1988 Pontiac Grand Prix review from North America
"Potential for a great bargain ruined by bad brakes"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Replaced rear brake calipers 3x's. NOTE: GM has a class action law suit filed against them for this model of caliper. They frequently freeze and are expensive to replace ($300-$500 each). They appear on GM W-body cars from 1988-1993. You may contact the law firm placing the suit at www.wolfpopper.com for more information.
Water pump replaced March, 2000. Made a grinding noise -- shaft was loose. Simple, cheap, do-it-yourself repair.
Alternator replaced November, 1999. Another problem typical of GM cars.
Ignition module and coils replaced September, 1999.
Basically, the car past 100,000 miles and things started to fail.
General comments?
The car was in great condition when I bought it. It is still in reasonably good condition for a 12 year-old car. However, the car is 12 years old, so things are slowly but surely failing. The transmission is slipping during the shift to overdrive at about 45-50 mph. The passenger-side window motor has been losing teeth off the gear/wheel, so I've had to take the door apart and fix it rather unconventionally.
However, the car has been a champ considering its age. If it weren't for the rear caliper design, this car would be problem-free and a GREAT bargain, apart from things that go bad due to age.
I can get 20 MPG city and 30 MPG highway. Back seat room is a little cramped, but then again I'm 6'3".
Recommended reviews
| 1988 - Grand Prix SE 2.8 6 cylinder Plenty of potential with many engineering flaws |
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| 1988 - Grand Prix 2.8 Liter V6 Nice sack for the cost, just hard to keep on the road |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Year of manufacture | 1988 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2000 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.8 6 cyl Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 8 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 80000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 116500 miles |
| Date of Entry | 31st July, 2000 |