Looking for a cheap work car and found a 2002 Pontiac Bonneville with 190,000 miles. This has a 3800 series II V6 engine. I know the 3.8's in the 1999 - 2005 Buick's are great engines but curious if the "series II" are great as well? Seller is asking $2,500 as of this post. Also curious if these transmissions are reliable. I understand this car has a lot of miles and previous maintenance will be huge factor in its reliability and plan to have it inspected before purchase so just looking for general engine / transmission reliability. Thank you
Their transmissions tend to be on the weak side. But with the rest of the car though, be vigilant with it if you want it to last a good amount of time. Knowing this is a GM product, you always gotta plan for the worst and hope for the best. But hey, at least it's not a new GM product! Lol, those cars suck these days! But with the car you're looking at, I wouldn't think it'll be that bad if you take great care of it. Again, plan for the worst if something comes up with it!
Needs a test drive to judge the condition
The 3800 has come up a few times recently. It’s solid; the transmissions are so-so. For that price, if it passes inspections it could be ok.
