2000 Pontiac Bonneville SLE 3.8L V6 from North America

Summary:

Way too expensive

Faults:

Fuel door lock quit - 2 trips to the dealer and it still is not fixed.

General Comments:

The 2000 Pontiac Bonneville is not worth the $30k+ I paid.

It is very loud inside with excessive wind noise.

The plastic parts on the inside and outside feel cheep and the front 6-way power seats are very uncomfortable.

On the bright side, the 235/55R17 optional tires provide very good grip for a 3700-pound car.

Acceleration and breaking are also good.

All this said, the one thing that will prevent me from ever buying this type of car again is depreciation!

With the car less than 2 years old, a purchase price of $30500, and only 27,000 miles, the blue book value is about $15k. Knowing this, how could anyone ever buy a Bonneville?

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 6th October, 2002

26th Jun 2003, 11:46

All I can say is that you must have paid sticker price. I purchased a brand new SLE for $24,700. All the bells and whistles except for leather. I might feel similarly to you if I were to have paid the premium price, however I am very satisfied with the vehicle thus far. Depreciation percentage on mine is a lot lower due to my $5,000 plus purchase advantage. At any rate, owning a car that is not just another face in the crowd and one that if well maintained should last a long time can help hold off the depreciation blues. If you keep it long enough and it doesn't require a lot of service, equilibrium of purchase to investment will occur.

Best of Luck.

14th Jun 2005, 12:47

In America right after you buy a new car brand new car after you drive off the lot immediately you lose 5,000 dollars in value no matter what kind of car (including European pieces of crap)

2000 Pontiac Bonneville SE 3.8 from North America

Summary:

The Bonneville SE is a heck of a buy for the money

Faults:

Radiator leaked at seam at 2,000 miles. Dealer replaced the radiator.

Ash tray won't stay closed.

Firestone tires vibrate even after balancing.

General Comments:

This car is very quick for the engine size.

Mileage around town is 19 and on the highway with the air conditioner on and running 75 the mileage is 28.

The handling is great and the ride is comfortable.

Front seat room is very good. Rear seat is somewhat lacking for adults.

Trunk space is huge.

I hate the battery under the rear seat and expect trouble. Even though I love the car, had I realized the battery was under the rear seat, I would not have bought the car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th June, 2002

21st Apr 2004, 11:43

I agree the battery under the seat is more difficult to replace, but consider how often a bettery is replaced. It's not that big a deal. Also consider how much less strees the battery will face being nice and cosy under the rear seat rather than in -20 degree whether under the hood. It must last longer, we all know cold temperatures kill batteries sooner.

20th Jul 2010, 11:45

I agree with having the battery under the seat as a plus for extending the life of the battery. My original battery in my 2001 Bonneville went 8 years and over 130,000 miles! It was not dead yet, but I decided to replace it as winter was approaching. The down side is that you have to replace with a special battery that has external vent tubes attached. I don't want all those battery gases filling up inside the car. It cost about $175. Still worth it in my opinion.

2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi Supercharged from North America

Summary:

Go test drive one for yourself... ;-) There is no other car like it

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong with this car!! It is perfect in every way.

I have owned a 1996 Bonneville SE, and that had a few dashboard and transmission problems, but I really liked the car. I am hopeful GM has figured out why it is happening and have corrected it.

General Comments:

I have liked all other cars I have purchased (1995 Olds 88, 1996 Bonneville SE, 1997 Olds 88). But the SSEi supercharged is the whole enchilada baby!!! It has the perfect amount of buttons, I love this car!! I find myself taking the long way home for trips to the grocery store just to be in it.

I used to hate getting stuck with trips before, but now it's another chance to be in my Bonny. If you are a high tech geek that likes gizmos, or you just like gizmos, look at a 2000 Bonneville SSEi or higher. This is not the same car as in past years, this car is the bomb!!!

My wife was a skeptic on this car when we first got it, she thought that the HUD would be a distraction and that with 12 way power seats one of the directions should be eject... :P this list goes on. But when I turned on the driver memory and the mirrors, radio station, seat, and climate controls went to what she likes, that all changed. Now she uses only the HUD and steering wheel buttons to change radio stations. She is now joking about getting one for her too.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th October, 2001

2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi 3.8 supercharged from North America

Summary:

The American ultimate driving machine

Faults:

I've had the windshield replaced twice. The first was from a rock from a Semi, the second was because the seal wasn't done correctly.

The passenger door panel rattles.

General Comments:

Overall I feel it's the ultimate driving machine. It has depreciated a whole lot in a short period of time and it's expensive to run (supercharger + high gas prices = expensive to run).

Its remarkably fast and agile for such a large car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th June, 2001

2000 Pontiac Bonneville SE 3.8 from North America

Summary:

For what you pay for the car the quality is not there

Faults:

Car constantly pulls to the right, has not been able to correct.

Hot smell that dealer cannot seem to duplicate.

Brakes squeak but they cannot get it to stop.

Several different electrical problems, mostly centered around remotes.

Interior problems - seat clamps coming off door panels and dash rattles.

I wish Saturn made a car that would seat 6.

General Comments:

Biggest buying mistake I ever made.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 11th March, 2001

2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEI 3.8 V6 supercharged from North America

Faults:

None.

General Comments:

I thought the Grand Prix GTP was better but now I know that the Bonneville SSEI can out-perform and out-run it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 1st December, 2000

2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSE 3.8 from North America

Summary:

Great Pontiac

Faults:

No problems.

General Comments:

Outstanding car. Handle better than my wife's BMW and will outrun it except the fuel cut off occurs before hers.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 20th August, 2000

2000 Pontiac Bonneville SLE 3.8 Litre from North America

Summary:

Best car I have ever owned

Faults:

So far nothing has gone wrong.

General Comments:

This is my 4th Bonneville. A 1987 SE, 1990 SSE, 1995 SLE and the one I took delivery on this April. This car is the best one of the four. It is a cut above the 1995 SLE. I am getting a little over 19 miles per gallon in city driving and it handles like a dream. I love it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th August, 2000