LS4 Performance - Opinions needed: Trade in Bonneville GXP for an Imp SS?

Hey everyone!

I currently drive a 2004 Pontiac Bonneville GXP with 85,000 miles on it. I love the exterior styling of the car and the sound it makes, but it's not terribly comfortable and there are absolutely no upgrading options.

I like FWD v8's (I can only afford one car, love v8 power but need it to be safe in the NY snow), so I was looking at some Impala SS's (2006+) and found an 06 just under $11,000 with 27,000 miles on it.

I asked the dealership that I purchased my Bonneville from to look into it as I would want to buy it from them after they bought it from this out-of-state dealership. My dealer said that there were two accidents on the vehicle history, but they checked into it further and found that there was no frame damage and that the accidents were nothing major (both cars traveling the same direction and made contact and the other was a minor front fender-bender). I trust them because they're on the hook if they bring it up here for me, I buy it from them and then I find out that it has issues.

So, I want your opinions on this. I'm pretty young and inexperienced-- I want to make sure that I'm not just getting caught up into a bad deal.

The pros of the Impala:
-~60,000 fewer miles
-Better warranty
-Better engine
-Better safety ratings <-- Very important to me
-Better fuel economy
-LS series engine-- modable (although I know a lot of people don't see the good in modding a FWD car) and sexy-sounding
-Better platform for my car audio installation
-2 years newer
-Only increasing my monthly payment by $10-$25
-Potential to have nicer seats
-Did I mention ~60,000 fewer miles?
-I'll be getting it for around it's trade-in value even after dealer mark-up for transportation and profit

The cons:
-The 2 accidents could hurt my resale value
-Potential residual electrical issues from the accidents
-The weak-ass transmission

Discuss and let me know what you think! Thanks in advance!

John

I enjoy my 2006 Chevy Impala SS. The FWD is good with the strut bar in the rear, 255/45/18 Nitto 555r Extremes, and new KYB GR-2 struts. The car will try to drive just like a RWD. Likes to be pushed in curves. The next mods I am working on is a transmission cooler and a LS2 intake with a tune.

Does the value seem good on the deal that I have?

Youre gonna get a ton of comments requarding the garbage Trans in those cars...

Ive always liked them though, I say go for it...

Would you be looking into Selling the car in the short term? if youre planning on putting 70 or 80 thousand miles on it, it wont be worth anything anyways... so the accident shouldnt hurt you too much IMO.

Good luck

Just so long as you budget 2500$ for a built transmission , they are quite reliable , mines never left me stranded. What doy uo know about the accidents?

I only know what I posted about the accidents-- one was a parallel impact from being cut off and the other was probably a parking lot collision because there was no police report.

I'm planning on putting many, many miles on it. I'm not looking to flip this car, so it's really true that the value will be so low when I'm looking to sell it that most won't be concerned about a few accidents that happened around ten years from that point.

I have read quite a bit about the tranny issue-- I would be looking to purchase an extended warranty. I also won't ever be shifting the car like a clutchless manual, so I might have better longevity than others. As long as I can put kids with their Eclipses to shame stoplight to stoplight, I'll be more than happy. This won't be a drag strip queen or a show car-- it's already seen some winters so I don't see value in that.

I really love the sleeper styling. I might debadge it, buy some non-SS wheels (man are those ugly) for it, maybe change the intake and potentially do some exhaust work... I don't have a lot of extra money kicking around, so I need relaibility over strip-level power. I'm not, however, willing to buy something without a V8 rumble in favor of reliability.

I'm definitely having my dealership bring it up here so that I can at least take a look. The way I look at it, if I can get it for $14,000 including a warranty, I'll be more than pleased.

Kepp the thoughts coming!

Any car can get into a accident. Thats why we have insurance.

I purchased my 2007 SS brand new taking advantage of a huge discount that year that was offered on those left on the lot. I got it more for its 4 door family car personality rather than its ability to "pound Eclipses at stoplights" LOL. The sleeper element of my SS just adds to the fun. And strangely, I actually like the FWD part of it. All my other cars are RWD and are unable to get up the hills here when we get the occasional snow event.

The transmission is the weak point as many here will attest to. I had no troubles until I hit 69K. The typical shudder, RPM oscillation etc...started happening then. Last month I had the torque converter replaced under warranty plus the fluid changed and everything is working fine now. Hopefully there was no residual damage.Still, I wouldn't let the transmission issue deter you from picking up a good deal on one of these. It wouldn't be a bad idea though to have $2500 hanging around to get a TEP built replacement transmission just in case.

The interior is nice and understated. Some may say it's cheap "car rental" quality, but I say: Meh, it's fine with me. The seats are strangely flat, but very comfortable on long journeys, and the heated seats are fantastic.

I plan on keeping my SS for a long time. It's paid for and serves its primary purpose superbly. If you are looking into modding one of these extensively, you may be surprised at your options: not many. If you do want to modify this, just get a turbo and be done with it! LOL. For me, stock power is fine.

