Comfy War Horses Of The Chicago Suburbs: 2000 Pontiac Bonneville vs 2003 Toyota Avalon

Welcome back! Our second matchup of the week takes us to the western suburbs of Chicago, to look at a couple of battle-hardened sedans in a place that is notoriously tough on cars. I should know; I learned to drive there.

Yesterday‘s trip along the 134 and the 101 left you divided, with many commenters choosing which choice was less bad, rather than which was better. Honestly, you should have seen some of the stuff I didn’t pick. It was a bit of a close race, but the Mustang took the prize in the end. It doesn’t sound like very many of you who chose it planned to leave it stock, however.

For my fake internet money, I’d have to choose the Monza. I actually like the mini-personal-luxury-coupe aspect of it. And GM malaise has a sort of campy appeal to it that makes it endearing, like a theme restaurant that hasn’t been updated since the ’80s; Ford malaise just comes across as sad, like one of those all-you-can-eat buffet places.

Now, some places are just harder on cars than others. Cities in general tend to be unkind to cars, because of the demands of traffic, bad parking jobs, and just plain heavy use. In Chicagoland, you have to add to that the pressures from crappy roads that are seemingly always under construction, and the constant erosion of salt spray for six months out of the year. In places like that, it’s really not worth having a particularly nice car. Or if you do, it’s worth having a beater to spare your nice car the ravages of city life. These two fit the bill nicely. Let’s take a look.

2000 Pontiac Bonneville SE – $3,000

Engine/drivetrain: 3.8-liter overhead valve V6, four-speed automatic, FWD

Location: Carpentersville, IL

Odometer reading: 79,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

When it comes to battling potholes, tollways, and Midwest winters, you want something big and comfy. Soft seats, strong air conditioning and heat, and a big lazy engine that will keep going no matter what are what you need, and very few cars fit that formula better than the GM H and G body full-size sedans from twenty-five years ago.

The heart of these big burly beasts needs no introduction: it’s the 3800 Series II V6, a powerful and refined version of a design dating all the way back to the 1960s. This one isn’t supercharged; that was reserved for the top-of-the-line Bonneville SSEi. It runs and drives great, however, and it has plenty of power for the grind of city traffic.

Because this is the basic SE model of Bonneville, it has a couple of interior features more commonly associated with Buick or Chevy than Pontiac: a split bench seat and a column-mounted shifter. The bench seat won’t hold you in place as well in the corners as buckets would, but it sure does look comfy. It’s in nice shape inside, too, but you’d expect that with fewer than 80,000 miles on the odometer.

Outside, it’s a bit more beat-up. The wheels are mismatched, and the paint looks pretty scruffy. I only see one rust bubble, right by the fuel filler. I’ve seen this spot on other Bonnevilles; it must collect water around the filler neck or something. These cars also have a habit of rusting out the front subframe; it’s worth a look underneath to make sure everything’s still solid.

2003 Toyota Avalon XLS – $2,900

Engine/drivetrain: 3.0 liter dual overhead cam V6, four-speed automatic, FWD

Location: Berwyn, IL

Odometer reading: 199,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

In the mid-1990s, Toyota tried to out-Buick Buick with the Avalon, an enlarged Camry tuned for American tastes and roads. The broad strokes are the same: transverse V6, front-wheel-drive, and seating for six, with the optional bench seat and column shift. I’ve only ever seen one Avalon configured that way, though. Most, including this one, have bucket seats and a center console.

The interior of this Avalon has seen better days, but then, it has nearly 200,000 miles on it. I do wish we had some better photos to evaluate its condition; this is the best one we get. It’s the fancy XLS model, with bells and whistles galore, and I would imagine that most of it still works. The air conditioning is ice cold, according to the seller, which is something.

It runs like a top, as you would expect. The seller also says it has a bunch of new parts, including the radiator, battery, and front and rear struts. The tires and wheels are only a year old, so there are no worries there for a while.

It looks a little tired outside, but not bad. I see the beginnings of some rust just ahead of both rear wheels; it might be worth investigating how advanced it is. You can’t expect a car this old in Chicago to have no rust, but you also want to make sure it’s structurally sound.

Cars like these, you don’t buy for style or performance. You buy them to do a job, to get you around comfortably and reliably for as long as they’re able. I think either one would do the job admirably, but you can only choose one. Which will it be?

(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)