2000 Pontiac Grand Am SE review from North America

31,800 - Noticed that none of the individual doors' power windows worked, unless controlled from the driver's door. I took it back to the dealer the next day to be fixed.

32,000 - Same problem with the windows. They died after being repaired.

34,500 - Windows again, this time only the driver's window was dead. Motor had to be replaced.

36,400 - Turning on the air conditioning sometimes causes odorless smoke to come from all vents (even vents not selected). Have not had this to the dealer yet.

General problems:

Grinding noise coming from the front wheels. At first I suspected the brakes. After reading reviews here, I now suspect the tires (which need to be changed soon anyway).

Paint is thinly applied, and is peeling from the front and rear bumper.

Owned for only a few months, yet the transmission seems to be shifting much less smoothly now. If this develops into a problem, thank god for an extended warranty (6yr 100k).

Where to begin? I didn't want to post too soon on a car I've owned for only a couple of months, but felt at this point, I could at least give a decent impression on the car. Here are the main highlights I've noticed.

+Exterior styling - Very slick, in my opinion.

+Handling - Driven many cars and this one is in the upper tier in handling.

+Acceleration - Pleasing for a 4 cylinder, comparable to some V6s.

-Shaky at speeds over 65mph (The Taurus developed this after 80k miles, the grand Am developed this before I owned it).

-Automatic Transmission doesn't seem to shift when you'd expect or want it to. Accelerating from 55-70 is like driving in the mud, especially with the air conditioning turned on.

-Birds like to poop on it.