1999 Pontiac Grand Prix SE review from North America
"Which way to the crusher?"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
To start with the heater blower motor started to give me problems. Only worked on a few speeds, then one speed, then none, then just stayed on by itself -even when the car was turned off! I had to pull the fuse to turn the fan off. I am led to believe the heater blower motor relay is a common defect in lots of GM cars. I bought the part for about $20 from GM and tried to replace it myself. A word of advise -take it to the dealer! Anyway that relay failed too after about 3 weeks.
The radio speakers are problematic. In particular, the rear speakers come on and off when they want to.
The transmission acts up on occasion, like it can't decide to go into gear so it shifts up and down and up and down under heavy acceleration.
Some of the black exterior trim between the doors is peeling. I colored it back in with a black marker.
General comments?
This car is really a nice looking car both inside and out. My company had the SE for company cars, and a few of my friends including myself bought them after the company miled them out.
Funny thing is we have all had the same problem with the heater relay and radio speakers. The quality just isn't there.
The market is also very heavily saturated with Grand Prixs so they don't hold their value. Don't spend a lot of money on one, chances are you'll find a decent one cheap.
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| Not meant to last |
|
| This car is very sporty looking, fun on the curvy roads, but a nightmare on long road trips |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1999 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.8 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 8 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 100000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 175000 kilometres |
| Previous car | Chevrolet Corsica |
| Date of Entry | 24th October, 2003 |