1998 Pontiac Grand Am SE from North America - Comments

The problems started during warranty. The carpet had to be replaced 5 times during warranty. It began developing wear marks on the driver's side back near the seat. The dealer said that it was my right foot that was rubbing the carpet away. I maintained that my foot was never that far back (what with it having to be on the accelerator) and, anyway, shouldn't the carpet be able to stand up to feet?

After warranty, the first thing to go wrong was the control arm brackets on the front tires. This was about $700.

A few months later, the intake manifold gasket had to be replaced. Another $700.

A few months after that the knob that controls the power windows fell into the door and blew most of the electrics in the car. It was only a $3.00 repair, but annoying!

I have replaced the alternator twice! The first replacement came on July 5 of 2001 and the second (like clockwork) on July 3 of 2002. I was within the time warranty on the alternator, but had exceeded the miles warranty.

The CD/radio has busted and the display no longer lights up. Even after repeated cleanings the player won't play about 25% of my CD's. To boot, the CD player scratches my CD's upon ejecting. Nice.

The engine has had several problems. One they were unable to name was the tendency for the engine to idle roughly and then lose power before acceleration off of a cold start. The dealer said it was a computer problem. It isn't consistent, but it's more prevelent in the hot weather of summer.

Most recently, the smell of gasoline became overpowering in the cabin. Turns out the engine was spitting gas all over the engine compartment. I had gone in for an oil change and the dealer wouldn't let me leave because the car was in "danger of exploding."

This is absolutely the worst car I've ever owned. My previous car was a '92 Grand Am with a 4 cylinder. Nice car. Same alternator problems, but I got rid of it almost immediately after I had it paid off.

Handling is good, but not worth the other hassles of owning the Grand Am. This car is anything but grand. I paid more per month for this car... after I had made the last payment. Repairs are a killer on this car.

Power is there, but there's a severe jolt when mashing the accelerator for quick speed.

Not only will I never buy another Pontiac, I will make it my mission in life to dissuade others from buying any Pontiac products.

This car has put me off domestic cars forever!!

Hey how are you? My girlfriends father just purchased a 98' pontiac Grand Am for her for $400.00, He is going to put a new engine in it. The interior and exterior is intact, the windows are tinted and it needs some rims and she is going to put a Cd player in it. I don't know how many original miles will be on the engine that her father is putting in, all I want to know is this car going to be any good for any long term period of time. My girl doesn't have a lot of money and I know she will be depending on this car for as long as she can. I just want to know if this brand was a wise choice for any long term commitment? Thanks for your time.

Signed.

Concerned.

Hi I am fixing to buy a 98 Grand am GT, red, it has 128,000 miles. Do you think this is a wise thing to do? It seems to run good, makes no noise, drives good, looks good, and everything. please let me know.

Adamlenning2004@yahoo.com.

Adam.

I have a 1998 grand am, and just speaking from mine and my parents experience with them (my parents have one too), they are not good cars. From the first time that I bought one I have had nothing, but problems. The alternator, the brakes, they go out what about every 3 or 4 months. The electrical problems, they blow fuses all the time. And that's not even all of it, these cars just are more trouble than they are worth so I don't recommend them to any one ever.

I have a 98 Grand Am, and it's been a pretty good car for me. I have had to make some repairs, but no more than I had with my Chevy, or my Nissan. A Car is a machine and like any other machine things break.

Hi, everyone

I have a 98 Grand Am SE & I have had it almost 6yrs. Never had a problem out of it until about 3 months ago. The motor is shot & from what I've been hearing from machanics is that this type of motor is hard to come by because they are junk (it's a quad 4). I love the car its comfy & looks good it's gold great interior & has 18" rims on it. But I will never never buy another one. So good luck with everyones Grand Am's.

I wish I would have read some of these comments before I purchased a '98 Pontiac Grand Am SE. Reading through various Internet sights I have discovered that the intake manifold gasket is a very common problem. My car also has the same problems I have read about when it just loses power for no reason. This is not a car I would recommend to any one.

I bought the 1998 Grand am for my daughters first car. What a mistake.. Water pump blew, damaged the engine, rebuilt engine,

wires burned out and damaged the battery, alternator went. All repaired, but now it sits in the driveway. Won't start, just plain dead. Someone said it cold be a computer problem. Who knows. Next time I'm only buying a new car with a warranty and do a lot of research.

The grand am DOES have an alternator problem, but for the mileage that I have on my grand am, I find it to work very well. My current grand am has 179,000 miles on it, and so far I have replaced the alternator once, and put a new transmission in. Nice car, though many of them are lemons.

I have my eye on another grand am, drives and runs great with 112,000 miles. Only major problem is the parking break. But with some tightening it can easily be fixed.

As for everybody's rants on these cars, I think it's a little exaggerated. For one thing, when you get a good one, they are very nice vehicles. If actually taken care of, and maintained well, these cars will perform well enough to satisfy. (Original commenter: If you "mash the accelerator to get a speed boost", it's not good for your engine, smart one... Congratulations on writing a bad review on a car that you abused...)

My parents have had a Grand Am Se for about 3 years now and now it is mine. Not many problems with it other than what we did too it aka me and my mother go out in about 16 inches of snow. Great car.Quad 4 is awesome and very dependable, but very hard to find. if you know how to drive a standard then you won't have many problems and every car has there problem!!!

Best car ever very cute and sporty for a young girl like me.

I've had my Grand Am since 1999. It’s a 2.4 twin cam 4cyl. I got it with 97,000 miles, and it was in showroom condition.

Since I got the car I've put on over 221,000 miles. I have never had any major issues with it at all. I just kept up on normal maintenance and checked all the fluids, and made sure the battery was always fully charged.

I have however gone through two transmissions. It was my fault though for driving like an idiot.

Since I've had the car, the window motors have slowed down a little. The ABS light is on.

I have never had an issue with stopping the car or any major mechanical issue. This by far has been the most dependable car I have owned, and it gets great gas mileage.

The people that say the 2.4l is garbage don't know what they're talking about. I know for a fact that when you rev the rpms too high the oil pump cannot maintain enough oil pressure to lubricate the 3rd and 4th rod bearings. However if this does happen, it's the drivers fault because the oil pump is not intended to rev over 5000 rpms. If you take care of your car it will last you a long time.