappoint
I had a 96 SSE black one , it was great acceleration, seats and looks, it was a big upgrade from my Saturn! the GM dealer conned me on the price, I was paying a ridicilious per month payment, oh well live a learn:) I miss the 90s!
@greenhawkdrive … your channel kinda reminds me of an early Visioracer mixed with MyOldCar. Keep up the good work Brotha. I’m already digging your channel!
Happy New Years, Great video. The 92 SSE was the car to have here in NYC back then, it rivaled those BMW 525i, Acura Legend GS, Mercedes Benz 300 E with gold trim badges. All these vehicles were good to my eyes back then but the Lexus LS 400 and Infiniti Q45 were being introduced and they definitely changed the game.
I appreciate that. It sure did, and I agree.
@@GreenHawkDrive
Definitely looking forward for the Pontiac Grand Prix review. 🫡
25 years ago when I first moved to America as an international student I worked as a gas jockey to help pay for school, the owner had me clean out a customers car before we handed it back, it was an SSEi. I thought I was sitting in the starship enterprise, so many buttons and it just looked the business. It was the scarab green with gold rims.
My connection to the generation of Bonneville pictured in the thumbnail, not necessarily the SSEi because I don't remember what trim this one was, was that my dad's friend's 2nd wife had one. We miss you, Rusty.
Happy New Year Green Hawk! Great video! I like the Bonneville especially the last 2 generations. The SSEi was so nice and you are right about the seats. Hoping you are doing great!
What's up James, thank you for commenting again. Nice to read what you have to say.
Doing good here thanks. I very much enjoy your videos. I was a teenager then and a life long car nut and you are showing many cars I had long ago forgotten about. Hoping you are doing great! @@GreenHawkDrive
90s Pontiac is my favorite Pontiac behind my absolute favorite Toyota Pontiac Vibe, the best vehicle I've ever owned.
To help explain the shifting programs: they work using the same mechanism as a "sport engine mode." Like the engine, the transmission has an electronic control unit (ECU). Many ECUs are made with one program, but they can be designed with multiple programs in mind. When you switch from "normal shift" to "perform shift," it's like switching from a web browser to a video game on a computer. The ECU in the transmission changes its program, in this case, it probably switches gears for performance rather than smoothness (which is how most automatics shifted by default at the time). The ECU calculates the best rpm for smooth shifts in normal, or the best rpm for speed/handling in performance.
I forgot Stallone did the voice work for the Bonneville ad with the luxury car funeral. The top of the line Bonneville's were pricey but the Supercharged ones were cool.
The seats really were insanely plush, it felt like sitting in a pillow
Dude I love your videos. And these were amazing cars. Fun and almost wild stying, very much love it or hate it styling. Don’t forget to mention all the stereo and climate controls all over the steering wheel and the 8 th generation and up had SSEi all had HUD (heads up display) systems. So cool and ahead of its time. I’m a first time viewer and can’t wait to see more, great format and great job
My 1st Bonneville 1970 in 1978. Caddy Eater. It was worked on and lightened a little bit, got 19 mpg at 70 mph. with 30 + fuel tank, don't open the quad. Had 3 more after that, 3.8 s treated them the same as the first. Simple Mods.
My Dad had an 89 and 90. I drove the 90 often, it was reaponsive, firm, heavy fast steering. It would lay somebrubber and was nearly quick
My first car was a 1991 Bonneville got it for 180 bucks and fixed it up this was back in 2006 ,2007 was a great car beat the crap out of it
What a price...
Great video mate, great engines the supercharged 3800 in Australia’s Holden commodore’s. 👍👍🇦🇺🇺🇸
They were supercharged in 89, I remember seeing a couple in black w tan leather and sayn seei on trunk, short lived car because of transmission slip issues, wasn't till 99, 00, 01 they fixed them issues
My favorite Bonneville was and still is 1992 Bonneville SSE, which was also the car I learned how to drive in. I always thought it looked really mean and it was a true sport luxury car.
Had a 94' SE, 96' SE, 01' SSEi, 03' SSEi ( current ), and an 04' GXP. Loved the 90s style for comfort and long drives. Love the 00s for style and sleek profile and I really loved my GXP the most. Regardless of their reputation due to their head studs, the Northstar is an amazing engine on its own and besides, the GXP Bonneville got the better transmission as well.
I remember them well. In HS I had an LT1 Z28 6M and stoplight raced an older dude (probably my age now) in an SSEi and dragged him pretty good. I remember it so well because at the next light he was SUPER pissed. Yelling all kinds of obscenities at me and my friends. He started it though. 🤷♂️
Pontiac had some great looking cars throughout the 90’s…Grand Am, Grand Prix, Firebird and the Bonneville was no exception. These cars looked aggressive even in lower trim levels. Wish GM would resurrect the name brand.
I like a lot of car stuff but you man I love this channel your presentation and your attitude towards the material bro I wish the whole car community was like you keep it up 👍🏿 love the content in its entirety!!!!🙌🏿
I really appreciate that man, thank you
At the time, Bonnevilles were generally overlooked UNLESS you rode in one. Then, you loved it and probabl ended up buying several. I owned 3 - the 92 SSEi, a 98 SE, and an 01 SE. Would have continued buying them (discontinued before I needed another), and would still consider buying an excellent condition used one. The reason they're hard to find is owners loved them and kept them - it's a "till death do us part" car. The relationship ends when one of you dies.
To one of your points about older cars. I wish you could have been there at that point. Many, if not most of todays cars are very boring compared to some of what was available then, particularly interiors. Today we have dull grey or black. In the 80s you could get color matched to the outside, or a choice of several interior colors for each exterior color. There were just a lot more choices and combinations back then. Good video. Pontiac had some of the best vehicles from about 85 to the later 90s.