1996 Pontiac Grand Am SE review from North America

Tape player on radio went bad the day I took it home. It took the dealer 2 weeks to get a remanufactured replacement in!

Key would stick in ignition, lock replaced 3 times under warranty, but it never fixed the problem.

Water pump went bad and was replaced under warranty.

Air Condition went 2 times. First time was the compressor and was replaced under warranty. Second time was the condenser and I had to pay for that out of pocket.

Needed a full brake job, rotors and brake pads, at 40000 miles.

Clips on driver's side door panel, exterior, that held trim on were bad and never replaced.

The following problems occurred AFTER the warranty expired:

2 coil packs went bad and had to be replaced.

Alternator went bad and had to be replaced.

The A/C condenser mentioned above went bad.

One of the cells in the battery went bad and the battery had to be replaced.

Although I don't remember at what mileage most of these problems occurred I can tell you that the car only had 60000 miles on it when I traded it in.

Other than the numerous and frequent problems mentioned above, the car was decent. It was very sharp, mine was bright red, and had nice performance.

Unfortunately these cars are very cheaply made. Mine was a real head turner, but constantly in the shop for something.

Also it wasn't the most comfortable vehicle to ride in. The seats, old Sunbird types, had NO lumbar support and would leave you with an aching back after extended travel. Also the ride wasn't that great either.

My suggestion to anyone looking at one of these vehicles is to stay away from them. To this day I think they are cheaply made, as friends complain about their late model Grand Ams. They may be eye candy, but they're not reliable.