1999 Pontiac Grand Am SE review from North America
"The Grand Am is typical of the strengths and weaknesses of US car makers."
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Brakes! Brakes and more brakes! Had warped rotors replaced every 6,000 miles, mostly under $100 per service warranty agreement with dealer. Was told by service mgr that it was "my driving habits." My Honda has never had rotors replaced in 206,000 miles (so much for my driving habits).
Power steering servo went bad at 20 K, replaced under warranty.
Air conditioning compressor went bad at 30 K, replaced under warranty.
Alternator just went out at 86 K, serpentine belt appears worn.
Back-up light housings are half full of rainwater because the electrical cable inlet is not sealed. In fact the cable runs inside the rear wheel wells, allowing snow and ice to accumulate on them. When ice breaks loose it tears the cables from their retainer clips and pulls them right from the light sockets. Very thoughtful designing!
Headlight housings have "speed clips" (this is an oxymoron) which are supposed to make replacing headlamps really easy and avoid having to re-aim the headlights each time. Yeah, right. The owners manual shows a housewife replacing the headlamp without dirtying her manicure. In the real world, it took the dealership service manager 20 minutes to get the speed clips back in and that evening when I turned my headlamps on, the replaced lamp beam shown up into the trees.
There have been some odd phenomena with the electrics, e.g., the digital instrument readouts have pulsed on and off, the clock went ga-ga, and then returned to normal. Also, I can't stand the 'change oil' warning light that comes on when it feels like it, is totally independent of any real need to change the oil, and is hell to get to turn off (you have to go into a dash side switch panel and run a fairly complex procedure to get the thing off).
General comments?
The car handles really well (apart from braking).
Performance is sporty without being scary.
Ergonomics are good (comfortable to drive).
Sound system is excellent.
Fuel economy is surprisingly good for such a high performance engine.
Recommended reviews
| Strong recommendation of the '99 Grand Am GT |
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| You can't judge this book by it's cover |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1999 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.6 V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 10 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 4 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 4 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 6 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 21000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 86000 miles |
| Previous car | Honda Civic |
| Date of Entry | 16th October, 2003 |