1999 Pontiac Grand Am SE review from North America
"Excellent first car!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Fuel gauge does not work right anymore (at about 100,000 miles). The faster or longer you drive, the more the needle moves to F, the longer it idles, the more the needle moves to E. Putting a lot of trust in the "Low Fuel" light.
The ABS and brake light are now on constantly, but there is nothing wrong with the brakes. The EBCM (electronic brake control module) went bad (at about 105,000 miles) from rust build up.
Electrical shortage/fire in the tail light from poor design. These cars really were not designed to handle the salty roads of NY.
Snow build up in the back bumper in the winter yanks on the cornering reverse lights and pulls the wires out shorting out the lights. This again is from poor design.
Rear spoiler has really bad sun damage. I noticed this on a lot of GA's. Within a year it fades really bad and looks like it's got thousands of small scratches on it.
General comments?
This is my first car and honestly I still love it. I still get compliments all the time on how good the paint still looks and on its style. I love the 30 MPG highway I get with the V6, and how I know its always going to get me where I need to be.
These cars will treat you as well as you treat them. A few buddies of mine own GA's as well, and they don’t take care of them so they run like crap. I luckily have had no major issues with the car until the ABS/Brake light thing. It handles like a dream in the snow, and I never feel like Im going to lose control. It's just now starting to really show rust because of the area I live in and their use of salt on the roads.
Insurance on it is relatively cheap.
My biggest complaints about the car are:
The headlights are a ROYAL pain to change, and come out of alignment too easily.
There really should be a rear window wiper for when it rains, because of the angle of the window the rain just sits on it making sight impossible (at least on the 4 Door Sedan).
Change oil light turns on after about 5,000-6,000 of driving. I wouldn't trust this thing to tell me when my oils actually needed to be changed.
Recommended reviews
| This is the worst car I have ever owned and I would not wish it on my worst enemy |
|
| Very nice car, great performer |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1999 |
| Year of manufacture | 1998 |
| First year of ownership | 2004 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.4L V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 74000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 110000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 29th February, 2008 |