1996 Pontiac Grand Am SE from North America - Comments

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.

I bought My 1996 Grand Am SE in November of 1998 for $6,000.00. The car had only 42,000 miles on it when I bought it. My Grand Am has outlasted my mother's 2000 Crysler Cirus LXI, my brother's 1997 Camaro and my best friend's 1998 Ford Mustang.

Total Miles As Of March 14 2004: 246,561.8.

I really hope you continue to have good luck with your Grand Am. All I know is the one I owned started to fall apart within months of purchase.

I had numerous problems as well with my Grand Am. See the topic "It's never had a problem that left me stranded, but a $$$ eater" for the details on mine. I do not abuse my cars and have had a lot of success with the car I got to replace it, a 1992 Plymouth Voyager with nearly 100,000 more miles on it. I'm glad that the above writer has had so much success with his Grand Am, but I sure haven't.

I have had my 1996 grand am se since may of 2000. It had 59000 miles. I had to replace the front brakes at 62000 miles. That was $90.00. At 69,000 I had the Transmission serviced. $125.00. I had to replace the thermostat housing seal and the thermostat at 95,000 miles that was $150.00. Dealer did that. Then 97,000 miles I Had to replace the thermostat housing that was $200.00. Then the passenger side lock mechanism broke. $315.00. Never fixed it. Then at 105,000 the radiator got a crack in it. I replaced it. $150.00. Then at 115,000 the heater core went out. The was $890.00. The dealer did that. In the past 3 months I have had to replace the coil packs and cover, spark plugs, spark plug boots twice. And my radiator has another leak in it. And every time it rains the carpet in my car up front gets soaked. I have no idea where it is coming from either.

Re the last comment I just read where the driver complained of wet carpets every time it rains... I have same problem and it has been traced to a hole in the firewall, between engine and passenger compartment. Actually, both driver and passenger sides have holes in the firewalls from corrosion, but the driver side is the worst.

I'm 16 and bought my 1996 Grand AM from an auction for $2500 and it had 76k. I love it, its white with a spoiler and 2door. I had to replace the intake gasket at 77k and I've done some customizing with blue interior lights and other little things and its been fine. Great performance with the V6 and body is in so-so shape with little rust, and I live in Michigan. Interior was clean, but the seats are worn and the backseats have little room. see mine at www.cardomain.com/patspontiac.

Not too sure about the cars being eye candy. They're definitely junk! Not worth it to keep these cars on the road. A horrible mistake by GM.

I've had my 96 Grand Am for 3 years now. Some minor things had to be replaced like the thermostat hosing was replaced two times, brakes one time, struts and shocks... and just had an oil change yesterday and my cars mileage is at 323,245, It's a 2.4 manual... Very good car.

I think comment 09:56 is more typical of the average Grand Am owner's experience. His 323,000 miles is getting close to our record of 325,000 miles (with a Ford). My 2001 Grand Am 2.4 has been totally flawless. I've never had any of the problems I see on here... not a one. I'd have preferred another Grand Am to the ugly G6 and was disappointed when the GA was dropped. I get tons of positive comments on what a sporty looking car mine is. It gets as many positive comments as my Mustang does.