1995 Pontiac Grand Am SE 2.3 Quad from North America

Summary:

This is the third Pontiac I've owned, and I plan to buy another Pontiac too - Well worth the money!

Faults:

Heater hasn't worked since I bought the car, with suspected faulty heater core, soon to be replaced.

Driver's side power lock switch does not function. Suspect this is due to the way the windshield washer shoots fluid onto the windshield, which then proceeds to come into the driver's side window (if open), dripping directly onto this switch.

General Comments:

Bought this car for $700 with high mileage. Aside from the minor defects mentioned above, the car has performed superbly. The engine runs particularly solid.

Most problems that the car has seems to mostly be due to the previous owner's lack of care. When I first pulled the spark plugs on the car, the tips were deteriorated to the point that the gap was twice as large as recommended. Oddly enough, the car still ran smooth and got good gas mileage, even with plugs in such a poor state.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th August, 2004

1995 Pontiac Grand Am SE Coupe 2.3L from North America

Summary:

A great bargain

Faults:

New front brake pads.

Engine cratered at 135,000 miles. The water pump went out and caused the engine to overheat, warping the heads.

New front and rear tires.

Replaced the clutch.

Replaced the shift cable.

Drivers side window regulator was bent and had to be replaced.

The parking brake cable broke.

The automatic door locks were fixed.

General Comments:

This car gets good gas mileage, so it works great as a college or a get-around car.

For the money I paid I have been satisfied.

If your looking to modify a 1995 that's not a GT your gonna have to look pretty hard to find some dress up accessories. I'm still looking for some white face speedometer gauges.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th August, 2004

1995 Pontiac Grand Am SE 3.1 from North America

Summary:

Throw a caution to the wind if you're considering a Pontiac

Faults:

The transmission recently had to be overhauled, $1800.00.

The Radiator had to be replaced when the old one cracked, $300.00.

The car's been through two batteries.

The engine fan motor was recently replaced, $100.00.

The headlight switch went bad, and had to be replaced $200.00.

Paid about $900.00 to have the air conditioner compressor replaced and the A/C recharged.

The Heater core now leaks, I had to by-pass the core.

The power locks gave out 3 months ago.

The engine mounts are now going bad, I can feel vibration when accelerating.

General Comments:

I've grown accustomed to expect mechanical problems with this car on a regular basis. Personally it's been more trouble to own than it's worth.

The struts will need to be replaced, $500.00, but that's expected with the mileage.

This car is difficult to work on if you plan on doing manual repairs.

I bought the car used, and some of the problems may be attributed to the previous owner, but it ran immaculate when I first purchased it.

I will not buy a Pontiac again, will spend extra money on a foreign car next time.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 5th August, 2004

1995 Pontiac Grand Am GT 2.3 quad 4 from North America

Summary:

Help me with my overheating problem!

Faults:

1995 Pontiac Grand am GT.

I bought the car with 127,000 miles on it and we knew the head-gasket was out that's probably why it was overheating.

We replaced the radiator, water pump, thermostat, HEAD, and head gasket.

Car is overheating and antifreeze is coming out of the cap is engine is getting really hot.

Will run cool then get hot and if you get the car up to 3 grand RPM it will cool the engine off.

The fan is working properly.

I am stumped and so is our mechanic; does anyone have any ideas? thanks.

General Comments:

It is overheating so I can't drive my new car till we get it fixed! PLEASE HELP!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st August, 2004

2nd Aug 2004, 23:16

Yeah... Take it to a real Technician, one with a block test kit and cooling system pressure test kit. If it blows a lot of coolant out of the radiator with the engine running and rad. cap off, you may have a cracked cylinder head (a water jacket around an exhaust runner).

You may also have a stuck thermostat (stuck open). It is also VERY important that you bleed all air out of the cooling system. On the highest part of the cooling system on the engine, you should see a small brass bleeder valve... you need to bleed any air in the cooling system from that point, until only coolant comes out.

Again, take it to a good technician, not just a parts-changer.