1995 Pontiac Grand Am GT review from North America
"Money pit, but a nice money pit"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Replaced wheel bearing at 127k.
Serpentine belt at 130k.
Stabalizer arms, rotors, shoes, pads at 139k.
Radiator at 140k.
I need to re-wire my speakers.
And now this:
My car overheats like mad (260+) when driving for the first few minutes, then the temperature drops down to a little over 100. Then it will continue to randomly spike for, oh, 15 or so minutes. After that it will only heat up while idling. When I am at stoplights, sitting in my driveway, or what have you, it will heat up to 220, but when I rev the engine, or continue driving, it will fall back down to normal range. I am pretty sure that when it heats up that water is not circulating (heat goes cold). I have replaced the thermostat (replaced twice, just for good measure, as it didn't work after the first one), and I am pretty sure that it is neither the water pump nor the head gasket. Any ideas?
General comments?
The seats are comfy.
It handles really well in the winter (Minnesotan winters).
It is insanely nice on the interstate, cruises well at 85-90 mph while still getting great gas mileage. I can make it from Minneapolis, MN to Lincoln, NE on one tank of gas, and that's over 430 miles.
Recommended reviews
| It has served impressively! |
|
| A high maintenance subtle speed demon |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Year of manufacture | 1995 |
| First year of ownership | 2004 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.1L V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 4 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 123000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 151000 miles |
| Previous car | Pontiac Sunfire |
| Date of Entry | 11th December, 2005 |