The Pontiac Bonneville is one of those cars that had the potential to be great, and just never quite got there. It wasn’t the fault of Pontiac engineers, either, who worked hard to build the family-sized sedan into a competitive offering from the brand that was supposed to build the most exciting cars under the GM umbrella. No, the problem was most of the Bonnevilles sold were not this car: the SSEI. This is the flagship with the supercharged 3800-series V6 under the hood, aggressive styling, and an exhaust note you could hear starting up from three doors down. Check out this 1997 Bonneville SSEI here on craigslist for $3,950.

That’s peanuts for a car that will prove highly entertaining on both in-town jaunts and merging onto the interstate. The Bonneville really came into its own in the previous generation, otherwise known as the H-body years. That was when the SSE (note – no “I”, yet) made its introduction, and Pontiac seemed to somehow merge the attitude of a lowered Honda Civic into the grandpa-approved body of a Bonneville. Color-matched wheels, tons of aerodynamic enhancements, deeply contoured bucket seats, and buttons everywhere. It was quite a scream, but it was also a wake-up call that a domestic brand had the ability to put something in the showrooms an import shopper might consider.

When the next generation of the Bonneville emerged, Pontiac had managed to keep that momentum moving forward, giving the body a thorough refresh while maintaining the adrenaline rush that came standard on the SSEI. The interior was still sculpted, it still had a ton of buttons, but now it had a supercharged powerplant to match the vibe inside and out. There was just one problem: most of the Bonnevilles you saw on the road were being driven by people who had just visited their local Enterprise or Hertz affiliate. Rental car spec and bottom of the barrel from an equipment perspective. You barely saw the SSEI on the roads, which is the one with the power to change hearts and minds about Pontiac.

I was just watching Planes, Trains, and Automobiles and in the scene where Neil realizes his rental car is no longer at the airport, I’m pretty sure there’s an H-body Bonneville in the scene. The car shown here isn’t the rental car edition, and the seller notes he bought it as a second vehicle that’s not being used. As a 1997 model, the SSEI benefits from a small boost in power to 240 horsepower with 280 lb.-ft. of torque. That’s still formidable today, and we all know how durable these supercharged engines are. They remain one of the best picks you can find at your local salvage yard, but hopefully, this Bonneville SSEI will remain intact and on the road for many years to come. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Barney for the tip.