1997 Pontiac Grand Prix SE review from North America

The alternator has went out twice.

The starter had to be replaced.

The water pump had to be replaced.

The headlight lens units have both been replaced.

The battery had to be replaced because it had melted the area where the terminal bolts on.

The blower motor has been replaced twice.

The fan resistor had to be replaced.

The passenger side front wheel bearings went bad.

All of the things in the what has gone wrong category would be bad enough for anyone, but the worst is yet to come.

The car started to experience a miss, or a lunging feel, as you would drive up a hill. I took it to a dealer I had previously trusted. The mechanic drove it with me and said it seemed like a valve body problem. They kept it overnight so their transmission man could look at it. When I called back that day they told me the transmission expert agreed that it was probably a valve body problem. They went on to say it would be about $800 to look at it and about $2500 in total to fix it. I decided I would drive it until it broke down.

A month or so later I decided to change the plug wires, and what do you know, problem solved. How in the world could a dealership not know to have looked at the plug wires? They were cracked and old. In my opinion they were trying to stick it to me. A $2500 problem fixed for $35!

Trust no one.