1996 Pontiac Grand Am SE review from North America
"You have to try to make junk this bad, parts anyone?"
General comments?
Nothing leaves you with that special feeling more than the Grand AM. That feeling you have after a hard day of work when you start up your proudly owned Grand AM to find a puddle of green crap underneath it.
Water Pump 40,000 miles.
Or when you roll down your passenger window and it never comes back up. After removing the door panel to manually move it up nothing like having your chain smoking buddy sitting next to you.
Passenger power window, 32,000 miles.
Or better yet when the driver's side window stops rolling down. Nothing says class like driving through a drive thru and opening your door to get the food. Oh yeah, Grand AM baby!
Driver power window, 50,000 miles.
One thing that's sure to leave you stranded for the tow. Oh, and its commonly known that when it fails it often takes this with it too due to the drain put on it.
Alternator and Battery 60,000 miles.
Apparently there is more in the Grand AM that is plastic besides the cheesy interior gauges. Plastic Radiators, oh my! What is the point of 100K mile antifreeze when your coolant system can't even make it that far, go figure.
Radiator - 80,000 miles.
Speaking of plastic stuff. Gotta love those side plastic protection guards. They are great when they fall off in the car wash and the wash boy brings you part of your car.
Almost forget the cadilac convertor, 79,000 miles.
Nothing perplexes you more than having to replace the platinum spark plugs. You know the ones that are supposed to last to 100K miles, hah! Oh and to top it off, they cost 4 times as much as normal plugs.
Platinum Spark Plugs - 44,000 miles.
Valve chatter, but that's normal for a Grand AM, right?
Constant check engine light. What is the deal here. Is GM so afraid that its crap will tear up, that they just turn it on so you can make sure the engine hasn't fallen on the ground yet?
Loud screaching sound, AC Compressor clutch.
AC Compresser - 92,000 miles.
And last, but certainly not least.
Lower engine knock - 94,000 miles.
Kaput - Driving Excitement.
Oh did I mention that the Grand AM won an award. You know the one they got for being in the least reliable cars for eight consecutive years.
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| High mileage shows fast on this beauty |
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| 1996 - Grand Am GT 2.4 4-cylinder Solid and reliable fun |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1996 |
| Year of manufacture | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.4L 4 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 0 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 3 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 0 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 21000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 94000 miles |
| Previous car | Pontiac Grand Am |
| Date of Entry | 9th December, 2004 |