2001 Pontiac Grand Am GT review from North America

Bought car from non-Pontiac dealership... was a trade-in, well-maintained...authenticated paperwork showed dealership salesman was previous owner.

No warranty as it was 2001 bought in 2007, but at only 48k miles I didn't see need for it... but salesman conned me into getting a super after-market warranty.

Thank goodness.

3 months and 4,000 miles later the head gasket went without warning. I turned my car on and was enveloped in cloud of white smoke. Fortunately I had that warranty and the $1,500 repair was free for me (minus the $100 "diagnostic fee"...come on! I know what's wrong...IT'S THE HEAD GASKET!!!)

Now the power steering just went on my car...don't know what's causing it yet.. but it doesn't matter because the repair will be covered by my super third-party warranty.

IF YOU OWN THIS CAR... BUY A Warranty FOR IT NOW!!!

Other things wrong with my car:

1) Blower Resistor not working right... fan can either blow 100% or 20%, but hot/cold knob works thank goodness.

2) Monsoon stereo works for me BUT loose wires cause speaker crackling even when car SHUT OFF... once snow melts I'll track them down.

3) Low ground clearance is BAD for these midwestern winters... even with ABS/traction control/snow tires the low ground clearance results in getting stuck at the end of my driveway.

It's a nice-enough car so long as you have some sort of warranty to cover the myriad repairs that WILL come your way.