1999 Pontiac Grand Prix GT review from North America
"Before you floor it, think about repair costs"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I would like to start from the beginning. We had 1995 Honda accord ex, car had 180k miles on it and I was driving it pretty rough at times. Yet it had never stranded me or needed maintenance outside of the regular service. Still car was getting old and mileage was high, so we decided to look for the replacement. Our targeted area was American (we tried to go against the myth that GM/Ford make B.S) cars. We looked at few mustangs- didn't like them. Than we looked at the 1999 Grand Prix GT coupe. After a test drive we were in love with the car. 300 miles later shot started going off. It started when I was backing up from the garage and shifted from R to D, car started jumping and rattling like crazy. Check engine light came on, we took it to the nearest shop and they said we got random engine misfire. Car was left at the dealership... they found that Head Gasket was blown, than spark plug wires were bad ($1600). Well not even 1k miles after that I pull up into the parking lot and hear the buzzing sound and steam is coming from under the hood. Bam the elbow from water pump to the engine cracked open. Car left me stranded there for 3 hours while tow truck arrived; shop repaired the damage at no cost.
Now to the rest of the things that is going wrong.
-random oil smell from under the hood when car was running for extended period of time.
-Brakes are squeaking terribly.
-Transmission shifts rough at times.
-While idling engine vibrates extensively.
-Speakers fading in/out.
-Fog in the headlights.
-Driver's side door panel and window are rattling.
-Car gets 14MPG at best.
General comments?
This car is a coupe and with the bra on it looks extremely aggressive.
Power is inadequate for the FWD car, every time I need to make a quick turn or while starting in the rain uphill tires spin like crazy. Traction control is not efficient at all.
Handling is not that great. Car has extreme under steer at higher speeds, I tried to turn an off ramp at 50 MPH... I wasn't turning at all.
Acceleration is great through all gears, but what good is it if I am scared to floor it because my mind keep showing me images of something breaking.
Ride quality and comfort are pretty nice.
Car gets a lot of looks.
I would not recommend this car to people who need a reliable transportation. It's a one time rocket.
IT would have been the BMW/Mercedes killer if it was reliable. Great performance and looks are overshadowed by poor reliability and quality.
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| 1999 - Grand Prix GTP 3.8 Supercharged A great car for the money |
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| The Little Car That Could |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 1999 |
| Year of manufacture | 1999 |
| First year of ownership | 2005 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.8 non SC Automatic |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 4 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 6 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 74380 miles |
| Most recent distance | 75200 miles |
| Previous car | Honda Accord |
| Date of Entry | 28th October, 2005 |