1998 Pontiac Grand Am Reviews - Page 4 of 13

My intake went at 115000kms.

Head gaskets went at 120000kms.

Engine blew at 126000kms.

Bad accident, transmission rebuilt at 132000kms.

Wheel bearings, about four of them.

Lots of tires and brakes.

This car, although it has cost me a lot, has been great since I replaced the engine.

It has a lot of power, a few mods ;)

It has every option available, and attracts the girls, being red.

My brother-in-law (who is an ex mechanic) said to me that he smelled antifreeze while driving it one day. I looked at it and found the intake gasket was leaking externally. I told him to fix it before it started to leak internally. Well he did not and kept driving it till the engine stopped working. He parked it and was planning to replace the engine. It sat for 2 years and he decided to rid himself of the car. I offered to take it and he gave me the title and said its yours.

I took the engine apart, cleaned all the sludge from the engine, replaced the crankshaft, main bearings and all the gaskets. This car runs like new. It has no rust on it and everything works. It also handles very well around corners. Since the engine work and normal maintenance upkeep it is a great car. I only run synthetic oil in all my vehicles. I have had problems with the power windows, but who cares!! Gas mileage is good also. Happy with the car!!

Power windows always seem to be a problem, but that is about the only thing I can think of.

Fun car to drive. The acceleration isn't the best off the line, but the midrange is fine. While it isn't the fastest, it makes up for it in being reliable.

The car looks and runs great. Would not be able to find a better looking car for the money.

While some people say my grand am is piece of crap. I say it is the best car that I have ever owned.

The head gasket blew at 40,000 miles.

I go through brakes at an alarming rate though I don't ride them.

I've had to replace an alternator at 60,000.

The steering wheel has made a "whooshing" noise from almost new that the dealer would not fix claiming its just a "nuisance noise."

The car doesn't start very well. The RPM's surge at start up and it often dies three or four times before starting.

In the cooler months the RPM's tend to be uncontrollable. The car accelerates by itself and I have been unable to locate the problem. The dealer said it was a bad ground and "fixed" it, but it still does it.

The volume knob on the dash often works in reverse and my driver-side power window is starting to fail.

Everything in the car rattles. I've tried tightening all the visible screws, but it doesn't matter. It drives me nuts.

The white paint has worn well.

Cloth interior has also worn well.

Car looks great to people who don't know.

Shifter cables wore out, one at 70,000 miles, the other around 95,000 miles.

Alternator failed around 80,000 miles.

Water pump leaks.

Both cam cover gaskets leak oil.

Both cam housing to head gaskets leak oil.

Right front vertical lower control arm bushing replaced at 122,000 miles.

Front brake pads at 103,000 miles.

Front brake pads and rotors at 125,000 miles.

Driver's side window regulator broken 115,000 miles.

Car depreciates in value badly.

Exhaust hangers have rusted and the mufflers are hanging on by a thread.

Bought this car for $9000 in 2002 with 49,000 miles, it's now worth like $2500-3000, these cars don't hold their value very well.

Car has a stupid ashtray, sits in the cup holder.

Water pump leaks, but that's a common problem for this engine (2.4 twin cam)

As long as you keep the coolant level up, you can drive it anywhere. Quote from dealer to replace is over $800.

Also leaks oil, but not even enough to have to add any between oil changes.

Heater and a/c work perfect after 126,000 miles.

Some people say that the brakes wear out on these cars fast. I didn't change the original front pads until 103,000 miles. I had to change them again at 125,000, but it was my own fault because I used cheap pads and didn't replace the rotors.

Interior has a lot of plastic crap that breaks easily and rattles, but what car doesn't?

The car has great power, even with a 4 cylinder engine in a car that weighs about 3700 pounds. It's not a race car, but it has more than enough power to get it around and not have to down shift from 5th gear when you pass someone on the freeway.

The car gets awesome gas mileage.

It's not a bad looking car, just looks sportier than it really is.

Both shifter cables have worn out and had to be replaced. The only place you can get them is at a GM dealer and they usually have to be shipped there and cost about $100 each.

One of the bushings one the right front lower control arm popped out, causing a clunking noise anytime you hit a bump, or hit the brakes coming off the freeway because the rotors were bad. Cost over $200 to fix at a GM dealer.

The car has manual windows, but it has a power sunroof. Yeah, I don't know.

I can't roll down my driver's window because I'm afraid I won't be able to get it back up.

The car doesn't have cruise control, which I don't like because I drive on the freeway quite a bit.

Overall, I would say it's a decent car. I would trust it to drive anywhere. I could jump in it right now and drive from Minnesota to California and I would trust it to get me there.

This car only left me stranded once, and that was when the serpentine belt snapped, which was my own fault for not checking its condition.

Tires for this car are expensive, the cheapest I could find were $75 each, and that's what I bought.

GM Dealers are expensive, but compared to other makes, especially imports, they aren't too steep.