1994 Pontiac Grand Prix SE GTP from North America

Summary:

Terrible

Faults:

Brakes constantly wear out.

Burns oil and gas very fast.

Transmission slips and not to mention that Automatics suck.

Power Antenna and Hands free controls don't work.

Drivers door-Pretty much nothing in this works except the lock. I can also roll up the passenger's side window.

Engine is a pain to keep warm in the winter and constantly overheats in the summer.

Slow and handles very poorly. Also has a wide turn radius.

Everything electrical started malfunctioning around 97000 miles.

Sunroof and driver door leaks.

Seat belts don't really work.

Cup holders have no practical use.

Has a bad tendency to have something else break right after you fix another problem.

There are many, many more problems, but most are minor and not a really big deal.

General Comments:

Where do I begin? This car is by far the worst running car on the road. Granted some of the problems are "easy" fixes for people who know what they are doing or have money to fix it with.

This car is slow, handles poorly, and can't stop to save it's life. I had a mechanic check out my brakes and he said there was nothing wrong with them other than the fact that my back brakes weren't working. So he fixed that, but it hardly improved. My parking brake also sticks so I never use it.

The transmission on this car is terrible. It likes to shift for no apparent reason or sometimes the gear changes are jerky. Not to mention the fact that this car gets below 17 miles to the gallon.

Another problem I've had is that apparently when I got this car it had no air filter. I drove around 2000 miles before I discovered this. It also has a GTP badge, but there's nothing GTP about it. Where's the supercharger??? Oh wait, it doesn't have one.

To make a long story short this car's interior and exterior are pretty much flawless, the paint is still glossy, and there is no rust on it. Pretty good for a Michigan car, but Mechanically it is a nightmare. It's taught me to hate GM and all Grand Prixs ever made.

I loathed driving this since I got behind the wheel. I might like it better if everything worked and if it wasn't replacing my 1990 Eclipse GST. The only reason I can't drive that anymore is because some people can't drive in the snow and run into you at 40mph when you are waiting to turn right. By the way there was absolutely nothing wrong with that one, it only had 81000 miles on it too.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 23rd January, 2006

8th Feb 2006, 23:12

Huh, I like my 1994 grand prix. The exterior door handles can bite it though. I've had to replace 3 handles now. I live in Michigan, when the door freezes up it's better to gently apply pressure to the handle enough to work the release, and then with the other hand pry the door open by pushing your fingers down into the weather stripping a bit. The handles really don't seem to hold up well to being used as leverage to open an iced up door.

I completely agree about the cup holders... worthless.

1994 Pontiac Grand Prix SE w/GT Package 3.4 DOHC V6 from North America

Summary:

The best used car I ever bought

Faults:

I just purchased this car from the second owner. It will start up when I press down on the gas pedal, but as soon as I let up on the gas, it stalls.

General Comments:

Nice car for $400 and it has 93360 miles on it.

Nice leather seats.

Stereo/CD Player works very well and sounds great.

No rust anywhere.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 30th August, 2005

1994 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3.4 Liter V6 from North America

Summary:

Very low opinion of this vehicle

Faults:

The car is currently on its sixth alternator, the most recent of which has finally received a lifetime parts and labor warranty from the dealer.

The entire power steering system has been gradually replaced: First the Pressure line, then the Pump (twice), then the whole rack and pinion.

The A/C Compressor has been replaced.

All engine mounts have been replaced.

The rear brakes froze up entirely and they had to be replaced at a cost of $700 (calipers, rotors, pads, etc.

Currently, at about 105,000 miles, the entire coolant system is in the process of "self-destruct", not dissimilar to what had happened to the power steering system about two years ago. The radiator may be plugged, but the thermostat and water pump and heater core surely are in need of replacement.

General Comments:

This 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix was my father's when it was new, and passed on to me at around 85,000 miles. Our family has kept all of the dealer service records, and has maintained the car impeccably, but to no avail. The G.P. has always managed to find a way to fail on us one way or the other.

I tell friends that the car is so unduly complicated (this means that it looks fancy and high performance, but actually the appearance is just a result of a poorly planned out engine design... I believe the other engines like the 3.1 and 3800 for these GM body styles to be far superior in performance and reliability), that if the tire pressure gets low, then you'll probably have to replace the #2, 3 & 5 spark plugs, followed by a gentle hand washing of the interior of the catalytic converter. Otherwise, expect the necessity of a complete engine overhaul if you fail to use the turn signal gently.

My previous car was an old 1986 Volkswagon Golf GTi, and you could drive it at high speed into a wall (if you were into that sort of thing) and pretty much only expect to paint it and knock out some dents. And it only ever needed one, not 6, alternators.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th March, 2005

26th Jan 2006, 11:17

I totally agree with you on how much this car is a mechanical nightmare. Luckily I'm still on my first alternator, as far as I know anyway.

24th Jun 2007, 22:36

I have a 95 and every little thing goes wrong or quits working which adds up to be expensive. It seems like there's always something that needs to be fixed. The performance and fuel economy of the car is not impressive.