1990 Pontiac Bonneville SSE 3.8 from North America
Summary:
Styl'in Family Sedan
Faults:
Heater Core leaked 183000 km.
Battery 183500 km.
General Comments:
When our 98 ZX2 was toasted by a Semi, my wife and I had to look for an affordable and reliable 4 door sedan for our new and growing family. We looked at several cars and the Bonneville was by far the nicest looking early 90's family sedan.
I love the style of the 87-91 Bonnevilles they are sharp looking, very comfortable and reliable. It has a lot of extras that even late 90's and early 00's models don't even have as options.
Options include air compressor for flat tires or filling up air mattress for a day at the beach. 9 adjustable position seats, electronic automatic heating system. It actually has more options than my 2002 F150 SuperCrew 4x4 FX4.
It is a very enjoyable vehicle to cruise in, very smooth with the air ride suspension. It has enough power for the city, but I figure it lacks a little zip like a V8 or 4 banger VTEC for highway passing and maintaining highway speeds up hills.
I am a little hesitant with all the electronic gizmo's because it just means more problems down the road. However, we have spent about $500 in over a year on maintenance. It gets great gas mileage for a larger sedan. 22mpg city and 35mpg highway. It has been a fantastic car reliability wise for a 13 year old car.
Overall, I would rate this vehicle an 8 out of 10. My wife rates it a 9 out of 10 because of the extra trunk space for the baby stroller, groceries and sports equipment. I would recommend this vehicle to young families or University/College Students who want a nice car that is reliable and good on gas.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 17th April, 2002
9th Jun 2008, 08:58
I also have a 1990 Bonneville- it's my first car. I've had the beast for about 3 years and the biggest thing I've had done was I had to replace the computer. Other than that, after about 6 wrecks and many trips to Gatlinburg, He still runs like the day I got him.
When I got the car, he had 1 scratch, 32,000 miles and brand new brake pads and a new oil change. I got him for about $2400 from a friend of the family. I have to say, I love my Bonneville. That car has been a true blessing, and the gas mileage is killer. I can spend $50 and fill it up completely and go for about 2 weeks without having to gas up again. The only problem I have with it is he sits so low to the ground. The road I live on is very uneven and there are spots I really have to watch as to not scratch the bottom. But I love my car. Bonneville's OWN!!!