1988 Pontiac Grand Am Reviews

Transmission went out at 399,999 miles. Well the mileage was stuck at that for 4 years; don't know actual miles.

Most reliable car I have ever owned, this was my first car in high school, car was put thru a test by a teenage driver. I took it to the hills, four wheeling, mud bogging, took thru a flooded creek, ramped, drove it normally, plowed its way thru snow closed roads, and still no problems with it until it was parked for a long time; then it started to die.

The car is currently dumping too much gas in to the mix.

Seats slightly torn.

A little rust.

It has a peppy 4 cylinder engine, so it's pretty fast. Great handling.

It had been very reliable.

Seats are good.

It gets good gas mileage.

Nothing has really went wrong with this car. It's a great car.

I did have to replace the oxygen sensor, head gasket, and I'm probably going to have to replace the fuel filter and accumulator.

Also, the front seats have really worn down, so had to get seat covers, and had to replace the headliner.

This car is my very first car. I bought it from a guy that works with my dad for only $250 bucks, and let me tell you it was a great deal to buy this car.

When I saw it for the first time, it was like the movie Herbie, it looked like a piece of crap in my eyes. But then I really wanted a car, so we took the car home, and I been working and gradually fixing it up for the past year. Now it's the best car to me.

The only thing I have left to do on it is get a new paint job, and I'm going to do that when I get home. But the car is very comfy and starts up every morning. Handles well. Very safe and reliable car, and now I call it Herbie...

Minor things such as power windows, radio goes in and out, and the odometer light has faded out a few times.

Cruise control doesn't work.

The struts broke in February of '05 (which I find good since the struts were over 17 years old). Easy replacement, less than $100 to fix.

Probably one of the better first cars someone could own. Since it's small and lightweight, it's very efficient on gas. I bought it from a guy who just wanted to get rid of it, so it only cost $100 (not a typo, one hundred) and he took immaculate care of it. The seats are comfortable, even in the back, for medium-sized people, but not for a tall person with long legs, leg room is not substantial. The interior is generic 80's style, but otherwise nice.

I have never had any problems with the transmission, and even on sweltering days, the engine temperature never goes above 220. I put at least 40 miles on it a day, and every day it starts up quick without having to hold the key turned for 5 minutes. Even for something with not a ton of horsepower, if you want it to go, it will. 0-60 time, even with mine having over 300,000 miles on it (estimate, digital odometer stops at 199,999), hovers around 7 seconds. Cornering isn't that of a go kart, but I would say it's above average and can be very fun if you decide to take it at 60 around a 35 mph corner. The ride is firm, not too stiff, but it wasn't built to be a luxury sedan anyway.

If you find one, definitely get one that's been well cared for, because obviously, if a car isn't taken care of, it will continuously have problems. It is not a car's fault for being neglected, and things aren't meant to last forever. Besides, a complete engine rebuild is relatively cheap compared to others.

I would recommend it as a family car, and even for just one or two people, it's perfect. Trunk space is good, getting groceries or other things is no problem.

It is the perfect car for me, maybe not to others, but of course, everyone's different.