04 gxp
04 gxp Hey guys Im looking at a 04 bonneville gxp as a DD. I know it comes with the 275 hp 4-cam Northstar V-8. How do thoses motors respond to bolt on's? And how durable are the transmissions in those? Am I better off getting a 05 with a lsx? I might score it for 8500.00 and its clean.
The Bonne GXP has the 4T80-E transmission and is much more stout than the 4T65-HD found in an LS4 car.
To my knowledge, while there are bolt-ons for the Northstar motor, I hear they're a bit pricey. And I'm not sure how much bang for the buck you get when modding a Northstar.
As far as choosing between the 2 cars, they're very different.
The GP GXP will be faster, handle better, and generally be more sporty to drive. It will return impressive highway mileage if you keep your foot out of it, but they typically get really poor city mileage in the low to mid teens. There's also the possibility that you could have transmission problems, as its a very common trouble spot for these cars. This particular problem is less likely in the Bonneville.
The Bonne GXP is a bit larger,
rides quite a bit smoother, and is a good highway cruiser. I know this from renting one a while back. It won't get quite the highway mileage of an LS4, but should do a little better in the city. Of course, the big difference will be acceleration, as it has less power and torque in a heavier car than does the Grand Prix GXP.
Lastly, the early Northstar motors had head gasket problems, but GM finally addressed it in the early 2000's, so the Bonnie shouldn't have that problem.
It really comes down to personal choice, as they're very different cars. Have you driven them? Which do you like better?
It sounds like you have an interesting decision ahead of you, and I wish you luck with it.
To my knowledge, while there are bolt-ons for the Northstar motor, I hear they're a bit pricey. And I'm not sure how much bang for the buck you get when modding a Northstar.
As far as choosing between the 2 cars, they're very different.
The GP GXP will be faster, handle better, and generally be more sporty to drive. It will return impressive highway mileage if you keep your foot out of it, but they typically get really poor city mileage in the low to mid teens. There's also the possibility that you could have transmission problems, as its a very common trouble spot for these cars. This particular problem is less likely in the Bonneville.
The Bonne GXP is a bit larger,
rides quite a bit smoother, and is a good highway cruiser. I know this from renting one a while back. It won't get quite the highway mileage of an LS4, but should do a little better in the city. Of course, the big difference will be acceleration, as it has less power and torque in a heavier car than does the Grand Prix GXP.
Lastly, the early Northstar motors had head gasket problems, but GM finally addressed it in the early 2000's, so the Bonnie shouldn't have that problem.
It really comes down to personal choice, as they're very different cars. Have you driven them? Which do you like better?
It sounds like you have an interesting decision ahead of you, and I wish you luck with it.
Last edited by LS1 Racing; Jan 5, 2011 at 09:33 PM.
Wow thanks, that was some good fat to chew on. Im also considering the price difference. I think price and the ride quaility are going to play in favor of me going with the bonne and the sound of the northstar pushing some exhaust threw some borlas =)
Agreed. While the GP has a much nicer interior, the Bonne is better looking on the outside to my eyes.
i have a grand prix gxp and my mom actually has a bonne gxp. the bonne feels like a much bigger car has some get up but a grand prix gtp even feels faster then that (test drove all three before i bought my car). the bonne gxp comes stock with a gm performance exhaust with no res on it. so the 275hp rating is already with a nice exhaust. my mom does get worse gas mileage then me (highway) and im not the easiest on my car. if you want longevity go with the bonne, if you want (in my opinion) a whole lot more sport in a car go with the grand prix
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TECH Apprentice
Joined: Dec 2010
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While yes the Bonneville GXP has a much stouter transmissions supposedly the N* motors are not the best reliability wise. Ex anything past 100,000 KM.
And while yes there are a FEW basic bolt-ons as far as i know there's no one out there who can Tune the N* programming.
Now if only we could get an LS4/4T80 combo..
I actually had a dream once to put something along those lines in my 94 Bonneville. Ah well....
And while yes there are a FEW basic bolt-ons as far as i know there's no one out there who can Tune the N* programming.
Now if only we could get an LS4/4T80 combo..
I actually had a dream once to put something along those lines in my 94 Bonneville. Ah well....
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