> look at the car, and run a Carfax on it.
>
> I have a copy of the original title which has GMAC as the first owner who
> sold it to the dealer in 2000. Appearently, it has never been
> titled/registered privately, (altho I am not sure how leasing works).
I may just not be understanding properly, but where has the car been from
2000 until now?
Can/will a dealer run the VIN to check on the service history?
> Here is the VIN, I would appreciate if some one would run a carfax for me
> 1G2HZ52K3VH278277
The dealer pretty much will do what they want. If I were you, I would ask for a Carfax, and the service history. Shouldn't cost them anything.
> Being a 40th Anniversary edition, it could be considered a collectors
>> item, but still 3000 miles in 8 years does seem odd. I also agree with
>> "Dipstick", that a 1997 Bonneville with only 55,000 miles on a dealer lot
>> shouldn't have any problems.
>
> Yeah, this is why I hesitated to grab it right off the bat. It is listed
> for ~$7000 usd, I offered $4K and he countered at $5K which is the > NadaGuide value.
Depending on the options, and permitting the dealer repairs the heat and steering problems, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase that car for $5K.
OH BTW, it also have thrown a code which is saying there is a misfire in
> cly #2...That could be any thing from a minor tune to head gasket, to ... > $$$
Very true. I'm on my 5th Bonneville, and twice the car was reporting a misfire. Both times it turned out that a spark plug wire had broke.
> The heat question could be a different fix. Does the car have Auto >> Climate Control?
> Yes
>
>> If it does, does the engine heat itself up?
> Yes
>
> If the car is heating up, but it's not blowing hot air (and of
>> course, it is full of coolant), it could be the door actuator that
>> controls whether hot or cold air is to be thrown out of the vents. >
> The door on the Auto Climate Control? under the dash? Is there an easy
> way to test it? Is that a vacuume or mechanical actuator? Is it easy to
> get at to replace?
Yup, it's under the dash on the passenger side. You can see it if you pull the glove box out, and look through a hole on the right side. I find a good way to test it is to start the car, let the engine heat up, put the fan on Hi and turn the temperature all the way down. Give it a few seconds, then turn the temperature all the way up, and see if you can hear the door moving behind the dash. I found on one of my Bonneville's that doing that procedure a few times made the door work properly. As for replacing it (if needed), most people say the dash must be removed. I have seen some who have replaced the part from going under the dash, but it's difficult.
> That is a common
>> problem on that era Bonneville, with the auto climate control. I own a
>> 1997 Bonneville SSEi myself, and love the car.
>
> I have also seen a couple SSEi's but at a longer distance away...Are there
> any addition considerations with the blower? ( I am rebuilding SWMBO's 95
> Miata w/ a JR/SC, so I like super chargers)
The only problem I know of with the superchargers from the 1996 and up Bonneville's is eventually the bearings in the nose cone start to rattle, and need replacing.
> It has almost 300,000 KM's on it,
>> and runs like a million bucks. It was sitting nearly 2 days, and the
>> temperature was -19 when I went out tonight,
>
> Where are you? I guess I wont whine about it being 16F here in CT, eh?
I'm in Ontario, Canada. It's -9 with the wind-chill right now, so it isn't too bad Lol
The buick is in the shop so I have to travel 60 miles on my 93 BMW K 1100
> LT bike today. funny thing is, with the Gerbing electric heated gear I
> have, I end up being warmer on the bike...
Nice.
> and it started and ran as
>> though it were a warm Florida day. They are very very good cars. >
> yes, I really like the one I had and made the mistake of replacing it with
> an 04 LaSabre...the Buick really hasnt had any mechanical issues,
> (excluding the instrument needles being drunk all the time :) but it just
> a far cry from the Bonne...too much of a Florida car
I know how you feel. My 1996 Bonneville SSEi was in an accident several months ago, so I replaced it with an Oldsmobile Intrigue, which I didn't like, so I traded that for a Chevy Trailblazer, which I did like, but it turned out the truck had been in an accident, and was "rebuilt" using several different Trailblazers. I ended up finding the 1997 Bonneville SSEi I now own a couple of months ago, and even with almost 300,000 km's on the clock, I love it. I wanted to use it as a "summer car", so I went out and bought a Buick Rendezvous for $12,000...Bad mistake. The thing is mint, not a single problem, but like you said about your LaSabre, it just isn't a Bonneville. I haven't driven the Buick in almost 3 weeks.
The SSEi's are looking better and better at this point.
In my opinion, the only bad thing about the SSEi's with the supercharger compared to the non-supercharged versions, is the supercharged engine requires 91 octane gas, instead of the normal 87 in the regular engine. But, if you drive a normal 3800 engine, then the supercharged version, you likely won't mind the extra few cents a liter for the 91. The supercharger can really blow you away.
Again, thanks for your time,
No problem. Like I said, I've owned many Bonneville's, so feel free to pick my brain if you want.