1989 Pontiac Grand Am LE review from North America
"This car was a useless piece of junk"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I think it would be easier to tell you what didn't go wrong with it.
The car went through 3 transmissions, 2 radiators, 1 starter, and 2 heater cores.
It constantly leaked oil, coolant, tranny fluid, power steering fluid, and occasionally gas.
The brakes were pathetic and went out completely twice.
The electrical system was useless, sporadically leaving me with no signals, headlights, wipers, or radio, but then magically beginning to work again.
The Delco radio was a piece of junk. The sound would fade in and out for no reason.
The car went through wheel bearings like crazy. It rode really rough because of this.
Two of four power windows worked.
The tilt wheel would constantly loosen, causing the wheel to wiggle all over the place and making it hard to drive.
It dropped a valve and we got rid of it.
General comments?
The car could do about 120, but if you tried to push it over 80, the temperature would shoot up and the car would seriously overheat.
For the year range it came from, it had a surprisingly sturdy construction.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1989 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 1999 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.5L 4 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 2 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 1 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 3 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 90000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 120000 miles |
| Previous car | Dodge Aries |
| Date of Entry | 1st October, 2002 |