1990 Pontiac LeMans Le Aerocoupe 1.6 from North America

Summary:

Once you get it running, it's a great car

Faults:

Top anti-freeze hose.

Door hinge.

Tires.

Head gasket.

Brake rotor.

Drive shaft.

Tie rod.

Tail pipe.

Front turn signal.

Wiper blades.

All of the things I have listed have been fixed. All of the repairs were between five to 150 dollar fixes. The things you can do yourself I recommend you do yourself. The car also needs a paint job, but you have to keep in mind that the car is 14 years old. The cars is going to need replacing of old parts no matter who makes it.

General Comments:

I bought my car from a lady who posted it in the newspaper. She didn't want it any more, so I bought it for 600 dollars cash. This is really a great car for 600 bucks, I want to get so much done for it, but since it is not a common car you see around, it's hard to get sporty things for it.

Other than that, I have not had any trouble with my Pontiac Lemans Le Aerocoupe. I only had a tire blowout on me, and that was because they were 14 years old. I had them all replaced in a week.

Also make sure to change oil every 3000 miles and get it tuned-up. It helps a lot. Just basically follow your maintenance schedule and your car should last a long time.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 25th August, 2004

1990 Pontiac LeMans LE from North America

Summary:

Got To Love The LeMans !

Faults:

I love my Pontiac LeMans! This is the first car I have ever had and so far so good. I have only had to replace a couple of things on it, such as the alternator, and a fan belt. For two years of ownership I think that is well, for a car that others think is a piece of crap. I have had comments from people I know that think my little LeMans is a piece of crap. I know that my car would last in a wreck before theirs would. I have been in two bad wrecks in this car and had little damage. It is hard to believe that hitting a deer going 50 mph. would do little damage, but that's why LeMans are better than newer cars.

General Comments:

Stop Hating On The LeMans !!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 5th March, 2003

1990 Pontiac LeMans from North America

Summary:

But so far, for a few hundred bucks, you get what you paid for!

Faults:

The brakes and front tire rods need to be replaced soon (normal wear and tear).

Currently, the gas and temperature readings do not work.

General Comments:

I actually have a Passport Optima (formerly Geo), but it is the same as the Pontiac LeMans, so I decided to put it under this category.

We have bought this car for about $1200 (in CDN-Canadian dollars). The previous owner has actually put a 1993 engine onto the 1990 body. I am not completely sure why, but all we wanted was basic cheap transportation. The engine has about 120,000 km, while the car itself has about 150,000 km.

I would have to say, you do get what you paid for. Not only it is quite cheap on gas and a fast-runner for what we previously expected, it is also an attractive looking vehicle. Designed by Germany, it resembles the discontinued Opel Kadett that you will find in Europe. Therefore, there is definitely a European style to it. However, many of the components are built by Daewoo (Korean), therefore, the performance is different from the Opel Kadett, which I heard, is a lot better than than the North American LeMans/Optima.

The drawbacks to this vehicle that I know about, are its plastic interior... VERY plastic, and its hard-to-find parts. First off, anyone who gets into this car, or gets an opportunity to drive it, will soon find how CHEAPLY made this car is. But then again, if all you want is a cheap vehicle that gets you from point A to point B, who would really care that much?? I personally have got used to the plastic interior, and surprisingly fell in love with the vehicle. It also runs quite smooth, even though the seats aren't at the top of the line.

Parts are hard to find, so I heard from many people and as well as mechanics.

Here in Canada, I can see that this car did not sell nearly as good as it did in the US. Therefore, repairs may cost a little. But with a car that worths about $800-$1000 CDN, there's not much to complain about, is there?

Overall, this car is a cheap and reliable transportation, yet with a stylish European look. So far, nothing big has gone wrong with the vehicle for I haven't owned it for long. I guess I will just have to wait and see in the future how long this will last.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th January, 2003

20th Sep 2003, 21:07

Hello I am considering to buy a used 91 Pontiac Optima. It was the very 1st time I heard of that car so I came and looked up on INTERNET and even there is very little. I am in the Montreal area and I would like to get in touch with some other Optima owner. I am concerned reading that replacement parts might be a problem. Advice please. Thanks a lot.