You may want to bargain with your dealer by mentioning the transmission thing. Still you really can't go wrong with these cars at the current prices.

Thanks for the insight figleaf. I'm feeling pretty good about this car. My dealer says that they spoke with the other dealer and it's entirely good to go. I feel really good about it because they wouldn't buy it if they didn't feel like they couldn't sell it of I didn't want it.

I feel like the impala ss is just like the bonne gxp-- it's a connesour's car. You need to have a particular taste for it. I will definitely be happy with the stock HP.

And my buddy said the same thing about accidents, it's tough to find an older car without accidents, and the nys lemon law will give me 4000 miles of protection before an extended warranty would be needed. Pretty sweet deal I think.

There are tons of things u can do to the engine btw.. for the most part its just like any other ls engine. Heads can be worked, cam, intake manifold swaps, headers, nos... Mine is pretty much stock except for the most basic bolt ons and a tune.. I ran neck n neck with an ls1 m6 gto with a small shot of nos today :) i was impressed, he was pissed

If your gonna debadge it and swap the rims you might as will buy and lt and save your money, and you'll still take eclipses.....am I the only one who's proud of the SS badging?

If your gonna debadge it and swap the rims you might as will buy and lt and save your money, and you'll still take eclipses.....am I the only one who's proud of the SS badging?

Its more fun to let the ass whoopin's do the explaining! Who wants to race an eclipse neways??

I have no problem with the ss badging as long as it doesn't get my car broken into ( not that I ever really park in high crime areas). I have a thing for the sleeper look, though, and wouldn't really be interested in a v6-- they're a dime a dozen.

I didn't mean to say eclipses-- I meant pre-2010 mustang gt's. I've never had a car that could beat one and the kids who drive them think that they're just the cat's pajamas.

Lols , couple mods and you can beat up on 5.0s...

As in 2011+ 5.0's?

You're going to need some expensive mods to beat the 2011+ 5.0s. That or some spray will do the trick :P

If you're looking at modding it I'd start with completely redoing your intake(including the manifold) and your exhaust. That with a tune will give you a hefty chunk of power for the money. Once you open up your flow then you can do all your internal engine work if you want.

LS4 > Northstar

That tranny is a different story though

I also won't ever be shifting the car like a clutchless manual, so I might have better longevity than others.
That's not how it works. There's a couple of engineering defects in the trans. It's going to go when it wants to.
http://ls1tech.com/forums/ls4-performance/1343286-transmission-upgrade-project.html
I like this thread because it covers the defects.

04BlackGXP - the 06' cars are wayyyy out of warranty, the warranty was a 3 yr/36,000 mi deal. So unless you plan to purchase a warranty thru the dealership, you wont have a warranty.

94ss-- I was definitely planning on purchasing a warranty from the dealership.

The ls series is superior to the N* no doubt. I don't like the quad-cam layout-- that's one of the major reasons I won't drive a mustang.

Like I said, I'm years away from being able to have a seriously fast car. As such, I feel like the impala is a perfect compromise.

Looks like the final number from my dealership will be 12,500. Payments will be about $80 more than what I pay a month. 6.7% rate over 60 months...

If you feel you can afford it then go for it :)

Thats all I do before someone test me. I just point at the badge and they back off. I LOVE my badges

Awesome, I think that I will! A bit off-topic, but how easy is it to fit these cars with projectors for HID's? I searched for about an hour today and couldn't find any solid retrofitting walk-throughs. If someone could point me to a thread, that would be fantastic!

Thanks in advance!
John

Awesome, I think that I will! A bit off-topic, but how easy is it to fit these cars with projectors for HID's? I searched for about an hour today and couldn't find any solid retrofitting walk-throughs. If someone could point me to a thread, that would be fantastic!

Thanks in advance!
John

When it comes to lighting Sadden knows just about everything it seems like. Wish he would do a write-up for retro fitting some HIDs. (Hint hint) :D

When it comes to lighting Sadden knows just about everything it seems like. Wish he would do a write-up for retro fitting some HIDs. (Hint hint) :D

Yeah, I saw the thread about his headlights. Did I read correctly that there was a grand in parts PLUS a grand in labor?:hail:

I was just wondering if Morimoto (sp?) projectors dropped in with just a bit of cutting. The aftermarket assemblies are cheap (~$200 a pair +shipping) but I've read on here that they're shit covered in shit with shit filling.:cool:

John

I believe that was including his LED bar in his front grill. Yeah the Morimotos are like $300 + whatever a new housing will cost you. But that's the way you go if you wanna do it the right way. If you wanna use some cheaper HIDs that don't focus the light then you can pick up a pair for $100

As far as dropping right in I would like Sadden to write up a How-to on them, including the specific package he used. After he gets back from Jamaica of course :)

Sorry to keep bumping this thread, but is there anything I should look out for on a test drive (I.e. noises, rust/wear patterns, etc.)?

Sorry to keep bumping this thread, but is there anything I should look out for on a test drive (I.e. noises, rust/wear patterns, etc.)?

