Faults:

I took this car to the dealership on Monday for oil change/safety check. The little knob that moves the outside mirrors had fallen off down inside the door, so I had that fixed to. Oh, and the left seat belt got tangled up the last time I took it in, so that needed to be fixed as it was hard for passengers to pull it in/out.

On Thursday night I picked it up, paid the bill, drove home. Friday afternoon I took to a few blocks to the shopping center, did some heavy-carry errands, and went to start it to go home. Car wouldn't start. Had to have it towed back to dealership. They don't seem to know what is wrong with it... Haven't seen the car since I had it towed there.

This car was a problem the first year we had it. Turned out there was a defect in the "computer chip" It has worked OK since then. I just don't know why the dealership can't find out what is wrong with the car they are supposed to be experts at.

General Comments:

I miss my Tercel, but had to sell it as my husband had cancer and we didn't need two cars. I was still hoping he would live...

Faults:

There's numerous things that have gone wrong with the car:

Speakers and Head Gasket were blown at time of purchase.

Drivers seat worked on and off, only to find out that the wires under the seat were assembled poorly. They sparked if touched.

The Radiator Support was cracked around the left headlight. (Previous Accident he never reported. As well as poorly reassembled right fender. Cosmetically it looks great)

Coolant Leak resulting from Blown Intake Manifold at around 70,000 miles.

Thermometer needed to be replaced. (75,000 miles)

Sunroof door was constantly getting stuck. It eventually got to the point that I literally broke it into 1,000 different pieces from the slot after pulling too hard.

The dome light fell out of the socket. Super-glued it to the roof. Works fine, no problems.

Power steering is a little hard at times.

CD player used to spit out CD's on humid days. (common in a lot of cars is what I'm told) But it has stopped as of about a year or two ago.

The vent all the way to the left of the drivers side spins constantly if the air is on full blast. If on normal speed, it just spins and stops in the "block" position, so no air is blown from that vent.

Drivers seat has some obvious wear. Again, there at time of purchase. (previous owner obviously didn't care about it that much)

The window regulator in the drivers side went the day I got it...

Other things such as tail lights, foggy headlamps, poorly lit high beams, hard suspension, leaky weatherstipping and some weird sounds are common. At times it got to me, but after a while, they either stopped or I just got used to them.

General Comments:

Overall, the car is a blast to drive. Given there were days I was disgusted looking at it because of the big, and expensive problems I had with it, but overall, the car is enjoyable.

I get comments all the time about how nice it is, and how in great condition it is.

The handling is SUPERB. It hugs the road around tight corners, without having to break the slightest bit. No slippage or sliding what-so-ever.

The speed is decent. You get slammed into your seat if you floor it from a stop and you stay pinned to the leather up until the third gear. (Around 40MPH).

The engine has a delightful growl to it when you start up, and accellerate. Given the miles are realitivly high on my car, but it dosn't feel that way. (at least anymore after all the tuneups).

The seats are comfotable, though it does feel like you're sitting in a hole due to a few cramped quarters.

The Monsoon system makes you feel like you're at a concert. Well, if they're all working correctly at once... its rare in my case. There always seems to be that one or two pesky speakers that decide to blow the week you replaced the previously broken ones.

Braking is adequate. It's responsive and the ABS standard gives an extra sense of security in those tight moments of breaking.

The sunroof is a nice edition to the car. It provides a calming view on nice days, and the slight tint to it dosn't allow the sun to blind you if you happen to look up.

But what gets me is the look of the car. Pontiac hit the nail on the head when they designed the Grand Am as far as looks go... yes, they could have done a better job in regards to its reliability... IE, not needing to have 3 gasket jobs in 2 years, but the comfort, performance and overall enjoyment of the car makes up for its faults.

The car has been there for me... I used to commute 120 miles a day for school. City and Highway miles in Jersey take a toll on any vehicle, and yet even on its worst day, the Grand Am still got me to where I had to go. I used to sleep in the backseat in between classes, and I used to listen to the radio as I watched NY from a parking lot in Jersey City. Its been there for me, and I've been there for it. It's a car I won't forget anytime soon, and hopefully, have many more miles to go before I finally see it go.