2000 Pontiac Grand Am SE1 review from North America
"A high-cost mistake"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Driver side window stopped working 5 months after I bought the car.
5 months later every time I braked at anything over 60mph the whole car would shudder. Brake pads had to be replaced (luckily under warranty). 1 week later back to the dealer to get the brake pads shaved (still shuddering).
3 months later the ac stopped working in the middle of the summer - what a joy!
Just today had to have the car towed to dealership for possible replacement of transmission on a not even 3 year old car with only 49500 miles on it - a cost of about $3000 because I did not get the extended warranty.
Also on sharp turns (especially u-turns) at extremely slow speeds the car groans - but I've been told there's nothing can be done about that.
CD player has also stopped working.
A complete mistake on my part to have ever bought the car.
General comments?
Would never again buy a Pontiac car. In the space of under 2 years I have had the car to the dealership at least 4 times. This is just not good enough for a relatively new car. My 11-year old Fiat Punto in Ireland which took a real hammering and had over 160000 miles on it did not even cause me this much trouble.
Will never even consider any GM car again, even if they're giving them away for free.
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| Maybe there are some good ones out there, but I sure got a money pit |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.4L Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 4 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 9 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 26000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 49500 miles |
| Previous car | Fiat Punto |
| Date of Entry | 20th January, 2003 |