I'd do the usual when buying any car. But make sure you get it up to highway speeds and see how well it shifts and holds gears. Check under the hood to see if anything's leaking. Check the fluids, when I got mine the transmission fluid was shot.

I just got done driving the ss. It's nice, definitely nice. I might be in love...

I checked the tranny fluid. It was red but definitely had a brown look to it.

The whole car felt very familiar-- it felt comfortable and like I was driving a much nicer version of my Bonneville. I did take it on the highway-- no shifting issues at all and it tracked straight as an arrow. They put two brand new rs-a's on the front... Hurray... Fresh crappy rubber is better than worn nice rubber I guess.

I didn't like the sound of the exhaust as much-- rather generic sounding and the rev limiter prevents any drive-by surprises for innocent by-standers.

When I told them that I wanted the car from Jersey, I also told them that if it had been smoked in, I wasn't interested. My girlfriend is extremely sensitive to if a car has been smoked in in the past. She can't breathe in cars that have been smoked in. This car has DEFINITELY been smoked in. And that's a huge bummer for me because I desperately want the car. They are going to work on it, but does anyone have a solution for this? I'm pretty much convinced that I want it as long as they can get the smoke out.

Good luck getting the smell out. One of our cars didn't have any smoke smell when we bought it but come a hot summer day and you'll notice it pretty badly. Only thing I can think of to get rid of the smell permanently is to reupholster everything and replace all of the carpets. Even then though if you turn on the ac or heat you may smell it :/

I don't know. I've found ashes in the rear ashtray of my Bonneville and that car smells fantastic. The dealer said that they have an ionizing process that they can do.

Just as a follow-up, they ozone bombed the car and got the smoke out. Literally, it's gone.

I know you must be wishing to drive something newer but as the owner and driver of both an 08 Impala SS and a 05 Bonneville GXP I would rate my GXP the much better vehicle and after reading this you might wish to pass on a W body Impala SS . I have two cousins who bought new Bonneville GXP and they have had such good experiences that I started to look for one too, only thing it took me a while to find a low mileage one, but early last year I found one with only 22K on it and from a 1 owner in like new condition.


I have driven my 2008 Impala SS over 20,000 miles over 3 years and the problems started building with the miles, so far no problems or issues with my 2005 Bonneville GXP or the Northstar, and of all the actual owners of Northstars that I have quizzed they all rate it highly, especially the newer Northstars of post 2003 that have had all the engineering improvements. I did a lot of research between my two GM sedans and my Impala is being sold this weekend with 39K. And yes the new owner knows about the oil usage and does not care.

My Impala SS needs premium fuel to get slightly better mpg’s over my GXP but when I burn regular it gets worse mileage than my GXP and premium runs about .25 or .30 cents more per gallon so the edge goes to the Pontiac on that one.

The 5.3L in the Impala ss started using oil at an alarming rate and it seems it is primarily a result of the DOD or AFM system and GM has a long TSB on this, if you care to check on it. Mine now burns about 1 qt in 1100 miles of highway driving and I had it checked at a dealer for excessive oil consumption but in town driving it only used 1 qt every 2300-2400 miles so it did not get the GM fix or rebuild. My Northstar so far does not use oil between 4,000 to 7,000 mile OCI's and neither does 7 other owners that I know of who drive one.

At 35k my Impala SS had to limp into the shop for transmission work as the 4T65HD was slipping and it was repaired before the warranty expired. So far the 4T80-E in my Bonneville has been great and I now have 35K miles on it.

Last year when I was researching each of my sedans I had my two buddies who work as service advisors at two different small dealers perform some background service checks (both in warranty and out-of-warranty cars) between the Northstar vehicles from 04 to 09 and with the W bodies cars with the LS4 from 05 to 09. I had them check about the transmissions that needed service (internal problems not normal maintenance) and also excessive oil consumption (over 1 quart per 2000 miles) and to give me a ratio between vehicles and it was amazing how bad the LS4 was with DOD and with the 4T65HD.

W bodies with 4T65HD needing repairs - 74 - vs – 3- H-K bodies with 4T80-E needing repairs

5.3L LS4 excessive oil consumption 41 - vs – 2 with Northstars excessive oil consumption

I plan to keep my Bonneville GXP in my stable and sell my SS

Other pros to the GXP over my Impala SS

More supportive and comfortable bucket seats as the GXP gives lateral support. THE impala does not and you sit on them rather than in them and I had to get sheepskin seat-covers on the SS to help prevent excessive sideway movement.

All the dealers and independent shops I quizzed rated the Nortstar to be a better smoother engine.

Much more reliable transmission as two transmission shops I had visited each were working on a 4T65HD and told me any car over 60K (with a 4T65HD) was on borrowed time for tranny work.

Better gauge display with oil pressure and voltage readouts

HUD (head up display of speedometer in windshield)

A real Drivers cockpit style angled controls

No sun reflections from shift display – (I had to use black tape over chrome to prevent sun-blindness)