Faults:

160,000 km, new waterpump, new fuel pump and fuel line.

215,000 km - Rebuilt transmission, my fault, because a rusty cooler line dumped all the fluid and I burned up the clutch packs.

215,000 km - new front struts, new alternator.

220,000 km - fix minor rust and repaint.

220,000 km - front passenger window fell all the way down due to faulty track - a common problem. I was able to lift the window closed.

230,000 km sensor magnet for camshaft position sensor fell off. I never fixed this because it actually was a good thing. The ECM is designed to revert to a 'batch fire mode for the fuel injection, instead of the normal sequential method. I found I got slightly MORE power in this default mode, with no loss in fuel economy.

235,000 km - Ignition module.

240,000 km - front ball joints and one driveshaft.

258,000 km - New steering rack and starter motor needed.

General Comments:

This car has been in my family since new and has been excellent.

This SE model combines the performance parts of the SSE - sport suspension, aluminum wheels, sporty exhaust and shorter final drive gearing, with the LE cloth interior.

It is very roomy, with lots of glass area. Easy to see out and easy to drive. Engine has ample low and mid-range power. Quick take-off and very responsive. Transmission shifts quickly and firmly.

The handling is excellent, level cornering, good road feel and really hangs on in the corners. Nice, firm ride.

The dashboard has excellent gauges, easy to read and very visible. The stereo is easy to use and sounds okay. The seats are way too flat and not supportive but the cloth is very durable and long-lasting.

Mechanically the car was very reliable, and fairly easy to fix. Parts were cheap.

This car is roomy and large, but quite lightweight. The only bad thing is that the structure is not very rigid. After 200,000 km and a bit of rust, I found the body structure would shake and quiver over bumps. If you stepped on the gas or brake firmly, the whole body would twist a bit... you could feel the doors shift on the door frames a bit.

In the early '90's, GM made the Bonneville structure stronger... but a bit heavier.

I stopped driving the car because there were a couple of small rust holes... but they were in critical areas around the front subframe mounts. The subframe was starting to break loose, and would lead to a loss of control.

This car was excellent and I loved it. I wish I could find another, but up here in the Rust belt, they are all gone.

Faults:

Camshaft Sensor (internal engine) broke at 230,000 miles.

Replaced the cam sensor and the timing chain set while we had the front of the engine disassembled.

2 or 3 of the fuel injectors are frozen open at this point (250,000 miles) and the car is out of commission until I get it fixed.

Windows do not roll up or down.

A/C is out.

General Comments:

The car is fairly comfortable.

It gets great gas mileage (34 mpg).

Faults:

The Radiator went out soon after I got it.

The Thermostat had to be replaced.

It ended up needing new calipers.

The Serpentine belt fell off mysteriously.

Burns oil.

Gas tank has recently sprung a leak.

The Body is showing it's age, for certain.

Brake line went out after sitting unused for a year.

Interior head-liner had to be removed (It no longer adhered to the ceiling), leaving rotten foam dust everywhere.

Front seats are bent backwards to an awkward angle (Prior to my owning it)

Manual window crank is oddly tight to operate, and sometimes impossible.

The shifter linkage has been replaced 5 times previous to my ownership (according to the documentation I received)

Bad starter. I sometimes have to open the hood and use a jack handle to force the starter to initiate. I will be replacing that soon.

The Plug that powers the interior fan has melted, and therefore the fan works inconsistently.

The switch for rear defrost is selective about whether it chooses to accept your order to activate.

General Comments:

Overall, I love this car. Yes, it is agreeably showing me its age and will have to be replaced, but I'm never throwing it away.

It handles over an hour of highway commuting per day.

It's not too large, but not too small (Interior wise)

It's moderately stylish without being garish (Mine is now sadly in bad shape as its appearance goes)

Before the tank leak, it got great gas mileage, for an 88.

Handles very well in the snow and ice.

Stereo is so-so sounding, but really durable. I have factory speakers, and I have put them through their paces. I think I may have finally blown the front passenger speaker, though.

Great headroom! I find myself having to "limbo" into many other cars, or perform exotic contortionist moves to eviscerate myself from them without banging my head. Not the Bonneville, it's comfy.

It handles like you'd expect a car of its size to handle. I wouldn't call it "Turning" as much as I would call it "strafing" in the Bonneville.

It went 29,000 miles without an oil change from the previous owners. (They lied about the last oil change)

Thanks to myself and my father, repairs to this car have only tallied about $400. Well worth it for a vehicle as reliable as it is.

It has a pleasant smell. I'm not kidding. Something about the foam drying out and crumbling gives it a sort of charming odor. It's hard to explain.

After all these years, the Bonneville still has an impressive amount of 'get-up-and-go', as it were. There are a lot of situations (usually merging onto a busy highway) that require just a drop of turbo, and the Bonneville can provide, within reason.