2004 Pontiac Grand Am 2.2L from North America

Summary:

Prime example of a good priced, reliable, American car. Great for college

Faults:

NONE!

General Comments:

Car runs great!

Great acceleration even in a 2.2L (oddly enough).

Looks great.

Seeing behind you is slightly limited to the fact that it has a high tail end.

Getting out of the drivers seat can be somewhat of a struggle, but it could be me.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 23rd March, 2007

2004 Pontiac Grand Am SE2 V6 from North America

Summary:

It's a great car overall... definitely recommend it

Faults:

After 2 years, and putting about 60,000 miles on the car...I've only had to change the brake pads and rotors. Although, after only 3-4 months of having those changed, the brakes are scrubbing again. This may be an issue with the garage who installed them though.

Also, the dome light seems to have a short... and will not turn on unless tapped on.

General Comments:

I'm pretty much in love with my car. It has a lot of power, very quick on take off, and is great around curves. The car also seems to handle pretty well in rain and snow.

I have NEVER used low grade (87) gasoline in the car, this may have something to do with it's great running condition. I definitely recommend that.

I really enjoy the interior of the car, the leather seats are an extra plus. The round vents are always complimented on by anyone who rides in the car. The seats are very comfortable even on long (9+) hour road trips... I don't know much about the back seat because I'm always driving, but I've only heard good things.

The exterior is definitely sporty and the spoiler is one of a select few I actually like on cars.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd December, 2006

2004 Pontiac Grand Am GT SC/T 3.4 Ram-Air from North America

Summary:

Reliable transportation with fun mixed in

Faults:

The factory brakes wore out and needed to be replaced after 33,000 kilometres.

Tailpipes corroded very quickly and rusted out. Dealer said they ordered the parts, but never got back to me.

General Comments:

This was the top-of-the-line Grand Am in the final year it was offered, it had everything on it, Ram-Air hood, sunroof, funky spoiler, the whole package.

Seating, while leather, was still uncomfortable and unpleasant over long trips. You constantly needed to adjust yourself if driving for longer periods of time.

Power was adequate, but definitely did not live up to the "sporty" looks and image Pontiac tried to make for the Grand Am. My brother's base model '06 G6 V6 (say that three times fast) is considerably more peppy and handles better.

However, the handling wasn't bad at all. It went around corners well.

Steering was heavy, extremely heavy at low speeds, making the car a challenge to park.

I always found it funny that the car didn't have a CD-changer, even though it was the best model Grand Am.

Most of the interior is very cheap plastic that scratches and cracks. Overall fit and finish is unimpressive.

Stereo (Monsoon 8-speaker system) was terrific.

For a V6, I was expecting better fuel economy. Obviously not in the range of my old Golf, but definitely not around 350-400 kilometres to a tank, which I routinely got.

I have very few complaints about the car. It was extremely reliable, no warranty issues or other things that made my experience sour.

Resale value sucks, but it's a domestic car. I still got $12,000 for it two and a half years after buying it brand new for $25,000 CDN. Got a great deal on it, GM was trying to move them off the lots to make room for the G6.

I sold it about a month ago to make room for a new 2007 Ford Mustang GT coupe. My fiancee misses the silver Grand Am, and I do, too. I will remember it fondly.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st October, 2006

11th Oct 2007, 22:19

I generally agree with the above review, except I think any car should be "fit" for the individual.

I've got 103K miles on my 2002 GT couple and find it to be EXTREMELY comfortable on long trips-- averaging ~three 1000K+ mile vacation trips per year. After such non-stop marathons, the only parts of my body which are uncomfortable are my elbows.

I am 6'1" and 165 lbs. I bought my Grand AM after renting many cars on biz trips and finding this to be the best fit "for me." I encourage anyone to do the same.

11th Sep 2009, 21:46

I agree with the previous comment. I'm 6'3" and the GA's extra size and bulk compared to most cars of its class is just what I needed to be comfortable, yet it still maintains a bit of a sporty edge. I do feel it's a bit underpowered compared to its looks, but that's more because it looks so damn sporty than anything else -- it has plenty of power to enjoy your casual driving.

I've put 50K miles on it with a 50 mile daily commute, and it's held up very well. The only work I've done is replacing the brake pads and a few errant sensors.