2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP Supercharged 3.8 from North America

Summary:

Unbelievable performance, reliability, value, and most importantly, unbeatable safety!!

Faults:

Lower intake manifold gaskets slowly started leaking oil into the coolant, something I fixed myself.

Had a few quirks, seemingly related to the drive-by-wire system, such as occasionally holding a gear entirely too long even with very light throttle, causing hard shifts. Issue not fixed, as it happened rarely.

General Comments:

This car is quite honestly the best car I have EVER owned.

I bought it against better judgment this January (09) with over 193,000 miles. I don't regret it one bit.

I drove this car nearly 20,000 miles in the 8-9 months that I had it, taking plenty of trips from Missouri to California for example. It was the most reliable vehicle I had ever owned, and trusted it to drive ANYWHERE.

VERY quick, even with 213,000 miles on it, didn't miss a beat.

EVERYTHING worked on this car. It spoiled me with all of the options.

The cargo room is INSANE. I have never seen anything like it. You could EASILY (yes, EASILY) slide TWO (count 'em, TWO) TWIN SIZED MATTRESSES into this car! Unbelievable! And these are standard sized mattresses too, not those crummy narrow hospital sized mattresses.

It truly is a shame, I fell asleep driving this car on a 5 hour highway trip. I didn't get any sleep the night before. If none of the above points drive you to buy this car, let it be this one. It is safe. It saved my life. I drove off the right side of the road, at 73MPH, finally returned to the road only to over-correct and ROLL the vehicle into the median guard cables. Everyone that saw the car and the damage couldn't believe that I walked out of the car with only ONE cut. And Onstar had alerted the police before I even knew what had happened. Thank goodness too, because my cell phone was dead.

The car had 213,000 miles on it and it was SPOTLESS. Scratch that, FLAWLESS, Period. What an amazing car. I would give nearly anything to have it back...

If anyone wants to see the before and after pictures, feel free to E-mail me (Buck) at buckfiftycutty@gmail.com

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th September, 2009

2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 3.8 V6 from North America

Summary:

I wouldn't have this car if someone gave it to me

Faults:

Well... 2 weeks after I bought it, my car was in the shop getting an alignment because my tires were wearing very unevenly.

After that my wheel bearings needed to be replaced.

My check engine light came on and stayed on all winter long.

My "low tire pressure" light is constantly on.

My struts are very wore out and need to be replaced.

The whole time I had this car, in the winter the heater would not work even when I let it warm up for 15 minutes, and would then spend another 15 minutes driving to work. We have replaced the thermostat twice but cannot figure out the problem.

And now my current problems are I need a new fuel filter, which is conveniently located in the gas tank, and my ABS system is acting up and my brake pedal keeps grinding like I'm about to slide into something when I am on dry pavement. I'm scared I'm going to wreck!

General Comments:

I DO NOT like this car. I like the sporty look, but other than that it has been nothing but a problem that haunts me. I will never own another Pontiac, and I would recommend that others not own one either unless you like being constantly frustrated.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd July, 2009

22nd Jul 2009, 18:48

You bought the car with over 100,000 miles on it, you can't judge a manufacturer based on that.

9th Nov 2009, 16:45

Not only that, but many of those are simple fixes and can be expected with ANY car.

16th Nov 2009, 09:10

Replacing your thermostat isn't going to fix a no heat issue, the coolant doesn't flow through the thermostat on its way to the heater core. I would be looking at the control module, and heater core bypass valve first. Perhaps a little bit of diagnosis before you spend money on parts could help alleviate some of your frustration.

26th Nov 2009, 09:28

We have not had a problem with our 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix GT.

It was purchased new and has 50K miles on it now.

We are very happy with the car.

9th Dec 2009, 00:33

Well,

You had the car that had more than 100,000 miles within 5 years, wow more than 20,000 miles a year ; the front bearings had spun 5,734,231 times, that's five times more than any bearing manufacture warranty.. and do you want to calculate any more, talk about the price, it was under 5 grand, and still you talk bad about the Pontiac, I am a Chevy guy.. but I have to talk the truth!!

Thanks.

9th Feb 2010, 20:31

The question is if a thermostat might cause a low heat from the heater?

Unless the GP is a weird bird, it used to be if a thermostat was stuck open, the coolant never gets hot, and that will cause the heater to not heat the car.

In reply to 9th Feb 2010, 20:31

4th Jun 2012, 14:48

These cars lose heat because heater core gets plugged up from the GM coolant in 5 to 6 years. I flushed the system and used the green Prestone, and have lots of heat now.