1987 Pontiac Grand Am LE review from North America
"I'm surprised at how reliable it was"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Steering rack at approximately 50,000 miles. (Typical of many GM cars at that time)
Cruise control stopped working.
Otherwise, extremely reliable vehicle.
General comments?
Back in the day when I was selling Pontiacs, my dad finally traded in his old & rusty '76 Regal for a new '87 Grand Am.
This vehicle had the 3.0 V6 with automatic transmission. It was the LE four door sedan. One thing I didn't like about it was that it was equipped with what I call "the inconvenience package" - manual locks and windows.
The Grand Am had plenty of power and still delivered 20 mpg (which wasn't too bad at the time). The ride was a little more firm than what dad was used to (the float-boat ride of the Regal), but was not harsh or uncomfortable.
It handled okay, but would never be confused with a sports car.
It was a good-looking vehicle in its day. Two-tone dark red metallic over gray, with nice-looking alloy wheels, and a gray cloth interior.
I must say that I was amazed at how reliable the Grand Am turned out to be.
The only significant thing that went wrong with it, was that the GM-Saginaw steering rack failed at approximately 50k miles.
(This was a common problem with many GM products at the time, and if I remember correctly, it was subject to a sort-of "silent recall". GM did not charge the customer to replace the rack if they failed, but I don't believe there was ever a formal recall.
The only other part failure was that the cruise control stopped functioning, but dad never used it anyway, so he didn't bother having it fixed.
The car had an excellent heater and ice-cold AC unit. The factory stereo was pretty decent as well.
The Grand Am served my dad well until
he totaled it in the year 2000.
(His eyes were failing and he hit a parked car.) That was the end of my dad's driving days. I know he missed being able to drive for the remainder of his life.
At the time of the accident, it had just under 100k miles on it and was still going strong and was surprisingly very tight.
I'm glad that my dad's last vehicle was one that he enjoyed.
Recommended reviews
| An excellent older car that holds up with only a few minor repairs |
|
| I would recommend it to anyone as a first car (it's pretty solid and safe) |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 1987 |
| Year of manufacture | 1987 |
| First year of ownership | 1987 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2000 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.0 six Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 8 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 7 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 17 miles |
| Most recent distance | 99000 miles |
| Previous car | Buick Regal |
| Date of Entry | 2nd September, 2005 |