I went through a front axle every 30,000 miles. It would just split right down the middle. Then, the dealer would break the rear axle for more business. This happened five times while I owned the car.
The driver seat cushion broke, making me sit on three or four phone books.
The transmission went out at 141,000 miles.
That was the last straw.
The suspension was weak.
Comfort was okay until the front seat fell apart, sending me to the floor.
Acceleration was crummy.
The brakes were dangerous.
The seat belts unclicked themselves.
The view out the rear was scary.
Too many electrical gremlins.
The people at Pontiac at the time should have been able to hire engineers who knew how to balance out a car.
I will never drive GM again.
Look how old it is, what do you expect?
He has owned the car since new and is right in his expectations for a car built by the worlds largest car maker. I have a 25 yr old Mercedes Benz 300D Turbo with over 300,000 miles and it has no squeaks or rattles and can put many younger cars to shame on the highways and rural roads with its handling poise and speed. ALL components were built to last and have held up exceptionally well to daily road use. If MB can do it so should GM.
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
It was brand new and I expected the axles to last the life of the car. I also expected the transmission to last more than 141,000 miles. It is old now, but I only owned the car for six years, and dependability (or lack thereof) was the predominate reason for trading it on a Ford Escort.
Yes - I hear the new GM vehicles come with "Yellow Phone Books" factory installed for your seating pleasure.
The 1989 LeMans was engineered and built in Korea by Daewoo. GM badged it as a Pontiac, marketed it in North America and provided parts and service support. If you're looking to blame the engineers for a job poorly done, blame the Koreans who designed the thing.
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE:
Yeah- that's what I heard. If I ever drive another GM, I will be sure to buy stock in phone books.
Either way, the seat should not have broken. I am a short guy with an average guy's weight.
"The 1989 LeMans was engineered and built in Korea by Daewoo. GM badged it as a Pontiac, marketed it in North America and provided parts and service support. If you're looking to blame the engineers for a job poorly done, blame the Koreans who designed the thing."
True- but it was still a GM.
I would have thought you would step up to a Mercedes, but you went to an Escort? I had a 1990 Bonneville, sold at 150,000 miles, exceptional Pontiac, and I eventually moved up to a 2002 Corvette manual (6 spd), the logical progression up.
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
I agree with comment 1st Dec 2008, 14:51.
I would have like a Mercedes, but I had a kid on the way and thought a cheap wagon would be the way to go. I also wanted to be sure that if it had been crap, I would have saved enough on the initial price to try again with another make.
Almost a decade later (as I started this practice with my LeMans), it has paid off.
Your Escort (if you got rid of it) is probably still running around with another owner.
The LeMans - a rust heap in a car dump.
"True- but it was still a GM"
So what would you say about a Pontiac Vibe? Is it a "GM" or a Toyota?
<<"So what would you say about a Pontiac Vibe? Is it a "GM" or a Toyota?">>"
Now it's a Toyota since the Vibe got killed.
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