1996 Pontiac Grand Am SE review from North America
"This is a great, well-powered, very reliable, fun-to-drive, good looking mid-sized sedan!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
When I first bought the car, I had to replace the driver's side window motor, the alternator, and the battery all at once. The mechanic said the three problems were all related somehow.
At around 100k miles the front wheel bearings wore out.
Right now at almost 150k miles, it needs struts.
At around 125k miles the tensioner for the serpentine belt needed to be replaced.
Other than that, I never had any other problem with this car. It still runs like a top.
General comments?
Once the struts wore out on this car, the ride obviously deteriorated horribly, but still handles quite well.
This car has been completely reliable, and any problem that I've experienced in 5 years can be attributed to normal wear and tear.
In the 100k miles that I have owned the car, I've only changed the spark plugs once (around 130k), and that was the entire extent of any "tune-up" that I performed.
I have done pretty well about keeping the fluids changed regularly, including the coolant and the transmission fluids, even though they are supposedly able to last much longer. I changed them for my own peace of mind, not because there was any indication that a change was needed.
This car has been driven hard, and not treated with any special care, except for trying to keep the fluid changes close to on-schedule.
Recommended reviews
| A fun car not worth the pain of upkeep |
|
| Fun Car, but you better be mechanically inclined |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 1998 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.1L V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 52000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 149000 miles |
| Previous car | Cadillac DeVille |
| Date of Entry | 10th April, 2003 |