2003 Pontiac Grand Am review from North America
"Pretty good"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Keep in mind, my car has 142,000 miles on it, so some of this I expect to be replaced.
- Brakes 3 times, noisy brakes.
- Battery.
- Fuel pump.
- Both front wheel bearings replaced.
- CD player replaced 2 times.
- Window control motor replaced.
- Window controls regulator and bezel replaced 2 times.
- Turn signals won't work randomly (use the emergency flashers to get them working again - this is a recall, but my local dealership won't fix it stating the recall is expired. Although, I bought my car in 2004 and it didn't start doing the blinker thing until 2007)
- Horn honks about 7 seconds after the car is put into park and is still running, or if you start the car and don't immediately put into drive or reverse. (Any suggestions on why this happens? And it has nothing to do with my keyless entry - already tried that - it started doing this after my battery was jump started one day)
- Intake manifold gasket.
- Water pump.
- Driver's window is off track because the plastic piece broke inside the door panel. So if you roll it down, you have to catch it before it falls into the door.
- Windshield wiper motor replaced.
- Front windshield leaks (have a friend that does auto glass and he sealed it up for me)
- Cruise control quit working yesterday.
- Some dash lights randomly come on, and I've had to have those reset.
- Shifting hard from park to drive/reverse (my friend has a 2000 Grand Am and this happened to her, and it ended up being the computer - $500 to fix - guess it's better than a transmission)
- Lights dim when I press the brakes - no problems found - it's done this since I bought it.
- The AC/heater fan makes a clicking noise on 1 and 2, but not on 3, 4 or 5. I'ts still working on 1 and 2, but I'm prepared for it to quit.
There might be a few more things that I'm not thinking of, but this is the bulk of it.
General comments?
I like the look of the car and the way it handles.
Some of the problems that have occurred I know are wear and tear. Other problems I know were recalls - which happen.. But a few, well, they just blow my mind.
It's been a pretty good car all together, though.
I would buy another GM product.
It's 10 times better than the Mazda I owned before it!
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| It burned to the ground! |
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| Beautifully styled car with great performance |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 2003 |
| Year of manufacture | 2002 |
| First year of ownership | 2004 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Engine and transmission | Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 19000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 142000 miles |
| Previous car | Mazda 626 |
| Date of Entry | 14th June, 2008 |