1998 Pontiac Grand Am GT review from North America

The head gasket blew in 2003; miles were around 120,000. Was expensive to replace.

Air conditioner compressor did not work when I bought the car in 2002. Was expensive to replace.

1 6x9 and 1 4x6 were blown out when I bought the car in 2002. 6x9's were difficult and ridiculous to replace. Had to remove the whole back panel and seats.

Starting at the end of 2003, paint on the spoiler is wearing away.

Fog lights kept going out, even after being replaced.

Windshield wipers needed replaced in 2003.

I have the GT model. It is black with the spoiler and GT body kit.

Regardless of the problems, I love my car. It offers several things that I personally prefer with a car: V6, CD player, keyless entry, comfortable seats, good gas mileage, 4 doors, sporty exterior, cruise control, automatic transmission, and plenty of cup holders (4).

One thing I do not like is that whatever problems I do have with the car, they are either complicated or expensive. One of my favorite things about this car is the fact that it is speedy, yet is good on gas. The acceleration is pleasing and does the job, however, the car really jerks when the transmission shifts to start really speeding up.

I do not think I will buy another Pontiac. I owned a 1991 Sunbird. I bought it in late 2000/early 2001 at 78,000 miles. When the car approached 90,000 miles, it started to malfunction and just completely break down. I don't fully trust Pontiac, nor will I risk them in the future.

I am shopping around right now for a new car, and a Honda Accord is currently on my mind...