zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Buying
/
At $9,500, Is This 2003 Pontiac Bonneville SEEi A Bonnie Good Deal?
At $9,500, Is This 2003 Pontiac Bonneville SEEi A Bonnie Good Deal?-July 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:09:24

Nice Price or No Dice 2003 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi

Today’s Pontiac is named for the famed Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah’s venerated site for speed. The car is claimed to be loaded, but let’s see if its price stings like salt on a wound.

There is a myth that in the 18th Century, a law was enacted in Maine that prisoners could not be fed lobster more than twice a week as doing so would be considered inhumane treatment. That’s a somewhat bemusing story considering what a rare and expensive delicacy the large decapods are considered today.

Owing to its European specs, the we looked at yesterday is comparably rare and, according to some of you, rather expensive. As common as it may have been back in its home market, here, the cloth upholstery and four-speed manual make the car rather unusual which obviously is what engendered the seller to set a sizable $13,000 asking price for its sale. Too few of you were willing to consider that, though, and the Benz bombed in a 72 percent No Dice loss.

Image for article titled At $9,500, Is This 2003 Pontiac Bonneville SEEi A Bonnie Good Deal?

Of course, not all old cars are rare. And considering that the model name had been around since 1957, you wouldn’t expect the Pontiac Bonneville to be a particularly rare model of car at all. I’ll bet, however, that these days the only folks that give the model any consideration at all are those that currently own one. With its discontinuation following the 2005 model year, and Pontiac itself having gone down the tubes a few years later, it’s safe to say that those owners could be considered a special breed.

Should anyone want to join that band of brave and bold Bonneville boosters, this looks to be an excellent way into the club.

Image for article titled At $9,500, Is This 2003 Pontiac Bonneville SEEi A Bonnie Good Deal?

This Bonneville hails from the model’s tenth and final generation and was built on General Motors’ corporate G platform which at the time was shared with the likes of the Olds Aurora (dead), Cadillac Seville (dead too), and Buick Riviera (doornail poster child). According to the ad, the car comes with having had every option box checked and hence offers cool features like a heads-up display, a Monsoon sound system, and a moon roof.

Image for article titled At $9,500, Is This 2003 Pontiac Bonneville SEEi A Bonnie Good Deal?

As this is also the top-of-the-line SSEi model, it also comes with a supercharged edition of the 3.8 liter L67 V6. In the Bonneville, that made 240 horsepower and perhaps, more importantly, 280 lb-ft of torque. That’s mated to the standard four-speed automatic which sends the ponies to the front wheels.

Image for article titled At $9,500, Is This 2003 Pontiac Bonneville SEEi A Bonnie Good Deal?

In nearly 20 years time, those front wheels have only pulled the car a mere 62,000 miles. That’s peanuts and the car appears to be in almost as-new condition as a result. The Galaxy Silver paint still seems to be holding its own, as is the chrome on the factory alloys and the plastic lenses on the headlamps.

A heavy tint on the windows has probably helped the interior materials stave off time and the sun, although it should be pointed out that the plastics GM was using in this era were not the best they could be. Also, the Pontiac’s interior design could be considered a bit lurid and fussy for modern tastes. If you’re ok with it, then more power to you. Speaking of power, pretty much everything in this Bonneville, from the windows to the locks to the climate control are all power-operated or automatic.

The ad claims a new battery and shows all the original manuals, but doesn’t give us the car’s title status. That’s due to it being inexplicably posted under Craigslist’s General For Sale category rather than the more comprehensive Cars and Trucks. We can work with that since everything in the ad points to the car carrying a clear title. It also has a $9,500 price tag and it’s now incumbent upon you to comment and vote on whether you think that’s an appropriate amount for the car as it sits.

Image for article titled At $9,500, Is This 2003 Pontiac Bonneville SEEi A Bonnie Good Deal?

What do you say, is $9,500 a fair price for this Bonneville that seems so underused? Or, low miles or not, is that just too much to ask for a moribund brand’s defunct modelnamed after a long-dead sea?

You decide!

Denver, Colorado, , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to mpssweeney for the hookup!

Help me out with NPOND. Hit me up at and send me a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your Kinja handle.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Buying
At $16,500, Is This 1965 Chevy Corvair Monza Safely a Deal?
At $16,500, Is This 1965 Chevy Corvair Monza Safely a Deal?
Chevy’s second take on the Corvair turned out to be one of the most stunning cars the ‘60s had to offer. Today’s Chevrolet Monza, adds some additional pizzazz. Will its price prove just as compelling? The most commonly used letter in modern English is “E” with a frequency of...
Jul 27, 2025
At $9,500, Is This 2003 BMW 330i ZHP a Bavarian Bargain?
At $9,500, Is This 2003 BMW 330i ZHP a Bavarian Bargain?
The ad for today’s N 330i details recent maintenance — the cost totaling more than a quarter of the car’s current asking price. Let’s see if that adds up to the car being a sports saloon steal. How do you define luxury in an automobile? Is it by tour...
Jul 27, 2025
2024 Subaru Impreza: What Do You Want To Know?
2024 Subaru Impreza: What Do You Want To Know?
Can you believe the has only been around for thirty years? In that time it’s been practically everything — a , a , an , even a . But, as those three decades have worn on, the car’s spirit has split. The for , taking the performance-enthusiast base with...
Jul 27, 2025
Average New Car Price Could Crack $50,000 This Year According to Toyota
Average New Car Price Could Crack $50,000 This Year According to Toyota
The is going to crack $50,000 and continue to climb at some point this year if the predictions of some top executives at are correct. According to , they believe that demand will continue to outpace supply once again in 2023, and there could now be as many as...
Jul 27, 2025
Ford Is Making a Gorgeous New Taurus, and We Can't Have It
Ford Is Making a Gorgeous New Taurus, and We Can't Have It
It’s been five years since , but other markets were luckier. In the Middle East, Ford’s cars are still going, and they’re going well. Take, for example, the — not only has the venerated nameplate stuck around, but the car it graces is downright gorgeous. Gorgeous within the constraints...
Jul 27, 2025
Honda Recalls 330,000 Vehicles for Side Mirrors That Fall Off
Honda Recalls 330,000 Vehicles for Side Mirrors That Fall Off
Every carmaker, if it could, would . They’re bulky, they ruin the car’s shape, and they cause enough aerodynamic drag to noticeably affect EV range. Companies have been experimenting with for years now, but it seems Honda took a different approach to getting rid of those unsightly bumps: Building...
Jul 27, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved