Cadillac could just not get that northstar right. They finally got the head bolts and gasket right, I believe it was 2005, but could not keep oil in the bottom of the crank case for any length of time. It's because they never addressed the problem with having a pressurized oil manifold between the bottom of the block and oil pan, reseal all you want, leaks will return, this is unfortunately a design flaw. Engine was retired 2011.
spent $13,500 to secure my 2002 WS6 with only 38k miles back in 2016. today it's Hagerty insured $35k and it's still the love of my life. the way the market is heading, according to sites like bring a trailer, these Birds will be fetching no less than $50k soon... not that I'll ever sell 😎
These are some sexy cars not to mention slept on just like the grand prix gxp, the pontiac g8, the 2000 to 2007 monte carlo ss, the 2006 to 2009 impala ss all future collectibles
I own a 98 non WS6. Fisher Price interior but that's not why I bought it. Same with the rear end that shouldn't have ever been installed in a 3rd, let alone 4th Gen fbody. I bought it to modify. Second owner. Not a garage queen I can't take it with me when I die. It gets driven when the weather is nice every damn day. Made improvements over stock. Sad to see a newer classic restricted to being a garage queen that is never unlocked to their true potential but to each their own. Mine is worth less than a garage queen but I'm putting it through the paces and making it a better version of what the factory intended with the robust aftermarket. Never gave a care about Barrett Jackson viewpoint it's toxic.
I just bought one of these with 110k miles, garage kept and not a door ding/hail dent anywhere on it and it really looks like new. It's pearl white and I got it super cheap as the previous owner had it heat up on them and were told it was a head gasket. After I acquired it I tested for exhaust gases in the coolant and the head gaskets are good. Turns out the thermostat was the problem, lol.
I have a Sierra 1500 and wanted cab lights, but didn't want to drill and also didn't like how the AVS Aerocab sticks up so much. Bought the Aerocab on sale and I'm just gonna stick the light strip on the cab like you did thanks to your video.
I bought a 2000 Pontiac Firebird Base for $2000. I have done so much work to this thing already. it was in terrible shape. The body is in good shape but the dash is all crap. the steering wheel was DESTROYED. needed a new tranny mount. AC line, ignition switch, steering column, fuel pump, headlamp assembly, Windshield, Etc. So far, i have spent about 3-4k on it not including what i initially paid for it. and i haven't even drove it but a few blocks. At this point i can't sell it because i would sell ad a massive loss as the value of these hasn't started going up, but i am betting on it doing so because Pontiac is no more and this is basically the last sports car from Pontiac. Which means they SHOULD appreciate in value to become collectors cars.
You are 100% correct. I misspoke and forgot to edit it before publishing. I meant to say 04-05. I was talking about Mercury Marauders beforehand and those years were stuck in my head
There's actually one for sale near me hence why I checked out your video. My only concern is getting parts for it. It's not just that it's a 20 year-old car, but it's a 20 year-old car from a brand that doesn't exist anymore.
I've owned a 4 speed t-top formula for about 11 years. Cammed, ported heads, valvetrain upgrades. It's on c5 wheels for now to help with traction. In the neighborhood of 500 hp at 89k with a fresh transmission rebuild. I used to enjoy the car stock, but now OMG. It's firebird version 1.60 if it was a computer update. Extremely mod-able. I will keep mine forever, i named my son after the car (Fenyx) and the car after my son, 3rd brakelight says (Phoenix)
I had a 2005 GXP. Loved that car - despite what having studs installed in the block after a head gasket failure cost. Handling and comfort in one excellent package with the Northstar providing an authoritative sound track. Factory 12-disk CD-changer in the trunk, too. Sadly mine was starting to rust around the fuel filler door as so many GM cars did back then. Wish I'd been able to keep it and garage it to save for later years but that was possible at the time. I hope someone is still enjoying that car. The engine should have been good for another 120,000 miles easily after the work I had done on it. But why did GM have to solder in nearly all the bulbs in the dash? I opened up the cluster to change bulbs and gauge stepper motors, then the center stack as well.
Got a question I’m 17 just got my license not that long ago I want to get the ls1 Firebird people tell me don’t get it and some say do. Should I stick with a v6 bird or get the ls1 or even maybe the lt1.
Good question..so do yourself a favor. Start off with a V6. I had a really really nice one and wished I had started with the V6. I ended up destroying it. I hated that I did that especially now that I'm near 40. Enjoy a nice V6 and once you're used to it, step up to the LS1 variant. You'll thank yourself later when you pay a lot for a nice car and it stays nice haha.
@@lightningshifterstudio thanks man I will take that advice just about I was to buy an ls1 clean garage kept for 10k I rejected the offer sadly 😢 and I hope I made the right decision of not getting it.
I beat the only reason GM shelved Pontiac instead of selling it when the government forced them to downsize is because although GM is stupid they aren't that dumb to realize that Pontiac would of been a major competitor that would of probably wiped them off the map and is also probably why they still sit on top of the name like a dragon hoarding its timeless gold. Who would buy a Camero when you could buy the cooler looking Trans AM and just swap the throttle body off a Camero to have the same performance? similar thing for a lot of Chevy vs Pontiac cars and the fact that Pontiac knew that the 3.8L V6 was the better sports car option that Buick made shows they weren't apart of the idiots branches design the Cobalt or the Cruze
Yeah these were 2004 and 2005 models not 2003. I did a lot of research on these and tried to find a nice one without any luck. I ended up finding a really nice, one owner 2005 SLE which for one year only had the same styling as the GXP and the firmer suspension but came with the 3800 V6 and 17 inch wheels instead of 18's. I've been around a long time and have owned a lot of cars and this was the nicest driving car I ever owned! I put a good set of tires on it and it handled really nice for a full size car. I only had it for about a year and got carjacked. I think they thought it was a GXP. The GXP came in a lot of colors. Some you didn't mention are Crystal Red, gray, dark blue and maroon and there were two leather interior colors which were the dark gray or beige.
You sound like me! I purposely chose the 2005 SLE model for the 3800 motor - heard very good things. After nearly three years of ownership, it’s been great, and I still love it. Had the normal (almost) 20 year old car issues though - Lower Intake Manifold Gaskets, front suspension, rear air suspension, transmission being replaced. Wheels bearings seem like a normal 60k mile occurrence. Stepper motors in dash going out, and chasing a pesky catalytic converter code. Costly, overall no regrets. Currently at 156k miles. Bonneville delivers a great experience, and I’m a sucker for 90s/00s cars.
I worked on one of these like 10 years ago it had the diamond white color it was beautiful car and fun to drive. But that north star engine tanks it, it had a serious oil leak and the owner couldn’t afford to reseal it. I hope he sold it to someone that could.
There’s just something about these cars I just love!! I have an ‘86 trans am so I’m really just a big Pontiac fan. But I love these Bonnevilles and the Northstar engine… definitely on my wish list to get one!! Wish I could find a low-mileage one cause I’d daily drive it and jam out to some 2000s rock lol!! Yours is beautiful thank you for the video !!
So far so good! I'll be releasing a video in the spring on the long term test. The only thing I've seen is, don't spray brake clean on it. However I use and abuse it everyday and it's holding up extremely well!
I had a silver 2005 GXP. It was a pretty good car. The oil pan leaked like hell, had to put an ignition coil on it (on the rear bank of course), and a catalytic converter. That’s it. It was a good looking car. I didn’t like the big steering wheel on it. It actually handled pretty damn good. I have a C5 Vette and a 2004 Grand Prix GTP Comp G now.
I used to have an 05’ Bonneville GXP. One word, beast. I recently sold it but it’s definitely a future classic just coming. The value in them has gone up a lot and they are getting rarer. I’ll regret and I’m already starting to of getting rid of my Bonneville but someone had to drive it lol. My mother used to have a 01’ SSEI. She wrecked that but even that was a nice car.
the value is around 6-8k for a really nice low mileage one. they have a northstar v8 and thats why they’re dying. theyre being junked cause they arent worth fixing and have lots of catastrophic failures. unreliable cars dont become relics
@@jadendemarre83 lmao, definitely wasnt a gxp then. all the things below are guaranteed to fail before 200k: head gasket starter headstuds oil pain gasket oil burning overheating and more. without a proper engine rebuild its nearly impossible for a northstar to reach 200k let alone 300k. ive owned and worked on over 200 northstars and ik them better than myself. an ssei will make it that far and thats probably what you had. the only northstar that even remotely has somewhat of a chance of reaching 300k is the northstars made after 2007. otherwise, nice story bro.
@@mobsterslimLol go ahead, waste your time. You’ll just make yourself look stupid. I didn’t exactly say mine was stock did I? It was a GXP lol. I’m pretty sure I would know the car I’m driving. But yeah, why are you even attempting. Just because my vehicle ran perfect, doesn’t mean it ain’t true. I built the car before I sold it. It had about 590hp with a single Garrett turbo, headers, e85 tune, rebuilt motor, bunch of shit was done it but other than the rebuilt motor, it had no other issues lol. I bought it at 123k miles. My mother was an automotive technician for GM for 20+ years. So don’t give me that: “I have more experience so I know a lot more” bullshit. She did most of the electrical and tuning for me. She worked on Bonnevilles from factory and other than her SSEI she owned, she had two other GXP’s and one Grand Prix. She’s definitely worked on more than 200 Bonnevilles lol.
As someone who dailies a 2003 SSEi I 100% agree with everything you said about it's drivability. Most comfortable car I've ever been in and is pretty fun while still maintaining that somewhat luxury feel. Still has less than 100k miles on it too. I've owned the car for almost a year now and have only seen two others on the road. Definitely an underappreciated car.
Been years since i was at Lapeer Dragway. I like the impromptu shipping crate bridge, but dang... can't they at least paint the whole thing and get rid of the old logo...
I doubt it's a future classic, there weren't many people who cared about this car, but it's neat.Like how you got all nostolgia for the early 2000's cars!
It’s definitely a future classic. It was one of pontiacs best cars ever made without them even knowing it. The value in them has gone up so much just because of how rare they are now. I used to have an 05’ Bonneville GXP. One of the best cars I’ve had.
looks surprisingly contemporary and wouldn't look like a 2003 car to a normal eye. Still you're probably better off going with an Impala SS a few years later with the 5.3 with 303 hp and 323 lb-ft
It’s not about what’s ‘possibly’ better… it’s a car that does 130 mph stock to the full point with a limiter. That’s just impressive for being a low powered car in the early 2000’s. It’s the GXP so it’s Pontiac performance (kinda) but man, those Bonnevilles are beasts. I used to have an 05’ but back to the Impala SS, you said a few years later so like a 2005 or 2006. Yeah no, those things are ugly as hell. They might be faster with a top speed of around 145 mph but that’s Chevrolets performance, production logo. SS is Supersport which means that it’s a vehicle that is meant to be quick with decent performance but still with luxurious features. The GXP (grand eXperimental) was pretty an experimented car made and manufactured by GM. They experimented by putting a mid-level performance engine into a car to test its capabilities without them even knowing that they made one of the best sportish- street car sedans of all time. The Impala SS you’re referring to didn’t come with a 5.3 LS. They only came with V6’s which were supercharged OHTV’s.
They are no where near affordable. I saw one a month ago for 89k. No lies. WS6's are like 40-60k. And the Trans Am's will run 30+ grand in decent condition. Maybe 20k if it has a bit of high mileage. These are nowhere near "Affordable". I could get a nice newer truck for the cost of this older 90's to 2000's muscle car. It's sad.
What's crazy is when I made this video the prices were far more reasonable then they are now. However with that being said, they are coming down a bit in my last bit of research so it may have just been a quick uptick. Still more affordable than a Porsche or Corvette, and with the Trans Am/Camaro you have more practicality with extra seats and truck space. Still a winning combo in my book
@@lightningshifterstudio A trans Am should not be compared to Corvette or Porsche in terms of pricing. But yes they have gone down. But only because people refuse to buy that shit for extortion levels of cash. I mean I get it, garage kept, clean, 80 miles, WS6 package, with the dealer tape still on it should be worth more. But the guy at Morrisons asking 89k for it is smoking crack.
@@lightningshifterstudio I want to add one to my Ram 2500. But the sharkfin is so close to the windshield. And I also have a nav receiver. So I am glad to hear they have accomodations for it. Thank you.
