1997 Pontiac Grand Am GT 2.4 liter V6 from North America

Summary:

Sporty and reliable

Faults:

Alternator at 52,000.

Heater coil at 57,000.

Sometimes it takes several times getting the keys out of the ignition.

General Comments:

I`ve had my Grand AM GT for two years and overall it has been a great purchase.

I have been sideswiped by a police car doing 55 and had very minor damage.

A very sporty, sharp looking car, that gets great gas mileage.

I have however put a lot of money into this car, don`t buy if you cannot handle the upkeep.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th July, 2003

1997 Pontiac Grand Am SE 3.1 from North America

Summary:

A complete disaster

Faults:

The alternator has left me stranded at 38,000.

My steering wheel locked and would not budge, which required a tow and $400.00 to fix.

The ABS brakes are going to get someone killed, as they pulse, but the car does not stop, in fact it gains speed.

The head gasket, thermostat, water pump shocks, brakes, all have been replaced.

The wiring is faulty.

This car is unreliable and dangerous to the driver. It is the most expensive vehicle to keep running I have ever had.

General Comments:

The 6 cylinder is quick, but torque steers and is difficult to handle in inclement weather.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th July, 2003

10th Mar 2004, 21:06

I've had my Grand Am for over 3 years now and it's never given me any problems. At that time, it had around 40K miles, and now it has over 100K. However, I hear many people arguing about its reliability and I still can't think why would they do that. I use my Grand Am for street racing which, as all you people should know, greatly harms or damages the car. I strongly believe that these kind of cars are very reliable and useful for people who takes care of it (whether or not you have a deep pocket). It's got every single stock part it's had since I bought it, and the only thing I've done is change the brake pads. As far as I know, this car's strong, has a good handling (for those who knows how to drive), is very reliable, and it ain't as expensive as other cars are. Above all, It's been one of my favorite cars.

10th May 2004, 10:32

Well then, you are in a severe minority. I've flipped through the HUNDREDS of reviews on the Grand Am and I see time and time again the same problems I have with my own which, incidentally is in the shop AGAIN to replace who knows what. I detest this car and will be foisting it off to the nearest unsuspecting dealer as a trade in as it comes out of the shop.

27th Nov 2004, 22:45

All the people on here who say that we with the problems should stop whining should just consider themselves lucky that they got one of the good ones, but I totally must agree with the complaints about this car as I have owned mine since the year 2000 (bought with 36,000 miles). I take very good care of my car and almost immediately I had problems with my windows. They were covered under my extended warranty, but then my water pump failed, bushings, engine mounts, transmission, and I now have a strange electrical problem where my fuses continue to blow and my ABS light comes on and off for no reason. Numerous brake problems. Simply put... the car is just not worth the headache. OH! also, the car does not handle well in snow. In fact, you're probably more likely to end up in an accident if you don't drive 10 mph slower than everyone else.

1997 Pontiac Grand Am 3.1 from North America

Summary:

A poor, temporary investment, that doesn't last long

Faults:

The ignition switch had to be replaced as a result of the recall.

The manufacturer's defect caused the power windows to fail and GM refused to fix the problem at their cost. My cost is 400.00 per window.

The alternator died at only 30000 km. It died again at 45000 km.

Various interior lights come on and go off, and get dim at different intervals since 30,000 km.

The fog lights that died were fixed and died again 2 weeks later. I can't be bothered with it now.

The latest 900.00 issue is the intake manifold, which is GM's manufacturer's defect that has not been resolved - look under Fiero. It had the same problem and I owned one of those as well.

The Grand AM smells like antifreeze inside, leaks a bit of pink fluid and does not respond when the accelerator is pressed.

The intake manifold will be fixed at my cost without any assistance from GM.

The power windows have to be fixed at my cost because GM could not properly quality assure the problem with the ignition switch, before releasing the vehicle for sale.

General Comments:

After owning a Fiero and a Grand Am, I will never purchase another vehicle from GM. I will go to Honda or Toyota where the standards are higher and the service is better. GM's work is sloppy, expensive and unfair to the consumer.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 24th July, 2003