1987 Pontiac Bonneville SE | Retro Review

Maybe not the most memorable Bonneville, but plain is the new big thing.
Show 619 | Original Airdate 03-24-1987

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[rebeltvr]

My Dad had this car in blue. It was so smooth. That 3800 V6 was amazing.

[SPFanatic]

When Car & Driver eulogized Pontiac in 2009, they noted that the 1987 Bonneville SE was the last Pontiac they included on their 10Best list. Also, they said this Bonneville was "arguably Pontiac's last desirable and competitive sedan (until the G8)." I felt that the SE had the right blend of style and sportiness for what GM was going for, and it wasn't over-the-top like the SSE or SSEi.

[bluelt]

Base price: $13, 400 in 1987 = $34, 952 in 2022 dollars.
SE starting price: $15, 800 in 1987 = $41, 212 in 2022 dollars.
Highly optioned test car: $18, 800 in 1987 = $49, 037 in 2022 dollars.
I remember seeing these cars all over back in the day. They seemed to be quite popular.

[intermissionbuffalo]

I had an '89 Bonneville just like it. Incredible ride. Great in the snow. Just solid in and out. One of the best cars I've owned.

[BrandanZmaster]

I had a 89 Bonneville when I was in high school. Car was reliable, never let me down and comfortable for a car as old as I am. I miss Pontiac.

[vwestlife]

I can hear that warbly exhaust note from a mile away.

[smithraymond]

Few things say "80's Pontiac" like an interior full of buttons.

[carsjt]

My first car. 1987 bonneville se. white on gray cloth, dark tinted glass, fog lamps and same alloys! Looked sharp and I will say the most reliable car I have ever owned. Never missed a beat!

[jasonschneider]

Still a good looking car! I really liked the SSE version from this era. It’s amazing how far we’ve come in terms of performance. 10+ seconds to 60 on a car today and John would bemoaning how slow it is, especially if it was supposed to sporty like this Bonneville SE. The 3800 was a great motor!

[caayydenn]

I have a 1990 LE. It's got 351K miles on the original drivetrain. Been a really good car over the years despite some of the "old car problems" it did have every now and then. It's pretty rusty now but i'm going to remedy some of that and keep it going. The engine runs flawlessly still and the trans isn't too bad either and it gets decent gas mileage. It has outlasted all of my friends' used 2000s cars that they purchased so I feel like I'm winning with my choice here.

[TheRealSmithFamily]

Our neighbor had one identical to this one. I love that you can hear the cicadas at the end. It’s not summer where I’m from without them singing.

[OLDS]

Driving Bonneville! We build excitement.... Pontiac! I did appreciate this video this morning. Thank you for sharing and uploading this video. I remember when this car came out and the commercials. I recall before it came out they said it was replacing G Body Bonneville and B Body Parisienne. It did. I recall during GM's downsing era 1985-1990 this was the largest sedan in length which was so odd. It was 198.7 inches long. The G Body Bonneville before it was 200 inches long. The Parisienne was 212 inches long. Among the downsized era GM cars Bonneville was 198.7 inches long, next was Buick Park Avenue at 197, Cadillac Deville and Fleetwood at 196.5 inches( they were the shortest at 195 in 1985-1986), The Oldsmobile 98 at 196.4, then Oldsmobile 88 and Buick LeSabre at 196, and then smaller at 187-188 inches Oldsmobile Toronado, Buick Riviera, and Cadillac Eldorado and Seville. I was so glad when GM started upsizing in 1988 and the early 90's redesigns they all got larger again. The other funny thing the cars that are that large in 2022 are the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. In all honesty, these GM cars were really midsized during that era. I say this because the W Bodys of the late 1990s and 2000's were larger than these cars. The last Bonneville in 2005 was 202.6 inches long. It had a bigger trunk than the 1987 car in the video too. Bonneville was upsized for 1992 in the redesign. Thank you for sharing.

[ThatRedEclipse]

The 3.8 is so good
The supercharged model is crazy

[BennyT_]

These were great cars back in the day and felt faster then the 10 second 0-60 would suggest, love the looks of these Bonnevilles from the late 80s into the mid-90s, actually saw a late 80s Bonneville LE on the road here in NE Ohio a few weeks ago, it was shocking!!

[RearEngineShop]

I remember thinking these were the coolest cars when I was a kid. My grandmas friend had one and it looked futuristic to my 7 year old self.

[AaronGranda-gr]

Yes John gripe about the rear side windows that stay halfway up but this is typical of Ford and GM sedans from 77 to 92.

[dwensinger]

I’ve been waiting on this one forever. I had one and it absolutely was the best car period.

[Suchayoutuber]

What's even more amazing is the fact that a lot of these lasted 300K miles with minimum maintenance, the biggest issue we faced here was the bodies rusted out

[dannyarchives]

awesome, my step mom had one of these before she passed away a few years ago. my grandpa paid for her to get it painted a custom really blue, blue. hopefully i can find it again someday, it should be the only one in that blue

[theMoney]

The burbly exhaust from the 8th gen was so nice...MW even used the tail lights for their closing credit scene for years. Pontiac made a true business mans car with the SE trim.