Faults:
I have had the car for about 2 years now and have added a lot of miles to the car. I happen to have a lead foot so I drive the car to the limits a lot of the time (spin the tires, race, manual shift and crank it to 6000 Rotation Per Minute) I have not had many problems with the car at all. I have had issues with it overheating, but the dealer and other mechanics say that it should be alright up until 260 degrees. Since it regularly rides at 200, I get a little concerned any time over that. I am now having issues with the power steering pump leaking. The last issue I really had with the car was that the driver side door electric motor went out and even though having put another one in there, it will still every once in a blue moon come off track. The motor was $150. I have yet to find out what the price of the power steering pump is going to cost. All three of these issues seem to be prevalant in the Grand Am. The only other thing is the price of fixing the car. The spare parts are sometimes hard to find at local shops so you are forced to go to the dealership, which will always cost you an arm and a leg. I have also looked into parts to bump up the performance, and some of the reviews that other owners have put out about the part they put on cost them a lot for not that much more performance. To really get the horse power up there you have to put down thousands.
General Comments:
Other that the issues above, I love this car. It is fast rounding out at about 180 horse power stock, hugs turns super well, has a nice sound system, and comfortable. I would recommend this car to others. Just pay attention to the overheating, power steering pump, and door motors and you'll be good to go.
15th Aug 2005, 19:07
I've had my Grand Am for well over a year now, and I absolutely love it. I have had no problems with it except the normal oil, breaks, and other maintenance. I bought this car as my first car and feel very safe in it. The engine has a lot of power (3.4L V6) while still getting decent gas economy, and everything works, as it should. It handles like a dream in the snow, and I have never felt that I didn't have good traction. The only thing I would have bad to say about this car, is that the design of it, was not made for snowy areas (I live in Buffalo, and boy do we get snow). In the rear of the car just below the doors in the corner, the snow collects, and sits, so now I am beginning to get rust there, and the paint is beginning to fade from red to pink, but it's nothing that can't be easily be covered with touch-up paint. I get compliments all the time at how shiny the paint still is, and on its sporty looks, without paying ungodly high insurance rates. I love this car and will keep it till the day it dies.