1997 Pontiac Grand Am GT review from North America
"A death trap that no one should purchase"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The water pump went out at 37000 miles. The alternator went out a week later. Those two problems alone cost me a total of $1100.00. The paint started peeling off the mirrors at 39000 miles. Both sides of power windows stopped working at 40000 miles. The air conditioner died at 53000 miles. Periodically throughout the ownership of the car it would just die out of the blue. This went on from 39000 miles till I got rid of the car. The dealership said it was the fuel pump and after replacing the fuel pump 3 times in 18 months I decided they were wrong. A non-partisan ASE mechanic told me that the computer had a defect in it and that it would be cheaper to replace the car than the computer. After hearing this I decided he was right and did so. This spiratic dying of the engine has almost gotten my wife and I killed on over 12 different occasions. The car has died in the middle of busy intersections with traffic moving. It has died with 18 wheel trucks tail gating us which made us drive off into the ditch to avoid them.
General comments?
I would not recommend this car to an enemy much less someone I cared about.
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| Its holding up admirably considering how hard I run it |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2002 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.3 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 0 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 0 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 0 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 900 miles |
| Most recent distance | 115000 miles |
| Previous car | Pontiac Grand Am |
| Date of Entry | 6th July, 2002 |