1996 Pontiac Grand Am SE 4 dr 3.1 SFI V6 from North America

Faults:

SEATS ARE HORRIBLY WORN FOR DRIVER... must have been a fat person sitting in them before me.

Let me tell you what happened with this car of mine...

The gas tank leaked 1 day after I got it, so $1680 + gas tank $400...

2 days after that the serpentine belt was gonna snap, changed that $230 because you have to UNMOUNT the freaking engine... because on my particular model they used the side mount. I don't know why, it seems to be random.

That same day... MY ALTERNATOR $230 went as well.

I drove up north to North Bay 400km.. and what do ya know, my crappy plastic radiator side tank cracked; $70 for a used one, $60 for labor.

Oh but guess what... that moron overfilled the tank so the very next day... my HEATER CORE EXPLODED again... cheap GM plastic again.. but this time buckets of fluid, I could not drive it, so far... $60 for replacement that didn't fit... 3 hours labour at a 24 hour shop at 60/hr, so $240 IF and only IF part source has a new part with the piping REVERSED.. they built it backwards you see.

Oh yeah, I had to get new tires; $160 (used), my AC charged for $80, and before I bought it the brakes for $180 (he paid), so let's tally that up... in 3 weeks, count em 3 weeks I spent $1690 + 400 + 230 + 230 + 70 + 60 + 20 + 20 + 30 + 80 + 160 = $2990.. DON'T EVER BUY A GRAND AM.

General Comments:

My next car is a G6...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd August, 2008

1996 Pontiac Grand Am SE 2.4 Liter Dual Overhead Cam from North America

Summary:

Love this car

Faults:

Starter went at 160,000 miles.

The wheel bearing went at 180,000 miles.

General Comments:

Car handles great.

Spend $200 and the car will burnout down a block with no parking brake.

I've spent $600 in 140,000 miles, not bad for a car that is 12 years old and breaching 300,000 miles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st July, 2008

1996 Pontiac Grand Am V6 from North America

Summary:

Lemon

Faults:

My 1996 Grand Am GT, is a barrel of problems.

Now my engine light keeps going off and on. Now is doing it again. My son checked it, but could not find anything wrong with it. Inspection cost me about 650.00; it needed extra labor, I forgot what it was. Had to do with the motor I think. Another episode few years back that cost me 500.00 plus labor.

I have spent so much money on this car it is so ridiculous. I love the way it looks. That is how they get you to buy it, but is a regular nightmare in expenses and mechanical glitches, problems and situations. A woman's auto worst nightmare!

General Comments:

A pretty body, but a "Big Lemon."

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th June, 2008

10th Jun 2008, 16:09

I owned a 96 Grand Am also and feel your pain on this. Mine had more problems in 30,000 miles than my last three vehicles have had combined. And this car is known to have issues, just read some of the colorful review on this website about it.

My suggestion to you is that you dump that lemon as soon as possible. Trust me, pouring money into it will NOT fix the problem. It was a cheaply built economy car that will only give you grief.

And RESEARCH your next vehicle carefully before buying. This site is a good resource along with Consumer Reports and sites like MSN Autos that allow readers to post reviews. One of the biggest mistakes a car buyer can make is falling in love with a vehicle because of looks without finding out its reliability record.

1996 Pontiac Grand Am SE 3.1 V6 from North America

Summary:

Not a wise investment if on a tight budget

Faults:

Radiator low light keeps coming on.

Car leaks water when it rains or snows.

Skidding when applying the brakes.

Noise coming from the AC compressor that sounds like metal scrapping.

Trunk release lever stopped opening the trunk.

Windshield wiper blades scraping the windshield.

Center console lighting flickers intermittently.

The "ETS Off" light is on.

The check engine light remains on.

Serpentine belt worn out.

Drive belt worn out.

CV axle broken.

Brakes wear out frequently.

Water pump was leaking/broken.

Stereo malfunctions.

Battery connectors bad.

Brushing arm on the drivers side worn out.

Car alignment off.

The motors on all of the power windows are worn out.

Electrical malfunctions with the headlights and interior lights.

The car died on me a couple of times.

General Comments:

This car can accelerate quickly (from 0-60 in less than 10 seconds).

The appearance of this car is attractive.

The car needs a lot of routine maintenance work performed.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 31st October, 2007