2000 Pontiac Grand Am GT review from North America
"It's a money pit and an otherwise crappy car"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
The coolant started to leak three months after I bought it (after the warranty period had expired, of course). The mechanic said it needed a gasket replaced, whatever gasket commonly cracks on this car. Cost $700.
The gas gage stopped working when I had 1/8th of a tank left, and therefore I ran out of gas. The gage is in the gas tank attached to the fuel pump, so the whole fuel pump had to be replaced. $600.
Brakes started grinding at about 50,000 miles. Then started vibrating at 52,000. The rotors, although nearly brand new, were warped and needed to be replaced. Now a little over 10,000 miles later the brakes are grinding again and just starting to vibrate.
The hazard switch was replaced once by the dealer under warranty and did not stop audible turn signal from clicking whenever it wanted. Replaced again under recall. Still clicks whenever it feels like.
Occasionally, the clock display will only partially work when I first start the car. It will work properly within 5 minutes.
The idiot lights will come on for no reason every now and then.
General comments?
I bought this car because I really wanted a stylish V6 and a good upgrade from my Cavalier. Turns out it was a bad choice. The car handles poorly and is noisy in the interior. The brakes, though they stop the car well, go bad about every 10,000 miles. The hazard switch thing is driving me nuts! And besides that I spent $1300 on it in repairs and I've had it for less than a year!
Save yourself the trouble and get something else.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.0 V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 2 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 4 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 45000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 64000 miles |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Cavalier |
| Date of Entry | 29th September, 2004 |