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.
Wow. This is exactly the Bonnie I wanted when I rented one around that time…green over tan.
Nice find, Jeff!
A great price, but with 200k miles, what could go wrong?
200k miles, so buyer beware.
i have 4 of these on the road and 3 for parts. 1 of them has 240k on and runs like new and still pulls 25-30mpg on the highway. if this were on the east coast there would be no hesitation to snap it up. comfortable to drive and cheap to maintain. i had the 2000 new style and it can’t hold a candle to the old style. they are nothing but electrical nightmares
Too bad this generation didn’t sell better. It was good looking. Pontiac hurt sales with too much body cladding on too many models over too many years. It was all are. People knew it. My dad revered to Pontiac cars as boy racer cars. What a come down from the 1960’s. This particular Pontiac needs restored. At 200,000 miles, it is worn out. It needs restored.
I had a 2000 Grand Prix GTP the exact same drive train and drove it to 338,000 miles. I don’t think this thing is wore out. He’s got some good MILES left at her.
Bonnevilles… in 1987 I ordered a new Bonneville LE… .the nicer trim… most people got the SE… first year for this Euro style generation. Fully loaded with sunroof and steering wheel radio. 3.8…. It was light, nimble and very fast…. Very dark green .. almost black with lower body a lighter green… drove it over 100k miles…. mostly trouble free. GM paint.. it had to be repainted… on GM…
In 88 I test drove a new GP …. My comment after was…. “My Bonneville will push the GP up to 120 and then push it out of the way”….
Had a 95 Buick PA Ultra. Same drivetrain. One of the best cars ever. No issues up to 335,000 miles from new. but my mechanic said the Cleveland salt and rust got the front sub frame.
That was it.that was the best and most comfortable car. ( foreign and domestic)
I hope my Cadillac XTS4 makes it that far.
174,000. We shall see. Not that great 3800.
Too bad GM and all manufactures stopped building full size “ real sedans”. There are a few of us left that like them over SUV’s.
I had a SSEI I bought with 26 K miles . Seeing this brings back memories . I drove that car hard everyday . It saw triple digits every day on the way to work and on the way home . My coworker had the grandprix GTP . There was a no lift policy in effect . I traded it in for a new z28 Camaro . I saw the car regularly over the next several years , always had to stop and take a look at it . What a great car .
The only proper color for the SSEi was this BRG.
I had the next gen Bonneville and absolutely loved it. Only mine was the plain SLE, but it was fantastic until the transmission started shifting hard and the catalytic converter went out over 250K miles.